f&f Family Journal

Happy 1st day of Summer!
We're having a Mid-Summer sale through July 9th to celebrate! 
Use code SUMMER at checkout for 10% off.

Sale ends Monday, July 9th 2018 at midnight PST.
*Restricted: Bumbleride, Monte, Stokke, Naturepedic & Oeuf. 

I shared a moment of the everyday heritage that I pass onto my children on Instagram recently. It resonated with so many that I couldn't resist sharing with you as well. 

"Wheat Coffee" — my grandma used to make my brother and I "weak" coffee when we were little (somehow translated to wheat coffee and well, it stuck). I thought it was the most wonderful thing in the world, coffee! She would pour a cup full of milk and dribble just a tiny bit of coffee in, just enough to lend some faint color & taste. We would sit and drink it sooooo slowly with her. —

To capture all the wonderful parts of our childhood, the unlikely rituals & traditions for our own children is heritage. Heritage doesn't have to be extraordinary, just meaningful. — My own children love wheat coffee made of a bit of Dad's leftover coffee, shaken cold with milk and has nicely replaced our warm tea during our morning reading time. #lessonslearnedfromgrandma ...

And the comments are just as wonderful! As it turns out, so many of us shared the same special moment drinking coffee as a child, more here!

"Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it.
It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it."

- Unknown

“Life began with waking up and loving my mother's face” 
― George Eliot


Mother's Day is one of our favorite days of the year, naturally.
If you've had your eye on something for that special mama in your life ― or for yourself (!)
enjoy shopping our storewide sale. 

Save 10% off with code MOTHER at checkout.
Sale ends Monday, May 14th.

*Some brands are excluded including Stokke, Oeuf, Babyletto, Bumbleride, Monte & Naturepedic.
Cannot be combined with rewards discounts.

“That is one good thing about this world...there are always sure to be more springs.” 
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea


Happiest 1st day of Spring! 

Shop storewide savings ―
Enjoy 10% off with code SPRING at checkout.
Sale ends Monday, March 26th.

*Some brands are excluded including Stokke, Oeuf, Babyletto, Bumbleride, Monte & Naturepedic.
Cannot be combined with rewards discounts.

A preview of the NURTURING SPACES CHALLENGE!
If you have not signed up, please do so here!
Starts Monday March 12th

I would first like to share a powerful tool that we can start today before we really dig in — Observation. When we take moments throughout the day to observe our children we can gain insight into how we can nurture the whole child. 

Observe your child at play.
Where does your child tend to play? 
Where is he happiest?
What deeply interests your child?
Where is she most comfortable, peaceful, imaginative? 
Does the day naturally lend it self to quiet time, loud & energetic time, time spent outdoors? 
Do your children feel frustrated at any point during / after play? 

Over the course of a few days I observed my four children, jotting down notes about each. For an even closer view of my notes, click HERE.


Take this week to jot down your own notes & observations of your children at play. We'll be using these notes when we start the challenge next week. 

While we will have our technical issues fixed quite soon, I would like to start the Nurturing Spaces Challenge this next Monday, March 12th — Mondays always offer a fresh start! 

SIGN UP HERE!

NURTURING SPACES CHALLENGE — Learn how to create clutter free spaces that nurtures the imagination and well being of your children.

This 5 day challenge will not only help you gain control over the clutter, mess & mayhem but will inspire you to create that ideal, beautifully nurturing space for your children that you envision.

I WILL BE SHARING:
+   How to effectively assess the mess & understand your children's needs
+   My favorite method for gathering, sorting & purging excess.
+   Tips for cleaning & simplifying your space.
+   Inspiring ideas on how to follow your children's cues to create nurturing spaces they need.
+   How to keep the space tidy, the imagination flowing & the magic of childhood growing.

Sign up now!

COMPASSION — My son has teachers that cannot speak nor write nor communicate beyond their body language & reactions.

I was recently reading a father's perspective on the value of raising his children with livestock. How keeping animals has taught his children compassion, sensitivity, selflessness, hard work, satisfaction, intuition, trust, fearlessness, gentleness & strength. These are the deep qualities of character that cannot be taught but developed by, as the writer said, teachers that cannot speak nor write nor communicate.

My children's best teachers have been chickens & pigs & goats and little kittens who have given as much to my children as my children have given to them in both stewardship & love.

CONNECTING with our children — When I was little I would leave a note for my grandma to find right before I left her house and she would secretly hide one for me to find, usually tucked in my books or toys. We would write to each other often in between visits — real letters! I loved reading her cursive and was recently thinking how significant it is to "secretly" connect with our children.

It often seems I don't have enough hours in the week to spend that beloved quality time alone with each of my children but I have found over the years that these little written admirations passed back & forth connects & satisfies us in much the same, quiet way.

This year I have have started a journal between me & each of my children to write and draw our love for each other ... We are using a large cashier Moleskine notebook but anything will do.

I make sure to write clearly and always end my note with a question so my children have an inspired start in their note back to me. I also include cute drawings and plenty of inside jokes. If your children are younger and not yet able to write, simply create drawings for each other which tends to communicate beautifully. 

Writing back & forth between with children must have an element of wonder & curiosity. Isn't it exciting to get a letter? Sometimes my children & I forget to reply and tend to gently remind each other with a new note in the journal or a nudge but it is never a forced activity with expectations. If you have a hesitant writer (a child that is just learning or otherwise struggles with it) extend understanding & gentleness. This journal between your child & you is a place that nurtures trust and encouragement.  

Happy Valentine's Day, dear friends!
 

Enjoy 10% off with code LOVE at checkout.
Sale ends Monday, February 12th.

Some brands are excluded including Stokke, Oeuf, Babyletto, Bumbleride, Monte & Naturepedic. Cannot be combined with rewards discounts.

One thing I am not minimal about —  books! From the start I have filled my children's life with as many books as our budget would allow.  Books nurture the natural curiosity of childhood and I think we could forgo nearly all early childhood learning tools and fill all those cozy moments in our children's days with books.

There's a remarkable connection that happens with our children when we read out loud together and I have found it unnecessary to directly teach my children a rote style memorization of colors, numbers or the alphabet — these basic elements come alive and become real in a tangible way when we read together, which inspires conversations and future adventures together.

Books with such beauty in reference to the world around us are what educator Charlotte Mason refers to as living books and I couldn't agree more! We now have a handful of favorites in the shop from beloved authors such as Gerda Muller & Elsa Beskow ... shop all BOOKS HERE. 

Also, they always seem to sell out quick but we did a re-stock on the wood animals! Another favorite, the pixie dolls, is also available in the shop.