Small traditions for wonderful shared mealtimes

One thing that has always stayed with me from attending Steiner parent child sessions with my little one is the small details that make the everyday enchanting and magical.

Bringing in a shared mealtime in joy, with song, the loveliest basket of apples, nourishing home baked snacks and a decorated candle.

Keeping this tradition alive has been something I’ve valued so much, making mealtimes nourishing not just for the body, but the spirit and the senses too.

We continue this tradition at home decorating two candles for the dinner table a month...I usually make one for the dinner table and the little one decorated one for the playroom which we light when crafting, reading, telling stories.

I finally made a basket to keep our apples for snack time from the ivy out of the garden and we use the Waldorf Kindergarten Snack Book / Book of soups and Book of breads often to make nutritious meals and snacks.

This week has been Red Delicious Dessert Apples (I shine them like my Nanna used to to make them extra magical) Apple Cookies from the Waldorf Kindergarden Snackbook (try adding Tahini to cookies it’s amazing) and a candle of Daffodils 🌼 in celebration of March.

It’s not pictured here - but we also have ‘fairy tea’ just like our parent child group. Organic, caffeine free fruit tea which is made of a morning and then cooled and chilled for the day.

Do you have any small rituals to make meal and snack times special you would like to share today?

As I was about to post this today I noticed my friends over at @my_seasonal_treasury and @waldorfdads have also done some lovely candle decorating this weekend - with some amazing tea light bees! We will be adding those to our table no doubt this week! Check out their account for a tutorial.

Quiet prayerful connection

Tea and knitting this afternoon.

These things I do in joy and passion for me, for the home, for my family are themselves rich learning experiences for my children.

My daughter has learnt so much from just observing of an afternoon when I sit with some handwork to do. Some washing powder to make. Some bread to bake. She’s soaked up those experiences she lives a full and active role in our home and often when she asks to help with something beyond her understanding or current capabilities instead of re-directing her I think of how I can facilitate that for her - how she can help and feel valued as a member of our home, valued and proud in the work she takes part in and what she achieves.

Response to my work varies - she sometimes joins in, sometimes not, she sometimes likes to try something new herself. Sometimes just plays, sometimes she will sit, crayon and observe what I’m doing. And ALL that is ok.

This afternoon time is for us both to connect - not necessarily in specific shared activity - but IN shared activity , she has grown to respect my work, as I do hers.

The mutual pleasure of being with each other doing something (or nothing) and being happy and content.

Surely out of all the life lessons we can teach our children...in a world that strives for the next best, and the idea of always moving fast forward, this has to be one of the best pleasures there is, slow meaningful connection with work.

I think there is often something so sacred about time spent in quiet and joyful work, and prayer is often on my mind when I am sat doing such activities.

Have you got any handwork to finish today? Do you pray when you are doing quiet purposeful work?

Whittled Blue Tit

Ok... so I’ve had to peel myself away from the whittling knives and endless array of sticks in the back garden to actually retain my claim to motherhood.

Whittled this lovely little bird this morning whilst the little one was playing in the garden with the older two..which I then painted with watercolour as a Blue Tit, another one of our garden birds.

I think the watercolour works so well, what do you think - natural wood or painted?