I went into a department store the other day in search of a punching balloon for a papier mache pinata we are making. The Halloween decorations were out. Which makes sense. And right behind them were the Christmas decorations. Garland, stockings, tree stands and more. Really. In the beginning of October. And I breathed in. Out. And realized it was time once again to set some intentions for how it could/should/would be for our family.

Rather than panic I took it as a reminder that the holidays were coming and if I wanted them to be peaceful and easy, which I do, now might be a good time to start pondering what they might look like.

Over the past few years we, as a family, have honed in on what we want our holidays to look like. What we want to do. Where we want to go. And most importantly, how we want them to feel. For us the holidays are full of making stuff, day trips, family hikes, packages mailed and treats created. Because, regardless of our beliefs, the holidays come at us from every direction in every form. And if we’re not clear about what we DO want, we are bombarded by what we don’t want. And I don’t think I need to go into detail about what that looks like.

In light of all of this, we created a workbook a couple of years ago to help families figure out not just what they don’t want, but what they DO want. How do we want it to feel? What are the pieces we want to incorporate and how can we get where we want to be as the holidays come our way.

Because goodness knows, they definitely come our way whether we are ready or not.

If you’d like to set some intentions for your upcoming holiday season and make your holidays feel more aligned with your family life, this Creating Your Slow Holiday workbook might be for you. Check it out. Answer the questions and then let us know what pieces worked for you. What changes are you going to implement? We’d love to know.

The book I’ve been working on for the past couple of years is hitting the bookstore shelves this week! It’s called Make Stuff Together and it’s being published by Wiley Publishing. The book has 24 projects to make as a family but it’s about more than just the making. It’s about finding connection in the process. It’s about building community. It’s about creating more satisfying family time in the using of the projects completed. It’s about recycling and recrafting. And it’s about truly enjoying your time together as a family.

The book is officially kicking off its blog tour today with a beautiful review  from Rhythm of the Home. From now until July 1st Make Stuff Together has a whole host of amazing family, craft and lifestyle sites doing interviews, reviews, sample projects and BOOK GIVEAWAYS!!! Check out the schedule on the Future Craft Collective site.

As summer officially begins and our time together as a family increases, this could be just the book to help your family find ways to make stuff together!

We’re experiencing a few technical difficulties with our shop. Since I’m just returning from a week in the woods with 16 girls ages 8-12, I’m not really ready to dive in and figure it all out. That and the fact that our amazing web guru Websy Daisy is taking a few days for some family time at the beach, means technology is being placed in the back seat. All good family reasons, right?

If you’re really needing those workbooks before Monday, send an email to Bernadette and she’ll be happy to hook you up with whatever Slow Family guidance you need!

And while you’re perusing for some ideas for family connection, Bernadette’s book co-written with Kathie Sever, is  OUT ON THE BOOKSTORE SHELVES!!! Make Stuff Together is available to you right now chock full of ideas for some good creative family time.

We received a sweet box in the mail the other day. Perfectly sized and illustrated with a sweet little manatee drawing. Inside were 3 beautiful board books with an outdoorsy theme – including one featuring illustrations by the amazing Charley Harper whose 1960s era science book artwork is getting some acclaim right now. The books were lovely and well received by our resident pre-schooler.

But the box was kind of cool too. In order to bring back the old idea that the box is as much fun as the contents, this box came with “instructions” for use. Ideas for making robots or other fun box creations, corn starch packing peanuts that could be used for building and drawings to be colored in and used for the aforementioned box creations.

The idea comes from Blue Manatee Boxes, a little independent bookstore in Ohio. Started by a pediatrician, the idea is a return to basics and the idea too that in this age of fast paced learning and high tech toys, what’s old, such as a cardboard box, can be new again. And used by kids for imaginative play.

If you know of some household that could use a little creative inspiration, not to mention some really beautiful books which can be purchased by such themes as art, eco, baby, birthday or love, The Blue Manatee Boxes are pretty sweet. And might just inspire some good play on a hot summer day.

And if you aren’t in the market for books right now, I hope this post inspires you to look at the next cardboard box you receive with a more imaginative eye.

When a family splits, the trauma often reverberates for years, as family members struggle to adapt to a “new normal” of mom’s house, dad’s house, and new adult partners in the mix.

Austin writer Jennifer Newcomb Marine and her children’s stepmother,Carol Marine used their own experience around divorce and remarriage to write a book called Noone’s the Bitch; strengthening step families one mother/stepmother relationship at a time. If you are the mother or the step mother and you are seeking ways to create a bridge with the other woman in your child’s life, this book is definitely for you.

Starting this week, Jennifer is hosting a 6 week tele-conference, called Transformation Labs, for women seeking solutions for their own step-family relationships. Says Jennifer, “Creating a bridge enabled us to cobble the family nest back together again. It took time and sometimes we still go backwards, but we have created a foundation that is strong and durable. Now our kids have three adults in their lives who are on the same page, clucking and fretting over them, together. I know they feel loved. They have told me they feel heard.”

If you are in a stepfamily, or know someone who is, and want to learn how to build more connection into it all,  check out the work of Jennifer and Carol.

We interrupt your summer to bring you this important bit of information…

I’m doing a little summer reading over here. Some light stuff you know. This one in my hand is called Stop Arguing with Your Kids: how to win the battle of wills by making your child feel heard. It’s got some great information in it and it is especially pertinent in our household as we segue from school to summer. It’s stuff we might have known but need a bit of a reminder on. Big transitions call for refreshing the toolbox.

The section I’m currently working on is chapter 2: The Five Steps of Responsive Listening. In quick review, here they are:

1. At the first sign of an argument, check the impulse to argue back with your child and concentrate instead on listening to the child’s feelings.
2. Invite your child’s thoughts, feelings, and wishes – without defending or disagreeing (and to this I add, without judging)
3. Repeat the child’s position in your own words to show what you think he or she is thinking and feeling.
4. Ask the child to correct your impression or elaborate on his or her point of view.
5. Take time out to consider your decision – on minor matters by puasing before responding with our decision, or for more difficult situations by saying that you’ll talk more about it later.

Okay, now back to your summer. I wish you all a little peace in your own summer days. With less yelling and more enjoyable being. Together.

There’s a lot happening this time of year. Lots of parties and plans and presents and people and possibly travel and more. Last year Carrie and I were sitting around with a circle of friends and talking about the holiday season that was about to begin. There were some moans from the crowd about the obligations, the shoulds, the shopping, and the have-to’s and the like.  And we all realized something had to change.

We shifted the conversation towards what we wanted this time of year to look and feel like. How did we want it to go. What were the things we were seeking from this holiday season that came to us every year without fail.

We wanted connection with friends and family. We wanted rituals and traditions with meaning to us and to our families. We wanted the chance to celebrate life and to ring in the new year with joy and celebration – as opposed to dread and dissatisfaction.

From that conversation we created the Slow Family class called Creating YOUR Slow Holiday. It’s a great class and we’ve since run it a few times as both an in-person class and a teleclass. It’s gotten rave reviews and reports have come back that it is truly an effective tool for evoking change and creating holidays that feel full, joyful and satisfying too.

From that class we’ve created the Creating YOUR Slow Holiday e*book which you can now download from our shop. It’s 15 pages packed with questions, ideas, inspiration and suggestions for ways to shift your holidays from fear and loathing to true and meaningful comfort and joy.

But don’t just take our word for it. (although our word is pretty darn good) You can read here what folks are saying.

Parenting for a Peaceful World, written by Robin Grille, is a book for parents who want to learn to get inside their parenting with true compassion and understanding of both their children and of themselves. It is for child health professionals who want to gain insight into every infant and child, and even adult, they encounter. It is for adults who want to gain insight into their whole selves again and indeed, the whole self of every person they meet.

This book is nothing short of a manifesto for policy-makers, teachers, community leaders, and anyone who wants to deepen their connection to themselves and humanity as a whole. If the findings outlined in these pages are put into practice, the result may be a revolution of peace, humanity, and a world beyond our imagining.  And it can all begin in ourselves and in our very own families.

During our time together we will:
* Examine the whys of who we are
* Discuss the book
* Explore how our own early experiences influence what we believe about ourselves and how we parent
* Share some of the messiness and joys of parenting today
* Learn and practice mindfulness techniques that will help reduce stress and model good emotional health and regulation to partners and children

Time: 7-9pm
Dates: Every Wednesday for six classes starting July 29th
Cost: $250/person or $450/couple
Location: 919B Cardinal Lane Austin TX 78704

This is for mothers and fathers with children of all ages who are ready to explore and create new understandings of themselves, their children and their world in general.

Click here if you are registering as an individual.

Click here if you are registering as a couple.

Please contact Carrie at carrie@earlyparenting.com or 512-694-7794 if you have any questions.

…is here!! This is the all new version and vastly improved Slow Family Living handbook complete with tips, tools, ideas and practical ways you can slow down, connect and truly enjoy family life. This 33 page booklet loaded with questions and information, has got the whys, the ways and the how-to’s for the typical sticky points of family life. And a list of 100 things you can do to truly savor the lusciousness of your connected family life.

We love TED talks. We especially love TED talks when they are about slow living. Check out our friend and inspiration Carl Honore, author of  In Praise of Slowness and Under Pressure: Rescuing our children from the cult of hyper parenting giving his TED talk.

Click here to view it.

Maybe one day we’ll give a TED talk…