Matters of Grace

Listening to a 19 year old playing video games, I was shocked to hear frequent use of the word "rape." "He raped me," "I'm gonna rape that (blank),"I'm raping you" ... Since when did it become acceptable to joke about rape? This boy, apparently, has plenty of company. Psychologists from Middlesex University and the University of Surrey conduced a study that discovered, when presented with descriptions of women taken from men’s magazines, and comments about women made by convicted rapists, most people could not distinguish the source of the quotes. The apparent normalization of violent sexism is pretty upsetting. Researching into the affects of music and video games amplifies our concern. So what can be done? We can't change the whole of society. But we can influence our 'circle' beginning with our kids. Talk to your kids. In an informal setting, such as while tossing a ball around or doing a chore together, invite conversa...

This year I decided to add to the holiday by making our very own Advent calendar using that most wondrous of materials: felt. (I love felt) Gracie assisted by holding my materials down I stitched a little pocket for each day (and admit that by pocket 6, I was wondering what on earth possessed me to want to stitch an Advent calendar in the first place) But after a few days of vigorous stitching, I finished all 24 pockets; here they are: ......now all I need are some stockings to match: (Working on them) :) Peace of the season!

.... don't even think about trying to escape. Yesterday I had a really, REALLY bad day. It was the type of day where you wake up thinking life is good, then half way through realize it's nothing but a steaming pile of unpaid bills gone to collections (with interest.) The type of day that makes you want to sing old blues songs, like: Once I built a tower to the sun, Brick and rivet and lime, Once I built a tower, now it's done, Brother, can you spare a dime? It was the type of day that makes you want to cry out things like 'why me' or 'it's not fair!' And people try to come to you and say things like 'it's okay' or 'one day at a time' or some other pithy phrase that makes you feel like this: And just when I wanted to crawl into a dark pit, cover myself with ashes and dwell in my misery forever, I looked up to see my three kids...... ...and they were d a n c i n g . All three of them were smiling and cutting a rug, wavin...

A few weeks ago I ordered for a custom waldorf baby doll for my three year old daughter. The doll will be 18" long, have movable arms and legs and be able to wear actual baby clothes. My daughter will love it. Way back in the 70's, when I was a little girl, I would visit my grandma and grandpa on their farm in central California. Their next door neighbor, Mrs. Wilson, would sometimes invite me over -- which I loved, because Mrs. Wilson made dolls and her entire attic was filled with every type of Waldorf-styled doll imaginable. And each one had a name and *story*. It was kid heaven. She even cut out 'kits' for me to sew my own dolls, and while mine never looked as good as hers, the memories make me smile. Waldorf dolls are the perfect toy for any gender. What makes the Waldorf dolls so pleasing for kids is that they are soft and cuddly, and easily lovable. The face is only “suggested” to allow the child to use his/her own imagination as to whether it laughs, c...

I'm sitting in my living room - sipping the last wee bit of the Montagne Saint-Emilion - watching my two year old learn to scissor. Scissoring is it's the most marvelous thing when you are 2 or 3. With the coloringbook picture in one hand, and red-handled safety scissors in the other, she purposefully *snip-snip-snips* her way all around the paper's edge. When she's done with her scissoring and coloring, we'll hang it on the fridge. My seven year old, meanwhile, is practicing for his baseball game in the back yard. He's positioned himself right in my line of view and every few hits he waves and yells out 'how was that one?' "Great job!" I think my eleven is cleaning his room, I'll check in a moment and see how its going. Three happy kids and three happy cats - how wonderful! I know it won't last as our days are peppered with the occasional kid melt down, but this particular moment is one of life's sweeter melodies. ~Grace