After getting the handle on chronic migraines, and moving from Seattle, WA to Copenhagen, Denmark -- I think I"m reading to start posting at more than one blog again.

I've started a category called Advice Girl at my main blog, Magpie Girl. Any time the advice is about parenting, or even vaguely parenting related, I'll be cross posting over here.

It's fun to be back getting tip and tricks from Team Minti again!

Yours,

Rachelle Mee-Chapman
Magpie Mama

"Hey Eden! Wanna hear the worstest tone in the world? EEEEEECCCHHHH."

-Cate, age 6

Hello All! I've been away for awhile but am happy to report that I now have a desk (and a room!) of my very own. My writing studio is up, unpacked, and hooked up. I've been here three days a week for the past two weeks and it feels GREAT. I just stuck a note on my bulletin board reminding me to write a blog post every other day or so, either here or at Urban Abbess -- and in the new year I'll be up at Magpie Girl as well. (Alas, that's a site I wanted to start in November! But we are dangerously close now!)

On the home front, the last month or so had been really difficult. There were two weeks straight where the girls had half days at school, followed the by long Thanksgiving weekend, then ONE day of school, then TWO snow days. This in spite the fact that there was NO ACTUAL SNOW stuck to the ground. (Seattlites are wimps.) By the time Eden got back to her "normal" schedule she was completely tapped out from all the changes and spent the afternoon after the first full day of school in tears. We're just finally starting to level out. But now it's almost Winter Break. Here's hoping we can get Eden through with comfort and joy!

Cate, my six year old, is so freaking adorable it's hard not to play favorites. She's really into making books and will spend long hours at thier homework table (aka Cate's Table of Amazing Crafts) stapling pieces of paper together and illustrating tomes about the circus, fairy monkeys, or mean-big-sisters-who-look-like-this-when-they-tattle.

Paul recently treated himself to a much-deserved XBox360 and we are learning how to regulate tube time with the kids. They like to play Breakout (a racing game) with Paul or Viva Pinata or Lego Starwars by themselves. I can't play any of them, though I sometimes take my knitting downstairs and watch them play. The Wolfpup likes to hang out that way -- and I say any way a teenager will spend time with ya, take it!

Well, there's my little update. Stay tuned for advice, thoughts, and funny stories.

Happy Holidays!

Rachelle, aka

The Magpie Girl

Eden has been home with vague "feeling sick"ness for two days. Paul and I think it's stress. She's in third grade, and the principal says that this is a big year for kids "being really mean to each other." There's a group of kids that are in a club at recess, and from what I can tell it's basically the mean girl's club. Rosie, Eden's former best friend, told her she was on the waiting list for the club. Eden told her she didn't really like how the girls in the club treated her so that was okay with her. Yesterday Eden told me she was 'in between friends.'

I've ordered some library books about raising girls and the 'highly sensitive' child. I know one big piece of advice is to have kids join a club outside of school (girl scouts, church school, etc) so they have another playgroup that might treat them more kindly.  Eden gets overstimulated easily though, and really just needs to come home and chill after school, not run off to an after school activity. Aside from booking some playdates with other-than-Rosie-pals, I'm not sure how to proceed...

...and of course, even though my child is stressed to the point of stomach aches, I'm still narcissistically frustrated that I've been home bound and unable to work for two days. Remember  back when I had two-kids-two-years-and-under and I never even got out of my slippers for days a time? Yeah. I hated that. Now I go nutso after just two days of houseshoes!

1. What's your child's favorite book?  Eden (8yrs) adores the Sister Grimm, Fairy Tale Detective series. She reads all three of them over and over and has even emailed the author asking for more in the series! Cate (6yrs) is into Barefoot Fairytales. Both of them could (and do!) read fairy and folk tales until the kids come home.

2.  What is your favorite children's book?  I have so many! I guess two favorite would be The Serpent Slayer and Other Tales of Strong Women and The Paper Bag Princess. I’m also a big fan of Olivia.  

3.  What is your child's favorite thing to eat?  Eden will eat microwave popcorn all day long. Cate claps whenever we have sushi.

4. What's your favorite thing to eat?   Unfortunately, any kind of baked goods, but especially brownies.

5. What's your child's favorite game. Eden learned to play chess as part of her math program at school last year. Cate is a big fan at the surprisingly fun-for-all Balloon Lagoon. Both the girls like Sorry. There’s something so satisfying about sending Daddy back to start! 

6. What's your favorite game? I really don’t like games. I’d rather knit.

So, now I tag... shelli and izzy!

Here's the original link for instructions.
So, the 5 of you listed, go on and answer these questions, post them on your blog, title it "Tag, I'm It" and then tag a few other members (and don't forget to email them letting them know you've tagged them)! ENJOY!            

Yesterday morning Paul started up a new reciepe in the crock pot. Most crock pot reciepes are too mushy and fatty for us ... but this Moraccan Chicken option looked promising. The instructions said to add the carrotts 30 minutes before eating. I was doubtful that this was enough time, but Paul doesn't like to improvise when cooking and followed the guidelines.

Alas, at 6:30 the carrotts were not done. With the kids starving and Paul frustrated, we made the call to have cold cereal for Sunday supper. ..... Well, actually, Paul had cold cereal and COCKTAILS!

"Some days are like that....even in Australia."

-Alexander and the Horrible Terrible No Good Very Bad Day (which, btw, I can recite by heart!)

RIght now the whole house smells like bacon and there's a pot of edemame corn chowder with bacon crumbles on the stove. The girls are playing with thier amish dolls in the warm evening light on the window seat. Our sometimes-sixteen-year-old (a neighbor who lives with us part time) is happily doing who know's what on my space (yikes). Any minute now my husband, Paul, will walk through the door, quickly followed by 8-12 good friends who meet here every week for soup, beer, conversation and maybe--just maybe--a little spiritual growth.

I love Thursdays.

We've been doing this soup/blended family/soulcare community  thing at our house for three years now. It gives me joy and anxiety, fullfillment and yearnings. My favorite thing about it is that it's all inclusive -- housemates, children, adult, atheists, and all manner of Christians or Christian hybrids (Zen Buddihst/Christian, Jesus-y pagans, people who follow Bono, etc.)

If you'd like to hear more about our Thursday night community, which we call Monkfish Abbey, you're welcome to visit our virtual living roomhere.

Hmmm. Thursday nights are good.

One of the things that interest me most about parenting is watching the spiritual development of my children. I enjoy watching and watering their little souls, and they engage with the world around them and the emotional and spiritual unseen world that seems to occupy so much of my girl’s time.   As an ordained minister and a Jesus-y kind of person, I’m pretty attentive to soulcare and spiritual growth. But I’ve also see how damaging organized religion can be to supple and explorative souls. The path that’s unfolded before me has led me down an unbeaten path, and I’ve had to collect tools for the journey – for me and for my kids. Along the way we’ve picked up some things that are helping my children tend to their souls. Maybe some of them will help you and your family as well.  

 Dream a Little Dream with Me: One of the simple soulcare things that I do with my girls is to have a morning cuddle time. Each morning the girls come into my bed for some snuggling and conversation. I always ask them if they’ve had any dreams – good or bad. Often they don’t remember their dreams, but sometimes they do and we talk about the emotions and ideas that are connected to them. I’ve found that my dreams often teach me things, especially in times of indecision or chaos. So I’m trying to help my children be attentive to their dream life as well. When the girls do share their dreams with me, I’m surprised how much insight I gain into their joys and their trials. And if nothing else, it’s a nice bonding activity to laugh together over how silly our dreams are!  

Circle of Love: After we share our dreams (I share mine too) I ask the girls what kind of ‘prayer’ they want to do for the day. Cate (age six) usually chooses ‘circle prayer,’ more officially known as encircling prayer.   To do encircling prayer I make a circle with my hands by touching my thumb and forefingers together and curling the rest of my fingers around to make a little protective back wall. I ask Cate what or who she wants to encircle. She often says, ‘school,’ or ‘our house,’ or sometimes even ‘sissy.” Then Cate and I say, “Encircle us God with your Love, put __________ on the inside, keep __________ on the outside.” We take turns saying our own pairs, while Cate pokes her finger inside and outside the circle of my hands. For instance, Cate might say, “put having fun with friends on the inside, put being a bully on the outside.” After we each do a pair or two Cate say, “Can I do a silly one?!?!?!” I acquiesce and she says something like, “Put boogers on the inside, put candy on the outside. Wah-ha-ha-hahah!” (Nothing is funnier than boogers to a first grader.) I put in my silly choices too so I can share in the fun. Then we close our prayer time with the phrase, “Encircle us Lord with your love, for you are love and in your love we stand.”   Then we go downstairs for toaster waffles.   This little morning rhythm gives our family time a wonderful sweetness; starts our day of on a peaceful, positive note; and give my children some skills for taking care of their spiritual selves. I hope you find it helpful as well.   Stay tuned for more prayer/meditation options to try with your kiddos.   Much Shalom!