Rhythm in our Home: Part One

We are surround by rhythm in nature: the alternation of day and night, the phases of the moon, the cycle of the seasons, the ebb and flow of the tides. Our bodies are permeated by rhythm, in the beating of our hearts, the breathing of our lungs, women's cycles of fertility and the circadian rhythms of our metabolism. But as modern human beings, we have also established a life that is removed from the rhythms of nature. Through electric light we can work well into the night; we can shop at twenty-four-hour supermarkets; we can fly strawberries to Minnesota in January. Through technology we can live outside of most of the messages and rhythms of our bodies and have forgotten the importance of rhythm in daily life."

You Are Your Child's First Teacher - Rahima Baldwin Dancy

Every day has a meaning, every day has a goal. This is something my Waldorf readings have impressed upon me. Rhythm is key, rhythm is home, rhythm is comfort.

Izzie thrives with a rhythmic balance in her life, we all do in our household. Every day has a meaning, a task to complete which gives a flow to our day. It keeps us busy, entertained and helps us love and enjoy our home and each other.

Monday is .... Laundry Day.

This day is for both Izzie and I. I love starting the week off with freshly cleaned laundry. Clean sheets on the bed, all of the outfits lined up for the rest of the week. It helps me relax, oddly enough. (I deplore doing laundry on the weekend! Weekends are for fun, not for folding!) Izzie and I tackle the laundry together. She helps me sort the clothes into piles, she carries articles of clothes to hang on the line, she hands me hangers when the laundry is clean, and she dances up a storm to my helpless giggles.

(I do not have Izzie help me put the laundry into the machines. They are down in the basement, not a place I want her to go anytime too soon. Tricky, scary stairs lead down there!)

Tuesday is ....Baking Day.

But you knew that already. We bake anything from cookies, to pizza dough, to a fruit crisp. The only stipulations are that it must be baked and it must be edible. As of now I do most of the mixing and measuring, but Izzie loves to pour, help me mix and taste test. Best baking helper ever!

Wednesday is .... Colouring Day

We have an art table set up in the living room with crayons for Izzie to colour at anytime. However, on colouring day we sit together at the dining table, listen to music and colour together. I pull out all of the colouring tools on this day, markers, pencil crayons and crayons. We both enjoy watching what the other is creating (a little too much sometimes) and chat while we work.

....to be continued.