Meagan Rose Wilson Gr

Meagan Rose Wilson Gr

Intentional and grounded family routines rooted in rhythm, reverence, the seasons, traditional & modern wisdom

Printables

weekly rhythm card preview

Weekly Rhythm Free Printable Cards

"Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday,Mend on Wednesday, Churn on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday, Rest ...

Seasonal Mealtime Planning

The theme last week on my Instagram page was “Nourishing Little Minds and Bodies” and as a part ...

Seasonal Mealtime Blessings

Over the years we have sung and said many blessings at our table. Saying or singing a blessing ...

Instagram

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Happy Birthday (June 15) to Canadian-American children’s author, Robert Munsch who’s books both me and my children have adored for many, many years.

Our Top Ten favourite Munsch Books categorized in very loose seasonal groupings:

Summer
- The Paper Bag Princess
- The Sand Castle Contest
- David’s Father

Winter
- Mortimer
- 50 Below Zero

Autumn
- Boo!
- Stephanie’s Ponytail

Spring
- Something Good
- Pigs
- Angela’s Airplane

#robertmunsch

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There are so many ways children can help around the home.

🧹 Ages 2-7 can help at certain times a day as a part of the daily rhythm. They will need adults to model for them how to do the work repeatedly and will be most motivated doing the work alongside adults and siblings
🧼 Ages 8-14 can start to work on daily chores which their parents model for them and which over time they can do independently
🧽 Ages 15 and older can be expected to do their own chores independently as equal contributors to the family home

Whether you pay your children or not starting at a certain age is totally up to you and your family. Our family uses a system similar to “The Family Economy” which you can learn more about on Ralphie’s website @simplyonpurpose

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Today I’m sharing our monthly and annual cleaning lists in the comments.

If you see anything missing leave it in the comments.

Don’t forget to download your FREE printable lists by clicking my bio link!

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Below are some of my favourite eco-cleaning recipes. They are deceivingly simple but work like a charm. We make most of our own cleaning products but sometimes I’ll buy green cleaners if we’re in a busy season. I am also a huge lover of “Murphy’s Soap”, adding a tablespoon or so to the hot water to mop our floors. The smell reminds me of my childhood.

A note about essential oils:
Essential oils if not harvested and grown sustainably can actually be terrible for the environment. Do your research & decide what you’re comfortable using and how much. I use a lot of citrus essential oils- lemon, orange, mandarin- because they are safe with children and aren’t extracted from more endangered or less sustainable plants like palo santo or rose. I try to use them sparingly.

For a gentle scent, add 3 drops of essential oils to each cup of of liquid or powder. For a stronger scent use up to 20 drops but be aware of their safety, for example eucalyptus essential oil should not be used regularly with young children.

Sink and Toilet Scrub
1 cup of baking soda
1/8 cup liquid castille soap
Essential oil of choice
Mix them together and after scrubbing, rinse with vinegar to foam and repeat

Glass Spray
Vinegar
Old Newspapers
Spray the glass or mirror down, rub with the newspaper for a streak-free surface

All-Purpose Spray
Orange Peels
Vinegar
When cutting up oranges place the left-over peels in a mason jar and cover the jar with vinegar and add a lid. Place in a cool, dark place for about a month and then strain this liquid into a spray bottle for immediate use.

Disinfectant Spray
Vinegar
A few drops each of:
Clove Bud Oil
Lemon Oil
Mix all of the ingredients together in a spray bottle and use immediately.

Floors
Hot Water
Vinegar
Lemon Essential Oil
Mix all the ingredients together in a bucket when you are ready to mop

Wood Floors
Hot Water
Vinegar
Lemon Essential Oil
1 -3 TBS olive oil
Mix all the ingredients together in a bucket when you are ready to mop

Other essential cleaning tools to have in your kit are:
Sponges or Loofas; cotton cloths for wiping, old toothbrushes for touch corners and edges, castille bar soap, scrub brush & eco-friendly duster

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This week I’ll be sharing our daily, weekly, monthly and annual cleaning routines and rhythms as well as some tips on how to get children involved and how to make-your-own green cleaning products.

So much to share in just five days. Keep your eyes peeled for some free templates coming this week too!

🤎

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A birthday poem to end the theme this week as an example of how simple and meaningful gifts don’t have to cost a penny. A 5 or 6 year-old child can appreciate rhymes, meaningful stories and the gesture of a birthday poem when presented with love and reverence in a quiet moment on their birthday morn.

You’re welcome to use this and adapt it how ever you’d like or invited to write your own.

✨✨ #waldorfbirthday #waldorfbirthdaycrown #waldorfbirthdaytraditions

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Some simple ideas for that special day!!

🎈 🎁 🍰

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Directions for a simple but delectable birthday cake. Can be made into cupcakes or doubled to make a double layer cake.

🧁 Cake
2 cups spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup of cane sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
(Optional: add the zest from 1 lemon for a lemon cake)
(Optional: add 4 TBS cocoa powder for a chocolate cake)

🧁 Icing
3 tbs butter
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
dash of milk
(Optional add 2 tbs cocoa powder for chocolate)

🧁 Directions
Preheat Oven to 180 C (350 F)
Mix first four dry ingredients together
Mix wet ingredients (and lemon zest) together in a separate bowl
Add wet to dry and mix well
Add a dash of milk or more until batter is slightly thicker than pancake batter and well incorporated
Pour into greased and lined pan
Bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven and let it cool completely before removing from pan or icing
Beat icing ingredients all together until fluffy and smooth and ice cake when it has completely cooled

We have always opted to top our birthday cakes with seasonal flora. Although we rarely actually eat the flowers: we just put them on the side of our plate. Below are some (geographically dependent) ideas. Make sure to use commonsense and to do your plant identification research before you put any botanicals on your food!

☘️ Spring: violets, clovers, pine tips
🌼 Summer: borage, chamomile, pansy
🌺 Autumn: calendula, marigold
🌲 Winter: pine, fir and spruce

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Yes, yes I did list shells, pinecones & river rocks as stellar birthday gifts. 🌲 🪨

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that they love and we adults need to get out of our own heads to see that!

I almost put cardboard boxes down too but thought baskets and canvas bags were a better sell for eager grandparents. 🤣

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Big picture ideas that help to keep birthday planning streamlined, intentional and simplified.

Do you have any traditions or rituals that minimize overwhelm, create magic, foster joy and help you to stay on budget?

Birthday Verse:

When I am tucked into bed tonight
And I turn off my nightlight
I’ll be ____ years old.

And in the morning when I rise
There will be a sweet birthday surprise
______ kisses when I wake
______ candles on my cake!

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This week we’re going to be talking simple, simple, SIMPLE birthday celebrations.

If you love organizing big parties, planning and pulling out all the whistles and the bells- go for it!

But if you’re like me and find the pressure to throw the perfect birthday bash unrealistic, overwhelming and usually not worth the effort, follow along for some magical & minimal birthday inspiration without all that stress.

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Three Steps to Easy Summer Meal Planning

👍 Find your inspiration: look in cookbooks, Google what you’re looking for (Eg. I recently googled “summer meals on a budget”)
✌️ Choose a ‘theme’ for each night of the week that fits in with the recipes above (Eg. Mexican Night, BBQ & salad night, Pizza Night etc)
🤟 Write down any novel ingredients you’ll need to have on hand for the recipes you chose (Eg. I didn’t have plum sauce or capers)

This kind of meal planning leaves a lot of room for spontaneity & flexibility while also freeing up your time and energy because you don’t need to think too hard about what’s for dinner that night.

Today in my stories I’ll show you how simple our current “meal plan” is. There’s also a FREE meal planning template you can download if you click my bio.

🍅 🥕 🍌 🥬 🫐 🍆

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This summer, let’s be more creative with how we approach “rest time”. Rest time does not necessarily = nap time. Rest time in our home is loosely classified as:

💫 a time for stillness
💫 a time for relative quiet
💫 a time for minimal social interaction & maximum time spent independently
💫a consistent time of day where everyone rests including parents

What are some creative ways you and your children rest and restore during the day?

I’ve tagged some resources above to get your started with some ideas and options. @simplyonpurpose calls her Reading Cafe “The Mom Store” which you can find in her highlights.

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When my children were little we often planned ONE maybe TWO day trips for the Summer- and that felt like more than enough!

Now that we don’t have any one who needs an afternoon nap, there’s a bit more freedom in what we choose to do but I can still honestly say:

We love strawberry picking 🍓 AND, ALSO it is a big, hot, tiring day that leaves all of us worn out and grumpy!

It didn’t take me long to realize that big family outings like the ones above are both joyful and jarring for young children.

Day trips take children out of their daily rhythm. They are expected to sit in cars longer, walk further and can quickly become overstimulated and overtired.

Does this mean that you shouldn’t bother planning them at all? No!

We love our seasonal traditions and outings and wouldn’t trade them for the world, but I am also mindful that the beautiful photos we see in this space of happy, rosy-cheeked children in berry patches do not always tell the full story. The one where everyone’s crammed in the car after the picking is over: thirsty, sweaty, fussy and hangry.

Enjoy and savour each Bucketlist moment AND let go of the expectations that it’s going to be “perfect”.

I’ve mentioned in past posts that my intention for 2021 is to approach things with a “Both, And” perspective.

I hope when you venture out this Summer with your little family you remember this too.

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This first step in planning is often overlooked but, essential: consult your calendar!

We often think the summer is wide open when in fact, there is a lot already in place: work commitments, weekends away, a birthday party or BBQ with friends... it all adds up.

Take out your calendars and do the following
💚 Note what’s already there and how you can work with it (eg. A Lakeside weekend might pair well with a bucketlist item of getting Ice Cream at the shops)
💚 Once you have this baseline choose a handful of other bucketlist activities you’d like to do over the Summer (I’ll share a list tomorrow) and schedule them in - spreading them out as much as you can
💚 Take into consideration “crunch” weeks like the week before school where you’re likely sticking close to home and running many errands
💚 Take into consideration weekly errands like grocery shopping & appointments- is it possible to schedule these on a regular weekly basis so there is some consistency there? Can you find ways to calmly break these days into manageable chunks for you and the children (eg. Create a picnic in the backyard tradition where you do the grocery shop in the morning, buy a premade lunch and bring it home for everyone to enjoy in the backyard while you’re unloading the groceries)
💚 Establish a baseline daily rhythm- wake up times are the same, meal times are the same and sleep times are the same (for families with multiple children this may mean sticking close to home in the morning and accepting that younger siblings have their second nap in a stroller, carrier or car in the afternoon
💚 Remember with children less is more! You only need 1-2 family traditions to make your summer together memorable and special - the rest of the magic happens at home, playing and enjoying the simple luxury of warmer weather together
💚 With the above in mind, trips & holidays with children are the most enjoyable for everyone when young children get what they need: healthy rest & sleep, nourishing food, lots of time outdoors, time for independent play and time with loved ones.

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This week we’re going to be discussing one of my favourite past times (🤣😂) PLANNING.

I’ll be covering
☀️ summer bucketlists
☀️ establishing a daily rest time for everyone & book lists to help
☀️ summer menu planning
☀️tying it all together in your calendar

Are you a planner or more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-er?

I hope this week will help you feel like you have the space & inspiration to make the most of these beautiful months while also leaving lots of room for spontaneity!

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Go out this weekend and enjoy that earth together. Gather treasures and bring them inside to your Nature Tables.

It’s these very simple traditions that your children will remember fondly as adults.

💚🌱

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Some of our favourite seasonal playcloths were hand dyed at my son’s Waldorf preschool some 10 years ago. The teachers bought muslin fabric (much cheaper than silk) in bulk and gathered the plant materials we needed to dye in big pots in the school’s little kitchen.

If you’re interested in experimenting with dyeing your own fabric - silk, cotton, muslin or cheese cloth, Liz @thedogwooddyer has a tutorial in her Story Highlights that is fairly straightforward and lots of fun.

It might also be a creative #summerbucketlist project too 💚🍃🌱 Summer Nature Table inspiration from @ourhomeonthehill and @isabellehuiban

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Even one or two of these is all you need to mark and revere the seasonal beauty around you.

Many members of this community are sharing their Nature Tables in their stories and grids. Head to my stories to check them out and tag me in yours if you’d like me to share too!

🍃 Would you add anything else to this list?