Simplicity Parenting Treasures

So I have officially finished the book Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne, M.Ed.

There are so many treasures in it that I would like to share with you, but unfortunately that would keep you here for a couple hours.

So instead I am going to share with you a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Too much stuff leads to too little time and too little depth in the way kids see and explore their world."

"With "predictability" a child knows what to expect."

"Relationships are often built in the intervals, the space between activities, when nothing much is going on."

"Children who've had a role in preparing a meal assume ownership of it. More simply: When children make the food, they're less likely to throw it, or refuse it."

"Family dinners get much simpler when they're predictable: Monday pasta night, Tuesday rice night, Wednesday soup night, and so on." ( I LOVE this idea!)

"Before you say something, ask yourself these three questions: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?"

Now those quotes barely scratch the surface, but it's all I can offer at the moment :)

A reader asked me a couple weeks ago what my typical day/schedule looks like. Since a big part of Simplicity Parenting is on the Rhythm & Schedules of children I wanted to read it first before sharing my own.

Basically Payne says that children need to know what's next. They need predictability in their lives so that they can fully feel secure in their worlds. They also need time to just play. Payne says that boredom is a gift, a gift that should be freely given to children. It is only through boredom that creativity can be found. A child's daily or weekly schedule shouldn't be so packed that they don't have time to just "be".

In my case, I am home all day with my daughter. We only have one car and my husband is in school full-time. I get the car once or twice a week. On those days I do grocery shopping or other errands. I don't try to jam those days full of errands though because I know my daughter can only sit in a shopping cart/car seat for so long.

My typical day is very typical. For those who care, here is a brief summary :)

- Wake up, slowly make our way downstairs, coffee/breakfast (the coffee's just for me), dishes while Dear Daughter (DD) plays, food preparation with or without DD help, prayer time.

- Upstairs to get dressed, make the beds, tidy up the rooms, brush teeth. All the while DD just busies herself with whatever suits her.

- Downstairs to do daily cleaning, if she is able to DD helps me (like with dusting, "trying" to sweep, etc.)

- Snack/lunch time

- Activity. I usually have one type of activity I try to do with DD a day (which is a separate schedule) that I might do with her before her nap. I could really go into detail but for brevity's sake Mondays I do a classification/sorting activity, Tuesday I do sequencing, Wednesday I do matching/memory games, etc., then DD takes a nap.

Believe me it DOES take a couple hours to get to this point :) I just try to really be present to my daughter and if she wants me to read a couple books or play or do a puzzle, I do those things with her and when I am thru I proceed with what's next on my list.

- Wake up from nap, snack.

- Playtime. I try to go outside with her once a day if the weather permits, even in the cold weather. I think it's important for her to have a change of environment and she really does love being outside.

- Prepare dinner (we eat pretty early) while DD helps or just plays.

- Dinner time, I clean up while DD plays with her daddy. The rest of the evening is kind of up in the air.

- Bath time usually around 7 pm which can last up to 45 minutes, since she LOVES being in the water. Snack, read books and bed!

I do have to say that I love the calmness and simplicity of my days. While I was running my Etsy shop the days weren't so calm and stress free for me, but I have realized that I really do need to maintain a sense of peace within me in order to be the best Mother and Wife that I can be.

I hope this helped! And if you haven't already, check out Simplicity Parenting from the library!!