Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Slow Family Living...sounds good to me!

Recently while blog hopping I came across a blog called Slow Family Living. Upon clicking on their blog you can find many places to explore...they share their manifesto, which begins :

"Slow Family Living is a revolution in the way we think about, embrace and implement family living.

It was born out of our belief that family life is being hijacked by society’s messages that more is better, faster is greater and that you and your children are at risk of being left behind, unless you buy in NOW......"



I got sucked right into some of their daily posts...things that spoke about listening to your childrenenjoying your community, and getting more sleep.

I found posts that seemed to come straight from my own thoughts...I tell my sister and friends that "It is only a phase/stage" when we ponder our children's quirks and issues all the time. 


They have even been featured on ABC news and other places.

Anyways, the blog is one that I will spend a few minutes reading when I need a little inspiration.  Looking closely though I saw a link that would allow me to purchase (for $10) an e-book that I could print off and enjoy called Slow Family Living Handbook.  I took a peek and walked away and enjoyed my Saturday but in the back of my mind I was intrigued by the book.  So I emailed Carrie and asked her if the book would apply to my family (with the ages my boys were at).  She sent me the e-book!  I was so thrilled.  She also said I could share it with you. 

So my plan in the next few weeks is to post some thoughts on Slow Family Living as I tackle slowing down in our house.  And I would love to have anyone interested in Slow Family Living to join me.  So I am going to give you a week or so to check out their blog and decide if it is something that peeks your interest.  Throw a comment below and tell me one time in your day that you would like to approach more slowly, calmly, with more intention.  (For example, getting out the door for preschool drop off...I want to leave the house without rushing my boys and snapping to hurry up.  Or I would also like to slow down our evenings and not be itching to get the boys to bed quicker so I can put my own feet up...this hasn't always been the case...but it is lately and it makes me sad.  I also have noticed lately that we have very few days where we are just home, the two boys and I...without friends, outings, commitments etc.)

So leave a comment below telling me where you would like to slow down or leave a link from Slow family Living that spoke to you.

I will pick 2 people to recieve the e-book on Tuesday, April 27th at 9 pm.

This post is linked to Steady Mom's 30 Minute Blog Challenge.


14 comments:

Kristie said...

http://slowfamilyliving.com/2010/04/listening-to-our-children/

the listening to our children definitely caught my eye - rushing home from work, throwing dinner together (or getting take out which stinks) then getting one or the other to practice or a game ... all with the toddler in tow. i so need to slow things down in our family life. thanks for posting!

Nina said...

I'd like to be slower in allowing my son to discover things himself. I tend to be a go go go person and I think its good for toddlers (and all of us really) to have time to just be...go slow. its been improved by my being out of work, we go places and I just let him be - see - do - explore rather than thinking "we only have x time to do this" but I know I could still improve by leaps and bounds. I'm intrigued by your post, I'll be sure to check that site out. thanks.

Rebecca said...

What a great idea...I wasn't able to look up a link (just browse quickly) because the Crazies are waking up, but I have HAD to slow down. I realized (through smashing my son's finger in the door, repeatedly forgetting necessary items, and sweating through many shirts) that I need to slow down or someone is going to get hurt. It's just not worth it.

Anonymous said...

Taking time for ourselves is so important, we are important! So do it - I feel great when I've done something that just I wanted to do, be it a stop at a new library, taking a walk alone when parked near a fun area, or going out for breakfast with my book. (I know, I'm a grandma, not a mom, so these aren't easy for everyone!)

Another slow approach to family living is, of course, eating supper together without the TV on. b of b&b

Shell said...

What an awesome concept!

Bedtime- I'm usually so tired by that time, that I just rush my boys to bed. I could let them take a longer bath, like they want, tell more than one story, and relax.

Stepping On Cheerios said...

I am so intrigued. It feels like a constant whirlwind here.

michelle said...

putting my kids to bed. It is such a battle...but i notice when I am not so caught up in getting it done fast and with as little screaming as possible(from them, not me)that it goes so much more smoothly.

Hattie said...

Thanks for sharing! After reading what their family is about I want to know more.

I wish I could slow down...at every moment. I was raised in a rush. I had to grow up in a rush (had a baby at 16). I need to change before I do this to my boys. I need to slow down. I need to put on the BRAKES!!! Can't wait to read more!

Anonymous said...

I want to slow down and read Elijah a book before bed every night. If he sees his bottle he can't concentrate, so I need to work on hiding it and making him sit on my lap while I read to him and see him get involved in an adventure with pictures on pages!!! -Raina

CB said...

I am so excited to hear more about this and will be checking out the website. I so need to slow down ... I try to cram so much fun into our days and I am always exhausted. The kids have a good time but sometimes my oldest will say "Mommy, let's stay home today" so I know he is tired of the running too.

I'd like to approach my mornings a little better. I am a little crabby in the morning before I get my coffee and relax a little, so I feel like the kids kind of do their own thing until I'm ready to be a person. I really should play with them a little - maybe I need to get up earlier so I can still have that me time but not steal time away from them in order to do it.

~Niki~ said...

I would like to slow down my mornings, maybe wake up earlier, so I have some ME time. 2 hours earlier in the morning I would be able to make a cuppa joe, sip slowly, watch news, check emails, all before the 4 kiddies wake up. heck, why not!? I think my day would go much smoother. luv ur blog, btw :) i have you bookmarked on my side bar. love this post :) thanks for lettin' me enter!

Heather (One Take On Life) said...

Bedtime is a time I would like to slow down more. I am usually up by 6am with Maddy and so by the end of the day I am tired.
I need to find a way to be re energized and not rush bedtime as much. They are only little once.

Cafe Carlson said...

When the kiddos were little, we had such a nice evening/bedtime routine. Now that they are older, and our lives are filled with homework, projects, music practice etc. it seems like we zoom up until the last moment and then quickly say a prayer and tuck them in. No stories, no songs. I miss that! (They read to themselves every night after we tuck them in). I would love to slow more of every day down and really drink in the moments together, even though they are not babies anymore. Thanks for sharing the slow living info. I like it!

KDL said...

I am always looking for ways to get things done more quickly...hah. Maybe what I really need is to slow down. I would love to slow down and spend more time playing with my little people. It seems like I'm always working on something housework/writing/projects for church/school planning, etc. Even when I sit down to play with them sometimes I get distracted by cleaning up toys or something. I definitely need to learn this.

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