Merry Christmas- Geseende Kersfees- Feliz Navidad friends!

Merry Christmas.

Happy Festivus.

Happy Hannukah.

Happy Kwanza.

Merry Christmukkah.

Whatever you are celebrating, I hope it is wonderful. 

Merry Christmas:

Sugar and Spice makes Christmas Nice!


Christmas cookies and happy hearts, this is how the holiday starts.


Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.


Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!

Happy Holidays Friends!
Lou-la-vie



Today's Children

You may need to get your reading glasses for this one- it's a fairly long article but a must read for parents, teachers & nannies.

My studies in Montessori taught me allot about life, child development & education in the early years of life. I truly believe in the Montessori philosophy in following the child and their sensitive periods of life.
Here's a link for you to read, if you would like to know more about Dr Maria Montessori's philosophy. http://www.montessorica.com/interest.htm - also on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_method

As an Early childhood Montessori teacher, I thought to share this article from my latest Montessori magazine.
(volume 22, number 4, winter edition.
( article written by Kathy carey)

The Child, first published in 1941, Montessori describes what she terms "errors of the past" :

1. Seeing the child only as 'future being'
2. Showing no regard for the child as a child
3. Neglecting the real needs of the child
4. Forcing the child to conform to adult standards   - (Montessori,1974/1941,p.2-7)

She refers to the resulting conditions as "moral malnutrition and intoxcication of the spirit... as fatal for the soul of man as physical malnutrition  is for the health of his body." Montessori concludes that the education of children  "is the most improtant problem of humanity". This problem is to be solved by ceating enviroments suitable to the child's station ad amendable to his needs.
Montessori experienced personally the strife and turmoil of two world wars; the world she left in 1952 was as different from today as it was from the early 1900s. One wonders what she would say about the child of the 21st century.
That child may be indulged,spoiled, ignored, or abandoned to the care of strangers or the neighbourhood. If one looks closely at preteens and adolescents, they mimic one another and the adult world of bling & sexual fashion, not to mention sexual or sexualized behaviour. Children living in poverty are as likely to wear expensive athletic shoes as are their more well-off peers but just as rarely put them to work on a court or a playing field. According to a Keiser Family foundation survey.

With technology allowing nearly 24 hr media access as children & teens go about their daily lives, the amount of time young people spend with certain entertainment media has risen dramatically, especially among minority youth. Today, 8-18yr olds devote an average of 7 hrs and 38 minutes to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hrs a week). And because they spend so much of that time 'media multitasking'  (using more than one media at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10hrs and 45 minutes worth of media content into those 7 and a half hrs.(http://www.kff.org/)

And, perhaps more disturbing, children from birth to 8 yrs are primed for this new world by early exposure to media:

Accoring to the Keiser family Foundation , in 2005, in a typical day 61% of 0-1 yr olds used some type of screen media,  88% of 2 - 43 yr olds did so,and 90%  of 4-6 yr olds also used some type of screen media. Screen media includes tv's videos's, dvd's, computers, and video games.

Cell phones, now available with many and varied applications, including internet access rife with advertising, have become almost a requirement of childhood.
The use of the term 'own' is misleading as children in the USA at leastt, own through their parents; however ownership implies use at the will of the owner. 
In addition, the importance of brands is is easily recognizable in children, from tee shirts and dresses representing media figures to athletic wear emblazoned with team logos.
Marketers understand the power of symbols and models and introduce children early & often to images and to the brands these images represent:

Children reprensent three different markets. In addition to the direct money that children spend and the money they influence, children also represent a third major market and perhaps the most significant and that is the future market.

Children come to school including preschool & kindergarten, already well educated through a variety of media. The clothes they wear, the foods they eat, the way they walk, talk, hold their bodies, and feel about themselves- all are profoundly influenced by media images,including ads.

Or Children, thus it seems, run the risk of embodying the 4 errors of the past that  Montessori hoped to erase. She recognised that the community of children,that is, al our children, require protection from the pressures and lures of the adult world so that they might develop themselves, each with unique potential, to the fullest.  

Her canon of education was and is that children have the right to thsi time & space, not as representations of their parents or fodder for a craven society, but as real people with rich inner lives and souls bent upon creating real meaning in living.
For it is in living that we are educated and through education that we learn how to live. 
Thus, we must be wary of the models we present and of the lessons we teach, lest we perpetuate these errors.


        

The Lunar eclipse was beautiful! I thought it to be pretty amazing actually. This happened for the first time again in 372 Years! I think it was a privelage to see it. How amazing the planets, universe, stars, sun, moon & earth is. There is so much out there- it's beyond me! I tried to get a photo but it was too far away i guess.

I am happy to have a blog button now! ..Yay!

Let me know if it works please!  

Grab my button & share the love!

LoU

AS A KIND-HEARTED BLOGGER I PLEDGE TO:

• create, inspire, and admire rather than compete with fellow bloggers
• be understanding of each other-- in the blogging community, as well as in the world
• stay away from internet/blogging bullying
• speak my opinion freely, while still being mindful of other's feelings-- be tactful.
• make an effort--no matter how big or small the gesture, to spread kindness or joy to others
• acknowledge that I will make mistakes, (I am only human) but remember to learn from them
• know that at times I will post about the negative stuff in life, and maybe even some complaining (I am only human) but I will always follow up with something happy/positive too.
• believe that this world is a good place, filled with good people.

Lunar eclipse tonight - first in 372 Years - since 1638

I'm so excited about tonight...there will be a lunar Eclipse- the moon will be going in front of the sun, turning red- so it's called a 'blood moon'. I hope it's not too cold outside to see it. shoud be interresting.
I'm enjoying a lovely egg/cheese sandwich for brunch. Last night my wonderfull hubby cooked a shepards pie! definately suits the weather & my taste buds!



Friends, it's 4 days untill christmas! Can you believe it.. well, I actually want to go have a look at all the christmas lights in the park, sometime this week. We will be spending our christmas with our lovely neighbours around the corner. I'm excited. They have become family. Which actually reminds me, I still need to sticth up the dog bed I promised. Our anipals love their beds, i simply use a rectangle cut out of flannel material and stuff it with quilt batting inside and sew it closed. This makes for good winter beds for the dogs. I made smaller sized ones for the cats aswell and they loVe it! I donated my extra beds to the Animal shelter,where I occasionally volunteer at. Everybody deserves to be warm during winter. If you know a friend  or anyone who loves animals & needs companionship- I highly recommend taking them to an animal shelter to adopt a pet. they make for the best pets. I personally have 3 dogs & 4 cats- all resqued & adopted. Each one of them have their own unique personality. I couldn't imagine life without them. They definately complete our family.

anyhow, I'm off to go post my last few Christmas cards,
see ya later,
Lou



Monday's quote & delight

these look so yummy and so pretty

I adore this teacup set

Happy Holiday's

this is our anipals

                                                       meet Hobbes- mommies fat boy

Our little princess - Molly

Clarence & Hobbes eyeballin

Office humour

                                                                The Butt Station

                                       I wouldn't mind finding myself in one of these coming summer

 





this is genius

                                                              

found on Eben Lemon 

Pom Pom Heart

found on thevamooseblogspot.com

Dear visitors

Please, feel free to follow my blog if you like! if there's a problem as to why you cannot follow, please let me know..I am new at blogging so any suggestions or help will do!
 thanks !
 have a beautifull day x

Lou x



On Thoughts

"Our life depends on the kind of thoughts we nurture. if our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek, and kind, then that is what our life is like. If our attention is turned to the circumstances in which we live, we are drawn into a whirlpool of thoughts and can have neither peace nor tranquility." 

"Everything, both good and evil, comes from our thoughts. Our thoughts become reality. Even today we can see that all of creation, everything that exists on the earth and in the cosmos, is nothing but Divine thought made material in time and space. We humans were created in the image of God. Mankind was given a great gift, but we hardly understand that. God's energy and life is in us, but we do not realize it. Neither do we understand that we greatly influence others with our thoughts. We can be very good or very evil, depending on the kind of thoughts and desires we breed.

If our thoughts are kind, peaceful, and quiet, turned only toward good, then we also influence ourselves and radiate peace all around us  - in our family, in the whole country, everywhere. This is true not only here on earth, but in the cosmos as well. When we labor in the fields of the Lord, we create harmony. Divine harmony, peace, and quiet spread everywhere. However, when we breed negative thoughts, that is a great evil. When there is evil in us, we radiate it among our family members and wherever we go. So you see, we can be very good or very evil. If that's the way it is, it is certainly better to choose good! Destructive thoughts destroy the stillness within, and then we have no peace.

Our starting point is always wrong. Instead of beginning with ourselves, we always want to change others first and ourselves last. If everyone were to begin first with themselves, then there would be peace all around! St. John Chrysostom said that no one can harm the man who does not injure himself - not even the devil. You see, we are the sole architects of our future.

By his thoughts man often disturbs the order of creation. That is how the first people were destroyed - in a flood - because of their evil thoughts and intentions. This is true even today; our thoughts are evil, and therefore we do not bear good fruit. We must change. Each individual must change, but it is unfortunate that we do not have examples to guide us, either in our families or in society."

 

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

 

                                                   words from a wonderful blog thehabitofbeing.com   

 

a few words

"Love, joy, and peace are all Divine gifts, Divine properties. They can work miracles even on their own. Love unites and makes everything whole; peace radiates from a person and exudes silence; and joy takes away the pain of the soul. When a joyous person meets a sorrowful one and speaks a few kind and peaceful words, all of a sudden it is as though the sun has risen for the sad person. Separately, love, peace, and joy work miracles, but united they can rule over all things. When they are united and deeply rooted in a person's heart, wherever that person emits a thought, there is peace, for such a person radiates peace."

"You must strive to have peace in your homes. Peace starts with each one of us. When we have peace in us, we spread it around to others. You can see for yourself that there are very few humble and meek souls on the earth - but also that they are truly blessed. They will not be offended if you insult them in any way. Whatever way you treat them, they are quiet and peaceful and they are truly sorrowed because you are in such spiritual torment."

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

                                         lovely living room - image from Pottery Barn

lovely outdoor area

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.”- Dr. Seuss

this & that

Sam's blog inspired me to make this list

I Like:

• I like knowing I have no control even though I wish i did
• I like receiving post or an occasional friendly email/text
• I like good healthy food
• I like buying new clothes or anything new
• I like having a handfull good genuine friends who really care
• I like beautifull souls..they are hard to come by
• I like my blog
• I like wine
• I like my pets
• I like being in shape & toned
• I like calvin & hobbes
• I like long hair if it does what i want it to do
• I like movies..especially based on true life or mental illness
• I like reading or painting
• I like to find inspiration
• I like to help within my means
• I like the smell of freshly cut cucumber
• I like my bicycle
• I like many more things..

I want:

• I want a beautiful home
• I want beautiful skin
• I want a new camera and take 1 photography class
• I want to take a reflexology course
• I want to live close to a beach
• I want to do so many things it hurts
• I want to give more than I receive
• I want to travel as much as possible
• I want to laugh more than I cry
• I want to be successfull in my own way, not society's way
• I want an elephant..a real one like Modoc
• I want the story of my life narrated in a documentary in the voice of Morgan freeman/A.Jolie
• I want to live in a world that operates on good deeds instead of money
• I want to have a purpose
• I want to live forever
• I want financial & emotional stability throughout my life
• I want a whole lot more...too much

 Ok friends, now it's your turn- feel free to share something you deeply desire or simply like!