Golden Sun Room

by Emily
(North Carolina)

Some of my greatest desires for my children are to raise them with ample opportunity to live creatively, appreciate the beauty of natural world, and have reverence for all living things. I have been very conscious of my choices for my three children. It was a real learning experience to move away from the materialistic focus as a new parent, to a more simple life style.

I realized that when my eldest daughter (now 8 years old) was a baby, I did not need or even want to acquire all the products that magazines and advertisements seemed to proclaim one needs to raise a baby. I chose to keep purchases to the items that I really loved for myself, items that felt good in the hands, smelled good, and were made by human hands. I was so grateful to find a Waldorf parent-toddler group that really reassured me that my path of mothering was the right one for my family.

My children have space for play and learning in most every room in our home. The garden and back yard are probably the most important, as well as the playroom, which contains some playstands, bookshelves, and natural fiber goods. The children have access to silks (many hand dyed by us), wooden blocks, items from nature (pine cones, stones, etc), animals handknit by myself and my sister, a special wooden dollhouse and books. They have their own art boxes with papers, modeling wax, watercolor paints, beeswax crayons and wool roving. My kids love to invent and create their own stories. The photo submitted here is of my younger two children in their space. My daughter was having a puppet show for me that she created. I love more than anything to see their senses nurtured and hearts free to express themselves.

I am very frugal with purchases, supporting artisans for special gifts that I buy, or getting grandparents to contribute to bigger purchases (like the dollhouse and playstands) and shopping for wood toys and clothing at thrift stores. I have even found several beautiful waldorf dolls at thrift stores! In addition, I love to craft and make beautiful things, and when I can find the time, I like to make things together with my kids. My girls have learned to knit, and even my 2 year old like to pretend along with us. I feel like I could go on and on, as it is a passion close to my heart! I have been trying to appreciate the everyday life by keeping a family blog at www.goldensunfamily.blogspot.com. I love to inspire other mamas to follow their hearts and enjoy living creatively alongside their children.