Letters From Noe’s Garden
Bring Warmth and Wonder to Family Life
A Toast to the Hidden Helpers
“I’m still here.” This is my thought, as I sit in my car on the shoulder of the freeway, watching the cars roll past me. I’m thinking about my kids. They have no idea about the close call I just had. I rarely remember, stepping out my door without them, how quickly...
Two Droplets and a Leaf
The most exciting thing that happened to my children yesterday involved two droplets and a leaf. Now you have to understand, my children are seven and ten. They are not as sheltered as they once were. They attend a mainstream public school. In fact, before...
Try This to Free Your Self-Expression
I interrupt my usual family-oriented sharing today with a little something different. Because I've got a story to tell you. And this is a story about us. About you. About me. About the person pushing the stroller, carrying all the bags, carrying everything, even...
Solstice Blessings, from our family to yours ?
Dear Fellow Parent, It’s the Winter Solstice and I am wishing you a blessed solstice, today. Here, looking ahead to Christmas and the close of this year - a year like no other - I find I am feeling so much. Wow. I’s been a whopper. But we made it through. We made...
How to Make a Paper Bag Cutout Lantern
Here’s a lantern tutorial that’s so quick and easy, you can do it in around half an hour. It uses mostly things you have around the house, but if you need to purchase any supplies, you’ll find them easy to procure. You will need: Paper lunch bags. (Approximately 4 - 6...
How to Make a Watercolor Paper Lantern
As an alternative to the many glass lantern tutorials available online, here's a simple, unbreakable alternative! This is a wonderful, pretty simple craft for families to do together. Children aged three and older will be able to do many of the steps. My own...
Raising Children to Trust their Inner Authority
Ever since Me Too went viral, I've been thinking about how important it is for children to know and express their boundaries. I want them to have the confidence to say no, where they need to, and to hear that no, right where it begins inside them. This feels pressing...
Finding Our Village – The Power of Noticing
When I became a mother, six years ago, there was one thing that really surprised me. More than anything else. I was surprised by how lonely I felt. There were so many other feelings, of course. Joy, wonder, exhaustion, gratitude. These feelings, I had expected. I...
My Super Power is Love
I’m with my kids at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. It’s one of those perfect Sausalito spring days. Crisp but not too chilly, breeze coming in off the water, birds wheel overhead. It’s been a challenging week. My son has been up a lot in the night, so we’re all...
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
As you may remember from my last newsletter, last month our family went through a rough patch. We had transferred my son to a new school, midyear, and he was struggling. We knew it was the right choice for our family, but it was a huge shift. Behavior-wise, things...