Nearly Fall!

I seem to be perpetually blogging about how fast life is going... perhaps it's part of being alive at this time, or something that goes along with being mother to four. Whatever the case is, we are feeling rather fall-like around here with two rains behind us, and nights that leave the house so cold I need slippers for half the day.
Fall is my most creative time of the year--something about being a fall-born baby, perhaps. I see inspiration everywhere right now, both inside, outside and in the blogosphere. I am also learning to limit my screen time so that my family doesn't see me buried in my 'glowing rock'. (after The Wretched Stone by Chris van Allsburg) Sometimes it's necessary to step away from the computer! We use it for so many things: music, recipes, keeping in touch, curriculum, crafty patterns, and so much more. As the world outside changes from one color to the next I'd like to notice it, and be in it, especially as wee (or not so) Forest experiences his first Autumn.
I have been getting online inspiration from a lot of places, one of which is Rhythm of the Home. This stuff is right up my alley. I feel happy and peaceful when I think about a 'rhythm' to our life, rather than a schedule or a routine. Schedules are strict and routines, are, well... routine = boring! But rhythm, well, that's what you drum or dance to, that's how your heart goes, and that's just what we need. Reading the pages of ROTH's website, I feel inspired to make a life of beauty in my home--a place of rest that we return to to feel that rhythm as we go about our activities which will be starting up again in a week or so. I am also making use of some of the ideas from Melissa over at A Little Garden Flower, Donna at The Waldorf Connection, and the book Heaven on Earth by Sharifa Oppenheimer. These include:

•using a huge piece of paper folded into 12 to pencil in the celebrations and holidays of the year along with handwork ideas from Syrendell
•making a weekly rainbow colored schedule of our outside of home activites so the children are aware of what happens what day
•including on the weekly rainbow time for painting, handwork, family time, and gardening
•making another rainbow chart with tentative dinner menu categories : Monday = Mexican, Tuesday = Pasta, Wednesday = Stir fry, etc
•asking for and receiving a couple of hours on the weekends to work on homeschool planning, Thanks Robert!

We also had the First Annual Slow Lane Summer Theatre and Storytelling camp last week. It was fabulously fun. I haven't even downloaded photos and videos yet, but when I do. I will post them here.

I wonder what everyone else has in store for fall.