Got a lot of baking done yesterday, see some of the pictures to the left.  We all were on different schedules yesterday and did not get to family meditate :(  We definitely need to make sure we are all on the same timeline tonight!!

Day 3 of meditation : We all gathered for our meditation, including the dog.  For about the first minute of meditation, my youngest was humming the baby your a firework song.  She moved around for a little while, then again decided to be on my lap.  My middle one was close to the dog and the dog kept throwing her ball at her for some play time.  Eventually the dog gave up and my daughter was able to focus a little better.  My oldest sat very still during the entire session.  My husband was conveniently absent (apparently the yard took longer than anticipated, we let him slide this time).

Today in the kitchen we will be baking vegan sweet potato muffins, vegan baked donuts and dehydrating apples for some dried fruit snacks, yum.  One of the recipes you will find to the left of the post, give it a try!

Family Meditation

Family meditation is a great way to bond with the entire family. When a family meditates together, it creates a peaceful and quiet place for all to clear their minds and enjoy the calming energy being created. There is no one yelling, running, playing or fighting. There is just appreciation of being in the present moment with our loved ones. There are numerous forms of meditation, for children, journey meditation is a good place to start. This is where the child sits quietly while visualizing accomplishing something (whether it be scoring that winning goal or getting an A on a final).

We have started our family meditation and I will post the outcome and results that I notice. My children range from preschool to high school so it will be interesting to watch the progression.

We have created a peaceful family setting with a candle and some statues that symbolize peace for our family. Anyone can create their own special place with anything that helps to center and calm everyone.

We have done a few meditation sessions already and I have limited them to 10 minutes. Everyone gets to sit comfortably on a cushion in a cross legged position. I allow each child to sound a gong to signify the start of the session, at the end of the session I sound the gong.

I must say, the first few sessions have been rather interesting, with my preschooler just starring at us, not quite sure what to make of us all sitting so quietly. In the first session she went around to each one of us and hugged and kissed us. She finally settled on my lap. For younger children I feel this is acceptable as long as they are quiet for the others. My oldest sat quietly (at times quietly giggling at my preschooler). My elementary aged child took a little longer calming her body to a still position, but she finally got there. My husband sat, but at first was a little bit itchy (it's like he gets these imaginary hives when he is in a different situation)

Day 2 of meditation, my preschooler sat in front of me, starring into my eyes with a smiling expression on her face, again, she ended up sitting in my lap.

It will take some getting used to, but I know this is a benefit for everyone, myself included. After the first day I noticed my middle child was much calmer than normal. She is usually the one with lots of energy 24/7, but that day she seemed to be more in control of her energy and was very helpful around the house (without even being asked!).

All of them seem to be a little more tolerable of each other, not to say we don't have some bickering still. All we can do is take one day at a time :)