Introduction to "Life in the Pink Tower"

  I have come up with a series I want to do titled "Life in the Pink Tower."  (Get it,  Pink House,  Pink Tower?)  It is a Montessori reference and here you see a photo of Grace and the pink tower.

Before I begin this series of posts I want to say I am not a trained Montessorian, although for 20 years I have worked off and on as an Assistant at a local AMI school, working in their Toddler program and Children's House.  I have attended conferences and seminars, and been a Montessori parent.  If I had to label my philosophy with children Montessori would be the closest and best fit.  That said there will be times I "knock the pink tower down" so to speak, maybe unintentionally or intentionally.  My hope is to make the things I have applied in our home accessible to anyone who may be interested.

Baby Style

Having been a 'vintage gal' long enough to now actually be vintage, and having babies for the past 13 years, I have acquired many vintage baby clothes.  The problem with this is I don't like putting my babies in them.  I try very hard not to dress the girls based on my vanity.  Simply my requirements for their clothing are comfort and girlie.  With my first daughter 13 years ago I was basically limited to Hannah Anderson.  But now simple comfortable, even organic cotton, baby clothes can be found as easily as a trip to Target.

Dotty's basic staple is a sleep and play.  I love them, no snaps no tags, no zippers!  They have also provided a way I can sneak a little vintage into her wardrobe without sacrificing comfort.  As pictured you see a simple pinafore worn over a sleep and play.  Reminds me of jr. high and wearing thermals under all my skirts. I paired this with a beautiful crocheted set made by her great grandmother.  Perfect!

Sweetie Pies

The girls decided to create a pie shop this week.  (Actually they decided it last week and began creating signs and planning, it wasn't until this week I caught up with them.)  This was a great project and it covered eight of the eleven state required subjects for homeschooling.  They worked on transforming the playhouse into a pie shop and we visited a local bakery for inspiration. (and brownies!)  Next came the baking, banana cream and blueberry pies.  A menu was created and a family gathering scheduled at our house provided the perfect opening day.  My job in a project like this is to provide minimal direction and give them plenty of space.  I find if I try to work along side of them their reasoning and problem solving skills are over shadowed.   
It is a delicate balance.

Early Art Appreciation

We sometimes forget when preparing our infants environment that less is more. I love incorporating nature whenever possible. It lays a foundation for appreciating the Creator and seeing beauty where others might miss it.

I often get at my child's eye level to literally see from their point of view. This photo is the view from Dotty's swing. It reminded me of a Jackson Pollock painting.

Random Inspiration

Yes, I realize all but one are fictional. Go figure!
Actually the Dorothea Lange photo is as close as I could get to the maternal side of my family without posting an actual photo. Which I will in the future.

Change

Wow! It sure has been awhile. So much has transpired between June and now, much more than should fit in 7 months. Change. So much change. Let's recap the biggies and then move on: A birth, our daughter, Dorothy Violet Mess was born Sept. 30, 2009. A death, my dad, Ed McDonald, died 2 weeks later. I decided not to return to my job as children's ministry director at Compass. After 1 year off homeschooling when Ruth started middle school at VSAA, I began homeschooling Pearl, 1st grade, and Grace, preschool.
Now let's look forward.