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You can now register on my blog to gain access to more private postings like birth photos, personal struggles, challenges, thoughts on family and more by clicking here.

15 Responses to Subscribe

lisa says:

March 17, 2009 at 8:42 pm

Annie, I registered for the private postings…..crinklebein@yahoo.com, that’s me. Haven’t received a message back.
-Lisa 5 orange potatoes
Annie says:

March 17, 2009 at 8:51 pm

Odd because I did see this and changed your user level. There aren’t many private posts lately because I have so little time to get my thoughts out! I have so much I want to get off my chest though… *sigh* Soon… BUT you can see my birth photos etc….
Monique says:

September 8, 2009 at 7:36 am

Thanks Annie…. you’re very inspiring…I find your blog calming in this crazy world ;)
Debbie says:

September 10, 2009 at 6:11 pm

Hi Annie,

Just stumbled across your blog and have spent the last hour browsing. Your way of living is so beautiful and very much in line with the way my husband and I live our lives and raise our three year old son, Isaac. I really look forward to reading more (all) of your posts.

Blessings,
Debbie
Annie says:

September 13, 2009 at 12:33 pm

Thanks so much, Debbie! Blogging has been enormously rewarding! I love connecting with so many people this way.
Rea says:

November 30, 2009 at 11:37 am

I just discovered your blog and was so excited to see it hails from Prince Rupert! I am Prince George girl, born and raised, but now I am raising my family in Spain with my Spanish husband. Finding the kind of resources that you present is a struggle here. Finding like minded individuals to share the parenting process is also slim pickings. I rely on the internet and can’t wait to see some musings, recipes and natural parenting ideas and resource from my beautiful and much missed home province. Thanks so much for sharing.
Annie says:

December 7, 2009 at 2:03 pm

So great to meet you, Rea!
Erica McKay says:

December 30, 2009 at 3:37 pm

hello Annie!

I’ve been enjoying reading your blog – I grew up part time in Terrace, so it’s great to see snippets of your life there! I love so many of your recipes, and find your photography inspiring – thanks so much for sharing it all!

Cheers, Erica
Denise says:

May 22, 2010 at 4:30 am

always so very inspiring x thanks so much for sharing x
Kate McLoughlin says:

September 13, 2010 at 8:00 pm

Hi Annie, I have been reading your posts on self design, now on here. What a priviledge it is for me to have you share your life with everyone in such a sensitive and open way, blessings, Kate (aka Phoenix)
henna says:

March 14, 2011 at 8:16 am

hi annie! im new to all this, been through 50 pages of continuum concept… and ordered some more books on the subject. i´d like to get some hints on how to apply this concept in everyday life. how should i react when my 2,5year old is being a bit rough on her little sister (1year). or when she´s throwing the magnetic letters that were on the fridge door all over the place? or while they climb all over me during my little yoga session in the morning? it´s fine by me but as the continuum concept advices not to be disturbed or interrupted as i go on my daily routines but rather have them be part of it. and obviously i can´t continue when i have two little girls on me :) i´d like to understand what´s the best way to let them learn. they are very cool but i now realise that i´ve been too child centered for sure… thanks! i´m glad i found your blog!!!
Annie says:

March 14, 2011 at 10:30 pm

I enjoyed the Continuum Concept a great deal. It definitely inspires the lifestyle I’ve chosen to live. Child centerdness can be a complicated concept. Playing with your child, for example, doesn’t automatically mean that you are being child centered. Your daily routines involve your children! They need love, connecting and nurturing. I think not being child centered means that you live life with everyone’s needs and wants taken into consideration- not just yours or not just child’s. I think a lot of parenting practices are often one or the other.

You might find some great insight and strategies on children biting here:
Biting In The Toddler Years and
Looking Past the Behavior

I often think that a shift in perspective helps us come up with solutions to issues we’re dealing with. Throwing the magnets off the fridge is a good example for this. Is there a problem with taking the magnets off the fridge and throwing them all around? This is pretty typical, age appropriate behaviour. I’ve always tidied up the house on my own (occasionally asking the kids for help, but not insisting on it) because I’m the one that notices the mess and prefers a tidier house. I would suggest that if you don’t like the magnets all over the floor that you simply pick them up when she’s finished with them. You could always use a playful approach to try and include her in the clean up. The fact that my children willingly help tidy with me most of the time and sometimes on their own, I think is because there’s never been a power struggle over the task. It’s simply something I do occasionally to put the house back in order and I bet my kids notice the peace I feel when things are tidy. In giving up the idea that ‘they made the mess, they should clean it up’, I don’t feel resentful that I was the one that eventually cleaned up and and you don’t have to struggle to try and make them do something they will resist simply because you are insisting on it.

I like to do yoga on a semi regular basis and my son would also love to climb all over me! This can be very frustrating, which is the opposite result you hope to gain from yoga! I found offering a bath mat for my son to use as a yoga mat next to me was a great strategy. I told him he’s welcome to join me if he likes but I’d like some space to do it on my own. Of course he didn’t always remember or comply and would end up all over me, but I always tried to remain in the moment and cuddle back. Yoga sometimes took longer or took a complete backseat until my husband was home. In changing my expectations around the yoga session, I remain calm and peaceful when it gets sidetracked, and sometimes those loving embraces with my son were what I needed to most.

You should consider joining the online Continuum Concept support group. It was without a doubt the most meaningful online message sharing group I was apart of in my daughter’s early years. I still read the messages but don’t participate as much. It’s a great way to get connected with locals with similar values and there are years of extensive archives you can search through.

Some of my thoughts where I mention child centeredness:
Child Led Living = Child Centeredness ?
AP Past Three
Courtney says:

May 31, 2011 at 12:57 pm

Green Tea Shortbread Leaves

Chinese green tea, which is sold as a powder, gives buttery shortbread a mild, somewhat exotic flavor, as well as a delicate tint. If using Japanese green tea, grind it first in a spice grinder.

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons Chinese green-tea powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, or granulated sugar
Directions
1.Sift flour, tea powder, and salt into a small bowl; set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar; continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add flour mixture; combine on low, scraping sides of bowl with a spatula if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
2.Place a piece of parchment on a clean surface; dust with flour. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness; chill in refrigerator or freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
3.Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Cut chilled dough with 2-inch leaf cutters. Using a wide spatula, transfer to baking sheets. Chill until firm. Gather scraps together, re-roll, chill, and cut shapes. Bake until firm and barely starting to color, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool completely on wire rack; store in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 weeks.
CBT says:

July 8, 2012 at 12:12 am

I have been following your blog for a number of years. I will be honest I come from a very different ‘place’ than you, but your thinking has certainly influenced much of what I do. You have made me rethink parenting and education. Yet, I find myself struggling so often to live the way I know I should. I have so many questions for you. I would love to send you an email, but can not find one on your site so right now I will just ask a more pressing question. How do you handle technology overload? We have limited our children’s device time as we find they can be addicted to those things, but I fear we are doing more harm than good as now that’s something they really long for rather than go to for a break. I would really appreciate your opinon.
Annie says:

July 9, 2012 at 2:09 pm

I’ll send you an email!