For me, Amanda Soule (better known as Soule Mama to many in the internet world) is a little like that perfect girl in high school that everybody wants to hate. She comes across as such a good mother -- sweet, patient, attentive, crafty, understanding and excellent at everything from knitting to housekeeping -- that I sometimes feel a little troll-like in comparison.
Add in the descriptions of her family life, full of joyful family moments in the breathtaking woods and beaches surrounding their Maine home, children who never seem to bicker and a lifestyle seemingly filled with nature and simplicity , and it can be tempting to feel utterly inferior and avoid The Rythm of Family at all costs.
I'm glad I didn't, though. Although my own Minnesota home is nowhere near picturesque woods or oceans, my family is noisy and my house is messy, I was often inspired by the projects, images and words in this lovely book.
The Rhythm of Family is divided into sections for each month, with each chapter featuring crafts, recipes and descriptions of how the Soule Family spends that month together.
The chapter on May, for instance, features:
- An essay about why the family loves gardening by Mama Soule
- An essay about why the family loves the sea by Papa Soule
- A recipe for Flower Essence Lotion, with recommended books on natural body care
- Directions for making "a foraged meal" and a recipe for Tempura Dandies (dandelions), with recommended books on foraging
- Instructions for making a nature notebook or book of flowers, with recommended flower books
- Instructions on how to force tree branches to bloom inside
- Coloful photos depicting nature and the family in May
Both Amanda and Stephen Soule contribute to the essays, offering a unique perspective from both mother and father who share a love of nature and belief in gentle parenting.
As I wrote this review, my three year-old son was curled in my lap and traffic was rumbling by as parents dropped their children off at school across the street. I don't have access to an ocean. I don't know how to knit. My life is anything but simple.
That said, my son and I peered out the window and watched the birds at the feeders as I typed. Our family finds our own ways to connect with nature -- hiking on Loon Island in Lake Shetek State Park, growing our organic garden in the backyard and even visiting a cornfield down the street that my children swear is magical.
I'm looking forward to trying Tempura Dandies, and I've bookmarked recipes and projects throughout the year to try with my kiddos. That flower essence body lotion sounds pretty neat, too.
The Rythm of Family can fit into any family and help inspire us to slow down, connect with nature (and each other) and make some pretty neat memories together.
The Rhythm of Family is due to be published in August of 2011 by Shambhala Publishing. It will retail at $19.95. It should be available in Mankato through Barnes and Noble or the Mankato Public Library.
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