welcome MamaChicken! I was also raised in a very conservative christian family with dh coming from a more laid back christian family... I started down the pagan path right about the time I met him and we've been a dual-faith family since then. However, we recently found a pagan path that has spoken to us both (ADF) and we're now happily raising our family with a "united front" in terms of religion. It's almost funny how odd it feels to be on the same page as dh in terms of religion after so many years of amiable differences (I being totally pagan and him being what he called a "mystic christian"... sort of Thomas Merton meets Thich Nach Hahn as he would put it). Glad you found us and I hope you all enjoy the journey!
Maia- have fun!
DoK- I agree, some sort of book might work... or even a nice journal? First Communion is generally around 6 or 7 years old, right? So while they probably aren't big readers/writers at the moment they soon will be. A pin or necklace that might resonate with the spiritual purpose of their ritual might be an option too... for my own Confirmation (which happens in your teens) I was given a pin shaped like a small flame by relatives who are Jewish. They didn't feel comfortable giving me a specifically Christian image, but a "flame of inspiration" worked for us all.
Pregnacy- I'm actually 22 weeks at the moment LOL I feel like this pregnancy will be never ending, but if I twist my thoughts I realize it's only 4 more months and that makes it seem pretty short! I'm nervous about the birth (not pregnant enough yet to not care about the birth as long as the baby comes out NOW), and wondering how we'll manage with four babes but it'll work out somehow I know. :) We need a car seat but other than that all the "big stuff" is already here, and our local thrift stores have great (cheap) items. In fact, I found a little jumper today that is PERFECT. The front has a sort of stylized painting of people dancing around a bonfire in the woods, and below the picture it says "Play in the Forest" and on the back it says "under a full moon spirits gathered can be found dancing amongst the trees". I am in love with the outfit and can't wait to take apple-belly-babe to a gathering wearing it.
books- I just finished reading "Time of the Ghost" by Dianna Wynne Jones. It's too old/scary for dd1 but I think it might be perfect for kiddos in the 10-12 year range (depending on their maturity) and it's a pretty interesting pagan-themed story. Basically the POV character is a ghost, she knows she is one of four sisters living in an old school (their parents run a school for boys, the girls are essentially abandoned which is one of those "maturity" themes), but all four sisters seem to be alive and well so she can't figure out what is going on. Without giving anything more than the book jacket plot summary, she learns that one of the sisters has awakened an ancient goddess and the ghost's fate is somehow tied into this being. It's actually a lot more interesting and engaging than I thought it would be (though Wynne Jones rocks as an author and I can't think of a thing she has written that I didn't at least like), and she ties all the different themes and elements together by the end to make a "happy" ending of sorts. So if there is anyone looking for a mildly scary, sometimes disturbing (there is a chicken sacrifice, a discussion of ghosts being fed with blood that parallels nicely with a discussion of modern medicine/blood transfusion, and the theme of abuse/abandonment of the girls by their physically present but not emotionally present parents), but overall engaging story for their tweens... this one seemed fair, and includes a decent (and unstated) moral along the lines of looking before you leap and taking rituals seriously even if you think the ritual is "made up" because you never know who might be listening. (much of the difficulty in the plot comes from the sisters making promises to their made-up goddess or making promises using her authority to bind the promise without considering that they might actually be held to those promises).
I also finished the Protector of the Small quad and am working through the Immortal War quad so much thanks to whomever suggested Tamora Pierce! Our thrift store had a stack of her books last week so the timing was perfect! I also have her Trickster Queen book but I'll need to find the first book in that series (it wasn't in said stack)... the local HUGE book sale is coming up in a few days though (it's one of the largest in the country!) so hopefully I'll find what I'm looking for there. :)
And on that note... any other suggestions for pagan friendly read alouds (or pagan friendly "leave on the shelf for the kiddos to find") books or authors? Lemme know so I'll face the book sale armed and dangerous!
At least he gets done by 1:30!
I guess I better start doing some serious marketing so that I get orders through my website. Oh my goddess, I'm anxiety ridden and excited all at once!
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