Dreamcatchers

I was asked recently on an internet questionnaire, ''How do you start your day?''. I suppose the usual response of ''with my perfectly brewed cappuccino'', or ''take a wee'' came to mind, but to give an honest answer, I had to respond with 'by sharing the previous nights dreams with my children'. Morning is a peaceful time in our home. A moment of lapse before the weeuns begin their daily chorus of 'He Hit Me!', or 'Mommmeeee! I'm hungry!!'....and so on and so on until bedtime. In the mornings, as the sun begins to shine softly in our co-sleeping bedroom, little eyes flicker open and someone, usually my middle daughter, Cypress, begins the day with 'Can I tell you about my dreams Mommy?'. Then we all take turns to share our night dreams. It's amazing to me how considerate my children are to each other at this time. Once I had accidentally asked my oldest daughter to share her dreams, only to hear my middle daughter stand up for her baby brother by pointing out 'but Zephyr hasn't finished his dreams yet, Mommy'. I guarantee that as the day progresses this dreamy consideration will fade.

Cypress, who is 5, has dreams that are wishes. She 'wishes we had a farm with lots of food', or wishes she had her own clothes and ''didn't have to share with Indigo'' (her older sister who is 6). This morning she informed me ''I dreamed I could draw just like Derek (her oldest brother)..I wish I was just like him''. Indigo use to have dreams. She can clearly recite a vivid dream she had three years ago in Asheville, North Carolina. But nowadays she wakes to inform us that she didn't dream. That she only sees 'rainbow dots'. (does anyone elses kids see rainbow dots?) My youngest, Zephyr, has classic little boy dreams of being a super hero or flying a helicopter.

So this is how we start our day. Every morning, before heading to the cappuccino machine, or taking a wee, we share our dreams.

I conclude with our latest craft project of making 'Dreamcatchers'. (read all about Dreamcatchers here! http://www.dream-catchers.org/dream-catchers-faq.php). It came about one morning when Indigo asked what a Dream Catcher was and could we make them. Cypress then explained that she had her own natural dream catcher, whilst pointing to her dog-bite scar beneath her chin. At age 3, she was attacked by a friends older dog and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors had to administer general anaesthesia to stitch her up, and it's left her with a terrible fear of dogs. I never knew she had turned her scar into a dream catcher (she said it was there to catch her bad dreams).

I've posted pics below of their new dream catchers. Cypress confirms that it does, indeed, work! And Indigo reported to us this morning that she clearly remembers having a nice dream last night. These are quite easy to make (paper plates, hole puncher, thread, beads & feathers! picture instructions are on the website link above) We have them hanging from our bedroom ceiling now.