Sorry about the wait between posts. I've been a little busy lately. We are currently dealing with our fresh fruit crop which was supplemented by a gift of fruit from our neighbors. It has resulted in a blackberry pie, three batches of plum jelly and some soon to be made dried apricots. In addition we have some more plums and nectarines for fresh eating (I may need to dry some of the nectarines, too).
In addition I've been reading up on a homeschool book that talks about the classical education method. It is titled "The Well Trained Mind" by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Bauer, if you were wondering. We really like the classical ideas and will probably use a lot of them in our homeschool. I have already revised some ideas for the coming school year. We will be concentrating on continued reading practice, with more handwriting practice, and continuing the math curriculum we recently started. We will hold off on the science and my own ideas about beginning history lessons for a year. The reasoning for this is that reading, writing and math are the building blocks for every thing else and we want to lay a good foundation during her kindergarten year. I am tempted to jump the gun on the recommended time to start spelling lessons, since she has recently shown interest in writing and is frustrated by not knowing what letters to use. Besides, spelling lessons could be a repeat of phonics rules which would strengthen her reading skills too. Besides trimming down the curricula we had originally planned, we will be wanting to increase gradually the structure and amount of time she is spending on lessons this year so that the first grade year will not be as much of a shock with the added subjects. I now have some interesting ideas to use for art and music when the kids want that as an extra treat. I am only halfway through the book. The other half that I have yet to read talks about 5th grade through graduating high school. There are a lot of things yet to be decided yet, but we have lots of ideas and, yes, Latin is one of them. I really like this book and would recommend it to anyone who is considering homeschooling, especially if they are starting out with an early elementary child.
The last thing that has had me occupied is that all three kids have colds and my husband and I are trying to fight off our own cases with Zicam.
That is all for now. The family needs me again.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
A change of plans
Do you ever go along a well thought out path blissfully unaware that other people can very easily change their plans and knock you off course? Today was one of those days.
Today our backfence neighbor to the south cut down four very annoying trees in his backyard that had been giving us most of the little shade that we had. We knew they didn't like them and were considering cutting them down. We also found them annoying too in that most of the leaves from two of these trees would land in our yard every fall and we would occasionally get large limbs as well. But, we were in denial about their eventual departure. We had planted plants next to the fence that needed partial shade, that now get virtually no shade at all during our hot summers. We are not sure whether our plants will be able to weather the change.
We will weather the change in our plans at least. We have already started to revise our master plan for our backyard landscaping. We need some relatively fast growing shade trees. We have such a big backyard, the lack of trees makes it look vacant. We have put in 14 trees since we have moved in nearly four years ago, but only one of those is supposed to get much height. The backyard doesn't look as empty as it used to, but we definitely need some shade. Fortunately, this won't change our plans drastically.
I keep thinking that I'm O.K. with change. I've had lots of change in my life plans. But, somehow, most of those changes were initiated by me. Yeah, some required someone else's plans, too (marriage takes two after all). Yet, in many ways, I'm a control freak. I like to be in control of my world. So, this sudden lack of trees to the South is just a small thing in the grand scheme of things. But it still makes me sad and a little huffy that someone changed my world without my permission.
Now, that I have that off my chest, I'll just go back to the everyday routines of life and "get a life". After all, there is more things to life than landscaping, and I spend most of my days with three little important ones.
Today our backfence neighbor to the south cut down four very annoying trees in his backyard that had been giving us most of the little shade that we had. We knew they didn't like them and were considering cutting them down. We also found them annoying too in that most of the leaves from two of these trees would land in our yard every fall and we would occasionally get large limbs as well. But, we were in denial about their eventual departure. We had planted plants next to the fence that needed partial shade, that now get virtually no shade at all during our hot summers. We are not sure whether our plants will be able to weather the change.
We will weather the change in our plans at least. We have already started to revise our master plan for our backyard landscaping. We need some relatively fast growing shade trees. We have such a big backyard, the lack of trees makes it look vacant. We have put in 14 trees since we have moved in nearly four years ago, but only one of those is supposed to get much height. The backyard doesn't look as empty as it used to, but we definitely need some shade. Fortunately, this won't change our plans drastically.
I keep thinking that I'm O.K. with change. I've had lots of change in my life plans. But, somehow, most of those changes were initiated by me. Yeah, some required someone else's plans, too (marriage takes two after all). Yet, in many ways, I'm a control freak. I like to be in control of my world. So, this sudden lack of trees to the South is just a small thing in the grand scheme of things. But it still makes me sad and a little huffy that someone changed my world without my permission.
Now, that I have that off my chest, I'll just go back to the everyday routines of life and "get a life". After all, there is more things to life than landscaping, and I spend most of my days with three little important ones.
Friday, June 08, 2007
8 Things about me
I have been tagged by momtoanangel to participate in the meme "8 things about me."
Here are the rules:
The rules are simple…Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
1. I would rather read a good history book than a novel any day. Sure there are some good entertaining stories out there that I enjoy, but history is just as fascinating and it was real.
2. I know how to ride a unicycle. This was the result of a mixture of curiosity and the desire to be like my peers (there were about five of us preteens on my street who learned to ride unicycles at about the same time.)
3. I have no mercy. Really! I took a test at church that was supposed to help me determine what my ministry strengths and weaknesses were. I scored 3 on a scale of about 30 when it came to mercy. My poor kids :)
4. I like music (just about any kind), but I prefer music that I can sing. Usually these days that means hymns at church and either veggietales silly songs or standard kids songs with innovative lyrics (Old MacDonald has about 17 verses)
5. I hate shopping. I actually went to the mall today because I needed some new jeans. I found what I needed in about 15 minutes (including trying them on) and was tempted to continue shopping since that is a rare thing to do without having all the kids with me. But, when I tried to think about what I would shop for, I couldn't think of anything so I came back home. My husband isn't sure how he ended up with a woman like this, but he is very thankful.
6. I am a Silicon Valley girl. My husband and I were discussing the best way to reheat a lasagna in the microwave so that it is heated all the way through. I said "maybe we should reformat the lasagna." My husband laughed and responded that the lasagna wasn't configured properly.
7. As a former librarian, there are very few excuses that I accept for unreturned library books. The ones that I have accepted include: "I was in the hospital" and "My car was stolen and they were in the trunk." Common lame excuses that receive the aformentioned no mercy include "I loaned it to a friend," "I forgot it wasn't mine," "I didn't return them yet?" "But, I need it to finish my report that I'm late on," and the most annoying considering that we have the ability to renew books checked out from the library "but I'm not done with it yet."
8. I never pass along these things which people send me. It reminds me of the chain letters I would get as a kid. I never liked them. So this meme stops here.
Here are the rules:
The rules are simple…Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
1. I would rather read a good history book than a novel any day. Sure there are some good entertaining stories out there that I enjoy, but history is just as fascinating and it was real.
2. I know how to ride a unicycle. This was the result of a mixture of curiosity and the desire to be like my peers (there were about five of us preteens on my street who learned to ride unicycles at about the same time.)
3. I have no mercy. Really! I took a test at church that was supposed to help me determine what my ministry strengths and weaknesses were. I scored 3 on a scale of about 30 when it came to mercy. My poor kids :)
4. I like music (just about any kind), but I prefer music that I can sing. Usually these days that means hymns at church and either veggietales silly songs or standard kids songs with innovative lyrics (Old MacDonald has about 17 verses)
5. I hate shopping. I actually went to the mall today because I needed some new jeans. I found what I needed in about 15 minutes (including trying them on) and was tempted to continue shopping since that is a rare thing to do without having all the kids with me. But, when I tried to think about what I would shop for, I couldn't think of anything so I came back home. My husband isn't sure how he ended up with a woman like this, but he is very thankful.
6. I am a Silicon Valley girl. My husband and I were discussing the best way to reheat a lasagna in the microwave so that it is heated all the way through. I said "maybe we should reformat the lasagna." My husband laughed and responded that the lasagna wasn't configured properly.
7. As a former librarian, there are very few excuses that I accept for unreturned library books. The ones that I have accepted include: "I was in the hospital" and "My car was stolen and they were in the trunk." Common lame excuses that receive the aformentioned no mercy include "I loaned it to a friend," "I forgot it wasn't mine," "I didn't return them yet?" "But, I need it to finish my report that I'm late on," and the most annoying considering that we have the ability to renew books checked out from the library "but I'm not done with it yet."
8. I never pass along these things which people send me. It reminds me of the chain letters I would get as a kid. I never liked them. So this meme stops here.
We all have a few quirks
Everybody has a few quirks. This was brought home to me last night at dinner. You see... I don't like to cook. But, I still cook. I like to think that I am a competent cook even though I don't usually take much pleasure in it. Last night I was cooking dinner for my family and my parents (who are visiting for the weekend). I was fixing something easy since time was running short... taco salad. You just brown meat, add seasonings, provide warmed refried beans, chips, cheese and salsa and ta da... dinner is ready! Everything was going well, when I noticed that we were a bit low on salsa. I like to make my life easier by just adding salsa to the meat so I don't have to add a bit of this spice and a bit of that spice. But, I knew that some of those present would like to add salsa to their salads once completed.
Side note: I have a bad habit for a cook. I dislike tasting the food I cook before I sit down at the table to eat it. I'm just not a taster. Usually this isn't a problem.
So, last night I decide to go ahead and add various spices instead of using the salsa. I go into the cupboard and find a bag that looks like chili powder. I bought the spice bulk at our local grocery store and duly noted the ID number so the cashier could type it in properly at check out. However, I didn't ever write the name of the spice on the little tag. I was going to go home and add it to my little spice jar. But, the spice jar had already been thrown out. So it was a mystery spice in the cupboard by this point. I opened the bag and carefully smelled it. It smelled like chili powder. I estimated that it was about a tablespoon worth. Remembering some of the chili powders we sometimes get at the store were a bit on the mild side, I poured the whole thing in. I then added a little cumin, garlic, salt, black pepper, and just a little vinegar. It was smelling lovely.
We served up dinner, said the prayer, and started to eat. I knew a mistake had been made with my first bite. My lips were tingling and my mouth was on fire. I barely had any meat in that bite. What could that mystery spice have been. By a process of elimination we figured out that I had added about a tablespoon of cayenne pepper to a pound of meat.
Fortunately, my husband and dad are fond of spicy foods and Mom and I are tolerant (especially when it so helpfully clears out our problematic sinuses). The kids were eating what they call kid foods and were spared the experience. This hasn't been the first time that I have over spiced something. I've made some extremely hot chilis by mistake. Oddly enough (or reasonably enough) my Mom has done the same thing on occasion and I did learn to cook from her. I usually trust my nose to warn me of a spicing problem, but that won't catch a too much spicy heat issue. Will I learn my lesson and start tasting foods before I set them on the table? Of course not. But, I do think that I will start labeling my bulk goods better.
Side note: I have a bad habit for a cook. I dislike tasting the food I cook before I sit down at the table to eat it. I'm just not a taster. Usually this isn't a problem.
So, last night I decide to go ahead and add various spices instead of using the salsa. I go into the cupboard and find a bag that looks like chili powder. I bought the spice bulk at our local grocery store and duly noted the ID number so the cashier could type it in properly at check out. However, I didn't ever write the name of the spice on the little tag. I was going to go home and add it to my little spice jar. But, the spice jar had already been thrown out. So it was a mystery spice in the cupboard by this point. I opened the bag and carefully smelled it. It smelled like chili powder. I estimated that it was about a tablespoon worth. Remembering some of the chili powders we sometimes get at the store were a bit on the mild side, I poured the whole thing in. I then added a little cumin, garlic, salt, black pepper, and just a little vinegar. It was smelling lovely.
We served up dinner, said the prayer, and started to eat. I knew a mistake had been made with my first bite. My lips were tingling and my mouth was on fire. I barely had any meat in that bite. What could that mystery spice have been. By a process of elimination we figured out that I had added about a tablespoon of cayenne pepper to a pound of meat.
Fortunately, my husband and dad are fond of spicy foods and Mom and I are tolerant (especially when it so helpfully clears out our problematic sinuses). The kids were eating what they call kid foods and were spared the experience. This hasn't been the first time that I have over spiced something. I've made some extremely hot chilis by mistake. Oddly enough (or reasonably enough) my Mom has done the same thing on occasion and I did learn to cook from her. I usually trust my nose to warn me of a spicing problem, but that won't catch a too much spicy heat issue. Will I learn my lesson and start tasting foods before I set them on the table? Of course not. But, I do think that I will start labeling my bulk goods better.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
"You've got your hands full!"
I know that I've mentioned in previous posts that when I take the kids out on errands places, someone somewhere always seems to say "you've got your hands full!" I usually respond with something like, "Yes, I do." Frequently, my husband or someone at church will see me piling on various bags and grabbing the baby carrier and say "let me carry some of that". This usually surprises me since I am used to doing it all myself, plus herding a four year old and a two year old. Add to this a class at church that has the purpose of causing self-examination to result in being a better servant of God (which requires change). Then I have just finished reading a book entitled "Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life," by Keri Wyatt Kent. All of these things have got me thinking a lot about how I do my life.
As a mother of three young children, life is going to be a little crazy right now just because of that. But, I've struggled with the idea that I'm not doing things that I used to do. I have also noticed that there are not enough hours in the day to do what needs to be done (at least not without sacrificing sleep and sanity). In my class at church, we have talked about looking at one's life to see what God is already doing and join him in that work. In my life, the only thing I see God doing or desiring me to do right now is to raise my children as he would have me do. Now, that is a plenty big job. However, in realizing this it has allowed me to take a deep breath and relax and let go of those feelings of discontent about letting go of past responsibilities. It also frees me from pursuing too many discontented ideas about what I want my future to look like. I can live in the present and deal with my life as I have it now.
While reading the book, I feel like I have seen clues to what my life needs. Slowing down as much as I can to enjoy each day and my time with my family is not only a desire of mine, but would be good for me. I have to watch the temptation to over schedule my time or my kids' time. Working in rest in my days and weeks is important. Keeping a close eye on priorities and how everyday choices are affected by them or drift away from them is crucial. I also need to allow myself to have time for me without guilt.
It wasn't until tonight though, that I realized that the comments people have been telling me everywhere I go may be God trying to point something out to me. I need to realize that I have a really big job being a mother to these three kids. I already knew this of course, but I was in denial in the sense that I thought that if I was good enough and learned enough tricks, I could shrink it to a more manageable size. No, being a parent is a God-sized job and I need his help to do it. I also realized that I try to do too much myself. Oh, I can do it (like carrying all the bags and herding the kids at the same time), but it would be better for me to get other people to help me when I need help, more than I currently do.
All this tells me that some things need to change in my life, and they need to be serious, major changes and well as small everyday ones. I'm not sure yet, what they all will be yet. I have some ideas floating around in my head. But slowing down is not something you do in a hurry. And, simplifying life is complex, because life and the world we live in are complex.
One thing that will continue is homeschooling. There are many valid reasons to put children in public or private schools, but for us, with our feelings of conviction about what we need to do to raise our kids, homeschooling is it. The Bible plainly teaches that the parents are responsible to God for their children's education. For us, we feel that we can best fulfill that responsibility by teaching our own kids. In fact, we started homeschooling with merely academic ideas in mind. Now, we are seeing more evidence that their spiritual education is equally important. I think we all know that children learn best by watching how the people around them live. If we live out our faith as we teach it to our children all day and every day, it will be much more effective than teaching them "knowledge" about our faith and then send them out to spend most of the day around people who do not share this faith and/or are actively trying to undermine it. Does this fit into a scenario of slowing down and simplifying? Absolutely! Each child can be taught in a tailor-made fashion exactly what they need at a pace that fits them. And we don't have to undo the problems that arise from our kids learning either the wrong things from a teacher hostile to our world-view or innappropriate things from other kids. Teaching a child (especially one that wants to learn) is actually easier than most people think (I think teaching kids in groups of 20-30 is the hard part).
Another thing that will continue is the basic church activities that we already do. Not only does our church have a good children's program and we like what we hear our children learning from the various classes they are in, it is good for them to be around kids who are different (you know... not raised by the same parents as our kids are). My husband and I also find our usual church activities rejuvenating. It also provides most of our social life.
What about the housework, remodeling, relandscaping, recreation, finances, etc.? There are things in our life that we put there because we wanted them rather than needed them. We can do some pruning out of some of the blatantly unhelpful. However, I still think that most of these other things in our lives are helpful and important. We need to learn to balance them out better. Since I have mentioned my desire for simplifying to my husband, I suspect that he fears that I'm going to go on a rampage and start tossing out everything and make drastic changes. That type of reaction is tempting to me (a friend once said that I should have been Amish because of my love of simplicity), but I know it wouldn't work any better than a crash diet works for someone who wants to lose weight and keep it off.
As I figure out what I'm doing and changing to make life more focused and simple and fulfilling, I'll keep sharing my progress.
As a mother of three young children, life is going to be a little crazy right now just because of that. But, I've struggled with the idea that I'm not doing things that I used to do. I have also noticed that there are not enough hours in the day to do what needs to be done (at least not without sacrificing sleep and sanity). In my class at church, we have talked about looking at one's life to see what God is already doing and join him in that work. In my life, the only thing I see God doing or desiring me to do right now is to raise my children as he would have me do. Now, that is a plenty big job. However, in realizing this it has allowed me to take a deep breath and relax and let go of those feelings of discontent about letting go of past responsibilities. It also frees me from pursuing too many discontented ideas about what I want my future to look like. I can live in the present and deal with my life as I have it now.
While reading the book, I feel like I have seen clues to what my life needs. Slowing down as much as I can to enjoy each day and my time with my family is not only a desire of mine, but would be good for me. I have to watch the temptation to over schedule my time or my kids' time. Working in rest in my days and weeks is important. Keeping a close eye on priorities and how everyday choices are affected by them or drift away from them is crucial. I also need to allow myself to have time for me without guilt.
It wasn't until tonight though, that I realized that the comments people have been telling me everywhere I go may be God trying to point something out to me. I need to realize that I have a really big job being a mother to these three kids. I already knew this of course, but I was in denial in the sense that I thought that if I was good enough and learned enough tricks, I could shrink it to a more manageable size. No, being a parent is a God-sized job and I need his help to do it. I also realized that I try to do too much myself. Oh, I can do it (like carrying all the bags and herding the kids at the same time), but it would be better for me to get other people to help me when I need help, more than I currently do.
All this tells me that some things need to change in my life, and they need to be serious, major changes and well as small everyday ones. I'm not sure yet, what they all will be yet. I have some ideas floating around in my head. But slowing down is not something you do in a hurry. And, simplifying life is complex, because life and the world we live in are complex.
One thing that will continue is homeschooling. There are many valid reasons to put children in public or private schools, but for us, with our feelings of conviction about what we need to do to raise our kids, homeschooling is it. The Bible plainly teaches that the parents are responsible to God for their children's education. For us, we feel that we can best fulfill that responsibility by teaching our own kids. In fact, we started homeschooling with merely academic ideas in mind. Now, we are seeing more evidence that their spiritual education is equally important. I think we all know that children learn best by watching how the people around them live. If we live out our faith as we teach it to our children all day and every day, it will be much more effective than teaching them "knowledge" about our faith and then send them out to spend most of the day around people who do not share this faith and/or are actively trying to undermine it. Does this fit into a scenario of slowing down and simplifying? Absolutely! Each child can be taught in a tailor-made fashion exactly what they need at a pace that fits them. And we don't have to undo the problems that arise from our kids learning either the wrong things from a teacher hostile to our world-view or innappropriate things from other kids. Teaching a child (especially one that wants to learn) is actually easier than most people think (I think teaching kids in groups of 20-30 is the hard part).
Another thing that will continue is the basic church activities that we already do. Not only does our church have a good children's program and we like what we hear our children learning from the various classes they are in, it is good for them to be around kids who are different (you know... not raised by the same parents as our kids are). My husband and I also find our usual church activities rejuvenating. It also provides most of our social life.
What about the housework, remodeling, relandscaping, recreation, finances, etc.? There are things in our life that we put there because we wanted them rather than needed them. We can do some pruning out of some of the blatantly unhelpful. However, I still think that most of these other things in our lives are helpful and important. We need to learn to balance them out better. Since I have mentioned my desire for simplifying to my husband, I suspect that he fears that I'm going to go on a rampage and start tossing out everything and make drastic changes. That type of reaction is tempting to me (a friend once said that I should have been Amish because of my love of simplicity), but I know it wouldn't work any better than a crash diet works for someone who wants to lose weight and keep it off.
As I figure out what I'm doing and changing to make life more focused and simple and fulfilling, I'll keep sharing my progress.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Parents as mystery sleuths
It stuck me today that parents have to act as mystery sleuths to figure out what child is doing what when your back is turned. It reminded me of the game "Clue." It was the case of the 4 year-old in the hall bath with the soap bottle and the 2 year-old in the master bath with the toilet paper.
Child number one is using the hall bathroom for a potty time, so I take child number two to the master bathroom to use the potty. I forgot to get a diaper for her so I go to the hall bathroom to retrieve one. Child number one had closed the door and didn't want to open it for me (warning sign). When I open the door to get the diaper, I discover that child number one has been playing with the liquid soap pump bottle and there is goopy soap on countertops, and doorknobs. After correcting this young miscreant, I return to the other bathroom with the needed diaper. Child number two had spent her time happily by unwinding the toilet paper into the trash can. Fortunately, this happened after Daddy had come home. He was outside doing yardwork, so I sent the girls out to spend time with Daddy. Mommy stayed inside and burned off the anger by practicing piano until my brain was tired. By the time they all came back in, I was no longer so mad and could be a sane Mommy again. Of course I caught them in the act so it wasn't as much a mystery.
Today a wet spot showed up on the dining room table. This was a mystery. It didn't look like a puddle like someone spilt water from a cup. It was evenly distributed and yet splotchy. And which child is the most likely culprit? In a quick process of elimination, we determined that it was the 4 year-old, in the dining room with a spray bottle. She tried to act innocent, but couldn't keep up the pretense.
The 2 year-old isn't mysterious in the same way. Her actions are pretty blatant. But her reasoning is mysterious. Like why she kept trying to take her shoes and socks off outside in the tall, brown, prickly grass that she didn't like stepping on. Then she would lose one of her socks over the side of the play gym in said prickly grass, and need someone to retrieve it for her.
Our 3 month-old hasn't done much mysterious yet. Though we occasionally come back to find him turned 180 degrees from his last known position. It's just a matter of time....
Child number one is using the hall bathroom for a potty time, so I take child number two to the master bathroom to use the potty. I forgot to get a diaper for her so I go to the hall bathroom to retrieve one. Child number one had closed the door and didn't want to open it for me (warning sign). When I open the door to get the diaper, I discover that child number one has been playing with the liquid soap pump bottle and there is goopy soap on countertops, and doorknobs. After correcting this young miscreant, I return to the other bathroom with the needed diaper. Child number two had spent her time happily by unwinding the toilet paper into the trash can. Fortunately, this happened after Daddy had come home. He was outside doing yardwork, so I sent the girls out to spend time with Daddy. Mommy stayed inside and burned off the anger by practicing piano until my brain was tired. By the time they all came back in, I was no longer so mad and could be a sane Mommy again. Of course I caught them in the act so it wasn't as much a mystery.
Today a wet spot showed up on the dining room table. This was a mystery. It didn't look like a puddle like someone spilt water from a cup. It was evenly distributed and yet splotchy. And which child is the most likely culprit? In a quick process of elimination, we determined that it was the 4 year-old, in the dining room with a spray bottle. She tried to act innocent, but couldn't keep up the pretense.
The 2 year-old isn't mysterious in the same way. Her actions are pretty blatant. But her reasoning is mysterious. Like why she kept trying to take her shoes and socks off outside in the tall, brown, prickly grass that she didn't like stepping on. Then she would lose one of her socks over the side of the play gym in said prickly grass, and need someone to retrieve it for her.
Our 3 month-old hasn't done much mysterious yet. Though we occasionally come back to find him turned 180 degrees from his last known position. It's just a matter of time....
Thursday, May 03, 2007
The Promised homeschool post
I am finishing up my first year of homeschooling. It has been a challenge homeschooling a four-year old. I originally had visions of a more structured schedule of schooling during the day. My daughter's changeable tastes and my lack of energy, since I was pregnant for most of the year, required some changes to that original vision. At the beginning of the year she was starting to read and needed help sounding words out. She could count but I didn't notice any mathmatical skills beyond that. She was pretty good at coloring for her age. Of the items on my list titled "Kindergarten Curriculum Overview" she had mastered about a quarter of them right off.
During the course of the last year she has mastered about half of the items on the list and moved past to the first grade list. The remaining items on the kindergarten list are things (mostly social studies) that she has been exposed to, but her understanding has been a little fuzzy. I plan to work on them more in the coming months now that she is four and a half, and acting a little older. She is now reading most things quite well, needing occasional help with unfamiliar words. She can add and subtract smaller numbers and understands that different number combinations result in the same answer (ie.: 5+5, 6+4, 7+3, 8+2, and 9+1 all result in 10). She has learned a little about telling time and money. She has improved her drawing and coloring abilities and has been experimenting with perspective. Using paper, tape and scissors, she has been experimenting with 3 dimensional objects. She has enjoyed helping to put together recipes for various foods and seeing how things are made. She has helped plant seeds and seen the resulting plants come up from the ground. She has mastered potty training (finally! though we had some regression this week). She has taken a few dance lessons and seemed to improve her ability to listen to the teacher and improve her behavior (both as a student and as a dancer). I consider the year to be a success.
It was a combination Preschool/Kindergarten year for her based on what she has been learning. I don't like the idea of testing a kid at this age, because the results are hard to determine accurately and you have to train them to take tests instead of learn. However, we have some educational computer games that she likes and they have the nice feature of keeping track of the child's ability level and can serve as a test substitute. On both the Preschool level and the Kindergarten level she is getting percentages in the mid-90s to 100s in all subject areas except one. That one was "pre-reading" which, from watching her play, resulted in a lower score because she didn't play it enough to advance to the higher levels of skill. It was a case of boredom with it, not inability.
I have also considered myself as homeschooling my younger daughter (2 year old) as well. There is almost no structure at all for her. I read to her. We talk about numbers and the alphabet. We sing songs. We work on puzzles. She colors too. She is learning to use a toddler computer game. We listen to music and play toy instruments. She is making progress, too. But right now her business is play and learning about her world that way.
Now that I've got a year's experience in, I can look back and see the successes and failures. Trying to do the same thing every day is a failure. Doing something every day works. Workbooks need to be used sparingly (she gets workbook burnout before she finishes the workbook). Reading is good. Writing is being resisted, so I need to find a way to make it attractive. Active or experiential methods of learning are highly appreciated. Art is almost essential to our daughter. Music is important in our family and the kids love it. The younger girl is starting to want to do everything her sister does. So how is this going to color the way we do homeschooling next year?
I will use only one workbook in the coming year (math) which is a very good curriculum that uses methods that seem to work with our older daughter. The younger daughter can start simple skills workbooks in the coming year (she keeps begging me for workbooks). We are going to do a lot more reading. In fact it is time that we get a library card and start visiting the local library. I'll see if I can work in the library's story time into our schedule once a week. I have a lesson book that covers simple science lessons about the human body in activities that the child participates in. It is appropriate for young kids and can be done about once a week. I have a lesson book on combining drawing and writing. Basically, in each lesson it teaches how to draw an object using simple shapes and building and refining the final picture from that, then the child is to write a sentence or two to go with the picture. My daughter would be very tempted by this. She is fascinated by art and takes every opportunity of learning more about it. She also likes to make books using pictures she draws and writing what she likes to go with them. The local parks and recreation group has lots of classes that are appealing to kids (swimming, sports, martial arts, art, music, etc.). And, we have just bought a piano for future musical endeavors (Mommy may want to take lessons, too).
I will consider myself as homeschooling all three kids. So one day will be library day. One day will be science lesson day. One day may have dance class or some other active class. We may start piano lessons this year. Math and Reading will be every day. Drawing with the writing to go with it will probably be every day, but I will base it more on demand since her love of art is the lure. Our second daughter will be learning what she can based on her ability level. Her interest in what her sister does suggests workbook work, being read to, art time, etc. Anything that will help her feel like she is doing what her sister does, but helps her learn at her level will be appropriate. As for the baby, that's easy. His job is play, learning to build his muscles and become mobile. I think that I'll teach all of the kids baby sign language. They will find it interesting and it will help their brother learn it and communicate. He will get read to and sung to as well. His sisters find him interesting, so they can help me teach him things.
Do I think that this is workable or am I being too ambitious? I might be too ambitious. I tend to overestimate my ability to do what I plan. However, I think this is more workable than my original plans which were based on very little more than idealism. It allows for variety and allows for some structure (the structure is more for me, but the kids need to learn to deal with structure, too.) It covers many of the major areas of study that they need to learn. I fully expect our oldest child to have a combination Kindergarten/First Grade year this year. Our two year-old will probably be at beginning Preschool level (she seems to be following a typical learning pattern). Will I make adjustments as needed as we go along? Of course. That is the nice thing about homeschooling. You can tailor it to what you need it to be, rather than a national average or even a classroom average. I also think I'm going to add a few things not on the typical school curriculum. Getting the kids to share with Mommy the joys(?) of housework. Hey, you can make anything a game if you have the right attitude.
During the course of the last year she has mastered about half of the items on the list and moved past to the first grade list. The remaining items on the kindergarten list are things (mostly social studies) that she has been exposed to, but her understanding has been a little fuzzy. I plan to work on them more in the coming months now that she is four and a half, and acting a little older. She is now reading most things quite well, needing occasional help with unfamiliar words. She can add and subtract smaller numbers and understands that different number combinations result in the same answer (ie.: 5+5, 6+4, 7+3, 8+2, and 9+1 all result in 10). She has learned a little about telling time and money. She has improved her drawing and coloring abilities and has been experimenting with perspective. Using paper, tape and scissors, she has been experimenting with 3 dimensional objects. She has enjoyed helping to put together recipes for various foods and seeing how things are made. She has helped plant seeds and seen the resulting plants come up from the ground. She has mastered potty training (finally! though we had some regression this week). She has taken a few dance lessons and seemed to improve her ability to listen to the teacher and improve her behavior (both as a student and as a dancer). I consider the year to be a success.
It was a combination Preschool/Kindergarten year for her based on what she has been learning. I don't like the idea of testing a kid at this age, because the results are hard to determine accurately and you have to train them to take tests instead of learn. However, we have some educational computer games that she likes and they have the nice feature of keeping track of the child's ability level and can serve as a test substitute. On both the Preschool level and the Kindergarten level she is getting percentages in the mid-90s to 100s in all subject areas except one. That one was "pre-reading" which, from watching her play, resulted in a lower score because she didn't play it enough to advance to the higher levels of skill. It was a case of boredom with it, not inability.
I have also considered myself as homeschooling my younger daughter (2 year old) as well. There is almost no structure at all for her. I read to her. We talk about numbers and the alphabet. We sing songs. We work on puzzles. She colors too. She is learning to use a toddler computer game. We listen to music and play toy instruments. She is making progress, too. But right now her business is play and learning about her world that way.
Now that I've got a year's experience in, I can look back and see the successes and failures. Trying to do the same thing every day is a failure. Doing something every day works. Workbooks need to be used sparingly (she gets workbook burnout before she finishes the workbook). Reading is good. Writing is being resisted, so I need to find a way to make it attractive. Active or experiential methods of learning are highly appreciated. Art is almost essential to our daughter. Music is important in our family and the kids love it. The younger girl is starting to want to do everything her sister does. So how is this going to color the way we do homeschooling next year?
I will use only one workbook in the coming year (math) which is a very good curriculum that uses methods that seem to work with our older daughter. The younger daughter can start simple skills workbooks in the coming year (she keeps begging me for workbooks). We are going to do a lot more reading. In fact it is time that we get a library card and start visiting the local library. I'll see if I can work in the library's story time into our schedule once a week. I have a lesson book that covers simple science lessons about the human body in activities that the child participates in. It is appropriate for young kids and can be done about once a week. I have a lesson book on combining drawing and writing. Basically, in each lesson it teaches how to draw an object using simple shapes and building and refining the final picture from that, then the child is to write a sentence or two to go with the picture. My daughter would be very tempted by this. She is fascinated by art and takes every opportunity of learning more about it. She also likes to make books using pictures she draws and writing what she likes to go with them. The local parks and recreation group has lots of classes that are appealing to kids (swimming, sports, martial arts, art, music, etc.). And, we have just bought a piano for future musical endeavors (Mommy may want to take lessons, too).
I will consider myself as homeschooling all three kids. So one day will be library day. One day will be science lesson day. One day may have dance class or some other active class. We may start piano lessons this year. Math and Reading will be every day. Drawing with the writing to go with it will probably be every day, but I will base it more on demand since her love of art is the lure. Our second daughter will be learning what she can based on her ability level. Her interest in what her sister does suggests workbook work, being read to, art time, etc. Anything that will help her feel like she is doing what her sister does, but helps her learn at her level will be appropriate. As for the baby, that's easy. His job is play, learning to build his muscles and become mobile. I think that I'll teach all of the kids baby sign language. They will find it interesting and it will help their brother learn it and communicate. He will get read to and sung to as well. His sisters find him interesting, so they can help me teach him things.
Do I think that this is workable or am I being too ambitious? I might be too ambitious. I tend to overestimate my ability to do what I plan. However, I think this is more workable than my original plans which were based on very little more than idealism. It allows for variety and allows for some structure (the structure is more for me, but the kids need to learn to deal with structure, too.) It covers many of the major areas of study that they need to learn. I fully expect our oldest child to have a combination Kindergarten/First Grade year this year. Our two year-old will probably be at beginning Preschool level (she seems to be following a typical learning pattern). Will I make adjustments as needed as we go along? Of course. That is the nice thing about homeschooling. You can tailor it to what you need it to be, rather than a national average or even a classroom average. I also think I'm going to add a few things not on the typical school curriculum. Getting the kids to share with Mommy the joys(?) of housework. Hey, you can make anything a game if you have the right attitude.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Are all kids like this or are ours just extra surreal
I've made mention before how our oldest daughter has a habit of saying quirky things and is ahead of schedule academically. Our second daughter is the adventurer and party girl. Our new son is so new it is hard to say (but he is big, very alert, and very happy). Today it hit me how very surreal it can be to live with these little people. The only thing special about today was that we received a visit from Granny, Grandpa, and Great-Granny. Perhaps that made the kids more of everything in their excitement.
The visit itself was mostly play and talk. The kids were revelling in being so loved. They were also bouncing off the walls. At one point, child number one decided to play the game of being the baby. She would play on her brother's playmat with dangly things, then bring a toy bottle to someone to feed her (she doesn't actually drink milk). So we'd hoist her up on a lap and "feed" her a bottle. Then sit her back up to burp her. She would say "BRAAAP!" Then we would do it again or she would go back to playing on the playmat. Then at one point she did the sign for "more" in baby sign language and verbally asked for more. That surprised me. I do actually own a book about baby sign language. But I didn't remember actually teaching her anything from it and we didn't use it when she was a baby. Later when asked, she said that she learned it from us. If so it was in a passing comment about the book Mommy bought. Wow, teaching the baby will be easier with the girls doing it too.
I don't think Rhiannon did anything unusual at that time, But earlier this week while the girls were playing and I was in and out of the room doing chores, I walked in and saw her behind the sofa happily sitting on the window sill. She was in so tight that I couldn't just lift her out. I had to move the sofa out of the way some before lifting. Tonight she did the same thing in another room. This time she realized that she was stuck and called for help. In this case she was stuck between a futon armrest and the fencing that keeps the kids out of my husband's musical instruments.
Our little boy just made points with Great-Granny by being happy and laughing for her (the first time I think, A nice little "Heh-heh-heh").
When the visit was over, child number two decided that she was going home with the grandparents. She wanted to walk them out to the car and get in the car with them and go to their house. At the same time my husband was checking the mail at the mailbox and discovered a very important piece of mail. It was exactly the thing needed to make her forget about her attempt to leave home for greener pastures. Thank you Auntie Jean (yes, I know you're reading this). It was a birthday card for my husband, which when opened played Johnny Cash singing "Ring of Fire" (note: the cover showed a round birthday cake with candles in a circle). this fascinated our two year old and her Daddy took advantage of the good timing to tell her to take it inside to show Mommy. Now I grew up in a house where hearing Johnny Cash singing was a common occurence. However, my husband's tastes, while varied, tend to run more toward classical and opera. The next two hours were a bit trying for both of us while the girls took turns opening and closing the card to hear the song. At one point, during a Mariachi sounding segment, child number one pipes up "Here comes the fire truck!" Needless to say we both lost it. Then a few minutes later she spontaneously composed a poem about birthdays that I wish I remembered enough to write down. It was clearly something she was making up as she doing it. She managed four or five rhymed phrases that were all on topic and didn't wander strangely like her stories normally do. She was practically rapping. The only time that I remember her being exposed to rap music was when she was less than a year old at our old apartment building.
Add to all of this, my husband told me that she told him a story when I was out getting groceries this morning. she titled it "Chickens in the mood." Now to most adults "in the mood" phrased in this way makes them think that something not G rated is being talked about. So he suddenly paid attention to her story this time to make sure that she hadn't picked up something somewhere that she shouldn't have. He decided that it was PG rated. It was a long wandering story (as most of hers are) where, among other things, a chicken and a rooster were walking along holding hands.
Oh yeah, one more thing for the day. This morning I put on the original Fantasia movie for the kids to watch while I did some cross-stitch. Child number one provided us with an audio commentary for the entire movie. The only time she didn't talk was when the narrator was doing his bit. That's a long movie. She can be a pretty long-winded kid.
Auntie Jean, did you realize when you sent the card that it would teach the song "Ring of Fire" to the kids. Child number one was playing it on a kazoo. Child number two was singing the words. It is definitely surreal to hear a two-year old singing "Ring of Fire."
The visit itself was mostly play and talk. The kids were revelling in being so loved. They were also bouncing off the walls. At one point, child number one decided to play the game of being the baby. She would play on her brother's playmat with dangly things, then bring a toy bottle to someone to feed her (she doesn't actually drink milk). So we'd hoist her up on a lap and "feed" her a bottle. Then sit her back up to burp her. She would say "BRAAAP!" Then we would do it again or she would go back to playing on the playmat. Then at one point she did the sign for "more" in baby sign language and verbally asked for more. That surprised me. I do actually own a book about baby sign language. But I didn't remember actually teaching her anything from it and we didn't use it when she was a baby. Later when asked, she said that she learned it from us. If so it was in a passing comment about the book Mommy bought. Wow, teaching the baby will be easier with the girls doing it too.
I don't think Rhiannon did anything unusual at that time, But earlier this week while the girls were playing and I was in and out of the room doing chores, I walked in and saw her behind the sofa happily sitting on the window sill. She was in so tight that I couldn't just lift her out. I had to move the sofa out of the way some before lifting. Tonight she did the same thing in another room. This time she realized that she was stuck and called for help. In this case she was stuck between a futon armrest and the fencing that keeps the kids out of my husband's musical instruments.
Our little boy just made points with Great-Granny by being happy and laughing for her (the first time I think, A nice little "Heh-heh-heh").
When the visit was over, child number two decided that she was going home with the grandparents. She wanted to walk them out to the car and get in the car with them and go to their house. At the same time my husband was checking the mail at the mailbox and discovered a very important piece of mail. It was exactly the thing needed to make her forget about her attempt to leave home for greener pastures. Thank you Auntie Jean (yes, I know you're reading this). It was a birthday card for my husband, which when opened played Johnny Cash singing "Ring of Fire" (note: the cover showed a round birthday cake with candles in a circle). this fascinated our two year old and her Daddy took advantage of the good timing to tell her to take it inside to show Mommy. Now I grew up in a house where hearing Johnny Cash singing was a common occurence. However, my husband's tastes, while varied, tend to run more toward classical and opera. The next two hours were a bit trying for both of us while the girls took turns opening and closing the card to hear the song. At one point, during a Mariachi sounding segment, child number one pipes up "Here comes the fire truck!" Needless to say we both lost it. Then a few minutes later she spontaneously composed a poem about birthdays that I wish I remembered enough to write down. It was clearly something she was making up as she doing it. She managed four or five rhymed phrases that were all on topic and didn't wander strangely like her stories normally do. She was practically rapping. The only time that I remember her being exposed to rap music was when she was less than a year old at our old apartment building.
Add to all of this, my husband told me that she told him a story when I was out getting groceries this morning. she titled it "Chickens in the mood." Now to most adults "in the mood" phrased in this way makes them think that something not G rated is being talked about. So he suddenly paid attention to her story this time to make sure that she hadn't picked up something somewhere that she shouldn't have. He decided that it was PG rated. It was a long wandering story (as most of hers are) where, among other things, a chicken and a rooster were walking along holding hands.
Oh yeah, one more thing for the day. This morning I put on the original Fantasia movie for the kids to watch while I did some cross-stitch. Child number one provided us with an audio commentary for the entire movie. The only time she didn't talk was when the narrator was doing his bit. That's a long movie. She can be a pretty long-winded kid.
Auntie Jean, did you realize when you sent the card that it would teach the song "Ring of Fire" to the kids. Child number one was playing it on a kazoo. Child number two was singing the words. It is definitely surreal to hear a two-year old singing "Ring of Fire."
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Diapers and bodily functions
The title of this post should be fair warning to those of you who don't want to hear about bodily functions. I have a four year old, a two year old and a not quite three month old baby. My life is filled with bodily functions and I am not going to be apologetic about it.
I thought that I ought to give an update about the cloth diaper situation. I have started using cloth diapers finally. We decided to use disposables until child number three grew into his 3-6 month clothes. This saved me from washing out huge numbers of poopy diapers for my newborn. Now that he is pooping only once or twice a day, that is a much more manageable amount. All is going well. It isn't nearly as convenient as disposables, but not as inconvenient as I first imagined. I went for prefold diapers and diaper covers. I can see why people would like to go for "All-in-ones" (which is as convenient as a disposable), since replacing the diaper inside the cover is sometimes annoying. the nice thick diapers that I use are a little difficult to dry thoroughly in my dryer, so I have to run them through twice. We use the disposables when we go out, but even then, I will leave the cloth diapers on if we go out for a short errand. I suspect that I will go back to disposables briefly when he hits the teething diarhea stage. We are doing the cloth diapers more to stretch our finances than to make an environmental statement.
This summer I plan to work with child number two a little more with potty training this summer. She currently uses pull ups and sometimes tells me "I got poop." Sometimes she does sometimes she doesn't. She is aware of what is going on in her pants, so she might be receptive to some extra attention to get it in the potty.
Child number one has been my tough to potty train child. I think that I can confidently say that she is now potty trained. She takes herself to the bathroom when she needs to and does the whole process herself. I have to remind her that it has been a long time occasionally or insist she use the toilet before we go somewhere. But, otherwise it has been all her responsibility and she does it. She hasn't had an accident in a long time. The last time was when we were visiting grandparents and she hated stopping the play long enough to use the toilet. She was just over excited and distracted with extra fun. I think what finally did the trick was her own desire to do things herself. She hit an age where she wants to do everything that she possibly can, on her own. She was getting annoyed by being told when to use the potty and wanted to do it herself. So we finally gave it a trial after she was consistent enough and it worked. She also had incentive from earning rewards for long term success. She is extremely independent minded and it shows in the potty training, too. Now if we can get her to stop coming out of the bathroom with her pants down.
Well, baby is crying so I need to stop here. I'll do a homeschool update soon.
I thought that I ought to give an update about the cloth diaper situation. I have started using cloth diapers finally. We decided to use disposables until child number three grew into his 3-6 month clothes. This saved me from washing out huge numbers of poopy diapers for my newborn. Now that he is pooping only once or twice a day, that is a much more manageable amount. All is going well. It isn't nearly as convenient as disposables, but not as inconvenient as I first imagined. I went for prefold diapers and diaper covers. I can see why people would like to go for "All-in-ones" (which is as convenient as a disposable), since replacing the diaper inside the cover is sometimes annoying. the nice thick diapers that I use are a little difficult to dry thoroughly in my dryer, so I have to run them through twice. We use the disposables when we go out, but even then, I will leave the cloth diapers on if we go out for a short errand. I suspect that I will go back to disposables briefly when he hits the teething diarhea stage. We are doing the cloth diapers more to stretch our finances than to make an environmental statement.
This summer I plan to work with child number two a little more with potty training this summer. She currently uses pull ups and sometimes tells me "I got poop." Sometimes she does sometimes she doesn't. She is aware of what is going on in her pants, so she might be receptive to some extra attention to get it in the potty.
Child number one has been my tough to potty train child. I think that I can confidently say that she is now potty trained. She takes herself to the bathroom when she needs to and does the whole process herself. I have to remind her that it has been a long time occasionally or insist she use the toilet before we go somewhere. But, otherwise it has been all her responsibility and she does it. She hasn't had an accident in a long time. The last time was when we were visiting grandparents and she hated stopping the play long enough to use the toilet. She was just over excited and distracted with extra fun. I think what finally did the trick was her own desire to do things herself. She hit an age where she wants to do everything that she possibly can, on her own. She was getting annoyed by being told when to use the potty and wanted to do it herself. So we finally gave it a trial after she was consistent enough and it worked. She also had incentive from earning rewards for long term success. She is extremely independent minded and it shows in the potty training, too. Now if we can get her to stop coming out of the bathroom with her pants down.
Well, baby is crying so I need to stop here. I'll do a homeschool update soon.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
I exist on Amazon.com
Do you ever type your own name in a search to see if by chance something comes up? A friend of my brother just published his first book, and I searched his name on Amazon to find it. I found it ,by the way, "A Quest for respect" by Robert Worley. If you like fiction drawn from military history, you might buy it and let me know what you think. I'm more into straight history personally and not the military area of it.
Anyway, my husband had me search on his name, and we found listings for someone with a similar name. Then, on a whim I typed a search on my maiden name. WOW! I found myself. I used to work as a college librarian. One of the professors who writes lots of books, listed me among many of my co-workers in his acknowledgements. It wasn't someone who shares the same name. It was me. WOW! That was really cool. Yeah, I know it's just the acknowledgements. It's not like I wrote a book. But, it still made me feel famous for a minute.
Now I guess I'll just have to go back to my mundane life of making meals, changing diapers and not letting any of us run out of clean clothes. Anybody else want to put me in their acknowledgements page? Anyone... Anyone...
Anyway, my husband had me search on his name, and we found listings for someone with a similar name. Then, on a whim I typed a search on my maiden name. WOW! I found myself. I used to work as a college librarian. One of the professors who writes lots of books, listed me among many of my co-workers in his acknowledgements. It wasn't someone who shares the same name. It was me. WOW! That was really cool. Yeah, I know it's just the acknowledgements. It's not like I wrote a book. But, it still made me feel famous for a minute.
Now I guess I'll just have to go back to my mundane life of making meals, changing diapers and not letting any of us run out of clean clothes. Anybody else want to put me in their acknowledgements page? Anyone... Anyone...
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Fascinating workings of a two year old brain
I was much amused by child number two today. She decided at one point a little before lunch that it was time to play games. The little party girl loves games. Now two year olds don't play at cards or board games. Those aren't simple enough. But that doesn't mean that they don't play games at all. They just think outside the box compared to us adults. She has always been a big fan of "Peek a Boo," which she refers to as "Boo Boo game." Hide and Seek has been a recent addition to her repetoire. She can also appreciate "Chase." Today she introduced me to some new games. In addition to "Tickle fight" (in which she chases her sister to tickle her) and "Feet fight" (in which the two of them kick at each other under the table during meals), she decided to play many new games today. There was "Dance game" (in which one lifts one's hands above one's head and twirls while on tippy toes). Next came "Hopping game" (in which one jumps around. In one variation the player says "Ribbet!"). My particular favorite today was the "Cat in the Hat game" (in which the player turns until dizzy and falls down while saying "All the things fall." Maybe it's a variation on "Ring around the Rosie.") Later this evening she was in a gaming mood again and played the "Potty time game" (in which she turned a bucket of Mr. Potato Head parts into a potty seat and pretended to sit on the potty. Then she stood up saying "I peed" and then clapped, yelled "Yea!!," and then did a little happy dance.
I think you could call anything a game and that girl would find a way to have fun with it. She is definitely a party girl.
Maybe we adults are too serious about the things in our lives. I have more fun doing things my daughters way and enjoying the moments of the day more. Maybe the dishes would be more fun if I played the "wash the dishes game." Then there's the "feed the baby game" or the "sweep the floor game." I would still be doing the same things, but they could be fun because they are a game. It is all attitude you see. I distinctly remember the first time my Mom let me wash the dishes. I was not much older than child number one. I had to stand on a chair to wash them at the sink. I got the kitchen a gloriously wet mess and I think it took me about two hours, but I loved it and would beg her to let me do it again. I don't remember exactly when I stopped thinking of it as a game, but I know that was when the joy of it left me and it became one of my chores.
I think you could call anything a game and that girl would find a way to have fun with it. She is definitely a party girl.
Maybe we adults are too serious about the things in our lives. I have more fun doing things my daughters way and enjoying the moments of the day more. Maybe the dishes would be more fun if I played the "wash the dishes game." Then there's the "feed the baby game" or the "sweep the floor game." I would still be doing the same things, but they could be fun because they are a game. It is all attitude you see. I distinctly remember the first time my Mom let me wash the dishes. I was not much older than child number one. I had to stand on a chair to wash them at the sink. I got the kitchen a gloriously wet mess and I think it took me about two hours, but I loved it and would beg her to let me do it again. I don't remember exactly when I stopped thinking of it as a game, but I know that was when the joy of it left me and it became one of my chores.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Swamped in the little things
OK... So it's been a while. As the title says, I've been swamped with little things that are all important. Little people are important and I've now got three of them to look after. That is going fairly well. The oldest two can usually play together without killing each other when I need to look after the third. The baby is easy going enough that he can play on his playmat while I do dishes, cook, or do homeschooling with the girls. However, there are other little things that have added to the general chaos like finding time to do our taxes and finally, today, take all three kids to the post office with me to mail them. I think it brightens people's days to see me out with all three kids. For some it is nostalgia. For some it is "thank God I'm not her."
I also have to update our financial records to find out if we are still breaking even. I haven't touched them since before the baby was born. Then there is the fact that I can't wedge anything more in the filing cabinet. That needs thinning out of unneeded items (haven't done that in about two years). I can't paint with my oldest daughter until I clean a much used counter so we have a place to dry paintings. We sort of got roped into doing some stuff at a Easter play day at our church when we have sooo much work to in the backyard.
The backyard construction zone is now at the form building stage in preparation for creating actual walkways and a patio. Since my husband is doing this in his almost non-existent free time, it'll take a while. I find it hard to be patient at times and not begrudge time to good causes every now and then.
With the kids, the most recent thing is that our oldest has lost two more teeth. This time they were not symetrical. Her right front tooth on top and a left slightly to the side tooth on the bottom came out on the same day. She now has a really fun jack-o-lantern style smile.
Life is feeling full. And, although the baby is allowing a little more sleep lately, I feel like I'm playing a ridiculously big job of catch-up. I also have trouble thinking clearly during allergy season. So if this post seems a little disjointed, that is why. Allergens are little things, too.
I also have to update our financial records to find out if we are still breaking even. I haven't touched them since before the baby was born. Then there is the fact that I can't wedge anything more in the filing cabinet. That needs thinning out of unneeded items (haven't done that in about two years). I can't paint with my oldest daughter until I clean a much used counter so we have a place to dry paintings. We sort of got roped into doing some stuff at a Easter play day at our church when we have sooo much work to in the backyard.
The backyard construction zone is now at the form building stage in preparation for creating actual walkways and a patio. Since my husband is doing this in his almost non-existent free time, it'll take a while. I find it hard to be patient at times and not begrudge time to good causes every now and then.
With the kids, the most recent thing is that our oldest has lost two more teeth. This time they were not symetrical. Her right front tooth on top and a left slightly to the side tooth on the bottom came out on the same day. She now has a really fun jack-o-lantern style smile.
Life is feeling full. And, although the baby is allowing a little more sleep lately, I feel like I'm playing a ridiculously big job of catch-up. I also have trouble thinking clearly during allergy season. So if this post seems a little disjointed, that is why. Allergens are little things, too.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Dance class
I promised a post about child number one's dance class. It is a Parks and Recreation Department sponsored pre-ballet class for 3-5 year olds. You sign up for it on a monthly basis. One afternoon a week for four weeks. The classes themselves are 45 minutes long. Standard dress (not explained to you beforehand however) is leotards, tights, and ballet shoes. To make my life easier, I've arranged a play-date for child number two to coincide with the class so I only have to deal with the four-year old and the baby at the dance class. Those are the technical details.
The first day of class we show up early and there is another class in session already. I had trouble convincing my daughter that it wasn't her class and that she had to wait. When it was time for her class a new teacher arrives and acts like the students know what they need to do at the start of class. I go to talk to the teacher, since I have a new student for her and realize that all the other little girls are dressed in dance clothes like they knew ahead of time what they were supposed to wear. I found out that this is actually a substitute for the regular teacher who is out sick and my daughter just needs to take off her shoes and dance in her socks for this class.
It seemed to go well at first considering that child number one was so hyped up she was literally bouncing everywhere. She kept forgetting to listen to the teacher because she was just so excited to be in a dance class. This however was fairly common among the girls (about 15 in number). One girl in particular was a more extreme case, and I probably would not have enrolled her in the class if she were my child. She was more interested in running around the room than participating in any of the class. But, maybe her parents are trying to teach her to focus better. The reason I mention her comes up later. They were practicing ballet moves to music with simple routines where they changed the activity about every five minutes. They also threw in some modern dance moves including the chicken dance of all things. It looked to me that about a two thirds of the girls knew what they were doing and a third knew it well enough that they looked like they had done it a lot. It dawned on me that I had assumed that the class was a beginning class and then they move on. In actuality, the students are signed up month after month so that this is actually a small segment of a long term class. The students move on after the teacher tells the parent that they are both the right age and are ready for the next level class.
My daughter's experience was marred on that first day when she was paired up with the little girl who just wanted to run wild. The other girl didn't want to hold hands like she was supposed to and broke free to run around. My daughter couldn't cope with this strange situation and was chasing the other little girl trying to get her back until she crumpled into tears and the teacher's assistants had to help her find me in the crowd of parents. She was horribly distraught that she had lost her partner. It took a while to calm her down and refocus her attention on the class, the fact that they were not doing partners anymore, and that she could still do the class. She went back to it and was doing OK until something happened between her and the other girl (her former partner) that made her cry again and have to come back to me. She calmed down and was finally able to finish the class. I noticed that the other girl's parents had taken their daughter home early. I had thought that my daughter had learned a few things and enjoyed the actual dancing, but the only thing she could talk about later was that she lost her partner.
The second dance class went better. This time my daughter was in the proper dance attire. The regular teacher was there. She started the class with introductions. She was much more take-charge and knew how to handle the loose cannon child (yes the other little girl was back, my daughter's nemesis). This time there was no partner time to upset things. But, my child did have to come for consoling at one point when she was told to get to the back of a line, when she thought she was next. Other than that there were no problems and she was practicing dance moves with the rest.
The third dance class has been the best so far. My daughter didn't need any consoling. She paid attention to the teacher more. She was distracted less. The teacher told me that she is improving each time (which I have seen). The teacher suggested work at pointing the toe more and a goal for my daughter is to learn to move gracefully. From my observation, my daughter tends to move quickly and with jerky motion. If she slowed down some, the motions could be smoothed out and made graceful.
The fourth class will be next Tuesday. I've begun to think that this class (which was a reward for improvement with potty times) is a good thing that needs to be continued--both because my daughter is showing definite interest in dance, and because it will help her learn not only dance but listening skills, focus, repetitive practice, balance, graceful motions, and exercise. However, I've been delaying rejoining my MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group since it occurs on the same day of the week. Whereas dance class is good for my oldest daughter, MOPS is good for me and both daughters. It has age-appropriate christian preschool-style playtime which is good for them. But, since I am carting around a now six week old baby, one big event a day is hard enough to manage. I am going to rejoin the MOPS group after this fourth and final class, because I see a greater good in it. But, I am also considering doing the dance class some more when MOPS isn't in session. And once the baby is older I may consider two big events in a day as manageable again.
The first day of class we show up early and there is another class in session already. I had trouble convincing my daughter that it wasn't her class and that she had to wait. When it was time for her class a new teacher arrives and acts like the students know what they need to do at the start of class. I go to talk to the teacher, since I have a new student for her and realize that all the other little girls are dressed in dance clothes like they knew ahead of time what they were supposed to wear. I found out that this is actually a substitute for the regular teacher who is out sick and my daughter just needs to take off her shoes and dance in her socks for this class.
It seemed to go well at first considering that child number one was so hyped up she was literally bouncing everywhere. She kept forgetting to listen to the teacher because she was just so excited to be in a dance class. This however was fairly common among the girls (about 15 in number). One girl in particular was a more extreme case, and I probably would not have enrolled her in the class if she were my child. She was more interested in running around the room than participating in any of the class. But, maybe her parents are trying to teach her to focus better. The reason I mention her comes up later. They were practicing ballet moves to music with simple routines where they changed the activity about every five minutes. They also threw in some modern dance moves including the chicken dance of all things. It looked to me that about a two thirds of the girls knew what they were doing and a third knew it well enough that they looked like they had done it a lot. It dawned on me that I had assumed that the class was a beginning class and then they move on. In actuality, the students are signed up month after month so that this is actually a small segment of a long term class. The students move on after the teacher tells the parent that they are both the right age and are ready for the next level class.
My daughter's experience was marred on that first day when she was paired up with the little girl who just wanted to run wild. The other girl didn't want to hold hands like she was supposed to and broke free to run around. My daughter couldn't cope with this strange situation and was chasing the other little girl trying to get her back until she crumpled into tears and the teacher's assistants had to help her find me in the crowd of parents. She was horribly distraught that she had lost her partner. It took a while to calm her down and refocus her attention on the class, the fact that they were not doing partners anymore, and that she could still do the class. She went back to it and was doing OK until something happened between her and the other girl (her former partner) that made her cry again and have to come back to me. She calmed down and was finally able to finish the class. I noticed that the other girl's parents had taken their daughter home early. I had thought that my daughter had learned a few things and enjoyed the actual dancing, but the only thing she could talk about later was that she lost her partner.
The second dance class went better. This time my daughter was in the proper dance attire. The regular teacher was there. She started the class with introductions. She was much more take-charge and knew how to handle the loose cannon child (yes the other little girl was back, my daughter's nemesis). This time there was no partner time to upset things. But, my child did have to come for consoling at one point when she was told to get to the back of a line, when she thought she was next. Other than that there were no problems and she was practicing dance moves with the rest.
The third dance class has been the best so far. My daughter didn't need any consoling. She paid attention to the teacher more. She was distracted less. The teacher told me that she is improving each time (which I have seen). The teacher suggested work at pointing the toe more and a goal for my daughter is to learn to move gracefully. From my observation, my daughter tends to move quickly and with jerky motion. If she slowed down some, the motions could be smoothed out and made graceful.
The fourth class will be next Tuesday. I've begun to think that this class (which was a reward for improvement with potty times) is a good thing that needs to be continued--both because my daughter is showing definite interest in dance, and because it will help her learn not only dance but listening skills, focus, repetitive practice, balance, graceful motions, and exercise. However, I've been delaying rejoining my MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group since it occurs on the same day of the week. Whereas dance class is good for my oldest daughter, MOPS is good for me and both daughters. It has age-appropriate christian preschool-style playtime which is good for them. But, since I am carting around a now six week old baby, one big event a day is hard enough to manage. I am going to rejoin the MOPS group after this fourth and final class, because I see a greater good in it. But, I am also considering doing the dance class some more when MOPS isn't in session. And once the baby is older I may consider two big events in a day as manageable again.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Life is getting better
OK, it's been a while since I last posted. I've been busy with disasters. Well... little disasters. The same day child number one was supposed to start her new dance class, the person who was going to watch child number two, called to say she had two kids with high fevers. I woke up that morning with pink eye (not caught from anyone else, just spontaneous as a result of allergy problems). On the way to get medicine for my eyes (with three kids in tow), the front passenger window decided it wanted to slide mysteriously down into the door and hide from all the world. That was just one day. We got through it and child number one still got to go to dance class. We have since got the window repaired. We have had a lot of days like that in the past few weeks.
I'm feeling better now. The rain seems to be gone for a while, so we can get outside to walk every now and then. I still have the allergies, but they are toned down a bit since I can take some medicine for them now. Today we have the dance class again. No disasters have happened so far today. The trickiest part of the schedule is getting child number three's feedings to line up just right for our comings and goings.
I'm beginning to feel like being the mother of three kids is going OK. And, maybe, just maybe I'll be a good mom who can get dinner in the crock pot too. Our fruit trees are blooming. Our new grass seed is planted (my husband decided that the back lawn needed to be redone). We are just about ready to put in new pathways and a patio in our backyard. It feels like we are getting things accomplished again. Now I just have to find time to do the taxes.
The homeschooling is going well, although very casually. It is mainly reading, reading, reading, and more reading. Child number one is reading very well. She reads to herself in the bathroom (which has helped the potty times). She reads to her sister. She has any adult available read to her. In fact she has been reading some of this as I write it. Child number two has decided that she likes reading too. She also wants to be read to a lot. Besides that, there is lots of art work, crayons, colored pencils, pens, scissors, tape, drawing paper, construction paper, and all the things that you can make from them. We sometimes branch out and do some play dough time. I'm thinking that I may soon figure out how to get the easel out and get painting back into the schedule. However, that requires cleaning a counter so there is a place to dry the paintings. The girls are getting better about playing together and the oldest one is getting more independent. She is wanting to do a lot more things on her own (also a help with potty times). I can see now why people like to space their kids out a little more than we have. Having an older child is a big help when you have an infant. Today we all sat down together to entertain the baby while he was on his play mat. The girls are certainly learning about babies.
I am wanting to get the homeschooling a little more structured into our daily routines though. It isn't for the kids' sake, it is for my own. Clutter and chaos drive me nuts. I have come to terms with the fact that I can't have my entire life in order at once, but I like to try to have a few areas orderly so that I can function. It helps if those areas are the ones that we deal with every day. So far, after the baby's arrival, we have mealtimes, sleeptimes, and laundry somewhat in order. Now, I'm trying to get schooltime and shopping trips more manageable. I have come to the conclusion that we can't do a walk on the same day that we need to go somewhere. There is only so much flexibility in a five week old's schedule. Incidently, some of the neighbors have commented that we look like a parade when we are out for a walk. I don't doubt it what with the oldest child in a tricycle, the next in line in a jogging stroller, and the youngest in a front carrier on mommy. I look forward to the day when the youngest can go in the double stroller. It is hot and awkward to deal with the baby carriers.
Well, that's a lengthy post to make up for the time since the last one. Maybe, I'll describe the dance classes in the next one. They are noteworthy.
I'm feeling better now. The rain seems to be gone for a while, so we can get outside to walk every now and then. I still have the allergies, but they are toned down a bit since I can take some medicine for them now. Today we have the dance class again. No disasters have happened so far today. The trickiest part of the schedule is getting child number three's feedings to line up just right for our comings and goings.
I'm beginning to feel like being the mother of three kids is going OK. And, maybe, just maybe I'll be a good mom who can get dinner in the crock pot too. Our fruit trees are blooming. Our new grass seed is planted (my husband decided that the back lawn needed to be redone). We are just about ready to put in new pathways and a patio in our backyard. It feels like we are getting things accomplished again. Now I just have to find time to do the taxes.
The homeschooling is going well, although very casually. It is mainly reading, reading, reading, and more reading. Child number one is reading very well. She reads to herself in the bathroom (which has helped the potty times). She reads to her sister. She has any adult available read to her. In fact she has been reading some of this as I write it. Child number two has decided that she likes reading too. She also wants to be read to a lot. Besides that, there is lots of art work, crayons, colored pencils, pens, scissors, tape, drawing paper, construction paper, and all the things that you can make from them. We sometimes branch out and do some play dough time. I'm thinking that I may soon figure out how to get the easel out and get painting back into the schedule. However, that requires cleaning a counter so there is a place to dry the paintings. The girls are getting better about playing together and the oldest one is getting more independent. She is wanting to do a lot more things on her own (also a help with potty times). I can see now why people like to space their kids out a little more than we have. Having an older child is a big help when you have an infant. Today we all sat down together to entertain the baby while he was on his play mat. The girls are certainly learning about babies.
I am wanting to get the homeschooling a little more structured into our daily routines though. It isn't for the kids' sake, it is for my own. Clutter and chaos drive me nuts. I have come to terms with the fact that I can't have my entire life in order at once, but I like to try to have a few areas orderly so that I can function. It helps if those areas are the ones that we deal with every day. So far, after the baby's arrival, we have mealtimes, sleeptimes, and laundry somewhat in order. Now, I'm trying to get schooltime and shopping trips more manageable. I have come to the conclusion that we can't do a walk on the same day that we need to go somewhere. There is only so much flexibility in a five week old's schedule. Incidently, some of the neighbors have commented that we look like a parade when we are out for a walk. I don't doubt it what with the oldest child in a tricycle, the next in line in a jogging stroller, and the youngest in a front carrier on mommy. I look forward to the day when the youngest can go in the double stroller. It is hot and awkward to deal with the baby carriers.
Well, that's a lengthy post to make up for the time since the last one. Maybe, I'll describe the dance classes in the next one. They are noteworthy.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
I want another cookie
Child number three is now three weeks old and life isn't feeling quite so bleak and sleepless. We still want more sleep, but he is now waking up only once during the night. The girls are adjusting to the new baby driven routine as well. Since, I'm not breastfeeding anymore and will soon stop pumping breastmilk, my mind has been turning to that age-old new mom concern: I need to drop twenty pounds and get my muscle tone back before I can fit in my old pants.
Yeah, I know new Mom's aren't supposed to diet, but neither do they need to eat like a horse if they aren't breastfeeding. Exercise is good, but I'm supposed to keep it fairly light in the beginning as I work back up to my old strength. Besides, It's the rainy season and I have to take three kids (4 years and younger) with me wherever I go. That doesn't make exercise a terribly convenient activity.
I'm being good. I only started to try to limit my portions at mealtimes and stop eating before I'm completely full. I'm eating dessert at fewer meals. I do get out and walk with the kids when the weather is good (even if it is just running an errand at a local store). I've also been doing some simple and easy muscle toning exercises before bed. I seem to recall from prior experience, that it took at least two months to get back into some of my larger pants and skirts. It is hard to wait for the slow progress. In the meantime, after another long day I find that I want another cookie.
Yeah, I know new Mom's aren't supposed to diet, but neither do they need to eat like a horse if they aren't breastfeeding. Exercise is good, but I'm supposed to keep it fairly light in the beginning as I work back up to my old strength. Besides, It's the rainy season and I have to take three kids (4 years and younger) with me wherever I go. That doesn't make exercise a terribly convenient activity.
I'm being good. I only started to try to limit my portions at mealtimes and stop eating before I'm completely full. I'm eating dessert at fewer meals. I do get out and walk with the kids when the weather is good (even if it is just running an errand at a local store). I've also been doing some simple and easy muscle toning exercises before bed. I seem to recall from prior experience, that it took at least two months to get back into some of my larger pants and skirts. It is hard to wait for the slow progress. In the meantime, after another long day I find that I want another cookie.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Ahh... newborns....toddlers....preschoolers...
OK... It's two weeks tomorrow since our little baby boy was born. Babies do create a lot of upheaval. On the whole, it has gone well. It is also a bit grueling. My husband and I have lost more sleep than we would like. But, we are getting more sleep than many new parents. We have a good sized baby who sometimes sleeps 4-5 hours at a stretch. We know enough to count our blessings. The girls like their new brother (of course he mostly eats and sleeps right now). But there have been some problems, too. A few days after getting home from the hospital, baby boy stopped eating well. That was about the time my milk came in all the way so we figure that it was related. After struggling for a few days to get him to eat, we were concerned and took him to the doctor. He had lost nearly a pound and a half. That's a scary thing for a newborn. Thankfully, the problem only seems to be an eating issue and he is recovering his weight quickly now that we have started feeding him from a bottle.
Then, just as that problem was getting solved, our two year old came down with some unknown virus that had her with fevers, sneezes and coughs. So, we are now dividing our labor. Daddy takes the baby and Mommy takes the two year old. The four year old has been having to fend for herself a bit more, but Mommy is dealing with her too. We are also doing a lot of hand washing to try to minimize any spread of this thing. So far, only the four year old has come down with it and it seems to be a milder version. the two year old seems to be improving, too. She didn't have any fever today as far as I could tell. She is also acting more like herself and playing more. When she was in the middle of it, she just wanted Mommy to hold her.
So, with all of this happening, it is hard to get a handle on what is normal, what is new because of the baby, and what is just new. Tonight, for instance, the older kids have been getting up out of bed every five minutes. In the two year-old's case, I know it was because she had an extra long nap today. In the four year-old's case she is suddenly claiming to be scared of the dark. I have noticed that she has been talking about things being scary more in the last few weeks. But, I can't say this is a baby thing. I think it is just that she is getting older and she is starting to key into more of what is happening around her, noticing things that are scary and remembering them more. She also suddenly decided that she wanted shorter hair. We gave her a 24 hour waiting period before we gave in to her wish to make sure it was something she really wanted. Her Daddy is mourning the loss of his girl's long hair. I gave her a chin length bob (just like her two year old sister's) and it looks quite cute.
Next monday starts life with my husband going back to work. I hope the kids are markedly improved by then or my life will be very difficult. I haven't done much in the way of homeschooling during the last couple of weeks, but yet I see that our daughter has been learning anyway. She has definitely been learning about babies and how one takes care of them. She has been reading to herself a good bit and drawing a lot. I've noticed some new things in her drawings and she is gaining even more coordination so that she can use her scissors fairly well and is well on her way to mastering tape. She has started to help her sister some as well. She will draw pictures for her sister to color. She will help her dress in princess clothes if Mommy or Daddy isn't available for that. She brings her sister tissues when she cries and needs a wipe (sometimes when she caused her sister to cry).
The two year old has been learning a lot, too. She is talking a lot now. She is forming more complete sentences than she did just a few weeks ago. I still have trouble understanding a few of her words because of her pronunciation, but can usually figure it out if I catch the context. In some ways she is more advanced in some ways than her sister was at that age (she is more independent, more social and more active). In others she is a little behind (Her sister knew her alphabet, numbers, shapes, and 50 states by shape at age two which is just a little freaky), but still well within normal for a kid her age. She has just recently gotten interested in puzzles, books and drawing. She has been hooked on the Baby Einstein video about shapes and has nearly mastered them (the difference between a rectangle and a square doesn't seem to register with her yet, but circles and triangles are easily identified).
So, although no official homeschooling has been happening, I am satisfied that the girls are still learning. But, we will need to get back into the routine soon. Also, the oldest girl has made progress with her potty training to the point that she has earned rewards for major accomplishments. These rewards will have to be worked into the schedule too since they are special classes. So far she has earned a dance class, an art class, and swim lessons. But, she still has yet to earn the trip to the zoo. It mystifies me how a child can learn to poop in the toilet, pee in the toilet, do the whole bathroom routine by herself, and yet still not be able to tell someone that she needs to go use a toilet. We consider it a major accomplishment that she has had only one accident in the last three weeks. But, we are still telling her to use the potty at certain times. When she complains about not wanting to be interrupted, I remind her that I will stop telling her to use the potty when she starts telling me when she needs to use it. I'm hoping she will develop the habit of no accidents to the point where she no longer is willing to endure accidents should they come.
All in all, it has been a busy two weeks. We are tired. The house is a mess. The family is somewhat presentable. I am recovering nicely. If I had a few days to enjoy some stability of routine, I might feel like being a mother of three isn't so bad. Well, that's a long post to make up for two weeks silence. Goodnight.
Then, just as that problem was getting solved, our two year old came down with some unknown virus that had her with fevers, sneezes and coughs. So, we are now dividing our labor. Daddy takes the baby and Mommy takes the two year old. The four year old has been having to fend for herself a bit more, but Mommy is dealing with her too. We are also doing a lot of hand washing to try to minimize any spread of this thing. So far, only the four year old has come down with it and it seems to be a milder version. the two year old seems to be improving, too. She didn't have any fever today as far as I could tell. She is also acting more like herself and playing more. When she was in the middle of it, she just wanted Mommy to hold her.
So, with all of this happening, it is hard to get a handle on what is normal, what is new because of the baby, and what is just new. Tonight, for instance, the older kids have been getting up out of bed every five minutes. In the two year-old's case, I know it was because she had an extra long nap today. In the four year-old's case she is suddenly claiming to be scared of the dark. I have noticed that she has been talking about things being scary more in the last few weeks. But, I can't say this is a baby thing. I think it is just that she is getting older and she is starting to key into more of what is happening around her, noticing things that are scary and remembering them more. She also suddenly decided that she wanted shorter hair. We gave her a 24 hour waiting period before we gave in to her wish to make sure it was something she really wanted. Her Daddy is mourning the loss of his girl's long hair. I gave her a chin length bob (just like her two year old sister's) and it looks quite cute.
Next monday starts life with my husband going back to work. I hope the kids are markedly improved by then or my life will be very difficult. I haven't done much in the way of homeschooling during the last couple of weeks, but yet I see that our daughter has been learning anyway. She has definitely been learning about babies and how one takes care of them. She has been reading to herself a good bit and drawing a lot. I've noticed some new things in her drawings and she is gaining even more coordination so that she can use her scissors fairly well and is well on her way to mastering tape. She has started to help her sister some as well. She will draw pictures for her sister to color. She will help her dress in princess clothes if Mommy or Daddy isn't available for that. She brings her sister tissues when she cries and needs a wipe (sometimes when she caused her sister to cry).
The two year old has been learning a lot, too. She is talking a lot now. She is forming more complete sentences than she did just a few weeks ago. I still have trouble understanding a few of her words because of her pronunciation, but can usually figure it out if I catch the context. In some ways she is more advanced in some ways than her sister was at that age (she is more independent, more social and more active). In others she is a little behind (Her sister knew her alphabet, numbers, shapes, and 50 states by shape at age two which is just a little freaky), but still well within normal for a kid her age. She has just recently gotten interested in puzzles, books and drawing. She has been hooked on the Baby Einstein video about shapes and has nearly mastered them (the difference between a rectangle and a square doesn't seem to register with her yet, but circles and triangles are easily identified).
So, although no official homeschooling has been happening, I am satisfied that the girls are still learning. But, we will need to get back into the routine soon. Also, the oldest girl has made progress with her potty training to the point that she has earned rewards for major accomplishments. These rewards will have to be worked into the schedule too since they are special classes. So far she has earned a dance class, an art class, and swim lessons. But, she still has yet to earn the trip to the zoo. It mystifies me how a child can learn to poop in the toilet, pee in the toilet, do the whole bathroom routine by herself, and yet still not be able to tell someone that she needs to go use a toilet. We consider it a major accomplishment that she has had only one accident in the last three weeks. But, we are still telling her to use the potty at certain times. When she complains about not wanting to be interrupted, I remind her that I will stop telling her to use the potty when she starts telling me when she needs to use it. I'm hoping she will develop the habit of no accidents to the point where she no longer is willing to endure accidents should they come.
All in all, it has been a busy two weeks. We are tired. The house is a mess. The family is somewhat presentable. I am recovering nicely. If I had a few days to enjoy some stability of routine, I might feel like being a mother of three isn't so bad. Well, that's a long post to make up for two weeks silence. Goodnight.
Monday, February 05, 2007
New baby arrived safely
Hello all! Baby number three arrived on Saturday and all went well. He is a hefty fellow at 9 pounds and 7.5 ounces. He is still super sleepy all of the time, so we haven't gotten a good idea of his personality yet. Both girls seem to be happy about their new brother. The younger one however is more animated though. She wants to help hold him. She likes to look at him and give him kisses. She also gets very upset when he cries and tells me that he needs a tissue. Both girls missed Mommy when I was in the hospital. The younger one had to plaster herself to me for about 15 minutes straight when they visited me in the hospital. She finally was lured away by her older sister who had discovered that the room divider were fun to play hide and seek in.
I am recovering nicely. I think I am actually doing better this time around, compared to the previous two times. But, I am not back to normal. I will be going to bed as early as possible for a while. Our oldest child will be having very little to do for her homeschooling for the near future. But, she will be learning a lot about babies. Now that the kids are in bed, I think I will wrap things up before the baby's bedtime feeding and get ready for my sleep for the night. Goodnight.
I am recovering nicely. I think I am actually doing better this time around, compared to the previous two times. But, I am not back to normal. I will be going to bed as early as possible for a while. Our oldest child will be having very little to do for her homeschooling for the near future. But, she will be learning a lot about babies. Now that the kids are in bed, I think I will wrap things up before the baby's bedtime feeding and get ready for my sleep for the night. Goodnight.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Very small bit of news
I made my last prenatal appointment after all. the bottom line is that if the baby doesn't come by next Wednesday morning, I am scheduled for an induced labor. Having a timeline, makes the waiting a little more bearable for me.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Stubborn babies
Well, it is looking more and more like this baby is going to be like his sisters... stubborn. Unless something changes today, this kid is holding out for a February birthday. My first child was 10 days late. The second, who was also predicted to come early, was two days late. I'm still hoping for slightly early if not punctual for this one. I have had at least two false alarms where the contractions got going and just before we decided to go on in to the hospital, they went away completely for a day or two. I'm starting to think of things I'd like to tell my doctor (but probably won't). I know that the time is short. This baby will come out soon. I'm just really, really tired of waiting. On the bright side, my sinus problems have nearly cleared up. I've even been able to smell a couple of times recently. Being able to breath properly during hard labor will be much appreciated. We'll see if I post again before the birth. My next prenatal appointment is scheduled for Friday. I hope I get to miss it.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Odd things encountered while waiting
I'm still here waiting for a baby to decide to be born. But in the meantime, I thought that I'd share something that made me laugh. Our oldest daughter (4) gave her younger sister (2) a timeout today. It was while I was down for a nap, so I heard it from the grandparents. Child number one was getting frustrated with her sister knocking over a town that she had made. This kept happening until she gave her sister an annoyed look, pointed her arm to the corner, and told her "you get a timeout." Whereupon, little sister dutifully grabbed a kid sized chair, moved it to the appropriate corner sat in it and happily said "timeout." Child number two sat in said chair for a very short time and then announced "all done." It is amazing what a two year old picks up from watching her older sister get punished.
Another thing that amused my husband and me had to do with some potty time success our oldest has been having lately. This child has been fighting pooping in the potty for the longest time, but for some unknown reason lately, she has been successful if given a book to read on the potty about once a day. We have now had eight days of successes. While this was still a new thing this week, Mommy mentions to Daddy at the dinner table that child number one had a successful poop in the potty. So Daddy, in an effort to be supportive and encouraging asks, "So tell me the story of this successful potty time" (expecting Mommy to give bland details). Instead, child number one launches in with "Once upon a time..." whereupon Mommy and Daddy start giggling. She continued on telling a very elaborate story of kids, animals, and dancers pooping, giving lots of circumstances and contexts. Her very sincere rendition, and an utter lack of self consciousness right there at the dinner table, just worked like a battering ram to any pretentions we might have tried to have on the occasion and we just laughed and laughed as the story kept going and getting better and better. We now refer to it as the "Lays of the Potty Times".
As for my health, my sinus problems are still lingering as I am waiting for the baby to be born. However, I seem to be improving slightly. I noticed for instance that I was able to sing some at church today. I have noticed the phenomenon before with colds, that if I can get to the point where I can sing, the singing seems to help the medicine move the gunk out. Do you suppose anyone has done a study on the efficacy of singing in curing sinus problems? My guess is that the singing vibrates the sinuses and loosens things up.
These are a few of the oddities I have encountered this week to lighten my mood. I think I may be getting hysterical at times with all the waiting. My family is accusing me of laughing way too much over really simple things. I think I am just open to the absurdities of life a little more now. I saw a seagull eating fast food garbage in a parking lot this morning and wondered to myself, was the bag there first or did the bird chase off the previous owner, like in Hitchcock's "The Birds"? My husband told me that sometimes you need to unthink the thinkable, and that thought needed to be unthunk.
That's all for now. Hopefully, the next time I post the baby will be on the outside where he belongs.
Another thing that amused my husband and me had to do with some potty time success our oldest has been having lately. This child has been fighting pooping in the potty for the longest time, but for some unknown reason lately, she has been successful if given a book to read on the potty about once a day. We have now had eight days of successes. While this was still a new thing this week, Mommy mentions to Daddy at the dinner table that child number one had a successful poop in the potty. So Daddy, in an effort to be supportive and encouraging asks, "So tell me the story of this successful potty time" (expecting Mommy to give bland details). Instead, child number one launches in with "Once upon a time..." whereupon Mommy and Daddy start giggling. She continued on telling a very elaborate story of kids, animals, and dancers pooping, giving lots of circumstances and contexts. Her very sincere rendition, and an utter lack of self consciousness right there at the dinner table, just worked like a battering ram to any pretentions we might have tried to have on the occasion and we just laughed and laughed as the story kept going and getting better and better. We now refer to it as the "Lays of the Potty Times".
As for my health, my sinus problems are still lingering as I am waiting for the baby to be born. However, I seem to be improving slightly. I noticed for instance that I was able to sing some at church today. I have noticed the phenomenon before with colds, that if I can get to the point where I can sing, the singing seems to help the medicine move the gunk out. Do you suppose anyone has done a study on the efficacy of singing in curing sinus problems? My guess is that the singing vibrates the sinuses and loosens things up.
These are a few of the oddities I have encountered this week to lighten my mood. I think I may be getting hysterical at times with all the waiting. My family is accusing me of laughing way too much over really simple things. I think I am just open to the absurdities of life a little more now. I saw a seagull eating fast food garbage in a parking lot this morning and wondered to myself, was the bag there first or did the bird chase off the previous owner, like in Hitchcock's "The Birds"? My husband told me that sometimes you need to unthink the thinkable, and that thought needed to be unthunk.
That's all for now. Hopefully, the next time I post the baby will be on the outside where he belongs.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Waiting...and waiting...and waiting...
I like to think of myself as a patient person. People tell me that I'm a patient person. But, there are times I go through (like now), when I know that I'm not really patient. At least that I'm not patient down to the core. My new baby's due date is February 3rd. I and my medical advisers don't think the baby will wait that long to make his appearance. That's less than two weeks and yet I don't want to have to wait any longer than right now. Both of my older children went past their due dates, so you would think that I would have a handle on the fact that babies can wait past my comfort levels. I have also been fighting cold/sinus problems for 4-5 weeks now which wears me down though I have felt a very slight improvement that gives me hope for better days soon. But what bugs me the most is that Saturday night the contractions were starting to get closer and stronger, all day Sunday and Monday morning they were going strong, but then faded away by Monday night. Today I had very few contractions at all (less than normal even). Sunday I felt like the baby is coming soon. Now, I feel like I did a month ago (except bigger and slower). It is very frustrating and it wears on my patience.
I am reminded of quotes from the Bible that refer to unexpected or sudden events as when labor pains come on a woman. It is unpredictable. You can expect it soon and still be surprised. I always feel like God is giving me another lesson on patience when I find myself in such circumstances. I am not sure that we ever get too secure in our virtues that God doesn't have to give us a refresher course from time to time. So, I'll try to accept the wait as a lesson to learn (especially since I have to wait anyway).
In the meantime, our kids are enjoying time with Grandparents and doing their best to get away with everything while Mommy is big and slow. Child number one is only having light schoolwork right now since Mommy's energy levels are still low. Child number two is learning how to talk very fast. The two girls even have the occaisional conversation with each other. Child number one is making some headway with potty training. She still doesn't want to ask for potty times, but at least we are getting her to do most of the routine herself and discovering ways to encourage her to get the poop in the potty (it involves having books to read while she waits). Child number two is mastering stacking and is finally showing interest in puzzles and being read to. However, she is also a party girl who is always on the lookout for a new game. I had to discourage her from playing the "paper game," as she calls it, in the bathroom. We suspect it involves unwinding the toilet paper, thus the discouragement. However, in mentioning this within her older sister's hearing, I realized later that it doesn't take much to give the older one ideas. I had to correct the older sister later who did make a mound of toilet paper citing the "paper game" as her inspiration. On the whole, our two girls get along well, and they seem to take turns sharing ideas of fun things to do and copy from one another.
Well, that is all that I have for tonight. I will go back to waiting (and trying to get a few things done while I can).
I am reminded of quotes from the Bible that refer to unexpected or sudden events as when labor pains come on a woman. It is unpredictable. You can expect it soon and still be surprised. I always feel like God is giving me another lesson on patience when I find myself in such circumstances. I am not sure that we ever get too secure in our virtues that God doesn't have to give us a refresher course from time to time. So, I'll try to accept the wait as a lesson to learn (especially since I have to wait anyway).
In the meantime, our kids are enjoying time with Grandparents and doing their best to get away with everything while Mommy is big and slow. Child number one is only having light schoolwork right now since Mommy's energy levels are still low. Child number two is learning how to talk very fast. The two girls even have the occaisional conversation with each other. Child number one is making some headway with potty training. She still doesn't want to ask for potty times, but at least we are getting her to do most of the routine herself and discovering ways to encourage her to get the poop in the potty (it involves having books to read while she waits). Child number two is mastering stacking and is finally showing interest in puzzles and being read to. However, she is also a party girl who is always on the lookout for a new game. I had to discourage her from playing the "paper game," as she calls it, in the bathroom. We suspect it involves unwinding the toilet paper, thus the discouragement. However, in mentioning this within her older sister's hearing, I realized later that it doesn't take much to give the older one ideas. I had to correct the older sister later who did make a mound of toilet paper citing the "paper game" as her inspiration. On the whole, our two girls get along well, and they seem to take turns sharing ideas of fun things to do and copy from one another.
Well, that is all that I have for tonight. I will go back to waiting (and trying to get a few things done while I can).
Sunday, January 14, 2007
On the cusp of change
Now that I am beginning to feel better, it is time for another blog post. It has been evident to me today that we are on the cusp of change as a family in many different ways. Yeah, the baby is coming soon. That'll be a major change for us all of course, but it is a familiar upheaval to Mommy and Daddy at least. Child number one seems to be much calmer about that one, also (maybe because she's starting to enjoy her time with her sister? Who knows?) It will be a shock for child number two. Hopefully not too bad, since she seems to like babies in general.
Beyond the obvious new family addition coming, I've noticed some other things too. Child number one has been a little more in touch with the world around her than usual. She has quite an imagination and has lots of fun in her own little world in her head. So, this is noteworthy. She still comes up with funny statements that we love to giggle at. Tonight, Daddy mentioned having "shoo'd" one of the cats out of our bedroom. She seemed to mistake the verb for shoot and asked him if he used a cannon. Daddy also tossed a knit hat at her the other day and she said "Daddy, you hit my brow." She has an amazing vocabulary for a four year old. In her homeschooling, we have only one more day of work on her phonics lessons and then we can change gears a little. We will shift to concentrating on having lots of reading time and some writing practice. That will help her get a better grasp of the phonics that she has been learning. I also want to get more Bible reading as a daily thing. That will help when the baby comes, too, if most of her schoolwork is reading so just about any adult available can do it with her, and Mommy is freed up to take care of herself and the baby for a while.
Child number two has been changing before our eyes too. She is picking up language fast now. She can talk in sentences (although short ones). She understands so much of what we say and responds in words we didn't know she knew yet. When she was playing a game with her uncle (involving her being spun in a box) and her uncle was done, she happily stated "Daddy's turn!" The other day she saw one of our cats lie down on the floor and she said "Cat sleepy." On top of that, she has started telling us when she wants a potty time. Half the time it is a delaying tactic on her part, but the other half she needs a diaper change and it is obvious that it is recent. That gives me hope that she won't be as hard to potty train as her sister. She has started to count, stack legos and blocks as high as she can reach, and has shown some interest in drawing. We saw that kind of behavior with her older sister, but until recently this one hadn't been very interested. She has also been wanting to be read to more. This is noteworthy, because up until now she has been our active energizer bunny who couldn't stop long enough to get through even a short book. She is also turning into quite the jokester. She has learned how to make funny faces for entertainment, she calls just about any fun activity a game, and tonight she spent about 10 minutes in the car saying "AAOOOOGAHH!!" and then giggling over and over.
So, it is looking like things are happening on just about all fronts with the kids. Mommy and Daddy are pretty much the same (except Daddy just mentioned that Mommy is going to be losing a bunch of weight any day now). Though somehow, I get the feeling that our family is about to go through some substantial changes in the near future (family dynamics, maturity levels, intellectual abilities, attention spans) so that although the faces are the same, the experience as a family will be different.
Beyond the obvious new family addition coming, I've noticed some other things too. Child number one has been a little more in touch with the world around her than usual. She has quite an imagination and has lots of fun in her own little world in her head. So, this is noteworthy. She still comes up with funny statements that we love to giggle at. Tonight, Daddy mentioned having "shoo'd" one of the cats out of our bedroom. She seemed to mistake the verb for shoot and asked him if he used a cannon. Daddy also tossed a knit hat at her the other day and she said "Daddy, you hit my brow." She has an amazing vocabulary for a four year old. In her homeschooling, we have only one more day of work on her phonics lessons and then we can change gears a little. We will shift to concentrating on having lots of reading time and some writing practice. That will help her get a better grasp of the phonics that she has been learning. I also want to get more Bible reading as a daily thing. That will help when the baby comes, too, if most of her schoolwork is reading so just about any adult available can do it with her, and Mommy is freed up to take care of herself and the baby for a while.
Child number two has been changing before our eyes too. She is picking up language fast now. She can talk in sentences (although short ones). She understands so much of what we say and responds in words we didn't know she knew yet. When she was playing a game with her uncle (involving her being spun in a box) and her uncle was done, she happily stated "Daddy's turn!" The other day she saw one of our cats lie down on the floor and she said "Cat sleepy." On top of that, she has started telling us when she wants a potty time. Half the time it is a delaying tactic on her part, but the other half she needs a diaper change and it is obvious that it is recent. That gives me hope that she won't be as hard to potty train as her sister. She has started to count, stack legos and blocks as high as she can reach, and has shown some interest in drawing. We saw that kind of behavior with her older sister, but until recently this one hadn't been very interested. She has also been wanting to be read to more. This is noteworthy, because up until now she has been our active energizer bunny who couldn't stop long enough to get through even a short book. She is also turning into quite the jokester. She has learned how to make funny faces for entertainment, she calls just about any fun activity a game, and tonight she spent about 10 minutes in the car saying "AAOOOOGAHH!!" and then giggling over and over.
So, it is looking like things are happening on just about all fronts with the kids. Mommy and Daddy are pretty much the same (except Daddy just mentioned that Mommy is going to be losing a bunch of weight any day now). Though somehow, I get the feeling that our family is about to go through some substantial changes in the near future (family dynamics, maturity levels, intellectual abilities, attention spans) so that although the faces are the same, the experience as a family will be different.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Chaos is here before the new baby... uh oh...
Well, half of us are well and the other half of us are improving, so I'll come back for an update. Mommy and child number two seem to have a tougher time recovering from illness. Child number one must have inherited her Daddy's immune system.
I am at 3 1/2 weeks till my due date. At my last appointment, I was told that the baby is in position and just waiting for labor to start. My parents have come to help out, so maybe I have a better chance of getting well before the baby comes. As a result of the household of illness, however, I haven't had much energy to do the last preparations to get ready for the coming baby. Unless, the baby comes early, I think we will be able to get things done eventually.
It is a good thing that I'm improving in health, my oldest was starting to run wild since she was feeling better than the rest of us. I've been having to reign her back in to civilized and polite behavior. It is frustrating to have to retrain and discipline every time a bump in the road of life comes up, but I suppose that is normal for all kids. They like to know where the boundaries are. Child number two is still sick, cranky, and taking full advantage. I suspect that the new baby will be a tough transition for her this time. It'll be tough to retrain her into a new routine in enough time. Yet it must be done. The baby shouldn't have to suffer, because bigger sister is extra demanding lately.
So, with child number three on the way, chaos is still trying to make a foothold in our household.
I am at 3 1/2 weeks till my due date. At my last appointment, I was told that the baby is in position and just waiting for labor to start. My parents have come to help out, so maybe I have a better chance of getting well before the baby comes. As a result of the household of illness, however, I haven't had much energy to do the last preparations to get ready for the coming baby. Unless, the baby comes early, I think we will be able to get things done eventually.
It is a good thing that I'm improving in health, my oldest was starting to run wild since she was feeling better than the rest of us. I've been having to reign her back in to civilized and polite behavior. It is frustrating to have to retrain and discipline every time a bump in the road of life comes up, but I suppose that is normal for all kids. They like to know where the boundaries are. Child number two is still sick, cranky, and taking full advantage. I suspect that the new baby will be a tough transition for her this time. It'll be tough to retrain her into a new routine in enough time. Yet it must be done. The baby shouldn't have to suffer, because bigger sister is extra demanding lately.
So, with child number three on the way, chaos is still trying to make a foothold in our household.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Sick day
Well, it had to happen on the week that was going to be hardest. I and the kids came down with a cold. My husband usually is last to feel any symptoms and usually fights them off with spicy food and Zicam. So, a tough week became tougher. Ah well.... I remember a bout of the flu earlier this year well enough that this cold is a minor misery. But, being miserable myself, while feeling barely mobile from my pregnancy, and having two clingy, demanding kids, it just feels tougher than I would like to deal with. Thankfully, my husband has only one more workday this week. I guess the bright side of this is that we should be over the cold by the time the baby comes. I have just one more month to go according to the due date. People keep trying to cheer me up by saying that the baby will come early, but so far my kids have all come after the due date. My hopes are simply for a punctual child. I probably won't post much more until health returns to the household. Good night.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Christmas chaos brings New Year's clean up
It is something I noticed long ago. Christmas presents tend to cover the house once opened and it takes extreme effort to put things in new places. With young children the problem intensifies because they are constantly wanting to pull out a new toy to play with. With our two year old the attention span between one toy and the next is approximately a minute, so the room becomes cluttered again very quickly. So over the next day or so, I will wage a war to bring order to the chaos once again. It's time to sort through the old toys to see what needs to be put away for later, what needs to be put in the bedroom, what needs to be in the living room, and how to consolidate everything into new orderly places. The two year old will still want to pull everything out to play with, but at least she won't have all of it in one spot to tempt her constantly. The tree will be coming down tonight and we can move the furniture back to its normal locations. We have to achieve some kind of order by the weekend so that I don't go crazy next week when my husband goes back to work.
I have definitely entered the "Ugh! How long can I carry around this child before he decides to come out" stage. I realize that it isn't time yet. We have five more weeks. But, I can't chase after the kids like I used to. I can barely get the normal household chores done (and only the most desperately needed at that). I tire out every few minutes and I need naps more than the kids do. So next week will feel like a marathon. My husband will be back at work and my parents won't arrive to help out until the following week. I will have to get the kids back to a normal (non-holiday) routine after they have been thoroughly spoiled. I also have to find baby sitters for while I go to two appointments that week. On the plus side, I'll be so busy it will go by quickly.
So, it is vital that I bring order to the chaos this week. Clutter affects my moods and makes me cranky and depressed. If I feel like the house is in order, I will be able to make it through the tough spots easier. After all... if Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
I have definitely entered the "Ugh! How long can I carry around this child before he decides to come out" stage. I realize that it isn't time yet. We have five more weeks. But, I can't chase after the kids like I used to. I can barely get the normal household chores done (and only the most desperately needed at that). I tire out every few minutes and I need naps more than the kids do. So next week will feel like a marathon. My husband will be back at work and my parents won't arrive to help out until the following week. I will have to get the kids back to a normal (non-holiday) routine after they have been thoroughly spoiled. I also have to find baby sitters for while I go to two appointments that week. On the plus side, I'll be so busy it will go by quickly.
So, it is vital that I bring order to the chaos this week. Clutter affects my moods and makes me cranky and depressed. If I feel like the house is in order, I will be able to make it through the tough spots easier. After all... if Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
Friday, December 22, 2006
The Ballet and the importance of field trips
Since we are homeschooling, one thing we are trying to do is arrange various field trips for our daughter. It is tricky getting good age-appropriate ones for a four year old. However, when our daughter started getting hooked on anything ballet, we thought it would be good to go see the Nutcracker this Christmas. She was able to see her first ballet this evening, and her imagination is going to be full of it for some time to come. It was a very nice production and very magical to the eyes of a four year old. We were a little worried that she would freak out during the applause since she usually does. However, we talked about it before hand and she actually clapped some herself a few times. When she didn't, she at least refrained from going into the screaming tantrum she usually goes for. One thing we forgot about was the type of seats you find in auditoriums like that. She is a little light for those seats that flip up. One of us had to hold it down for her so she didn't get swallowed up. Overall, it was a great experience for her and an enjoyable one for us.
She has been wanting to be a dancer and dances to just about any music, so showing her what it really looks like seemed to be a good thing to us. It also helped that she is already familiar with the music thanks to Disney's Fantasia. I guess the next step will be a preschool level dance class (once she masters the potty training). That will be where the rubber meets the road. Will our headstrong daughter take instruction on how to do something? Or will she insist on doing things her own way and therefore lose any benefit a class could give her? I'm not sure which way she will go. I can see her doing well, because it is something she loves. But, I can also see the possibility that her lazy side will decide that it is too much work. We would love for her to put in the work and do well at dancing, but it is still extra-curricular as far as we are concerned. If she tries it and then decides against it we will let her stop, but only if she has put in the required work for that class series. With her personality, we will have to work extra-hard to instill disciplined habits.
We would also love it if our kids learned a musical instrument and developed their art skills. They will need some kind of sport, martial art, gymnastics or dance to get in the physical education aspect of schooling(a walk in the neighborhood is a nice start, but doesn't do enough in the long run). We think we have the basics of reading, writing and arithmatic covered OK. My husband's strong point is music, literature, and science. My strong point is history, theology and research. That covers a wide range of topics, so we keep coming up with wish lists of other things we would like to teach our kids to put the icing on the cake so to speak. One thing we still have to decide is languages other than English (should we do modern languages or classical languages for example). Should we require the musical instrument instruction or be satisfied with some other type of music instruction should they not be interested when we think they should be? (So far they love it when Daddy brings out the harp for them to play on). So, we get off onto tangents thinking about the future schooling of our kids from time to time. We have to bring ourselves back to reality by reminding ourselves that our oldest child is just four. We have time to work it all out. If we keep our education goals in mind, we will do just fine.
So, for a four year old, field trips that expose her to new and interesting things are a good thing. We are going to try to do something once a month. January we are thinking of a snow trip (since we are fairly close to some nice snowy mountains). What better way to introduce the concepts of seasons, weather, and even some basic physics than sliding down a snowy hill. Mommy will need family or friend volunteers to go with Daddy and the kids for that one. Too close to my due date to be heading into the mountains. We haven't figured out February's trip yet, but I suspect it will be the visit to the hospital to meet child number three (and lots of discussions about babies and families). Once things are growing again in spring we were thinking of a visit to a farm (seasons again, animals, crops, and the way we get our food). Sometime in summer, we could do a beach trip (seasons, oceans, different geography). I'm not sure she's ready for the local fire station yet. We may save that one for next year. One other thing that the field trips are good for is to get us adults out of our routines and do something adventurous.
She has been wanting to be a dancer and dances to just about any music, so showing her what it really looks like seemed to be a good thing to us. It also helped that she is already familiar with the music thanks to Disney's Fantasia. I guess the next step will be a preschool level dance class (once she masters the potty training). That will be where the rubber meets the road. Will our headstrong daughter take instruction on how to do something? Or will she insist on doing things her own way and therefore lose any benefit a class could give her? I'm not sure which way she will go. I can see her doing well, because it is something she loves. But, I can also see the possibility that her lazy side will decide that it is too much work. We would love for her to put in the work and do well at dancing, but it is still extra-curricular as far as we are concerned. If she tries it and then decides against it we will let her stop, but only if she has put in the required work for that class series. With her personality, we will have to work extra-hard to instill disciplined habits.
We would also love it if our kids learned a musical instrument and developed their art skills. They will need some kind of sport, martial art, gymnastics or dance to get in the physical education aspect of schooling(a walk in the neighborhood is a nice start, but doesn't do enough in the long run). We think we have the basics of reading, writing and arithmatic covered OK. My husband's strong point is music, literature, and science. My strong point is history, theology and research. That covers a wide range of topics, so we keep coming up with wish lists of other things we would like to teach our kids to put the icing on the cake so to speak. One thing we still have to decide is languages other than English (should we do modern languages or classical languages for example). Should we require the musical instrument instruction or be satisfied with some other type of music instruction should they not be interested when we think they should be? (So far they love it when Daddy brings out the harp for them to play on). So, we get off onto tangents thinking about the future schooling of our kids from time to time. We have to bring ourselves back to reality by reminding ourselves that our oldest child is just four. We have time to work it all out. If we keep our education goals in mind, we will do just fine.
So, for a four year old, field trips that expose her to new and interesting things are a good thing. We are going to try to do something once a month. January we are thinking of a snow trip (since we are fairly close to some nice snowy mountains). What better way to introduce the concepts of seasons, weather, and even some basic physics than sliding down a snowy hill. Mommy will need family or friend volunteers to go with Daddy and the kids for that one. Too close to my due date to be heading into the mountains. We haven't figured out February's trip yet, but I suspect it will be the visit to the hospital to meet child number three (and lots of discussions about babies and families). Once things are growing again in spring we were thinking of a visit to a farm (seasons again, animals, crops, and the way we get our food). Sometime in summer, we could do a beach trip (seasons, oceans, different geography). I'm not sure she's ready for the local fire station yet. We may save that one for next year. One other thing that the field trips are good for is to get us adults out of our routines and do something adventurous.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Life's surprises
Just when things seem to be going smoothly and I'm tempted to be complacent, something comes up to throw me off balance again. This morning my picture perfect pregnancy had a hiccup of sorts. Bleeding that shouldn't have been there. Turns out everything is fine. We just need to be on the lookout for any further problems. It also changes our plans to go out of town for the holidays. After my previous pregnancy ending in a miscarriage, I was constantly second guessing and worrying early in this one. Once the baby started kicking like crazy, I stopped being such a worrier. This was more what I was accustomed to in my pregnancies. Now I find myself tempted to start worrying again. I suppose that this is where faith comes in. Without knowing what is going on, without knowing what is coming in the future, we just have to trust God to take us from point A to point B whether that involves good or bad. It is hard to do sometimes (especially for a planner and control freak like myself), but there is also a comfort in it. And I have seen prayers make a difference in many different ways, so I'll be trying that therapy every time I'm tempted to worry again.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Hallelujah!
Somehow the Hallelujah Chorus seems appropriate now that our Christmas music program is over. The Christmas Cantata went well. We heard lots of good comments. We are still exhausted however. We had kept the kids up well past their bedtimes the last two nights and tonight, child number one asked "are we going anywhere tonight?" in a slightly apprehensive voice.
My husband, the music director of last night's performance (also known to some in the chorus as the song fairy since he arranged a good number of the songs in the performance) didn't get much chance to recover and had to be in to work 2 1/2 hours early this morning. The poor guy is terribly tired and the kids are making up for missed Daddy time. By the way, he wants to know which of you taught child number one to give her Daddy a wet willy (Uncle Rick?). Kids and chaos are reigning in our house tonight.
Notable recent quotes:
Child number one (at a recent singing practice): "Let's get out of here before something else happens."
Mommy (to child number one who is loudly complaining about her sister playing with her hair): "If you lay your head in your sister's lap, she has permission to play with your hair."
Child number two (frequently): "Again! Again! Again! Again! Again!..."
I am very happy to have the Cantata performance behind us. Now I can concentrate on Christmas craziness that needs to get done before we travel again for the holidays. Even so, I am trying to make it fairly simple. Too much stress during this time of year makes me sick, and I don't want to be sick when I'm so close to delivery time.
Well, that's all for tonight...
My husband, the music director of last night's performance (also known to some in the chorus as the song fairy since he arranged a good number of the songs in the performance) didn't get much chance to recover and had to be in to work 2 1/2 hours early this morning. The poor guy is terribly tired and the kids are making up for missed Daddy time. By the way, he wants to know which of you taught child number one to give her Daddy a wet willy (Uncle Rick?). Kids and chaos are reigning in our house tonight.
Notable recent quotes:
Child number one (at a recent singing practice): "Let's get out of here before something else happens."
Mommy (to child number one who is loudly complaining about her sister playing with her hair): "If you lay your head in your sister's lap, she has permission to play with your hair."
Child number two (frequently): "Again! Again! Again! Again! Again!..."
I am very happy to have the Cantata performance behind us. Now I can concentrate on Christmas craziness that needs to get done before we travel again for the holidays. Even so, I am trying to make it fairly simple. Too much stress during this time of year makes me sick, and I don't want to be sick when I'm so close to delivery time.
Well, that's all for tonight...
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Interesting family dynamics
We are frequently very amused by the antics of our two daughters. Especially as the younger one is getting old enough for her personality to start showing itself. Child number one is a serious child most of the time. She likes to have fun, mind you, but she also feels a desperate need to boss her sister around. On the other hand, Child number two is an action child. She loves to climb and loves anything with wheels. They will occasionally play together and have giggle parties. We have noticed though that it is the younger one who will dump water or leaves or what not on her sister's head. The younger one (only two) initiates pillow fights. Sometimes the older one thinks it's funny, sometimes she doesn't.
This brings me to a funny episode we had yesterday during a timeout. Which illustrates why we don't do timeouts in our family much. The older child received a timeout. This is a new discipline method for us, because our previous method didn't take her enough away from fun things to learn the lesson. However, up until yesterday, the timeouts had always occurred while child number two was down for a nap. This time child number one was placed in her chair and a timer set. Child number two sees this and proceeds to pull up a chair next to her sister. She seems to think it is a new game because she is happily sitting next to her sister in a timeout. Child number one, starts to freak out because she doesn't think her sister should be doing that. She breaks the rule of quiet during timeouts to try to stop her sister from imitating her timeout. It doesn't work and Mommy has to lengthen her timeout because she broke the rule of her timeout. So child number one has to sit in torment while her sister sits quietly next to her and Mommy has a hard time not laughing about it all. Needless to say, Mommy and Daddy had a good laugh over it after the kids were in bed.
We can see that the family dynamics between them will be very interesting in the coming years. Now, what will happen when baby number 3 arrives, will probably stir things up a bit.
This brings me to a funny episode we had yesterday during a timeout. Which illustrates why we don't do timeouts in our family much. The older child received a timeout. This is a new discipline method for us, because our previous method didn't take her enough away from fun things to learn the lesson. However, up until yesterday, the timeouts had always occurred while child number two was down for a nap. This time child number one was placed in her chair and a timer set. Child number two sees this and proceeds to pull up a chair next to her sister. She seems to think it is a new game because she is happily sitting next to her sister in a timeout. Child number one, starts to freak out because she doesn't think her sister should be doing that. She breaks the rule of quiet during timeouts to try to stop her sister from imitating her timeout. It doesn't work and Mommy has to lengthen her timeout because she broke the rule of her timeout. So child number one has to sit in torment while her sister sits quietly next to her and Mommy has a hard time not laughing about it all. Needless to say, Mommy and Daddy had a good laugh over it after the kids were in bed.
We can see that the family dynamics between them will be very interesting in the coming years. Now, what will happen when baby number 3 arrives, will probably stir things up a bit.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Cloth diaper decision
OK, so I am blogging some more this week. After doing some research and talking to a few people, I have decided to go with cloth diapers for baby number 3. I may talk to a few friends I know who have used cloth diapers recently and know the various brands available now. But, unless I hear something to change my mind, I think we will be going a very basic and simple route. I'm leaning toward the flat-fold diapers that are one size fits all based on how you fold them. Plus some type of diaper cover that fits a little like a disposable (that way I don't need to use pins). I won't need to change my laundering system much from what I am currently doing with the cloth training pants. I think that the only thing that I haven't completely decided on yet is whether to go cloth 100% (such as while traveling and during errands) or to use the occasional disposable (like when we have a babysitter who doesn't know what to do with cloth diapers). If I can firm up these decisions in the next week or so, I'll be able to get the supplies and have one less thing on my to do list.
Some people may call it the nesting instinct, but my wanting to get things taken care of soon is really more of my personality type than anything else. (I was planning out my college courses back in Junior High. Yes that's right, I was actually trying to plan what to take which quarter. I know, it was highly unrealistic and had to rethink every time I changed career plans. But, that doesn't stop me.)
Some people may call it the nesting instinct, but my wanting to get things taken care of soon is really more of my personality type than anything else. (I was planning out my college courses back in Junior High. Yes that's right, I was actually trying to plan what to take which quarter. I know, it was highly unrealistic and had to rethink every time I changed career plans. But, that doesn't stop me.)
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Pleasant surprises
This is a hectic time of year for me. It always has been, but with my husband being the musical director of our church's Christmas program this year (and believe it or not, I'm singing in it at 7 1/2 months pregnant), that adds more stress than usual. I've been holding off on doing much Christmas shopping until after the program this Sunday. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I was out shopping yesterday for some needed clothes for myself, that I walked right by a stack of items that I wanted to get my husband for Christmas. I think that this is the first time since we got married that I got him a Christmas gift that he'll have to wait until Christmas to find out what it is. Up until now, we would agree on items ahead of time or do our shopping at Amazon.com together.
I also had pleasant surprises from my daughters today. Both did what they should for potty training. The older one actually stayed on the toilet long enough to poop there, and the younger one let me know that she pooped and wanted something done about it. It gives me hope.
And finally, My oldest daughter came up with the great idea of making an alphabet book. She likes to make books, but this was an actual coherent idea that she came up with all by herself. She made a page for each letter and drew pictures of things that start with that letter. She would ask me for ideas from time to time, but she was picky about what she would draw and came up with most of the ideas herself. I was especially impressed with "U is for Unicycle" and "V is for Volcano." She also took the time needed to do the whole thing in one sitting. She was working on it for about 3 hours straight (and I took a nap during about half of it). It is so nice when she decides to do something that interests her and is useful in either helping her learn or demonstrating what she has already learned. The homeschooling has been a little difficult to work in lately, so this was a breath of fresh air.
It would have been nice if the whole week was like this, but alas, it has had plenty of rocky moments. I probably won't blog much for the rest of the week. I have to work in a dentist appointment and extra rehearsals in an already busy schedule.
I also had pleasant surprises from my daughters today. Both did what they should for potty training. The older one actually stayed on the toilet long enough to poop there, and the younger one let me know that she pooped and wanted something done about it. It gives me hope.
And finally, My oldest daughter came up with the great idea of making an alphabet book. She likes to make books, but this was an actual coherent idea that she came up with all by herself. She made a page for each letter and drew pictures of things that start with that letter. She would ask me for ideas from time to time, but she was picky about what she would draw and came up with most of the ideas herself. I was especially impressed with "U is for Unicycle" and "V is for Volcano." She also took the time needed to do the whole thing in one sitting. She was working on it for about 3 hours straight (and I took a nap during about half of it). It is so nice when she decides to do something that interests her and is useful in either helping her learn or demonstrating what she has already learned. The homeschooling has been a little difficult to work in lately, so this was a breath of fresh air.
It would have been nice if the whole week was like this, but alas, it has had plenty of rocky moments. I probably won't blog much for the rest of the week. I have to work in a dentist appointment and extra rehearsals in an already busy schedule.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Simple pleasures
Today was child number two's second birthday. We had just a family birthday party and, except for a few little glitches (like the birthday girl being down for a nap for the first hour and a half of the party), I think a good time was had by all. She enjoyed opening her presents and playing with them. She is still into package ribbons and loved those as well. But, the thing that reminded me of the joy of simple pleasures was when we blew up seven birthday balloons this morning and showed her how to play with them. We bounced them. We bonked people with them. We had balloon wars with them. She had the biggest happiest grin on her face.
The balloons are temporary of course. They will all be gone in a day or two. However, considering how little I paid for them, they are a great treat for kids. There are many similar things to do with kids. My kids love to have an occassional half hour of bubble blowing. They love to go outside and play in the dirt/mud. They are in heaven if I take them to a local park that has swings.
I love to get toys that my kids will play with for years, but I have to remember not to overlook the little things, the simple pleasures, that make normal days special. Wouldn't it be nice if we all took the time to find the simple pleasures that make our adult lives feel special. I like to reread a favorite book on occassion or work on a craft project. Things that my sensible side tells me that I don't have time to do. But, I feel so much better after I've indulged in my little treat. What simple pleasures do you have that lighten your daily load? Do you ever do silly things like twirling across a grassy field singing "The hills are alive with the sound of music...." My husband does. We also like to make popcorn on Sunday nights when we come home from church. And, the everyday things that make us laugh are a treasure. If you haven't thought about these things lately, I hope you do. Take the time to enjoy a simple pleasure today.
The balloons are temporary of course. They will all be gone in a day or two. However, considering how little I paid for them, they are a great treat for kids. There are many similar things to do with kids. My kids love to have an occassional half hour of bubble blowing. They love to go outside and play in the dirt/mud. They are in heaven if I take them to a local park that has swings.
I love to get toys that my kids will play with for years, but I have to remember not to overlook the little things, the simple pleasures, that make normal days special. Wouldn't it be nice if we all took the time to find the simple pleasures that make our adult lives feel special. I like to reread a favorite book on occassion or work on a craft project. Things that my sensible side tells me that I don't have time to do. But, I feel so much better after I've indulged in my little treat. What simple pleasures do you have that lighten your daily load? Do you ever do silly things like twirling across a grassy field singing "The hills are alive with the sound of music...." My husband does. We also like to make popcorn on Sunday nights when we come home from church. And, the everyday things that make us laugh are a treasure. If you haven't thought about these things lately, I hope you do. Take the time to enjoy a simple pleasure today.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Unexpected impressions
Do you ever discover that people have an impression of you that is not what you think of yourself. OK, so that happens all the time. I mean a drastically different impression. Just recently it has been brought to my attention that I am considered something of a health nut among some of my acquaintances. Oh, they haven't actually said anything of the sort. But, I have noticed that I will say or do something that seems perfectly normal to me, and they will respond in some way that tells me that what I said or did is completely alien to what they consider normal.
I think I first noticed hints of it among some other Moms of preschoolers when I mentioned that I was avoiding caffeine while pregnant or trying to get pregnant (I don't have it much anyway since I don't want to get addicted and then try to wean myself off again should I decide to get pregnant in the future). They couldn't imagine going without their coffee. Then I noticed similar reactions when I would mention to people that I tried to walk several times a week with the kids (In fact I didn't do this until I had kids. They like the outings and it keeps me from feeling too cooped up). Now that I'm getting fairly late in my current pregnancy, the walks don't happen as often and I count a trip to the grocery store as exercise. My family went on an outing to a community event recently with friends and had the choice of standing in a long line to ride a shuttle bus or walk close to a mile. Our friends were puzzled that I, the pregnant woman, chose to walk. They kept asking me if I was OK or if I needed a rest. This so astonished me that I began to realize that I really must be different.
I have never considered myself to be any kind of health nut. I walk because I enjoy it and it helps in my kids routine. I avoid caffeine because it is recommended when pregnant. I have never dieted or followed food fads. I use the good old four food groups to teach my kids healthful eating and think the food pyramid should be trashed as way too complicated. I don't care if my food is organic or has anti-oxidants. I buy my food based on what is easy to prepare and relatively inexpensive. I eat large portions and add bacon fat to my vegetables. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm not (that applies when I'm pregnant, too). I do try to keep myself to the same rules that I give my children and eat a variety of foods at each meal (3 of the 4 food groups before any dessert). If I didn't, they would call me on it. I don't exercise excessively (unless taking care of a preschooler and toddler can be called excessive exercise).
So, when did my normal behavior (in my eyes) turn into weird behavior to so many people I encounter? I do admit that I have always been a little abnormal. But, growing up, it always seemed to me that I had the surface appearance of normal, which became dispelled once people got to know me. Now, somehow the surface appearance of normal is starting to dissipate. It makes me wonder, am I really changing much? Or is it that the world is changing around me? I suppose that it is possible that both are happening. It is just a little startling when you realize that you don't fit the categories anymore that you thought you did. Hopefully the changes are for the better.
I think I first noticed hints of it among some other Moms of preschoolers when I mentioned that I was avoiding caffeine while pregnant or trying to get pregnant (I don't have it much anyway since I don't want to get addicted and then try to wean myself off again should I decide to get pregnant in the future). They couldn't imagine going without their coffee. Then I noticed similar reactions when I would mention to people that I tried to walk several times a week with the kids (In fact I didn't do this until I had kids. They like the outings and it keeps me from feeling too cooped up). Now that I'm getting fairly late in my current pregnancy, the walks don't happen as often and I count a trip to the grocery store as exercise. My family went on an outing to a community event recently with friends and had the choice of standing in a long line to ride a shuttle bus or walk close to a mile. Our friends were puzzled that I, the pregnant woman, chose to walk. They kept asking me if I was OK or if I needed a rest. This so astonished me that I began to realize that I really must be different.
I have never considered myself to be any kind of health nut. I walk because I enjoy it and it helps in my kids routine. I avoid caffeine because it is recommended when pregnant. I have never dieted or followed food fads. I use the good old four food groups to teach my kids healthful eating and think the food pyramid should be trashed as way too complicated. I don't care if my food is organic or has anti-oxidants. I buy my food based on what is easy to prepare and relatively inexpensive. I eat large portions and add bacon fat to my vegetables. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm not (that applies when I'm pregnant, too). I do try to keep myself to the same rules that I give my children and eat a variety of foods at each meal (3 of the 4 food groups before any dessert). If I didn't, they would call me on it. I don't exercise excessively (unless taking care of a preschooler and toddler can be called excessive exercise).
So, when did my normal behavior (in my eyes) turn into weird behavior to so many people I encounter? I do admit that I have always been a little abnormal. But, growing up, it always seemed to me that I had the surface appearance of normal, which became dispelled once people got to know me. Now, somehow the surface appearance of normal is starting to dissipate. It makes me wonder, am I really changing much? Or is it that the world is changing around me? I suppose that it is possible that both are happening. It is just a little startling when you realize that you don't fit the categories anymore that you thought you did. Hopefully the changes are for the better.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Home at last
We returned home today and are glad to be here. It's tough to be gone for a week with small children even when you have help. I also sleep worse when I am away from home (even though I was at my parents' house, sleeping in my old bedroom). So, I'll try to keep this posting fairly short and try for an earlier bedtime tonight (it doesn't usually work, but I'm not usually this tired).
Thanks to those who have given me input on the cloth diaper issue. I'll be checking out those websites soon. I'll have to do a lot of things soon, seeing as my count down is now at 9 weeks to go. On a daily basis, that is a lot of time. In the grand scheme of things, Yikes! it's almost time.
For those following our homeschooling posts, We have managed to keep up the schooling fairly well while traveling. In fact my daughter was starting to get tired of the same old toys and games and was asking for schoolwork on her days off. We have a smallish plastic file box that we keep the current homeschooling supplies in. It has folders for a lesson plan book, the current main lesson book, supplemental workbooks, coloring books, drawing paper, writing paper, construction paper, stickers, a ruler and a small box holding pencils, pens, tape, glue, scissors, etc. I have found this a useful system for me. I keep it up to date easily, since it is used nearly every day. As she finishes one book, I replace with new ones that I've been storing in the closet until they are needed. When we go on a trip, I just pick up the whole box and put it in the car. The craft items are also useful when we go places where she will need entertaining. Since she is still so young and I am just a few months into homeschooling, I use the lesson plan book more for recording what she actually does rather than planning out the lessons ahead of time. My theory is that I can use it to set goals and create a broad outline, then look back over the year to see what specific progress has been made. Then I can use that information to better plan for the next year. I fully expect that as we go from year to year, the planning will become more detailed and it will turn into a true lesson plan book where I chart out the lessons ahead of time. Right now goals and flexibility are the order of the day. One upcoming challenge I see is how to adjust the learning schedule when the new baby comes. It is tempting to take a break from homeschooling for that time, but I don't want to break a good habit that we have been developing. I'm thinking of switching gears some (since she will have recently finished her current lesson series on phonics) and do a lot more reading practice. She will probably enjoy the attention and the stories, the parents and grandparents can do it easily, and most important she will still be learning. If anyone else has some ideas about this, feel free to share them.
Well, that's all for now. G'night.
Thanks to those who have given me input on the cloth diaper issue. I'll be checking out those websites soon. I'll have to do a lot of things soon, seeing as my count down is now at 9 weeks to go. On a daily basis, that is a lot of time. In the grand scheme of things, Yikes! it's almost time.
For those following our homeschooling posts, We have managed to keep up the schooling fairly well while traveling. In fact my daughter was starting to get tired of the same old toys and games and was asking for schoolwork on her days off. We have a smallish plastic file box that we keep the current homeschooling supplies in. It has folders for a lesson plan book, the current main lesson book, supplemental workbooks, coloring books, drawing paper, writing paper, construction paper, stickers, a ruler and a small box holding pencils, pens, tape, glue, scissors, etc. I have found this a useful system for me. I keep it up to date easily, since it is used nearly every day. As she finishes one book, I replace with new ones that I've been storing in the closet until they are needed. When we go on a trip, I just pick up the whole box and put it in the car. The craft items are also useful when we go places where she will need entertaining. Since she is still so young and I am just a few months into homeschooling, I use the lesson plan book more for recording what she actually does rather than planning out the lessons ahead of time. My theory is that I can use it to set goals and create a broad outline, then look back over the year to see what specific progress has been made. Then I can use that information to better plan for the next year. I fully expect that as we go from year to year, the planning will become more detailed and it will turn into a true lesson plan book where I chart out the lessons ahead of time. Right now goals and flexibility are the order of the day. One upcoming challenge I see is how to adjust the learning schedule when the new baby comes. It is tempting to take a break from homeschooling for that time, but I don't want to break a good habit that we have been developing. I'm thinking of switching gears some (since she will have recently finished her current lesson series on phonics) and do a lot more reading practice. She will probably enjoy the attention and the stories, the parents and grandparents can do it easily, and most important she will still be learning. If anyone else has some ideas about this, feel free to share them.
Well, that's all for now. G'night.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Diaper issues
I have made various comments in my blog about the fact that potty training has been a trial. My oldest child is now four and still resisting finishing her potty training. I have noticed that my second child who will turn two in a week is developing the same habits as her sister did. Both were in disposable diapers as infants and began official potty training at about two. Neither seems to care when their pants get soiled or wet. This has gotten me to think more seriously about using cloth diapers with child number three who is due in early February. I am already washing out cloth pants with my oldest so I have passed through the grossness barrier I felt when I was a new parent.
What I would like is if anyone who reads this who has experience with cloth diapers and potty training thereafter would give me their opinions and share their experiences. I am hoping to make up my mind about this in the next month so that I can get the supplies I will need either way. So, tell me what worked for you, what you liked or didn't like. I want to get my kids on track with potty issues earlier than has happened with my first child.
What I would like is if anyone who reads this who has experience with cloth diapers and potty training thereafter would give me their opinions and share their experiences. I am hoping to make up my mind about this in the next month so that I can get the supplies I will need either way. So, tell me what worked for you, what you liked or didn't like. I want to get my kids on track with potty issues earlier than has happened with my first child.
Friday, December 01, 2006
More on the chaos front
Traveling to visit with grandparents is a great challenge to the daily routine. I feel that I have accomplished a lot to miss only one day's homeschooling so far. I think the kids play harder when they are with grandparents. They seem to think after a few days that new experiences should be the order of the day. We have managed to keep the limit on videos to two a day, same as at home, despite the pressure that all the adults in the house are more exhausted than the kids by evening. We have put the kids down for bed a half hour early every night and they have been sleeping late by at least another half hour. We have found that an outing of some kind, even if it is getting groceries, helps cut down on the cabin fever problem. However, the adults find that we don't get a lot accomplished. That shouldn't be much of a surprise when there is a four year old and a nearly two year old around. I find myself astonished at the people who manage to run home-based businesses in similar circumstances. They must not sleep much. As it is, I am just averaging about 6 hours a night when I would prefer 10 (seven months pregnant now). Though, much of my staying up late has nothing to do with housework or business. There is also a difference between having very little energy and being sleepy. So, today I will feel that I will have accomplished a lot if I manage to get the kids a bath.
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