After weeks of freezing cold temps and above average snow and ice, this week feels like spring. It's been really beautiful - high around 60, sunny, not too much wind - just my all-time perfect favorite weather. So, since the kids and I have been stuck inside, sick, for about 6 weeks, we decided to go to our fabulous St. Louis Zoo. It's huge and one of the last few free zoos in the country. We get a membership every year and go many times. I've lived here all my life and have had hundreds of trips to the zoo and yesterday, I can say without a doubt, was my very favorite day there ever.
Typically I don't like to take my very young crew downtown by myself. I usually invite another SAHM and her kids to go with us, if it's not the weekend when Hubby can go with us. But my usual gal isn't a homeschooler so school got in the way and for some reason, I decided to just go with the kids by myself. Worried that we might have to leave early because of my sciatica, I packed a picnic lunch and we headed off. I asked the kids which animals they were hoping to see the most. Rose immediately claimed "all the big cats", Matthew wanted to go to "the Herpetarium, so I can see my favorite animal, which are SNAKES!!!", and after asking several times, Jade said something that sounded like her word for "bear" so we went with that.
One of the biggest perks of homeschooling is that you don't have to jam in all the fun "summer stuff" into only 3 months when everyone else is trying to do the same. We had the zoo basically to ourselves. Both kids immediately grabbed a zoo map so they could help navigate (though I have the map in my head). First stop...the bears. Jade practiced saying 'beeeeeeeer' until I think I was calling them beers too. ;) We stopped to watch the polar bear sleeping and a zoo keeper came by, calling out to the bear, "Wha-cha doing? Sleeping, Hope??" She didn't twitch a muscle. The zoo keeper started to leave and I asked, "What did you say her name was?" "Hope" I mentioned that I guessed the warm snap of weather made the animals a little lethargic, as it had done me. She said Hope had been playing a lot this morning and then something that's never happened to me... "If you guys are going to be here for a bit, I'll see if I can get her to play." We heartily agreed and waited to see what she'd come up with. While the kids and I speculated about a water hose, she came around the walk-way with a hard plastic fluorescent ball, bouncing it hard to make the slap-slap-slap sound against the pavement. Hope heard THAT. She immediately jumped up and started to get excited. We watched her play with that ball for a long time. She even poked a hole in it pretty fast with her claw and when that filled up with water, she picked it up and held it with her front paws and drank out of it as if it were a coconut. Rose was absolutely enthralled watching Hope play and do somersaults in the water with that pink ball. All this activity had drawn a small crowd of moms with preschoolers. Matthew read the exhibit sign and saw that it said that polar bears are "nearly threatened" (their endangered status) because their ice caps are melting, 'possibly due to global warming'. He furrowed his eyebrows and said (rather loudly), "We just HAVE to figure out a way to stop global warming! We need to find more ways to use the sun, wind and water for energy and stop using all the machines that create pollution!" I immediately saw the mothers around me straining to see how old this very young voice was and then I felt 'the look'. That one that says I'm a crazed green-loving mother who drills this stuff into her kids heads. Nope. I admit, we do recycle what we can and we have, very briefly, discussed saving energy, pollution, etc. But what came out of his mouth was as much a shock to me as it was to them. We had a great small discussion on global warming and pollution. I find myself constantly asking him where he learned something and the answer usually comes with a shrug, "I don't remember". So I've tried to stop asking. I suppose the answer doesn't really matter but I find I'm curious where he picked it up from.
As we made our way down to see the rest of the bears, there was a man with a demonstration cart so we stopped to take a look. He had pelts of polar bear, grizzly and kodiac, as well as a bear skull. He gave us some information about the different pelts, the uses of their teeth and let us touch all of it. Rose liked being able to touch bear skin. Matthew, my texture-sensitive and germ-a-phobe kid wouldn't touch them. Rose got a very worried look on her face and asked, "Where did you get the bear skins?" The demonstrator explained that they got them off of bears that had died already. She was very relieved to hear that. He told us that the black bears are actually expecting, something that hasn't happened in a very long time at our zoo. And he showed us a stuffed bear about the size of a TY beanie and said that was the size of a newborn bear. He mentioned that bears go into hibernation, sleep through labor and wake up with a newborn baby bear next to them. We already knew this but I patted my 7 month preggo belly and asked him to sign me up for that deal anyway. ;)
We moseyed our way through the outdoor ape section (where there were no apes - I suppose it was still too cool for them to be outside). In the concrete walkway, the zoo had made animal tracks and foliage impressions before the concrete dried and the kids and I had a fun time trying to determine which animal made each track. Surprisingly, the hardest for them to figure out were the bird tracks. The only guess I got on what made that stick-like impression was that they were arrows pointing to the other tracks. ;) I made a mental note to point out the wood peckers feet next time we visit the bird house.
We stopped to look at the pond, full of geese. The pond had a small island in the middle, where all the snow had melted and there was dry land. Part of the pond was still frozen and part wasn't. We shivered when we saw the geese swimming around in the icy water. Rose saw a black swan and was disappointed there were no white ones like in The Ugly Duckling movie Grammy gave us. After a few minutes, we watched a group of geese climb up from the water onto the ice, sit down and try to take a nap. "Look at those silly geese!! Sitting on the cold ice instead of the dry warm island," I said. "Maybe that's why I call you guys 'silly gooses' sometimes because you're as silly as a goose sitting on ice."
We then met up with Hubby, who works not too far away. He met us there on his lunch break and we all had a nice lunch talking about what we'd seen so far. When I told him about the global warming discussion, Matthew piped in with, "You should read more about global warming in my Ranger Rick magazine, Daddy." Aha! I should have known it was that ol' raccoon. ;) I piped up that scientists don't even agree that global warming is actually happening but that some think it is. Matthew says very confidently, "Well, I believe it's happening because I trust myself and that's what I believe."
After saying farewell to Hubby, we headed to the herpetarium (funny...and sad...that this word is not in my browsers dictionary!). The lower level of the herpetarium is small and enclosed so I let Jade out of the stroller to run around a little since she'd mostly been in the stroller or a high chair so far. They have carpeted steps so small kids can get a better view and, silly me, I put her down on a step. Apparently she didn't realize this was a step and fell right off and banged into the stroller. She cut her lip and cried a bit but she was ok and soon was off trying out every single step in the place, as most 2yr olds would. We spent a very long time in the herpetarium - much longer than I've ever spent before. Matthew read most all of the signs and retold the information to us in his own words. Rose, with her eagle eyes, found most all of the animals that were tricky to find before the rest of us did. Jade was ecstatic that she could climb up and look in the windows just like the 'big kids'. I even learned a lot more about snakes and reptiles than I ever wanted to know, just following the kids around listening to them.
We were close to Big Cat Country so we kept climbing the "big hill" until we arrived. The first one we saw was the magnificent tiger. He was pacing around his paddock and even let out a few growls, much to Rose's delight. Most of the cats were basking in the sun on this warmer-than-usual day so we saw they pretty well but the neatest sight was the Amur leopard. He was just gorgeous and he's typically very hard to find in his habitat but on this day, he was pacing around too and we were close enough that I could touch his fur if I reached...not that I did. ;) He was also making noises and Rose was just mesmerized watching him. Rose was quite disappointed that the cheetahs weren't in this area. I explained that they were on the other side of the zoo by the elephants and the other Asian animals. The cheetahs are also typically very hard to spot - they like to hide away from the crowds and it was getting to be quite late in the afternoon. I asked her if we could look for them next time we came and she somewhat sadly agreed that was ok. We rounded the corner and got a quick biology lesson from the zebras (it IS almost spring, ya know).
So we'd seen all the animals the kids really wanted to see (except the cheetahs). But I suddenly said that I'd like to know if they have any meerkats. I guessed that if they were anywhere, they'd probably be in the Children's Zoo. If you've been reading my blog for any time, you know we just adore Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet and Rose's favorite gift for her birthday was a new stuffed meerkat, which she promptly named, "Mozart, when she was a baby".
Back at the bottom of the "big hill", we decided to ride the train. Being off-season, they only had one train running so we had about a 7-10 minute wait. Standing in lines of chain-link at the end of a long day will try the patience of almost any parent, as I was quick to notice around me. Fortunately Rose decided to entertain herself by going underneath the chains and declaring herself a duck. I said that she looked more like a silly goose. After a quick moment of pondering, Matthew quipped up, "Mom, this is a great day. You should blog about it. And I know what you should title it.... "Duck, duck, goose, goose". I think he was right on target. As a member, I get a number of Anywhere Passes. Zoo admission is free but a few sections require $2-4/person to enter such as the Children's Zoo, the train and the Sea Lion Show. Usually tickets are bought at the train station but there was no one in the booth. When we got ready to board, they just waved us on so we got to ride the train without using up any of our passes (something that typically happens off-season, I've noticed).
Matthew and Rose sat in the seat ahead of me and Jade. Jade was downright giddy about riding the train and could hardly contain herself. At the train stations we stopped at, we discussed that it was time to head home. Rush hour would be starting soon and the zoo closed at 5pm anyway. Rose said again that she wished she could see the cheetah but it's a long walk to get to them and she decided to be happy that she got to see all the other animals she wanted to see. As we came around a bend on the last leg of the train, there in all his beautiful glory sat a glorious cheetah, sprawled out in the sun, staring at the train as we passed. Rose and I couldn't have been even slightly happier. What a great ending!!
As we left the zoo, Matthew asked a worker if there were any meerkats in the zoo and he told us they were in the Children's Zoo. Matthew wanted to go back so that I could see the animal *I* wanted to see and I told him I was willing to wait until our next trip to seek them out. "We'll go on a meerkat hunt next trip," I told him.
The day just couldn't have been more beautiful. I don't even remember having to walk through ONE person's cigarette smoke, which is definitely a blessing, especially when pregnant.
On the way home, I wondered why this trip to the zoo was definitely at the top of my list. One reason was the special treatment we got because we came during off-season but I think the biggest reason was that I didn't rush the kids through. Typically when we go with other families or our own, we have an agenda...we want to see this animal and this one and eat lunch and these other two animals and walk past the rest and leave by this time and I seem to spend the day saying, "Come on, Matthew...Rose, we're leaving this exhibit now...etc." But on this day, I let the kids lead. I literally followed them around and didn't urge them on even once. When they wanted to spend 5 minutes searching for that lizard in the herpetarium that I thought didn't exist, I didn't rush them on. We stayed and searched for 5 minutes and found it. We even made it through the gift shop without anyone begging to buy something new. The kids weren't crabby, despite missing their naps; there were no tantrums about anything - it was just plain easy.
I think that's the draw to unschooling for me. When we (as in, Hubby and I) let our kids lead, it's just plain easier all around.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Games
Say the words "computer/console game" in a group of parents and you'll get a very mixed reaction, and possibly a heated discussion, from it. Most parents feel the need to limit their kids time on these types of games. I understand why schooled kids are limited - they have chores and homework to get done before bath and bed. Frankly I'm surprised there's time for dinner in these homes! LOL And the same goes for the school-at-homers. These are the families who homeschool but it looks just like a school room with one room dedicated to "school" and curricula and schedules, etc.
I personally see a great value in games, whether they be board games, RPGs or console games, though I'm well aware that I'm probably more in the minority on this issue. The unschoolers I've come across typically think well of games but most other homeschoolers see them as 'twaddle' (I just love that term from Charlotte Mason!).
It's funny that I can tell what kind of message board or group of homeschoolers I'm with just by their questions/complaints to each other. If I hear, "How much time do you allow for games?", I know that I'm in a group more geared towards school-at-home.
Now I know some of you non-homeschoolers are thinking I'm off my rocker. But step outside the box for a minute...
1. What do my kids learn from console games? Well, at this point in their lives, we're still making most all the major purchases so we do utilize discretion and look for things that are appropriate for each child. Matthew is in love with his Star Wars Lego II game he got for Cmas. Have you ever sat down and really watched the games your child is into? Don't look from an "educational value" perspective - just watch and see what he/she is learning.
In this particular game, Matthew has goal setting. He wants those big ticket items that you have to collect so many of these smaller items to get. His particular goal right now is to get enough studs to 'purchase' a new special character.
He also develops eye-hand coordination. This is probably a given but don't knock it. Eye-hand coordination will help with his writing skills and small motor skills and it's not one to overlook easily.
He does learn teamwork in this game. Each character does a special thing. He can change characters at any time during the game so if he has to use the Force on one object here, he switches to Luke or Darth...and then, 2 minutes later when he needs to crawl through a small shaft, he switches to a Jawa or Yoda. He learns which characters are most effective on each level, depending on their skills, and how to work them together to reach the goal.
He does a HEAPING TON of problem solving. Which character does he need to switch to in order to get to that high ledge? Does he need to Force someone up there with Darth or use someone who jumps really well or use Boba Fett with his jet pack? Each level in this game is one problem to solve after the next. I admit that Hubby has been stuck many times himself (so it's a great game for kids and adults alike...plus I love looking at the Lego creations!).
He develops concentration. While that can be said for any child engrossed in a game, it's true. Kids today are so scheduled (and mostly in 1/2 hour and 1 hour spans) that it's probably difficult to ask them to concentrate for much longer than that. True, he's not concentrating on the years Taft was in office but when have I ever used that in my adult life? Hmm...can't say (not that I remember anyway).
He also gets a good dose of creativity. He will often pause his game and run upstairs to build one of the ships or people out of his own Legos. This is a form of artwork...and building...and creativity...and has spurred a huge collection of his own creations of Star Wars characters and ships. I should take a pic of some of them and post them.
Probably my favorite thing he learns from this game (or any game) is that sense of accomplishment. When he completes a level, I can just see his self-esteem jump a notch higher. And to me, that's one of the most important things he can learn. HE did it. HE figured it out. HE is proud of HIMSELF.
2. What do kids learn from RPGs (role playing games)? Matthew played another Star Wars game on our console, "Knights of the Old Republic" for a while. This game is fairly linear (meaning there's not too much room to move from the main storyline) but you do get to make a lot of your own choices. This one is neat because you can play it on the good side of the Force and do 'good' things to raise your 'good' rating or you can play the dark side and do 'dark' things to raise your rating. He didn't play this one all the way through though. I think Star Wars Lego I came out around then and that was the end of the RPG. He also enjoyed Morrowind, which is very non-linear and you can greatly stray from the main storyline. It requires a LOT of reading (which is another added bonus of RPGs) and really gives kids the option to make lots of choices. In todays world, they don't get to make many choices (sometimes even as an adult, I don't feel I have many choices either) and I would assume that's part of the draw of RPGs. The skills they learn listed in #1 also apply here as well.
And if they're doing the real RPGs like D&D, Traveler, etc., they get the benefits of #3 in there as well as a HUGE dose of creativity. Let's not forget to add the benefit of just plain fantasy and 'what ifs' - these are also important for kids to have time to expand their minds and think about other possibilities.
3. What do kids learn from board games? Well, this is a no-brainer. Playing with another person develops intra personal skills, the sense of winning/losing and how to handle those both well, many are heavily math based and require lots of reading - the list goes on and on. Most homeschoolers agree that board games are highly 'educational' but fail to see the good in other games. I wonder why that is?
4. What about twaddle games that are pretty much the shoot-the-bad-guys? Matthew has a few of these. We started out with a console copy of the old arcade games that Hubby and I grew up with. Matthew quickly decided that Gauntlet was a great game (along with Joust and PacMan and Pole Position) and this was probably the first game he really got interested in on our Xbox. The Christmas he turned 5, we got the upgrade...Gauntlet: Dark Legacy. It has the same characters and 'rules' but the graphics and characters have a more modern look to them. So a typical parent walking by would see that he's an archer, shooting bad guys and avoiding 'death'. But if you sit and watch more closely, you see that he's learning all the things stated in #1 as well.
5. How much time DO you allow your kids to play games? I allow them however much time they want. Oh sure, when we got the new SWLegoII game for Cmas, it seemed that was all Matthew did for two weeks. But then it died down to maybe 30 minutes a day, on his own. I can't say I blame him. When I get a new toy, I probably spend a lot more time with it the first week or two than I ever will again. I know the week I got my bread machine, we had fresh bread every day. Now I use it maybe once a week or once a month. It was a novelty and even though I hadn't tried out every recipe by the end of that week, I knew the gist of it and was willing to move more slowly through them. On the rare occasion that I feel he's spent too much time or someone else wants use of the TV and I ask him to put it up when he's done with that level, there are no arguments. There is no huge scene that I've witnessed in other families. "Ok Mom." Is that his personality? Big fat NO there to those who are thinking that one. lol But because he has unlimited access to it, there's no rush and drive to spend ALL his 'free time' doing only that. There are just as many days when I find him curled up on his bed reading a book or building a new something out of Legos or helping his sister scrapbook or chasing the baby around the house. In the grand scheme of things, it's not excessive. It looked excessive in those first two weeks after Cmas but again, I can't fault him for that. I looked like a crazed bread maker at some point and probably played with the notion of becoming a professional baker that week too. ;)
It seems, at least in my family, game systems are typically more for the boys than girls. Though Rose does like to play the games, she prefers to watch Matthew play rather than get in there and do it herself. But perhaps that's just her personality. She seems to like to create with her hands - she loves to scrapbook and do almost any craft you suggest. My brothers kids LOVED the Putt-putt games. We purchased a stand-alone Princess game (mostly to use on road trips but you can plug it into your VCR at home too) for Rose and she rarely, if ever, plays it. It's almost beneath her - matching and memory games, etc. Got it at Wally world for $10-20 and it's a plug-n-play. They have others too - Matthew loves the Star Wars and Batman ones.
From a Mom standpoint, the other good thing about gaming systems that my friend brought up is that it's a lot less mess than Polly Pockets or Legos. ONE cartridge or DVD - not zillions of small pieces for the baby or dog to choke on. ;)
In closing, I find that all games (console or board types) are very 'educational'. I really hate to use that word at all anymore - how can we really separate educational stuff from non-educational stuff? We're all still LEARNING from those things that teach 'bad' things. We are being educated every second of every day. How can you possibly categorize things that way? My kids have educational cereal - they compare and contrast the shapes, colors, textures, tastes and read the back of the box and we look up the links that are listed. Their shoes are educational..."Wow Mom - how does it light up?" But that's another entry for another day. ;)
If this is a new concept to you, I encourage you to sit and watch your son/daughter the next time they play a game you don't think is worthwhile. Ask them about it - see what the goal of the game is, what their current goals are, what they're learning about it (and let me know what *you* learn). You just might be surprised.
I personally see a great value in games, whether they be board games, RPGs or console games, though I'm well aware that I'm probably more in the minority on this issue. The unschoolers I've come across typically think well of games but most other homeschoolers see them as 'twaddle' (I just love that term from Charlotte Mason!).
It's funny that I can tell what kind of message board or group of homeschoolers I'm with just by their questions/complaints to each other. If I hear, "How much time do you allow for games?", I know that I'm in a group more geared towards school-at-home.
Now I know some of you non-homeschoolers are thinking I'm off my rocker. But step outside the box for a minute...
1. What do my kids learn from console games? Well, at this point in their lives, we're still making most all the major purchases so we do utilize discretion and look for things that are appropriate for each child. Matthew is in love with his Star Wars Lego II game he got for Cmas. Have you ever sat down and really watched the games your child is into? Don't look from an "educational value" perspective - just watch and see what he/she is learning.
In this particular game, Matthew has goal setting. He wants those big ticket items that you have to collect so many of these smaller items to get. His particular goal right now is to get enough studs to 'purchase' a new special character.
He also develops eye-hand coordination. This is probably a given but don't knock it. Eye-hand coordination will help with his writing skills and small motor skills and it's not one to overlook easily.
He does learn teamwork in this game. Each character does a special thing. He can change characters at any time during the game so if he has to use the Force on one object here, he switches to Luke or Darth...and then, 2 minutes later when he needs to crawl through a small shaft, he switches to a Jawa or Yoda. He learns which characters are most effective on each level, depending on their skills, and how to work them together to reach the goal.
He does a HEAPING TON of problem solving. Which character does he need to switch to in order to get to that high ledge? Does he need to Force someone up there with Darth or use someone who jumps really well or use Boba Fett with his jet pack? Each level in this game is one problem to solve after the next. I admit that Hubby has been stuck many times himself (so it's a great game for kids and adults alike...plus I love looking at the Lego creations!).
He develops concentration. While that can be said for any child engrossed in a game, it's true. Kids today are so scheduled (and mostly in 1/2 hour and 1 hour spans) that it's probably difficult to ask them to concentrate for much longer than that. True, he's not concentrating on the years Taft was in office but when have I ever used that in my adult life? Hmm...can't say (not that I remember anyway).
He also gets a good dose of creativity. He will often pause his game and run upstairs to build one of the ships or people out of his own Legos. This is a form of artwork...and building...and creativity...and has spurred a huge collection of his own creations of Star Wars characters and ships. I should take a pic of some of them and post them.
Probably my favorite thing he learns from this game (or any game) is that sense of accomplishment. When he completes a level, I can just see his self-esteem jump a notch higher. And to me, that's one of the most important things he can learn. HE did it. HE figured it out. HE is proud of HIMSELF.
2. What do kids learn from RPGs (role playing games)? Matthew played another Star Wars game on our console, "Knights of the Old Republic" for a while. This game is fairly linear (meaning there's not too much room to move from the main storyline) but you do get to make a lot of your own choices. This one is neat because you can play it on the good side of the Force and do 'good' things to raise your 'good' rating or you can play the dark side and do 'dark' things to raise your rating. He didn't play this one all the way through though. I think Star Wars Lego I came out around then and that was the end of the RPG. He also enjoyed Morrowind, which is very non-linear and you can greatly stray from the main storyline. It requires a LOT of reading (which is another added bonus of RPGs) and really gives kids the option to make lots of choices. In todays world, they don't get to make many choices (sometimes even as an adult, I don't feel I have many choices either) and I would assume that's part of the draw of RPGs. The skills they learn listed in #1 also apply here as well.
And if they're doing the real RPGs like D&D, Traveler, etc., they get the benefits of #3 in there as well as a HUGE dose of creativity. Let's not forget to add the benefit of just plain fantasy and 'what ifs' - these are also important for kids to have time to expand their minds and think about other possibilities.
3. What do kids learn from board games? Well, this is a no-brainer. Playing with another person develops intra personal skills, the sense of winning/losing and how to handle those both well, many are heavily math based and require lots of reading - the list goes on and on. Most homeschoolers agree that board games are highly 'educational' but fail to see the good in other games. I wonder why that is?
4. What about twaddle games that are pretty much the shoot-the-bad-guys? Matthew has a few of these. We started out with a console copy of the old arcade games that Hubby and I grew up with. Matthew quickly decided that Gauntlet was a great game (along with Joust and PacMan and Pole Position) and this was probably the first game he really got interested in on our Xbox. The Christmas he turned 5, we got the upgrade...Gauntlet: Dark Legacy. It has the same characters and 'rules' but the graphics and characters have a more modern look to them. So a typical parent walking by would see that he's an archer, shooting bad guys and avoiding 'death'. But if you sit and watch more closely, you see that he's learning all the things stated in #1 as well.
5. How much time DO you allow your kids to play games? I allow them however much time they want. Oh sure, when we got the new SWLegoII game for Cmas, it seemed that was all Matthew did for two weeks. But then it died down to maybe 30 minutes a day, on his own. I can't say I blame him. When I get a new toy, I probably spend a lot more time with it the first week or two than I ever will again. I know the week I got my bread machine, we had fresh bread every day. Now I use it maybe once a week or once a month. It was a novelty and even though I hadn't tried out every recipe by the end of that week, I knew the gist of it and was willing to move more slowly through them. On the rare occasion that I feel he's spent too much time or someone else wants use of the TV and I ask him to put it up when he's done with that level, there are no arguments. There is no huge scene that I've witnessed in other families. "Ok Mom." Is that his personality? Big fat NO there to those who are thinking that one. lol But because he has unlimited access to it, there's no rush and drive to spend ALL his 'free time' doing only that. There are just as many days when I find him curled up on his bed reading a book or building a new something out of Legos or helping his sister scrapbook or chasing the baby around the house. In the grand scheme of things, it's not excessive. It looked excessive in those first two weeks after Cmas but again, I can't fault him for that. I looked like a crazed bread maker at some point and probably played with the notion of becoming a professional baker that week too. ;)
It seems, at least in my family, game systems are typically more for the boys than girls. Though Rose does like to play the games, she prefers to watch Matthew play rather than get in there and do it herself. But perhaps that's just her personality. She seems to like to create with her hands - she loves to scrapbook and do almost any craft you suggest. My brothers kids LOVED the Putt-putt games. We purchased a stand-alone Princess game (mostly to use on road trips but you can plug it into your VCR at home too) for Rose and she rarely, if ever, plays it. It's almost beneath her - matching and memory games, etc. Got it at Wally world for $10-20 and it's a plug-n-play. They have others too - Matthew loves the Star Wars and Batman ones.
From a Mom standpoint, the other good thing about gaming systems that my friend brought up is that it's a lot less mess than Polly Pockets or Legos. ONE cartridge or DVD - not zillions of small pieces for the baby or dog to choke on. ;)
In closing, I find that all games (console or board types) are very 'educational'. I really hate to use that word at all anymore - how can we really separate educational stuff from non-educational stuff? We're all still LEARNING from those things that teach 'bad' things. We are being educated every second of every day. How can you possibly categorize things that way? My kids have educational cereal - they compare and contrast the shapes, colors, textures, tastes and read the back of the box and we look up the links that are listed. Their shoes are educational..."Wow Mom - how does it light up?" But that's another entry for another day. ;)
If this is a new concept to you, I encourage you to sit and watch your son/daughter the next time they play a game you don't think is worthwhile. Ask them about it - see what the goal of the game is, what their current goals are, what they're learning about it (and let me know what *you* learn). You just might be surprised.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Great article!
I came across this article today in my homeschooling message boards - it seems this article has crossed *every* one of them. It's called "The Power (and Peril) of Praising Our Kids" and is not about homeschooling. This should be read by any parent out there...and might go a long way to telling you a lot about your own self perceptions as you grew up too.
http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/index.html
Read it. I know you'll find it interesting whether you agree with it or not. ;)
http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/index.html
Read it. I know you'll find it interesting whether you agree with it or not. ;)
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy Hearts Day
Romance, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
I consider myself a fairly simple woman in the grand scheme of things. I don't ask for diamonds or expensive world trips or new cars or even new shoes. Romance to me is showing that you care. That you took some time to think about what I might like, and did it or bought it. Yes, that means that 'service projects' go just as far as something new and shiny off my Amazon gift list. It could be something as simple as a hand-made card or a note telling me why you fell in love with me. It could be a hard-to-find item which I had on my list that took you some planning and forethought. Mopping floors, cleaning the toilets when I'm so pregnant that it hurts to bend down that far and putting the kids to bed are daily romances to me, that my sweetie does over and over again without even thinking about them. So when it comes to a gift giving occasion he seems a little lost sometimes, not knowing what I 'expect'. Big gifts are great, don't get me wrong. I've gotten monitors, printers, fun cooking gadgets, bread makers and massages and those are extremely appreciated. Sure, I'd even love to have a Mother's ring or necklace in the future at some point. But romance to me is in the everyday things.
Romance is when he bathes the child that has just puked everywhere because he knows I'm highly sensitive to smells. It's when he folds the load of laundry that's been sitting on the couch for a couple of days because I've been too busy or tired to get to it. It's when he takes my vehicle in for it's routine checkup so I don't have to haul the children and entertain them while we're sitting forever. It's when he stops by the grocery store the day after I do my "big shopping" because I forgot some major item...like milk. It's when he updates my computer for critical updates (BTW, Microsoft just released like 20 critical ones - you should check it out if you haven't!) because he knows it's tedious to me and I would put it off until I got a trojan and lost every single one of my precious pictures. That is real romance to me. It's not the Hollywood hold-on-to-the-end-of-the-ship-until-it-sinks ending...it's so much more.
So on this Valentine's Day, I'm sending out lots of happy thoughts to you. I hope you have a great day with your sweetie.
And to *my* sweetie, who did the simple act of unloading the dishwasher for me before he went to bed at 2am after a hard days work and then a long night of studying, I'd marry you all over again in a heart beat. Because *THAT* is true romance to me.
I consider myself a fairly simple woman in the grand scheme of things. I don't ask for diamonds or expensive world trips or new cars or even new shoes. Romance to me is showing that you care. That you took some time to think about what I might like, and did it or bought it. Yes, that means that 'service projects' go just as far as something new and shiny off my Amazon gift list. It could be something as simple as a hand-made card or a note telling me why you fell in love with me. It could be a hard-to-find item which I had on my list that took you some planning and forethought. Mopping floors, cleaning the toilets when I'm so pregnant that it hurts to bend down that far and putting the kids to bed are daily romances to me, that my sweetie does over and over again without even thinking about them. So when it comes to a gift giving occasion he seems a little lost sometimes, not knowing what I 'expect'. Big gifts are great, don't get me wrong. I've gotten monitors, printers, fun cooking gadgets, bread makers and massages and those are extremely appreciated. Sure, I'd even love to have a Mother's ring or necklace in the future at some point. But romance to me is in the everyday things.
Romance is when he bathes the child that has just puked everywhere because he knows I'm highly sensitive to smells. It's when he folds the load of laundry that's been sitting on the couch for a couple of days because I've been too busy or tired to get to it. It's when he takes my vehicle in for it's routine checkup so I don't have to haul the children and entertain them while we're sitting forever. It's when he stops by the grocery store the day after I do my "big shopping" because I forgot some major item...like milk. It's when he updates my computer for critical updates (BTW, Microsoft just released like 20 critical ones - you should check it out if you haven't!) because he knows it's tedious to me and I would put it off until I got a trojan and lost every single one of my precious pictures. That is real romance to me. It's not the Hollywood hold-on-to-the-end-of-the-ship-until-it-sinks ending...it's so much more.
So on this Valentine's Day, I'm sending out lots of happy thoughts to you. I hope you have a great day with your sweetie.
And to *my* sweetie, who did the simple act of unloading the dishwasher for me before he went to bed at 2am after a hard days work and then a long night of studying, I'd marry you all over again in a heart beat. Because *THAT* is true romance to me.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Happy Anniversary, Sweetie.
Yes, it's our anniversary today. Thirteen years. THIRTEEN. Wow that makes me sound O-L-D. lol But alas, he married me when I was a young thing so I'm not as old as that sounds. ;)
Anniversaries are a day to reflect on the journey. Dh and I knew each other as teens - he went to my church and I knew who he and his brothers were. I was dating someone at the time and I remember my mother telling me often, "That Rick (DH) really likes you." I brushed her off, thinking she was trying to push me, as all daughters do around that age. He was a friendly guy but as I said, I was dating someone and not looking for anyone else.
I went to a local community college and his brother had been dating my best friend for a while. His brother, Jay, and I ended up in the same horseback riding class and got to know each other well and became pretty good friends. Jay ended up inviting me to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert with his church Singles group and I did what any girl would so - skipped my shorthand class that night and went to the concert. It wasn't technically a "date" as he'd also got a ticket for his brother, Rick, as a birthday present and another friend as well (but I do like to tease him about it).
I hadn't seen Rick in several years. But I remembered him as a rail-skinny, thick glasses, afro hairstyle white boy. I remember standing in the church parking lot, waiting to board the bus when Jay saw someone get out of their car and start to walk over our direction. "Oh, there's my brother - I'm glad he made it in time." I looked at the man coming towards us and said, "That's not your brother!" He said, "Uhhh...yeah." I said, "Your brother, Rick??" He said, "Yeah, why?"
Apparently running had been good to him. He sported contacts and a modern haircut and was all grown up. I was, to say the least, knocked off my feet...and very interested from the moment he appeared. I don't know who started the conversation but we had a great one there and back from the concert (including a great concert, btw). The more I talked to him, the more impressed and intrigued I was. I had been half-heartedly casually dating someone who was really more of a friend than anything and when Rick called to ask me out, I was ecstatic. We had a very romantic first date - he took me down to the riverfront where there are lots of very old shops (most were closed except a few bars and restaurants) and we just walked and talked for hours. I don't have a clue what we discussed that night but the more he talked, the more I wanted to know. It was '92 and he had graduated college the year before and had come back home to help a friend start his business. I was starting my 2nd year of college.
We dated heavily for almost a year when he asked me to marry him. I was headed off to camp for 4 weeks that summer to serve as a counselor. Before I left, we went to see Groundhog Day at the dollar show and then he took me back to the riverfront where we had our first date. We walked and talked for a while and then he sat me down in a beautiful gazebo. The stars were particularly sparkly that night and there was romantic music coming from a nearby Italian restaurant. He instructed me to close my eyes and he appeared with roses and a ring. It was a beautiful proposal and I wouldn't change a thing about it. We decided to get married the following February, giving us both time to know each other better and giving me time to finish up my Associates degree.
Our wedding had it's problems, like they all do. The accompaniment tape for our special music singers started on the wrong side and we had to wait while they rewound and played it in the lower key. The runner for me to walk down the aisle was wound backwards and they had a heck of a time getting it out correctly. The photographer had film issues and only 1 out of every 3 pictures turned out so there are some pics that are totally missed - I don't have pictures of each of my bridesmaids/groomsmen walking down the aisle, etc. At the beginning of the reception, a family friend collapsed and suffered a stroke that brought the event to a stand-still. The emergency crew worked on him for a long time in at the reception until he was stable enough to put in the ambulance but it had taken so long that people started coming up immediately and saying their goodbyes. So all in all, the celebratory reception was about 30-45 minutes long. Does any of that matter? No. I married my sweetheart who still continues to intrigue me after thirteen years.
We had THE BEST honeymoon I could have imagined. He surprised me with a trip to Zion National Park in Utah - absolutely beautiful. We stayed at a charming B&B and since it was February, had the park basically to ourselves. We hiked, we drove to Bryce Canyon, the little visited North Rim of the Grand Canyon, St. George and did more hiking. We saw the ghost town where they filmed part of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It was jacket weather - my absolute favorite. We dream about going back some day and I can't wait for the opportunity.
Thirteen years and almost 4 kids later, he's still my best friend and I'm so lucky to have him. Thanks for the beautiful years sweetie - may the best still be yet to come. :)
Anniversaries are a day to reflect on the journey. Dh and I knew each other as teens - he went to my church and I knew who he and his brothers were. I was dating someone at the time and I remember my mother telling me often, "That Rick (DH) really likes you." I brushed her off, thinking she was trying to push me, as all daughters do around that age. He was a friendly guy but as I said, I was dating someone and not looking for anyone else.
I went to a local community college and his brother had been dating my best friend for a while. His brother, Jay, and I ended up in the same horseback riding class and got to know each other well and became pretty good friends. Jay ended up inviting me to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert with his church Singles group and I did what any girl would so - skipped my shorthand class that night and went to the concert. It wasn't technically a "date" as he'd also got a ticket for his brother, Rick, as a birthday present and another friend as well (but I do like to tease him about it).
I hadn't seen Rick in several years. But I remembered him as a rail-skinny, thick glasses, afro hairstyle white boy. I remember standing in the church parking lot, waiting to board the bus when Jay saw someone get out of their car and start to walk over our direction. "Oh, there's my brother - I'm glad he made it in time." I looked at the man coming towards us and said, "That's not your brother!" He said, "Uhhh...yeah." I said, "Your brother, Rick??" He said, "Yeah, why?"
Apparently running had been good to him. He sported contacts and a modern haircut and was all grown up. I was, to say the least, knocked off my feet...and very interested from the moment he appeared. I don't know who started the conversation but we had a great one there and back from the concert (including a great concert, btw). The more I talked to him, the more impressed and intrigued I was. I had been half-heartedly casually dating someone who was really more of a friend than anything and when Rick called to ask me out, I was ecstatic. We had a very romantic first date - he took me down to the riverfront where there are lots of very old shops (most were closed except a few bars and restaurants) and we just walked and talked for hours. I don't have a clue what we discussed that night but the more he talked, the more I wanted to know. It was '92 and he had graduated college the year before and had come back home to help a friend start his business. I was starting my 2nd year of college.
We dated heavily for almost a year when he asked me to marry him. I was headed off to camp for 4 weeks that summer to serve as a counselor. Before I left, we went to see Groundhog Day at the dollar show and then he took me back to the riverfront where we had our first date. We walked and talked for a while and then he sat me down in a beautiful gazebo. The stars were particularly sparkly that night and there was romantic music coming from a nearby Italian restaurant. He instructed me to close my eyes and he appeared with roses and a ring. It was a beautiful proposal and I wouldn't change a thing about it. We decided to get married the following February, giving us both time to know each other better and giving me time to finish up my Associates degree.
Our wedding had it's problems, like they all do. The accompaniment tape for our special music singers started on the wrong side and we had to wait while they rewound and played it in the lower key. The runner for me to walk down the aisle was wound backwards and they had a heck of a time getting it out correctly. The photographer had film issues and only 1 out of every 3 pictures turned out so there are some pics that are totally missed - I don't have pictures of each of my bridesmaids/groomsmen walking down the aisle, etc. At the beginning of the reception, a family friend collapsed and suffered a stroke that brought the event to a stand-still. The emergency crew worked on him for a long time in at the reception until he was stable enough to put in the ambulance but it had taken so long that people started coming up immediately and saying their goodbyes. So all in all, the celebratory reception was about 30-45 minutes long. Does any of that matter? No. I married my sweetheart who still continues to intrigue me after thirteen years.
We had THE BEST honeymoon I could have imagined. He surprised me with a trip to Zion National Park in Utah - absolutely beautiful. We stayed at a charming B&B and since it was February, had the park basically to ourselves. We hiked, we drove to Bryce Canyon, the little visited North Rim of the Grand Canyon, St. George and did more hiking. We saw the ghost town where they filmed part of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It was jacket weather - my absolute favorite. We dream about going back some day and I can't wait for the opportunity.
Thirteen years and almost 4 kids later, he's still my best friend and I'm so lucky to have him. Thanks for the beautiful years sweetie - may the best still be yet to come. :)
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Learning about being dumb
Updates...
Can you believe we're STILL trying to get over being sick?? I took Rose back to the dr and he said she was just hanging onto her sinus infection and so she got a lonnnng round of antibiotics. Matthew is still coughing some but he's definitely had the most mild version of this one than any of us...hmmm...maybe his germ-a-phobia is a good thing after all. ;) Hubby and I are still getting over the tail end of it too.
In pregnancy news - I failed my GTT (glucose tolerance test) for gestational diabetes. The good news is that my numbers at home look pretty good so I should be able to control it with diet and exercise and not have to use the insulin shots (yay!). Sciatica still plagues me but I'm surviving and with us being sick, we've been around the house anyway so not much running around.
Post for today...
I have a prenatal water aerobics class that I attend twice a week. I posted about this previously but I really adore this form of exercise. It starts late in the evening though (7:45, which is pretty late for tired pg women) and so Hubby gets time alone with the kids on those nights. Last night as Hubby and I were getting ready for bed, he says, "In case it comes up tomorrow, Matthew and I discussed the death penalty tonight." [insert a shocked look from me, followed closely with a i-knew-it-was-coming-i-just-didn't-expect-it-so-soon look] Rose has been a snit the last few days because after we changed her room with Jade's, she hasn't been sleeping at nap time (her new room is west-facing and quite bright in the afternoon sun). And she's still 3yrs old and needs her nap, as evidenced by her behavior the past few days. Apparently Hubby was explaining to Matthew, who had asked, last night why Rose was in trouble. They got on a topic of 'house rules' (this is the biggest area where we differ from die-hard unschoolers, who don't seem to have any house/family rules) and then they broadened that subject to local and gov't laws and the importance of learning to obey rules. Matthew asked what happened when you broke the law and Hubby eventually talked about the death penalty and the various forms of death penalties such as electrocution, hanging and lethal injection. Now the 'old schoolish Laurie' in me thought, "Lovely. Very lovely images to put in his mind, especially just before bed. WHY on earth does a 6yr old need to know specifics? Great kindergarten curriculum. I would have answered his questions in concepts and left details for when he's older." Then suddenly 'unschooling Laurie' thought, "But Matthew wanted to know the details...so why not tell him? We like to answer questions as they come up and we try not sugar coat things." In the end, I agreed with the unschooler and agreed with the way Hubby had answered it. He said they discussed it until Matthew said, "OK Daddy, can we read the story now?" So his curiosity was throughly satisfied and he was bored with the topic and ready to move on.
This got me thinking - perhaps the reason why kids seem to zero in on some concepts/ideas is because it's never fully explained to them. I know that taking your kids to the grocery store is a stressful event...I know it *very* well as I have three children 6yrs and under. You're inundated with "can I have that's" to "oh don't forget I need such-and-such for school/group/etc." and distractions, especially if your grocery list is in your head, aren't fun. So this is probably a bad example but...I have heard so many parents around me in stores who give their kids half-answers or talk to them like the kids should be ashamed they're so stupid.
The other day, a mom was in front of me in line at the checkout at a craft store. Her son, probably no more than 8, was staring at one of those small make-it-yourself kits in his hand with a gleam in his eye of expectation. Innocently he asked, "But Mom, how does it stay together?" Mom, in her hastiness, says, "It just DOES," like he was the dumbest child to ever walk the face of the earth. The gleam suddenly changed to shame and when they got to the checkout, he threw it up on the belt with a look of 'who cares anyway?'. I would imagine that he had absolutely no interest in that project (or possibly any other similar project) from that moment forward.
I know we all have these 'mom moments' when the last thing on earth that we want to do is take a couple minutes to explain that we'll put glue here and here and a wire through here to hook onto this and that's how it will hold together - because, as moms, we know that there are very likely to be more questions following that. "It just DOES," seems a fast simple response when we just don't have time for a ten minute conversation. But watching the gleam of excitement and wonder in his eyes totally disappear in her one response made me really sad for that boy. And I hope I remember his face the next time I feel too rushed for a good answer.
Perhaps a better example...
I never cared much for math in elementary school. I didn't hate it or have a hard time understanding it - I just didn't see much need for it in my life and therefore didn't like doing the work. But when I got to high school and went into my pre-algebra class, I was totally lost. I had absolutely no idea what these abstract X's were. I literally could not wrap my head around it. I remember coming home and asking my mother for help. She has always been a math-a-phobe and directed me to my father. My father didn't have much patience and being an engineer, probably couldn't even fathom how I couldn't understand a simple 2x=14 equation. Nevertheless, I didn't grasp the concept at all. His lack of patience and my getting more frustrated and wanting to give up finally resulted in me standing in the corner, crying over how dumb I was, while my father repeated "if 2x is 14, what is one x?". He might as well have been speaking in a foreign language. While my father obviously wasn't a great teacher, I certainly learned something that night. I learned that I was downright dumb when it came to math. I proceeded to really struggle through every single algebra class through school and even had to repeat Intermediate Algebra in college. I detested anything to do with math and even on concepts that I did understand, I did barely enough to 'keep my mom happy (meaning a grade of C)'. Geometry however, was different. I had a teacher who LOVED her work and it probably helped me tremendously that geometry is visual - I could SEE what she was explaining. I actually ended up loving my geometry class, making an A in it (and actually doing extra credit for FUN), and was sad that I couldn't keep learning that instead of the required dreaded algebra.
Would I like algebra if I'd had a better teacher or understood the concept right away? Who's to say? Maybe, maybe not. But I did 'learn' that I was dumb in algebra and gave up on it that night. I did as little as possible to squeak by and that's probably why I had so much trouble with it in college. I know now that I'm not dumb in math and, if I applied myself, I could get through a college level algebra book fairly easily. But why? It's not like I use it...but that's another post and this one is long enough. ;)
Can you believe we're STILL trying to get over being sick?? I took Rose back to the dr and he said she was just hanging onto her sinus infection and so she got a lonnnng round of antibiotics. Matthew is still coughing some but he's definitely had the most mild version of this one than any of us...hmmm...maybe his germ-a-phobia is a good thing after all. ;) Hubby and I are still getting over the tail end of it too.
In pregnancy news - I failed my GTT (glucose tolerance test) for gestational diabetes. The good news is that my numbers at home look pretty good so I should be able to control it with diet and exercise and not have to use the insulin shots (yay!). Sciatica still plagues me but I'm surviving and with us being sick, we've been around the house anyway so not much running around.
Post for today...
I have a prenatal water aerobics class that I attend twice a week. I posted about this previously but I really adore this form of exercise. It starts late in the evening though (7:45, which is pretty late for tired pg women) and so Hubby gets time alone with the kids on those nights. Last night as Hubby and I were getting ready for bed, he says, "In case it comes up tomorrow, Matthew and I discussed the death penalty tonight." [insert a shocked look from me, followed closely with a i-knew-it-was-coming-i-just-didn't-expect-it-so-soon look] Rose has been a snit the last few days because after we changed her room with Jade's, she hasn't been sleeping at nap time (her new room is west-facing and quite bright in the afternoon sun). And she's still 3yrs old and needs her nap, as evidenced by her behavior the past few days. Apparently Hubby was explaining to Matthew, who had asked, last night why Rose was in trouble. They got on a topic of 'house rules' (this is the biggest area where we differ from die-hard unschoolers, who don't seem to have any house/family rules) and then they broadened that subject to local and gov't laws and the importance of learning to obey rules. Matthew asked what happened when you broke the law and Hubby eventually talked about the death penalty and the various forms of death penalties such as electrocution, hanging and lethal injection. Now the 'old schoolish Laurie' in me thought, "Lovely. Very lovely images to put in his mind, especially just before bed. WHY on earth does a 6yr old need to know specifics? Great kindergarten curriculum. I would have answered his questions in concepts and left details for when he's older." Then suddenly 'unschooling Laurie' thought, "But Matthew wanted to know the details...so why not tell him? We like to answer questions as they come up and we try not sugar coat things." In the end, I agreed with the unschooler and agreed with the way Hubby had answered it. He said they discussed it until Matthew said, "OK Daddy, can we read the story now?" So his curiosity was throughly satisfied and he was bored with the topic and ready to move on.
This got me thinking - perhaps the reason why kids seem to zero in on some concepts/ideas is because it's never fully explained to them. I know that taking your kids to the grocery store is a stressful event...I know it *very* well as I have three children 6yrs and under. You're inundated with "can I have that's" to "oh don't forget I need such-and-such for school/group/etc." and distractions, especially if your grocery list is in your head, aren't fun. So this is probably a bad example but...I have heard so many parents around me in stores who give their kids half-answers or talk to them like the kids should be ashamed they're so stupid.
The other day, a mom was in front of me in line at the checkout at a craft store. Her son, probably no more than 8, was staring at one of those small make-it-yourself kits in his hand with a gleam in his eye of expectation. Innocently he asked, "But Mom, how does it stay together?" Mom, in her hastiness, says, "It just DOES," like he was the dumbest child to ever walk the face of the earth. The gleam suddenly changed to shame and when they got to the checkout, he threw it up on the belt with a look of 'who cares anyway?'. I would imagine that he had absolutely no interest in that project (or possibly any other similar project) from that moment forward.
I know we all have these 'mom moments' when the last thing on earth that we want to do is take a couple minutes to explain that we'll put glue here and here and a wire through here to hook onto this and that's how it will hold together - because, as moms, we know that there are very likely to be more questions following that. "It just DOES," seems a fast simple response when we just don't have time for a ten minute conversation. But watching the gleam of excitement and wonder in his eyes totally disappear in her one response made me really sad for that boy. And I hope I remember his face the next time I feel too rushed for a good answer.
Perhaps a better example...
I never cared much for math in elementary school. I didn't hate it or have a hard time understanding it - I just didn't see much need for it in my life and therefore didn't like doing the work. But when I got to high school and went into my pre-algebra class, I was totally lost. I had absolutely no idea what these abstract X's were. I literally could not wrap my head around it. I remember coming home and asking my mother for help. She has always been a math-a-phobe and directed me to my father. My father didn't have much patience and being an engineer, probably couldn't even fathom how I couldn't understand a simple 2x=14 equation. Nevertheless, I didn't grasp the concept at all. His lack of patience and my getting more frustrated and wanting to give up finally resulted in me standing in the corner, crying over how dumb I was, while my father repeated "if 2x is 14, what is one x?". He might as well have been speaking in a foreign language. While my father obviously wasn't a great teacher, I certainly learned something that night. I learned that I was downright dumb when it came to math. I proceeded to really struggle through every single algebra class through school and even had to repeat Intermediate Algebra in college. I detested anything to do with math and even on concepts that I did understand, I did barely enough to 'keep my mom happy (meaning a grade of C)'. Geometry however, was different. I had a teacher who LOVED her work and it probably helped me tremendously that geometry is visual - I could SEE what she was explaining. I actually ended up loving my geometry class, making an A in it (and actually doing extra credit for FUN), and was sad that I couldn't keep learning that instead of the required dreaded algebra.
Would I like algebra if I'd had a better teacher or understood the concept right away? Who's to say? Maybe, maybe not. But I did 'learn' that I was dumb in algebra and gave up on it that night. I did as little as possible to squeak by and that's probably why I had so much trouble with it in college. I know now that I'm not dumb in math and, if I applied myself, I could get through a college level algebra book fairly easily. But why? It's not like I use it...but that's another post and this one is long enough. ;)
Sunday, February 04, 2007
The cost of learning
The price of new curtains for your daughter's bay window: $60 on sale
Money saved by purchasing fabric and making them yourself: $43
Having had a mother who taught you the basic skills of sewing at an early age: Priceless
(Thanks, Mom!)
Money saved by purchasing fabric and making them yourself: $43
Having had a mother who taught you the basic skills of sewing at an early age: Priceless
(Thanks, Mom!)
Thursday, February 01, 2007
I have a teenager
Matthew: "Mommy, can I play on the computer?"
me: "Well, I'm in the middle of something right now. Can you give me about 10 minutes?"
Matthew: "I just want to see how many hits my lego site has gotten today."
me: "Well, I'm in the middle of something right now. Can you give me about 10 minutes?"
Matthew: "I just want to see how many hits my lego site has gotten today."
Great unschooling article
A great article about unschooling that was passed around my list this morning:
http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070128/FEATURES01/701280371
My kids and I were just discussing this yesterday (and I hadn't read the article so it was unrelated). Where DO carrots come from? Rose remembered Hubby's garden from the last few years and piped up, “you put seeds in the ground”. Thinking about that myself brought up my own question – “OK, but where do the seeds come from? When the carrots are harvested, they don’t have seeds on them.” I had to look it up. ;)
The answer, in case I’ve piqued your interest (and you got as *great* an education as I did in school [wink,wink]):
As I was reading the article this morning, this quote struck me - "If they're focused on one area, the child may know everything about gardening but won't know multiplication tables." I literally laughed out loud. How ludicrous to think that you can learn *anything* about gardening and it not turn into a math and numbers game!! LOL Just shows how flat and stagnant the education system has become in their thoughts. Same with this quote - "My 11-year-old, given his druthers, would never do spelling and always do math." At the very least, if he loves math THAT much, some day he will have to learn to read and therefore, spell, in order to learn more math. It's just amazing that people don't see it. What can we do to explain this better to people??
http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070128/FEATURES01/701280371
My kids and I were just discussing this yesterday (and I hadn't read the article so it was unrelated). Where DO carrots come from? Rose remembered Hubby's garden from the last few years and piped up, “you put seeds in the ground”. Thinking about that myself brought up my own question – “OK, but where do the seeds come from? When the carrots are harvested, they don’t have seeds on them.” I had to look it up. ;)
The answer, in case I’ve piqued your interest (and you got as *great* an education as I did in school [wink,wink]):
Most of us never get a chance to see carrot seeds, however, because the plant is usually pulled out of the ground before it produces them. We harvest carrots in their first year so we can eat the tasty orange root, but carrots are biennials—they produce seeds in their second year.
As I was reading the article this morning, this quote struck me - "If they're focused on one area, the child may know everything about gardening but won't know multiplication tables." I literally laughed out loud. How ludicrous to think that you can learn *anything* about gardening and it not turn into a math and numbers game!! LOL Just shows how flat and stagnant the education system has become in their thoughts. Same with this quote - "My 11-year-old, given his druthers, would never do spelling and always do math." At the very least, if he loves math THAT much, some day he will have to learn to read and therefore, spell, in order to learn more math. It's just amazing that people don't see it. What can we do to explain this better to people??
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Little House on the Prairie
Back when Rose was born (almost 4 yrs ago), my mom bought a set of the original Little House books as a sentimental foreshadowing of things to come with having a daughter as well as a son. Matthew is now an avid reader at 6yrs and last night he picked up Little House in the Big Woods, opened it to his "bookmark" (cleverly disguised as an empty ziploc bag...don't ask) and asked me to read that chapter as his bedtime story. I was a little surprised that he was about 3/4 of the way through something I deemed a "girly book" but started reading. I wondered, for a moment, if he was pulling my leg - I mean, come on - a ziploc bag for a bookmark?? But I started reading.
Somewhere along the line, Pa was taking the family into town and they got the first glimpse of the store. Matthew gets all excited, explaining the back history of the excitement of the traders shop and that was where Pa bought calico so Ma could make dresses for the girls..."blue for Mary and red for Laura". (Heh - doubting Mom is no more)
After I finished the chapter, we're laying there snuggling when I tell him that someone wrote a series about some of Laura's ancestors, called The Charlotte Years and The Martha Years. He informs me that the ones he's reading are called The Laura Years. I let it 'slip' that I kinda *know* the lady too - I read her blog and...she HOMESCHOOLS too. I can't even begin to describe how incredibly impressed he was with that and how he immediately started wondering if Borders at the mall has them so we can buy them. ROFL So I guess Melissa Wiley has a new fan (or two). ;) Check out one of her blogs, The Lilting House.
Somewhere along the line, Pa was taking the family into town and they got the first glimpse of the store. Matthew gets all excited, explaining the back history of the excitement of the traders shop and that was where Pa bought calico so Ma could make dresses for the girls..."blue for Mary and red for Laura". (Heh - doubting Mom is no more)
After I finished the chapter, we're laying there snuggling when I tell him that someone wrote a series about some of Laura's ancestors, called The Charlotte Years and The Martha Years. He informs me that the ones he's reading are called The Laura Years. I let it 'slip' that I kinda *know* the lady too - I read her blog and...she HOMESCHOOLS too. I can't even begin to describe how incredibly impressed he was with that and how he immediately started wondering if Borders at the mall has them so we can buy them. ROFL So I guess Melissa Wiley has a new fan (or two). ;) Check out one of her blogs, The Lilting House.
Welcome!
Glad you followed me over to the new site! Now hopefully I can blog more regularly without having to pull my hair out. ;)
Friday, January 26, 2007
Death warmed over must feel like this
On top of stalling to go to bed last night (because I knew the minute I laid down, the battle of breathing would be over and it would win), and on top of having a horrible night of up and down and coughing and sneezing and trying to breathe and let's not forget the pregnancy related bathroom trips during the 3rd trimester....on top of ALL of that, Rose apparently was having a horrid night too and ended up on our floor...grinding her teeth as loudly as she could. She also couldn't breathe very well so each inhale was a whistley mucusy sound followed by loudly grinding teeth.
Those sounds were *not* fun to try to sleep to...when I actually could sleep.
However, being sick has had a very small advantage. I finished a bag I've been working on! My friend's SIL made a knitted one for her similar to this and I fell in love with it. So I improvised a similar pattern in crochet and voila... here it is...
Those sounds were *not* fun to try to sleep to...when I actually could sleep.
However, being sick has had a very small advantage. I finished a bag I've been working on! My friend's SIL made a knitted one for her similar to this and I fell in love with it. So I improvised a similar pattern in crochet and voila... here it is...
It's the first bag I've ever crocheted and I'm quite proud of the results. :) I made it extra big so it can serve as a diaper bag come April. Now, make me feel good (if that's possible) and tell me how pretty it is. 
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Sick. sick. sick
Yep, that's us. SICK. I don't know what it is (cough, cough) but the girls tested negative for flu and strep (ouch my throat hurts) but we've all had fevers (Rose's was 103F for two days and that was ON Tylenol and Motrin). (sneeze, sniffle, cough, sniffle) My fever appeared last night. Why, you ask? Well, it could be because when you're pregnant, your immune system is a little repressed - which is great for the MS but totally bad for these pesky colds and sinus stuff that goes around every winter that I'm already susceptible to. (wheeze, cough, sneeze, cough, cough, cough) Or, it could be that when your kids are almost-two and almost-four and they're sick (sneeze, sniffle, sniffle, blow), they have this NEED to LAY ALL OVER YOU and wipe their faces all over you and make you miserable just as they are starting to feel better and get their energy back. (cough, cough, sneeze, sniffle, ouch my poor throat) So I'm going downhill fast and they're doing pretty good at this point, after a week of being pretty darned sick. Though the girls are still coughing and sniffling, their fevers are gone and they're playing and *trying* to run around (cough, cough) though when they do, it just makes them cough like they have TB so I'm doing my best in my fever-induced state (sneeze, sniffle, wheeze, wheeze, cough) to keep them doing quiet activities.
I give up (cough, cough, ouch)... I'm just going to hang a big black flag on the porch indicating that the plague is here. And then I'm going back to bed (sneeze, sneeze). Oh wait - that's in my MIND - I can be sick in bed in my MIND because I have lunch to prepare and kids to get down for nap...ahhhh...nap....nap... can I (cough) make (sneeze) it? (cough, cough, ouch)
I give up (cough, cough, ouch)... I'm just going to hang a big black flag on the porch indicating that the plague is here. And then I'm going back to bed (sneeze, sneeze). Oh wait - that's in my MIND - I can be sick in bed in my MIND because I have lunch to prepare and kids to get down for nap...ahhhh...nap....nap... can I (cough) make (sneeze) it? (cough, cough, ouch)
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
I'm a huge, tired, aching pg woman...emphasis on huge!
28 weeks. Technically *just* in the third trimester. I still have 12 good weeks left before my due date. And...well....just LOOK at me!!!! I know you're supposed to get larger with each pgcy but I have TWELVE weeks left to go. This is just plain RIDICULOUS. According to handy-dandy babycenter.com, my baby only weighs TWO pounds. TWO. Can you imagine what 5-6 more pounds is gonna look like here??? No wonder I have to go see a physical therapist to tape my back up for support - I mean, just LOOK at me!!!
Here I am, in all my pregnant glory (please forgive the deer-in-the-headlights-look), the morning I delivered Rose (pgcy #2). See the hospital bed in the background??
And here I am at 28 weeks on this pgcy (#4)...same sweater, no tricks (sorry about the angle - I had to use the tripod and run in two seconds for the self-timer..teehee). No sticking my tummy out or bending funny, and I'm very nearly the same weight I was at this time in the other pgcy. This is me. Now. HUGE.
Now please, somebody...ANYBODY...tell me it's not twins ok??
I just got back from my 28 week checkup with my OB. Everything looks fine...thyroid, blood count, etc. And I've actually gained weight - shock!! I typically lose weight when pg - LOTS of weight. First two pgcys I lost 60lbs and the last one I lost 30. Today I was only 1lb under my starting weight so I *guess* that's good. But here's where the shoe dropped...the gestational diabetes test. It was supposed to be under 140 and my level was 194. She wanted to send me for the 3hr but that 3 hour makes me sick for 3 days so I asked if I could just start monitoring at home instead (since I already have the stuff). She agreed.
Soooo...everyone keep the prayers coming that I can control it with diet and exercise please! I certainly don't want shots. 'Course that would get me ready for my MS shots after delivery I guess. lol I'm just a mess anyway you look at it. ;)
Here I am, in all my pregnant glory (please forgive the deer-in-the-headlights-look), the morning I delivered Rose (pgcy #2). See the hospital bed in the background??
And here I am at 28 weeks on this pgcy (#4)...same sweater, no tricks (sorry about the angle - I had to use the tripod and run in two seconds for the self-timer..teehee). No sticking my tummy out or bending funny, and I'm very nearly the same weight I was at this time in the other pgcy. This is me. Now. HUGE.
Now please, somebody...ANYBODY...tell me it's not twins ok??
I just got back from my 28 week checkup with my OB. Everything looks fine...thyroid, blood count, etc. And I've actually gained weight - shock!! I typically lose weight when pg - LOTS of weight. First two pgcys I lost 60lbs and the last one I lost 30. Today I was only 1lb under my starting weight so I *guess* that's good. But here's where the shoe dropped...the gestational diabetes test. It was supposed to be under 140 and my level was 194. She wanted to send me for the 3hr but that 3 hour makes me sick for 3 days so I asked if I could just start monitoring at home instead (since I already have the stuff). She agreed.
Soooo...everyone keep the prayers coming that I can control it with diet and exercise please! I certainly don't want shots. 'Course that would get me ready for my MS shots after delivery I guess. lol I'm just a mess anyway you look at it. ;)
Monday, January 22, 2007
More Math
It seems that every unschooling post I've come across in the last week (and even my message boards) have people wondering about math. Apparently after you get the "But homeschoolers need to be SOCIALIZED" argument and the "You don't have a CURRICULUM??" argument, the next question is about math. It appears that no one on the face of the planet (or that I know, which is just about that many people) thinks that kids will learn math if they're not FORCED to learn it. Well, I'm here to prove them wrong (hang on a second, Matthew wants to give me the low-down on his Justice League book). ;)
OK, book report finished. On to math.
When people find out that I homeschool, they ask how long I'm going to do it. I respond, "I'd like to do it through high school but we'll see if that's what they want," and they say something that basically translated means, 'well, you must be a genius because I couldn't EVER teach my kids higher math and science!" - Quite frankly, I'm not sure I can either! But there are groups - there are co-ops from parents who actually liked math and science (some were teachers too!) who will teach these things to high school aged kids in a relaxed style...or be available for questions if that's all the kids want. And my husband loves math and science too and is eagerly already planning microscope purchases.
How does everyone start their preschoolers out with math? They start by looking at numbers, learning their names, counting and adding small things together. Then they send them to school for "higher math" - you know those complicated multiplication and division rules...and please let's not even DISCUSS algebra. So what happens after simple addition? They move on to double and three digit addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. According to http://www.achievementtech.com/go/alignments-and-correlations/states/a---m/missouri/missouri-grade-level-expectations division is first introduced at grade 3 (Math A chart on that site).
"Using Multiplication and Division: Lesson 1 – Basic Multiplication Facts
Using Multiplication and Division: Lesson 2 – Basic Division Facts"
Do I feel confident that math and science won't get too hard until at least 3rd grade? Hmm... well...
Matthew would be in kindergarten this year if he were attending PS (public school). This weekend, he asked me if he could have some of his Christmas candy. After I recovered from the shock that THERE WAS ANY LEFT by mid January, I told him yes. He comes downstairs with a baggie of chocolate covered nuts and asks how many he can have. I asked him how many there were.
Matthew: "Five."
Spotting an opportunity, I responded, "You may have half of what's there."
He immediately says, "What's that, like 4 or 5?" without thinking, as most any child would do.
I said, "You may have half."
He looks at the bag and quickly looks up at me: "But Mommy, there's only 3 and 2 - I can't make it half."
So I made the two piles of two and had the last one sitting by itself.
I said, "OK Matthew, now - you have two equal piles. How do you put this other one in the piles to make them even?"
At this moment, Rose walked into the room behind me. His eyes light up and he says brightly, "You give one to your little sister!!" Enthusiastically said because he 'knew' he had the 'right' answer, of course. ;)
With a chuckle, I told him that was one way to do it but what if we didn't do that - how could we make two equal piles? He thought about it for a bit before giving up. I explained that we could cut it in half and watched the light bulb in his mind flicker on. In the end however, he decided on an apple instead because "it's healthier anyway".
Real. Life. Learning. No forcing him to learn math. He had a question...he needed an answer...we spent 5 minutes on it and moved on. But I'm certain that the five minute lesson will be brought up again soon. He was already halfway there, realizing that 3 and 2 were the closest to 'half' of 5 that he could get.
This is how learning occurs in our house. As it comes up. As we live our lives. Math is easy...it's everywhere. Science is everywhere. Now the names of dead presidents and their dates in office...that's a little different. ;)
OK, book report finished. On to math.
When people find out that I homeschool, they ask how long I'm going to do it. I respond, "I'd like to do it through high school but we'll see if that's what they want," and they say something that basically translated means, 'well, you must be a genius because I couldn't EVER teach my kids higher math and science!" - Quite frankly, I'm not sure I can either! But there are groups - there are co-ops from parents who actually liked math and science (some were teachers too!) who will teach these things to high school aged kids in a relaxed style...or be available for questions if that's all the kids want. And my husband loves math and science too and is eagerly already planning microscope purchases.
How does everyone start their preschoolers out with math? They start by looking at numbers, learning their names, counting and adding small things together. Then they send them to school for "higher math" - you know those complicated multiplication and division rules...and please let's not even DISCUSS algebra. So what happens after simple addition? They move on to double and three digit addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. According to http://www.achievementtech.com/go/alignments-and-correlations/states/a---m/missouri/missouri-grade-level-expectations division is first introduced at grade 3 (Math A chart on that site).
"Using Multiplication and Division: Lesson 1 – Basic Multiplication Facts
Using Multiplication and Division: Lesson 2 – Basic Division Facts"
Do I feel confident that math and science won't get too hard until at least 3rd grade? Hmm... well...
Matthew would be in kindergarten this year if he were attending PS (public school). This weekend, he asked me if he could have some of his Christmas candy. After I recovered from the shock that THERE WAS ANY LEFT by mid January, I told him yes. He comes downstairs with a baggie of chocolate covered nuts and asks how many he can have. I asked him how many there were.
Matthew: "Five."
Spotting an opportunity, I responded, "You may have half of what's there."
He immediately says, "What's that, like 4 or 5?" without thinking, as most any child would do.
I said, "You may have half."
He looks at the bag and quickly looks up at me: "But Mommy, there's only 3 and 2 - I can't make it half."
So I made the two piles of two and had the last one sitting by itself.
I said, "OK Matthew, now - you have two equal piles. How do you put this other one in the piles to make them even?"
At this moment, Rose walked into the room behind me. His eyes light up and he says brightly, "You give one to your little sister!!" Enthusiastically said because he 'knew' he had the 'right' answer, of course. ;)
With a chuckle, I told him that was one way to do it but what if we didn't do that - how could we make two equal piles? He thought about it for a bit before giving up. I explained that we could cut it in half and watched the light bulb in his mind flicker on. In the end however, he decided on an apple instead because "it's healthier anyway".
Real. Life. Learning. No forcing him to learn math. He had a question...he needed an answer...we spent 5 minutes on it and moved on. But I'm certain that the five minute lesson will be brought up again soon. He was already halfway there, realizing that 3 and 2 were the closest to 'half' of 5 that he could get.
This is how learning occurs in our house. As it comes up. As we live our lives. Math is easy...it's everywhere. Science is everywhere. Now the names of dead presidents and their dates in office...that's a little different. ;)
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Bed issues again
I posted last week about the fact that we need to move Jade out of the crib for the new baby. So we need to put together a game plan for how to do it and which beds would be for which person. Matthew was very stern on the fact that he didn't want to change his bed so I was trying to get Rose to use the unused futon for a while so Jade could have Rose's railed bed. Rose wasn't too happy with this either and ended up in tears.
We talked about it again today. I unfolded the futon so Rose could see how big it was and, surprisingly, she was happy to try it, as long as I got her a rail for the one side so she doesn't fall out. ;) But then she wanted to move her toys and sound machine into Jade's room. And as I sat there trying to explain that this was Jade's room, I realized Rose is the oldest girl - she should get some privilege. Plus them switching rooms accomplishes some good things...one...Jade's current room is the biggest - it's also the coldest in winter and warmest in summer. Rose can pull up more blankets when she's cold...Jade doesn't do that yet. And Rose's room is the warmest in winter so that works out. I told her we wouldn't be doing any painting so she'd have to live with the light green walls and give up her purple butterflies and she was OK with that too. The closet is smaller but until she's a preteen I doubt she'll notice.
And Jade's current room is the one they'll eventually share so that works too. The only kink I can think of is that Jade has discovered how to do the L shaped door handles now so we'll have to switch her handle to the knob and put a childproof knob on it. And the gate doesn't go past that room so we'll have to be diligent about it since she's only *just* gotten the guts to go down the stairs by herself. Other than that, I think it'll work out better than what I was thinking and bonus - no beds have to be moved around!
So it looks like we'll be changing the girls rooms around, which I forsee as a major theme in our lives for the next 15-20 years or so. ;)
When will I learn to stop trying to over think things and just ASK THE KIDS???
We talked about it again today. I unfolded the futon so Rose could see how big it was and, surprisingly, she was happy to try it, as long as I got her a rail for the one side so she doesn't fall out. ;) But then she wanted to move her toys and sound machine into Jade's room. And as I sat there trying to explain that this was Jade's room, I realized Rose is the oldest girl - she should get some privilege. Plus them switching rooms accomplishes some good things...one...Jade's current room is the biggest - it's also the coldest in winter and warmest in summer. Rose can pull up more blankets when she's cold...Jade doesn't do that yet. And Rose's room is the warmest in winter so that works out. I told her we wouldn't be doing any painting so she'd have to live with the light green walls and give up her purple butterflies and she was OK with that too. The closet is smaller but until she's a preteen I doubt she'll notice.
And Jade's current room is the one they'll eventually share so that works too. The only kink I can think of is that Jade has discovered how to do the L shaped door handles now so we'll have to switch her handle to the knob and put a childproof knob on it. And the gate doesn't go past that room so we'll have to be diligent about it since she's only *just* gotten the guts to go down the stairs by herself. Other than that, I think it'll work out better than what I was thinking and bonus - no beds have to be moved around! So it looks like we'll be changing the girls rooms around, which I forsee as a major theme in our lives for the next 15-20 years or so. ;)
When will I learn to stop trying to over think things and just ASK THE KIDS???
Monday, January 15, 2007
Great News!
It rained all night and rained off all the ice!! So when the winds pick up today, there should be minimal additional power outages. I think we made it through with no power loss! :)
My kids are so sweet to each other. I remember, even when my brother (3 years older than me, almost to the day) and I were this age, we didn't like each other one bit. 'Course my friend who believes in astrology says that it's because we're both bull-headed Tauruses. lol Perhaps it was our personalities. Perhaps it was the age difference. Perhaps it was that he was a middle child and I was the only girl and he perceived that I was doted on. I don't know. But we never ever got along. If I knew he wanted the last of a certain cereal, I'd take it just to spite him...and vice versa. When we got older, we would have fights - the kind that included nails and teeth. Very rarely (and I do mean VERY rarely), we would get along for 5 seconds. I remember playing with stuffed animals a few times. I remember him trying to teach me to draw (what a waste of his time because I have neither the talent nor interest! LOL). And maybe even a bike ride once or twice.
But my kids are very sweet to each other. I don't know what caused it but I'm so incredibly blessed to get to watch it and participate in it. I think it heals some part of my inner child to see them be so sweet to each other. Some recent conversations (that I had NO part in, other than listening)...
Rose: Matthew, I got a bowl for you for your cereal.
Matthew: Oh thanks! Thanks, Rose, for leaving me the Spiderman cup!
Rose: You're welcome. Matthew, can you please get me a spoon?
Matthew: Sure, and I'll even get you an ADULT spoon!!
Rose: Yay! I like adult spoons!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matthew: Mommy, will you put a pony tail in Jade's hair?
(this is the same kid who put me through 5 months of pouting about gymnastics [but not totally refusing to go] because, I find out at the end of 5 months, that he doesn't like his teacher because she wears ponytails!!!!!!!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matthew: Rose, remember we're playing '5 o'clock crazy hour' now! Chase me!!
(I think someone's been lurking on my blog...hmmmm)
My kids are so sweet to each other. I remember, even when my brother (3 years older than me, almost to the day) and I were this age, we didn't like each other one bit. 'Course my friend who believes in astrology says that it's because we're both bull-headed Tauruses. lol Perhaps it was our personalities. Perhaps it was the age difference. Perhaps it was that he was a middle child and I was the only girl and he perceived that I was doted on. I don't know. But we never ever got along. If I knew he wanted the last of a certain cereal, I'd take it just to spite him...and vice versa. When we got older, we would have fights - the kind that included nails and teeth. Very rarely (and I do mean VERY rarely), we would get along for 5 seconds. I remember playing with stuffed animals a few times. I remember him trying to teach me to draw (what a waste of his time because I have neither the talent nor interest! LOL). And maybe even a bike ride once or twice.
But my kids are very sweet to each other. I don't know what caused it but I'm so incredibly blessed to get to watch it and participate in it. I think it heals some part of my inner child to see them be so sweet to each other. Some recent conversations (that I had NO part in, other than listening)...
Rose: Matthew, I got a bowl for you for your cereal.
Matthew: Oh thanks! Thanks, Rose, for leaving me the Spiderman cup!
Rose: You're welcome. Matthew, can you please get me a spoon?
Matthew: Sure, and I'll even get you an ADULT spoon!!
Rose: Yay! I like adult spoons!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matthew: Mommy, will you put a pony tail in Jade's hair?
(this is the same kid who put me through 5 months of pouting about gymnastics [but not totally refusing to go] because, I find out at the end of 5 months, that he doesn't like his teacher because she wears ponytails!!!!!!!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matthew: Rose, remember we're playing '5 o'clock crazy hour' now! Chase me!!
(I think someone's been lurking on my blog...hmmmm)
Sunday, January 14, 2007
The Power is in me!
Well....in my house anyway. ;) I am not one of the almost 6,000 without power in my zip code, thankfully! We are in a newer subdivision and our power lines are buried. And the main road we tie into redid their power lines a few years ago when they expanded the road so they're up higher. Maybe we have a chance yet...but there are several sections of the main road that are near wooded areas so we'll see. My best friend has been out of power since Friday at midnight. Fortunately they have a log fireplace and all slept in the living room and say they're pretty warm. And apparently, there IS a use for those old BOARD GAMES after all! LOL
I do worry a lot about MIL and FIL's house. They're deep in wooded country and with Nana (MILs mom) on hospice care in their home, if their power goes out, she has to be sent to a medical facility - which she vehemently does not want to go to. But there really is no other choice. So I'd rather our power go out than theirs. At least we're all well for once (knock on wood)....man, I just jinxed us, didn't I?
In other news - did you hear our GREAT StL news?? Two missing boys on AMBER alert (including one boy, Shawn, who's been missing for over FOUR years) were found and returned this week!! It's been a fabulous high and when Hubby stopped at a couple stores on his way home Friday night, that's all people were discussing around him. It's been a very hopeful and uplifting story for us all in St. Louis and we're so happy that they've been found. Shawn's case was so very highly publicized that even I (who watched mostly PBS at the time) knew a lot about it and have worried and prayed for him for these long 4+ years. Though I admit - I didn't expect a happy ending, if any ending at all. These are the stories that, as a parent, make you cry for days and weeks - knowing how fortunate you are at the same time your heart breaking for the family involved. You wonder how in the world they ever decided to even keep breathing in and out after a point. And to have their son returned after all this time! The joy in me (and in all St. Louisans) for them is just simply overwhelming. Please send continued prayers for the boys and their families that they can work through their experiences, move past them and return to a somewhat normal life. For more details, check out one of our news channels: http://www.ksdk.com/
So until the ice onslaught ends, I'll be working on a new crochet project. I'm adapting a bag pattern into a diaper bag and using some neat elf eyelash yarn with wool and will felt it when done. I hope it turns out as cute as my friends bag!! :)
I do worry a lot about MIL and FIL's house. They're deep in wooded country and with Nana (MILs mom) on hospice care in their home, if their power goes out, she has to be sent to a medical facility - which she vehemently does not want to go to. But there really is no other choice. So I'd rather our power go out than theirs. At least we're all well for once (knock on wood)....man, I just jinxed us, didn't I?
In other news - did you hear our GREAT StL news?? Two missing boys on AMBER alert (including one boy, Shawn, who's been missing for over FOUR years) were found and returned this week!! It's been a fabulous high and when Hubby stopped at a couple stores on his way home Friday night, that's all people were discussing around him. It's been a very hopeful and uplifting story for us all in St. Louis and we're so happy that they've been found. Shawn's case was so very highly publicized that even I (who watched mostly PBS at the time) knew a lot about it and have worried and prayed for him for these long 4+ years. Though I admit - I didn't expect a happy ending, if any ending at all. These are the stories that, as a parent, make you cry for days and weeks - knowing how fortunate you are at the same time your heart breaking for the family involved. You wonder how in the world they ever decided to even keep breathing in and out after a point. And to have their son returned after all this time! The joy in me (and in all St. Louisans) for them is just simply overwhelming. Please send continued prayers for the boys and their families that they can work through their experiences, move past them and return to a somewhat normal life. For more details, check out one of our news channels: http://www.ksdk.com/
So until the ice onslaught ends, I'll be working on a new crochet project. I'm adapting a bag pattern into a diaper bag and using some neat elf eyelash yarn with wool and will felt it when done. I hope it turns out as cute as my friends bag!! :)
Saturday, January 13, 2007
The Ice Man Cometh, Part 1
The ice storm hit last night. Apparently our county was one that got the brunt of the storm. I wanted to post some pictures of it currently. This is part 1. Part 2 starts tonight and we're expected to have heavy ice with thunder (meaning extra heavy) and then part 3 again tomorrow, finally turning to snow on Monday. There are 100,000 customers without power right now so I'm praying ours stays on. But with the added wind and ice coming tonight, I'm not incredibly hopeful. I need to collect flashlights, blankets, candles, batteries, etc. just in case.
The ice on the trees *is* awfully pretty to look at though. ;)
Rose's tree:
Also, last week was National De-lurking Week. Soooo...knowing that I *do* have a program that tracks visitors to my site daily, I know there are lots more of you than are leaving comments. Sometimes I find myself lurking when I don't know what to say. So, if you're lurking around here, please - tell me what you think of ice. Do you like to chew on it? Do you like to look at it on trees when you don't have to drive on it? Do you live somewhere so hot that you've never seen an ice-covered tree? Do you live somewhere so cold that you could barely stand to hear me say that it was beautiful? Come on, de-lurk and leave a comment! It just might bring a little warmth to me on this very cold day. ;)
The ice on the trees *is* awfully pretty to look at though. ;)
Rose's tree:
Also, last week was National De-lurking Week. Soooo...knowing that I *do* have a program that tracks visitors to my site daily, I know there are lots more of you than are leaving comments. Sometimes I find myself lurking when I don't know what to say. So, if you're lurking around here, please - tell me what you think of ice. Do you like to chew on it? Do you like to look at it on trees when you don't have to drive on it? Do you live somewhere so hot that you've never seen an ice-covered tree? Do you live somewhere so cold that you could barely stand to hear me say that it was beautiful? Come on, de-lurk and leave a comment! It just might bring a little warmth to me on this very cold day. ;)
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Comet!!
The brightest comet in the next 30 years is visiting us right now. In the night sky, just after sunset, locate Venus - one of the earliest stars to come up (due west). Place your hand up (fingers pointed straight up) and put Venus on the left side of palm. The comet should be on the right side - should look like a fuzzy star but a nice long tail - if you have binoculars or telescope, this is the night to get them out! :)
Wish I knew how to set up Hubby's telescope.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/01/08/surprisecomet_spa.html?category=space&guid=20070108163030
The important thing here is do it TONIGHT. You may not be able to see it after the 12th.Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Venting and Learning
Venting and Learning
Did you know there are still people around (in nice homes, no less - I'm not talking about the junky trailer court) who still have their Cmas lights UP and LIT?? Many of them still have them up (why? I have no idea - it's not like it's been COLD or RAINY like it should be - it's been really nice weather) but many many of them still have them turned ON.Now I'm usually one to prolong the Cmas season in my house. But the only thing I did to the outside this year was the wreath on my door so I figured I wouldn't drive anyone crazy. I typically leave it up a week after New Years at the very most, and usually more like New Years weekend. But this year, I've been in the Cmas mood since Halloween. I'm not sure why. Is it me trying to speed up the pregnancy? Can't tell ya. But I was definitely ready to get the decorations down, which again, is unlike me. Hubby was doing bills the other night and said, "Ha. Ha. Ha. $55 for electric - I bet all our Cmas light neighbors don't have that nice of a bill this year!" lol Of course, they also didn't have to deal with kids asking WHY we don't have lights up. There is a trade-off for everything, eh? But alas, we're a family of almost 6 living on a single income. We try to cut corners wherever possible and you don't actually see YOUR lights all that much. So...we don't do lights outside.
OK people, listen up - TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS and take them down in this nice 60 degree weather before Father Winter DOES set in with the freezing rain and snow expected this weekend. ;) Enough said. They've been warned.
In other news, I'll be in the 3rd trimester on Friday. FRIDAY. When did that happen? And I swear, my belly button can't disappear much more. Are they SURE there's not more than one in here? I've never looked this pregnant before. I know you look bigger with each pgcy but this is kinda ridiculous - I have three months to go yet. Hrmmm...
In order to try to stave off the gestational diabetes that I had last pgcy, I'm starting a pregnancy water aerobics class tonight at my YMCA. For those of you preggos reading my blog, I can't say more wonderful things about water aerobics. I've done it with my last two pgcys and really loved it. No, not one pg woman WANTS to be in a swim suit. However, when you're immersed in water, that big belly stops pulling on your back and stops all the pressure on your pelvis and legs and you feel "NORMAL" again. It's totally amazing how great it feels in the water when pg. Try it at least ONCE (you can drop into a class at the Y once for FREE!!). And it's fun. You don't sweat, which I've come to realize is the reason I don't like to exercise - I HATE and DETEST and DESPISE sweating (or if you do sweat, you don't realize it because you're in water) but you do notice the difference. And most likely, you'll meet a friend or two who you just might hang on to for many years. ;)
Sooooo...when did this blog become about ME? I guess pg women really are pretty self-absorbed. teehee...
OK...the kiddos.
Well, I can't say too much about them at this point. They're still engrossed in new Cmas things. I did put a lot of new art/craft items under the tree that I was going to buy anyway and they've had tons of fun with rubber stamps, stickers, crayola wonder, paints, glitter glue - you name it, they're doing it. And of course, they are engrossed with Transformers, stuffed animals and baby dolls too. Rose loves music and Grammy let us borrow her Sound Of Music tapes (yes, she's still in the dark ages with VCR tapes). It's been many years since I've watched it but I never realized how SLOW the movie can be to a small child. But she enjoyed it quite well and really loved when they all broke into songs and dancing about. Jade twirled around the living room dancing with the people on the TV too. Quite cute to see an almost-two-year-old who's the size of a 12 month old, dancing around and bee-bopping to the Sound of Music. ;) But Matthew watched it as well and we got to discuss some of the war with him. I imagine there will be more questions about it in the days to come, as he typically brings things up after chewing on them for a few days or weeks, just when you thought he wasn't interested at all. ;)
They've been having fun following me around and making games out of and around my organizing. Last week, when working on those basement boxes, Matthew and Rose started moving them around to make a maze they had to work through. My girls are my physical helpers. Rose begs to help me fold laundry and they both love to unload the dishwasher with me, among other things. Matthew is my thinker. He can always come up with alternative options for us if I present him with a problem. Such as...
I was talking to Matthew about all the sleeping arrangements and how things will change when the baby arrives. Currently, Jade is still in the crib. This wasn't going to last much longer anyway because I've caught her trying to climb out already (unsuccessfully, thankfully). I told him that I thought we should get another set of bunk beds like we have for him and Rose. They unbunk and fit nicely in their own rooms. Added plus - the top bunk has built-in rails. I don't have to keep replacing the cheaply made but expensive costing bed rails for the kids. So in the beginning, Matthew had the top bunk and when Rose needed it (at 14 months, when she started crawling out of the crib - amazing upper body strength, especially since she's always been in only like the 20th percentile), we gave it to her and Matthew learned to sleep on the bottom bunk, rail-less. Yes, we heard a loud THUMP every few nights for a while but by the time we got back up there, he was back in bed and asleep again. Apparently it didn't phase him much. So, back to the current situation. Beds. A few options. We could get another set of bunk beds for the two youngest girls. Or, Hubby suggested, we could upgrade Matthew's bed into a full and then have a guest bed whenever we have anyone staying with us (not that this happens very much at all) - and then get a new bed for the baby whenever she's old enough to need one. When I mentioned upgrading Matthew's bed, my little creature of habit broke into tears. "I don't want to lose my bed! I'll miss it." And I explained the guest bed theory and told him it'd be a new bed and he could help us pick it out, etc. He wasn't changing his mind. Nope. Not giving up his bed. So immediately, he starts in with his problem solving. "Why can't you get Rose a new bed instead?" I suppose we could... "You could get a big bed for Rose and Jade to share." Yeah but not sure I want to go down that road at this age...and Rose kicks the heck out of anyone sleeping with her. "Just get the bunk beds for Jade and the baby." Yes, we could but Daddy seems to want to get you a bigger bed. "So just get a bigger bed for Jade and she can share with the baby." So after many tears and suggestions, we came up with this together...the third option...give Rose the unused futon, give Jade the top bunk with rails and the baby gets the crib. There. No extra money spent for a while, which is always a good thing, right? And Matthew gets to keep his bed. And when we have guests, the futon can be used and Rose can sleep somewhere else...she's a more sound sleeper than he is anyway and spends half the night on my floor already so I'm sure it's probably the most logical choice of all. So Matthew is my little problem solver. He is quite creative and often comes up with things that haven't crossed my mind yet, if I let him brainstorm for long enough.
I read Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars years ago and it boiled down to saying that one of the main problems between men and women is that men are problem solvers and women have to verbally vent and talk through problems. Men typically go into a cave (get quiet and reserved), solve their problem, and then present the outcome to the woman, which makes her feel like he's decided already and left her out of the process - her process, of talking through it, is just beginning. Women, OTOH, like to talk through it...and men have this desire to fix their problems. Women don't typically WANT them to fix the problem because they're just thinking out loud and do want to solve the issue for themselves but they need to do this process this way. I often wonder why God made us so different if we're supposed to live together in harmony. lol Apparently Matthew already has this down - it was born in him...he's my little problem solver. So moms, take advantage of your male problem solvers - you might be really surprised with some of their answers. ;)
And so ends the endless dribble for today. ;)
Friday, January 05, 2007
Kicking off the New Year
Kicking off the New Year
It's been a stressful year. And it's sad too because it's only the 5th day. lolOn New Years Eve, I was so sick with a sinus infection (and fairly certain I just could not wait two more days for my dr's office to re-open) that I did the hassling hassle of calling doctors on-call, waiting for their call backs and trying to get medications sent to a pharmacy I normally don't use. But it did save me and by Jan 2, I was starting to feel much better.
So the nesting phase of pregnancy set in. And I decided that the kids need a good play area in our unfinished basement. The basement is currently housing an unused pool table (a hand-me-down given to us by a friend several years back), a cubicle-sized desk (Hubby's old computer desk), Christmas trees and decor, tons of outgrown baby/kid clothes, several tubs of craft projects and supplies (I'm a craft junkie at heart), baby contraptions like swings and exersaucers, an overflow area for cleaning supplies (because we shop at the club warehouse), our deep freezer, folding tables and chairs and lots of other odds and ends. But if I could organize it all and use the space well (someone send Mission:Organization my way!), I'm convinced I could put down a cheap large rug or two, paint some walls and make a nice play area for the 5 o'clock crazy hour.
What is 5 o'clock crazy hour, you ask? Well, let me tell you. This is the time of day, somewhere between 5 and 6pm, when my children go nuts. I hear them revving up right now in fact (they're running a little late today). They start by getting louder with their play. Then they go into chasing games and running the "circle" (the path between the breakfast room, living room and dining room). Jade is getting into the festivities now as well and things are louder than ever. Inevitably, some toy is picked up (today it's a wrapping paper tube, used as a lightsaber) and will be the object of their obsession. When one drops it, it's a mad dash to see who gets it next and then the chase ensues. Kind of a King-of-the-Hill game but not. So the running gets faster and louder and inevitably, one or more will get hurt at some point but the craziness always continues fairly quickly. This crazy hour usually lasts for about an hour, give or take. And this is the time that family drops in. They're on their way home from work and stop by or call and I can barely hear them above the fray. Many times lately I just let the phone go to voice mail and call them back later...much later...when children have calmed down. I've asked myself many times why they do this around 5-6pm every night. It's not that Daddy is coming home because he's not that consistent about getting home and they do it on the weekends too. Are they trying to get hungry? Have they been so sedentary all day that they just can't be still any longer? Is there something in the air? I don't know. What I do know is that someone will get hurt (in a minor way) and my ears will ache for a while after they're done.
I also have to explain to some of you what it's like to have two girls. One girl and a boy isn't bad. But you get two girls squealing at *that* frequency and you just wanna tear your hair out, buy earplugs and lock yourself in the garage until the hour has passed. It's worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. (They're now in FULL squealing mode and they are running so fast that the breeze is making me want to go find some socks to put on. Rose runs up to me with her hand on her heart and says, "Mommy, feel my heart beeping!")
I've often wondered why God called me to be a mother. Surely He had the foresight to *know* that annoying sounds like squeals and pots banging and loud things actually hurt my ears and WHY would he give me those extra sensitive ears and make me a mother? Surely in His divine wisdom, He knows He should have given me a little hard-hearing instead. ;)
Now most mothers probably just wouldn't put up with it. Sure, I could pop in a movie and they'd settle down immediately but there must be a reason they need to do this and why should I try to make an American kid even MORE sedentary? So I let them do it. But, in *my* divine wisdom, I've decided that I should make a great play area in the basement for them. And when I feel them revving up, I can send them to the basement for screaming hour. (Now the game has switched to "run the circle AND crawl under Mommy's legs while she's on the computer.)
So yesterday, in the midst of nesting and realizing how FAST I need to get this done before baby arrives, I decided to start on the basement. Actually, I started reorganizing kids clothing by size and sex the night before but last night I started moving boxes around. Lots of boxes. Labeling them, dumping this half box of toys into that one to combine, shoving Cmas decor boxes under the stairs (while leaving room for us to crawl incase of tornado, of course), etc. When I had thoroughly exhausted myself quite literally, I headed upstairs to start dinner. About halfway through dinner, I realized my mid-upper back on the left side was KILLING me. Sharp stabbing pains when I turned a certain way or lifted something. I overdid it, though I didn't really think I had at all. So I spent the evening on the couch with a heated rice sock on it. This morning the pain seemed better but definitely still there.
I spent the day just relaxing. I watched tv and read. No housework. An official "sick day" for a SAHM! Though lunch for kids still had to be prepared and some other duties I couldn't shirk but I didn't do a load of laundry or dishes or sweep or any of the regular stuff. I just rested my back. Around 1pm, I realized I had broken out into a deep sweat - for no reason whatsoever. I hadn't eaten anything yet that could contribute. I hadn't even been doing normal housework. My temp was almost 100 and it got me worrying that it was something more than a strained muscle, especially since I'd been on antibiotics all week (and still am). So after talking to my OB, who assured me that my kidneys were much further down, I took some Tylenol and am going to try to wing it this weekend. Why do illnesses always hit me on Fridays?? It seems I'm always wondering if I should go see my dr Friday afternoon or wait and see if it gets worse - and then I'm stuck on Saturday night wondering if I should go to urgent care or not. 'Course none of them would touch me with a 10ft pole since I'm pg but I could try, I suppose. Anyway, wish me luck. ;)
So this year has been full of illness and injury so far. PLEASE don't let it be the theme this year!! I have MNO (mom's night out) with my best buddy scheduled for tomorrow and babysitting her youngest on Sunday for a couple hours, along with a weekend with Hubby that I'd rather not waste by being sick/injured. My mother has had car trouble out the wazoo the last few weeks and I'm equally praying she isn't setting up her year to follow in this week's footsteps as well.
I suppose it will be late next week until I can get to the basement again, which isn't very pleasant on this nesting feeling I have. Wow, can you believe it's only 3 months until our last baby arrives?? And my best bud and I agree - I currently look more pregnant than I ever have before. 'Course I lost 60 lbs with the first two and 30 with the last one and only about 10 with this one so far. Sooo...I guess it stands to reason. ;) But I feel really huge for the first time while pg. Usually people guess me about 4 months pg when I actually only have a few weeks until delivery. I'm guessing that's not going to happen this time. :(
Sooo...I hope your first week of the year has been better to you. Not that I can only complain. We've had fun playing with our new toys and the weather has been very mild, almost spring-like (not that we've been out enjoying it though). And I even won a $25 Starbucks gift card today! So the year is definitely starting to look up. :)
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
Hard decisions for a 6 yr old
Matthew has $40 in his bank...mostly Christmas money, though some was saved from his birthday in Sept. As I previously blogged, Transformers are THE theme in his life in the way of toys. He got the ultimate one for Christmas and several others but wanted to get more with his money. So we went to the ol' WM today and looked around. In the regular Transformers aisle, he was trying to decide between two - Quickmix for $15 and Red Alert for $25 or getting both or keeping his money for someone he'd like better. I do have to say that he's quite discerning in the way of which ones he wants. We decided to let him think on it a bit while I got some groceries when we came to the end of the aisle. There they had two of his favorite characters that he's badly been wanting - Megatron and Cybertron Primus. They were each $38. He quickly stopped thinking about the first two and focused on these. After about 10 minutes of saying it was just too hard to decide between them, we decided to get the groceries and come back.
He was thinking really hard about this the whole time we shopped. At one point, he said, "Mommy, remember yesterday we were reading that review of Megatron on Amazon and they said he was hard to transform? Maybe Primus would be a better decision." Indeed we did look up Megatron yesterday on Amazon and several of the reviewers said he was hard to transform. In the end, he landed on deciding to get Primus but it was interesting to watch his decision process. He also had an understanding that this was a lot of money to spend...that he could get 6-7 smaller Transformers or this big one for the same price. But he has wanted this one for a long time. In the end, he handed over his money willingly and hasn't looked back. He's thoroughly pleased with his purchase.
He was thinking really hard about this the whole time we shopped. At one point, he said, "Mommy, remember yesterday we were reading that review of Megatron on Amazon and they said he was hard to transform? Maybe Primus would be a better decision." Indeed we did look up Megatron yesterday on Amazon and several of the reviewers said he was hard to transform. In the end, he landed on deciding to get Primus but it was interesting to watch his decision process. He also had an understanding that this was a lot of money to spend...that he could get 6-7 smaller Transformers or this big one for the same price. But he has wanted this one for a long time. In the end, he handed over his money willingly and hasn't looked back. He's thoroughly pleased with his purchase.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Blog readers
I admit, I read quite a few blogs. And in my time online, I have tried out several different kinds of feed readers, only to be frustrated with their very complexity. I want something that is fast, easy and doesn't necessarily have all that personalization jazz that seems to hose everything up. Andrea, over at essentialoutlet.net posted recently about *free* Bloglines.com. I'm surprised I even attempted yet one more reader but this one is actually easy and fast and works great! So I'm passing it along to you.
If you don't know what a feed reader is...basically, it's a site where you keep all your favorite blogs on one page - and it tells YOU when that author has updated a new post AND displays the post for you. So no more clicking 20 different bookmarks every morning (and then some, if you haven't had your coffee yet)...just go to your one bloglines site and all your favorite blogs' new entries will be there for you to read. Try it out, I know you'll love it. :)
Oh, and in my right side-panel under my Links section, you can subscribe to my feed too. :)
If you don't know what a feed reader is...basically, it's a site where you keep all your favorite blogs on one page - and it tells YOU when that author has updated a new post AND displays the post for you. So no more clicking 20 different bookmarks every morning (and then some, if you haven't had your coffee yet)...just go to your one bloglines site and all your favorite blogs' new entries will be there for you to read. Try it out, I know you'll love it. :)
Oh, and in my right side-panel under my Links section, you can subscribe to my feed too. :)
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Really sorry for the lag time!
Homeschoolblogger upgraded their stuff in the beginning of Dec. I have to say - I was absolutely fine with the strip down bare version (even though I'm considered a pc 'techie'). But the lag time was hideous just to log into the site. So posting had become a nightmare for me and I haven't even logged in here for several weeks. However today, it looks like all is well so perhaps they've worked out the kinks now. ;)
Well, we've been inundated with Cmas stuff, which I'm sure most of you have as well. We've been making a lot of homemade projects this year and I'd show you pictures but can you believe I FORGOT to take pictures before handing them out?? Arrrgh.
Pregnancy is going well (knock on wood) and not much to write home about there. Matthew is adjusting to having another sister very well though I think he still holds out a little hope that the tech was wrong. ;)
Jade has finally been working on saying words a lot more lately and I think it's finally sinking in that she gets things faster when she names them instead of pointing and grunting. Rose is...well...she's at that "I'm about to turn 4 and therefore, turn into a monster for a year" stage. You know, as a young parent, you're warned about the "terrible twos" and the "trying threes" but no one talks about four. That's because it's B-A-D. There's really nothing you can say to sugar coat it like the other ages. Somehow, "ferocious fours" just makes it 'cute' - and it's NOT. It's just a rough year.
I've been branching out and seeing what other homeschooling groups are in the area that we could fit into well. There are some really great ones that offer just what we're looking for but they're quite a drive and only really offer things for Matthew. I'm thinking of starting up a young homeschoolers group in our area. I'd like a co-op where the moms can offer one-two hour classes in a subject they enjoy and think the kids would enjoy. Nothing too structured, of course, but a way for the kids to be involved and meet other homeschoolers and make friends. So I'll be getting together soon with a friend of mine who is homeschooling to see what we can come up with.
Our Christmas was great! The kids seem very content and pleased with their toys and they have a little money to spend on whatever they're missing too.
Matthew's Christmas was all about Transformers. Oh sure, he got some books and craft materials and a Darth Vader helmet but what he really wanted was Optimus Prime. What a story - this summer, they repainted the toy (I think to match the movie coming out next July) and Matthew insists that "he's the wrong colors!" Thus began my search to find the older painted OP that "connected to Leobreaker" (also a requirement). None of the stores had any. The only place online I could find it was Ebay and collectors were bidding the prices pretty far up there (plus an extra $15 shipping charge would have made this his only Cmas present from us). I began to lose hope and started dropping lines like, "Matthew, they don't make him with the old colors anymore. I haven't seen any in any of the stores." He began helping me search online and at every store that sold Transformers. Nada. I so desperately wanted to get this toy for him because he's wanted it since last spring. It was his #1 wish. I'd almost given up and as Cmas got closer, Matthew began saying, "Mommy, if you can't find the one with the right colors, I would like the new one too." Poor guy was desperate. :( The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Hubby took the older two kids to work with him because they'd been begging since last Thanksgiving when he took Matthew. I decided Rose wouldn't last all day long (plus she was sick) so Jade and I did a little shopping then met them for lunch and brought the girls home for a nap. While Jade and I were shopping, I decided to stop at a Walmart that I rarely ever visit in another town along the way to Hubby's work. I've been to this particular Walmart maybe three times ever. I went back to the Transformers section, just because I was in the habit of looking. I held no hope. I scanned the packages and looked all the way to the end of each row. Nope, the one he wanted wasn't there. I think my last flicker of hope died at that moment. As I listened to the happy after-Thanksgiving shoppers all around me finding what they wanted, I just stood and stared at the section, wondering if another Transformer would suffice and yet knowing it wouldn't. After letting the reality set in that I wasn't going to find it, I turned to leave. When suddenly, my eyes drifted up the shelf. I don't know why - I never look way up top. But my eyes drifted. There were lots of extra stock Transformers in all the new packaging and then...what was that?? Was it?? COULD IT BE??? No, I dared not hope. I held my breath and tried to stay calm. I couldn't see it very well. The box was dust covered and a little banged up but it just *might* be the one. Quickly, before anyone else could possibly steal it from me, I ran like a lunatic for a sales person with a ladder. He was helping someone a few rows down and I asked him to come down when he was done. After a very long 5 minutes, he came with the ladder and pulled down the dusty box. "THIS one??" he asked. I looked at it. I couldn't believe my eyes. Old colors: check. But was it the one that connected to Leobreaker?? I scanned the back of the box but there was no mention of connecting to another Transformer. I still wasn't sure. I bought it anyway and kept the receipt, just in case I needed to return it. In the next aisle, there was a Darth Vader voice changer that he'd wanted since last Cmas - down to $10 from about $35. I grabbed that one. In the next aisle, there was a basket of return items that someone hadn't restocked yet. Searching through the basket, I found the Han Solo and Chewbacca Transformers that combine to make the Millenium Falcon. Target's ad that day said they had it for $15, down from $35. Would Walmart give me the Target price?? I took it up to the service desk and they gave it to me, no problem. I was giddy with excitement and barely made it through lunch with everyone before rushing home to see if THIS OP was THE one that connected to Leobreaker. I searched and searched online. Couldn't tell. I emailed Hasbro but got no response. Finally I stumbled across a blog that is purely all about Transformers (FYI parents, I'll warn you that it does contain some language). *This guy* knows his Transformers. I emailed him. He wrote back a wonderfully nice huge dissertation about how the toy was the same and just got repainted and that both the old one and the new one will connect to Leobreaker and even sent me a picture of the one my son wanted, according to his specifications. The picture was exactly what I had in my hot little hands. Bless this man's soul!!
Christmas morning, I was more excited than Matthew. Rose had been easy - she just wanted more stuffed cats and dogs. Easy peasy. Jade was too little to voice much but she seemed very happy with her new Weeble village ($15, down from $50 from SamsClub). I also found a used Gauntlet: Dark Legacy xbox game. Our version had gotten scratched from the kids playing around with it and was unplayable. He hadn't asked for a replacement but when he opened the package and saw what it was, he immediately started crying big alligator tears! "It's the game that I thought I'd never get to play again!" I held my breath as he opened Optimus Prime. But he was too excited to cry this time. He jumped around the living room like a crazy person. He whooped and hollered and screamed with delight. I've never seen him so happy. It was worth it...all the blood, sweat and tears of trying to find it...I'd do it all over again. He has been attached at the hip to OP the last two days and I suspect that will continue for quite a while. He is now trying to find Galvatron, Wing Saber and Megatron, who also attach to this OP, but all the stores are picked over of course so it might be a while before we can find them locally.
So that's my big Cmas ultimate toy story for this year. I hope your kids were equally as thrilled! :) Merry Christmas!
Well, we've been inundated with Cmas stuff, which I'm sure most of you have as well. We've been making a lot of homemade projects this year and I'd show you pictures but can you believe I FORGOT to take pictures before handing them out?? Arrrgh.
Pregnancy is going well (knock on wood) and not much to write home about there. Matthew is adjusting to having another sister very well though I think he still holds out a little hope that the tech was wrong. ;)
Jade has finally been working on saying words a lot more lately and I think it's finally sinking in that she gets things faster when she names them instead of pointing and grunting. Rose is...well...she's at that "I'm about to turn 4 and therefore, turn into a monster for a year" stage. You know, as a young parent, you're warned about the "terrible twos" and the "trying threes" but no one talks about four. That's because it's B-A-D. There's really nothing you can say to sugar coat it like the other ages. Somehow, "ferocious fours" just makes it 'cute' - and it's NOT. It's just a rough year.
I've been branching out and seeing what other homeschooling groups are in the area that we could fit into well. There are some really great ones that offer just what we're looking for but they're quite a drive and only really offer things for Matthew. I'm thinking of starting up a young homeschoolers group in our area. I'd like a co-op where the moms can offer one-two hour classes in a subject they enjoy and think the kids would enjoy. Nothing too structured, of course, but a way for the kids to be involved and meet other homeschoolers and make friends. So I'll be getting together soon with a friend of mine who is homeschooling to see what we can come up with.
Our Christmas was great! The kids seem very content and pleased with their toys and they have a little money to spend on whatever they're missing too.
Matthew's Christmas was all about Transformers. Oh sure, he got some books and craft materials and a Darth Vader helmet but what he really wanted was Optimus Prime. What a story - this summer, they repainted the toy (I think to match the movie coming out next July) and Matthew insists that "he's the wrong colors!" Thus began my search to find the older painted OP that "connected to Leobreaker" (also a requirement). None of the stores had any. The only place online I could find it was Ebay and collectors were bidding the prices pretty far up there (plus an extra $15 shipping charge would have made this his only Cmas present from us). I began to lose hope and started dropping lines like, "Matthew, they don't make him with the old colors anymore. I haven't seen any in any of the stores." He began helping me search online and at every store that sold Transformers. Nada. I so desperately wanted to get this toy for him because he's wanted it since last spring. It was his #1 wish. I'd almost given up and as Cmas got closer, Matthew began saying, "Mommy, if you can't find the one with the right colors, I would like the new one too." Poor guy was desperate. :( The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Hubby took the older two kids to work with him because they'd been begging since last Thanksgiving when he took Matthew. I decided Rose wouldn't last all day long (plus she was sick) so Jade and I did a little shopping then met them for lunch and brought the girls home for a nap. While Jade and I were shopping, I decided to stop at a Walmart that I rarely ever visit in another town along the way to Hubby's work. I've been to this particular Walmart maybe three times ever. I went back to the Transformers section, just because I was in the habit of looking. I held no hope. I scanned the packages and looked all the way to the end of each row. Nope, the one he wanted wasn't there. I think my last flicker of hope died at that moment. As I listened to the happy after-Thanksgiving shoppers all around me finding what they wanted, I just stood and stared at the section, wondering if another Transformer would suffice and yet knowing it wouldn't. After letting the reality set in that I wasn't going to find it, I turned to leave. When suddenly, my eyes drifted up the shelf. I don't know why - I never look way up top. But my eyes drifted. There were lots of extra stock Transformers in all the new packaging and then...what was that?? Was it?? COULD IT BE??? No, I dared not hope. I held my breath and tried to stay calm. I couldn't see it very well. The box was dust covered and a little banged up but it just *might* be the one. Quickly, before anyone else could possibly steal it from me, I ran like a lunatic for a sales person with a ladder. He was helping someone a few rows down and I asked him to come down when he was done. After a very long 5 minutes, he came with the ladder and pulled down the dusty box. "THIS one??" he asked. I looked at it. I couldn't believe my eyes. Old colors: check. But was it the one that connected to Leobreaker?? I scanned the back of the box but there was no mention of connecting to another Transformer. I still wasn't sure. I bought it anyway and kept the receipt, just in case I needed to return it. In the next aisle, there was a Darth Vader voice changer that he'd wanted since last Cmas - down to $10 from about $35. I grabbed that one. In the next aisle, there was a basket of return items that someone hadn't restocked yet. Searching through the basket, I found the Han Solo and Chewbacca Transformers that combine to make the Millenium Falcon. Target's ad that day said they had it for $15, down from $35. Would Walmart give me the Target price?? I took it up to the service desk and they gave it to me, no problem. I was giddy with excitement and barely made it through lunch with everyone before rushing home to see if THIS OP was THE one that connected to Leobreaker. I searched and searched online. Couldn't tell. I emailed Hasbro but got no response. Finally I stumbled across a blog that is purely all about Transformers (FYI parents, I'll warn you that it does contain some language). *This guy* knows his Transformers. I emailed him. He wrote back a wonderfully nice huge dissertation about how the toy was the same and just got repainted and that both the old one and the new one will connect to Leobreaker and even sent me a picture of the one my son wanted, according to his specifications. The picture was exactly what I had in my hot little hands. Bless this man's soul!!
Christmas morning, I was more excited than Matthew. Rose had been easy - she just wanted more stuffed cats and dogs. Easy peasy. Jade was too little to voice much but she seemed very happy with her new Weeble village ($15, down from $50 from SamsClub). I also found a used Gauntlet: Dark Legacy xbox game. Our version had gotten scratched from the kids playing around with it and was unplayable. He hadn't asked for a replacement but when he opened the package and saw what it was, he immediately started crying big alligator tears! "It's the game that I thought I'd never get to play again!" I held my breath as he opened Optimus Prime. But he was too excited to cry this time. He jumped around the living room like a crazy person. He whooped and hollered and screamed with delight. I've never seen him so happy. It was worth it...all the blood, sweat and tears of trying to find it...I'd do it all over again. He has been attached at the hip to OP the last two days and I suspect that will continue for quite a while. He is now trying to find Galvatron, Wing Saber and Megatron, who also attach to this OP, but all the stores are picked over of course so it might be a while before we can find them locally.
So that's my big Cmas ultimate toy story for this year. I hope your kids were equally as thrilled! :) Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 04, 2006
I stumbled across this today
I stumbled across this today
And I've decided it's a must-read for any parent, homeschooling or not. http://www.notesfromthetrenches.com/2006/07/14/the-unspoken-conversations-in-our-heads/Soooo many times I feel this conversation going on in my head as I talk to my schooling friends. And I DO feel that they 'hear' what this person says they heard, while I'm not meaning that in any shape or form. And, in the same way, I have 'heard' what "she" said the way this person interpreted as well.
I am passionate about homeschooling my own children...this should not reflect on you and your decisions, nor should your decision to school your children relect on me. These are choices we've made for our own families and I hope we can still be good friends, just the same as if you choose to drive a truck and I drive a van. They're just different choices.
I don't know what is best for your children. God gave them to you, not me. And He gave my kids to me, not you. I'm sure there was a good reason for it. ;)
Conversations...
Matthew: And Mommy, someday when I'm a dad, which I hope to be, I hope I can have two boys. You know I'm planning on marrying Kayla, right?
[Kayla is his best friends little sister - she's 7 months old - too cute]
Me: Really?
Matthew: Yep. And I hope we have twiiiiiiiiiiin boys! And we name them after me.
Me: (thinking to myself) To increase your chances with her, you might not want to let that ball drop until after you get married. ;)
*************
**********************
And on the unschooling front...just to prove that your kids WILL be interested in anything you are...
Hubby went to a training seminar for a Network Security certification in October for his career. As the time nears for the test he has to pass, he spends more and more time studying. The kids have decided that this "studying stuff" is fun. Yes, fun. And it wasn't a one time thing. They "study" every weekend with him and whenever else Hubby has it out. Rose sets up a tv tray-table next to him and colors and works on printing her letters. Matthew sets up his tray-table and copies from Hubby's books into his own journal. Here's what it looks like:
Here's what he does with his time:
It reads: "Data link frames carry data packets in the information field. Simple routing traffic stays on local network. There..."
I have to pause here and really remark on this. Yes, some long words are carried over to the next line and there aren't many breaks between words and he gets off the lines, etc. But look at what detail he has. Let me remind you that he has had *no* formal training on writing. He absolutely refused to pick up a crayon or any other writing utensil until he was over four years old. He even used a yellow dot and labeled it #1 because Hubby has his book tabbed out in sections. He used white-out when he made a wrong letter. And most importantly, he thinks it's FUN. It's not homework or something he has to finish before he can get to recess or lunch. It's FUN because Daddy is interested in it. And who knows? Maybe he'll learn to be a great hacker by the time he's 9 too. :) ROFL
[Kayla is his best friends little sister - she's 7 months old - too cute]
Me: Really?
Matthew: Yep. And I hope we have twiiiiiiiiiiin boys! And we name them after me.
Me: (thinking to myself) To increase your chances with her, you might not want to let that ball drop until after you get married. ;)
*************
I’m engrossed in a blog entry and I hear Matthew yell upstairs to Rose, “you mean you’re stuck at the zoo, waiting to be adopted?” “yeah” comes the reply. I ask Matthew, “What animal is she?” He says, “A meerkat.” Then as he makes his way upstairs after finding his Transformer for naptime he says to her, “A meerkat? What a nice animal to adopt! I’ll take you home with me!”
********************
I know that every mom understands that when the kids are quiet, there's trouble afoot. This is especially true when you have 3 kids 6yrs and younger. I'm involved in a cookie exchange this weekend and to test out a new recipe, I made a small batch of them. YUM A version of haystacks - basically chow mein noodles covered in melted chocolate and butterscotch chips and left to harden. The kids love them and they're super simple to make (YAY, since I have to make SEVEN dozen!). So after a well-eaten lunch today, I offer one to each of the kids. Rose and Matthew down theirs very quickly and run upstairs to play. Jade, however, is quiet and taking her time with hers and seeing as how she's done perfectly fine and gobbled them up quickly the last few days, I didn't think much about it. I got involved in a mommy project and forgot I left her with a chocolate covered goo glob. She finally starts fussing to get down from her highchair and when I check on her, I find this (and to you savy baby-signing moms, can you see her signing "MORE"?? You gotta be kidding me, right girl?):
**********************
And on the unschooling front...just to prove that your kids WILL be interested in anything you are...
Hubby went to a training seminar for a Network Security certification in October for his career. As the time nears for the test he has to pass, he spends more and more time studying. The kids have decided that this "studying stuff" is fun. Yes, fun. And it wasn't a one time thing. They "study" every weekend with him and whenever else Hubby has it out. Rose sets up a tv tray-table next to him and colors and works on printing her letters. Matthew sets up his tray-table and copies from Hubby's books into his own journal. Here's what it looks like:
It reads: "Data link frames carry data packets in the information field. Simple routing traffic stays on local network. There..."
I have to pause here and really remark on this. Yes, some long words are carried over to the next line and there aren't many breaks between words and he gets off the lines, etc. But look at what detail he has. Let me remind you that he has had *no* formal training on writing. He absolutely refused to pick up a crayon or any other writing utensil until he was over four years old. He even used a yellow dot and labeled it #1 because Hubby has his book tabbed out in sections. He used white-out when he made a wrong letter. And most importantly, he thinks it's FUN. It's not homework or something he has to finish before he can get to recess or lunch. It's FUN because Daddy is interested in it. And who knows? Maybe he'll learn to be a great hacker by the time he's 9 too. :) ROFL
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Calling all creative friends...
I have a quandry. A year or two PK (pre-kids), I purchased a couple of panels of fabric at a local store which I'm sure they don't sell anymore. They're identical and they are really great looking maps of the US. I made one into a play blanket for the kids yesterday (what else do you do when you're snowed in?) and the other...well, that's where you come in.
I have this idea of gluing this piece of fabric to a bulletin board and the kids and I can have fun placing push-pin markers of sorts in each state we've visited or each state we know someone or each state we studied, etc. The first problem with that is maintaining a legend so we can determine why there are say, two red flags in Arizona, denoting two families we know there - I'd like to have a list of what each flag specifically means, etc. But after searching for cork board, the other problem I've found that a 3' by 4' piece is quite expensive...and the hardware chains don't sell it either. (Of course if all that tax money I'm paying for public schools wasn't coming out of my pocket, I might not be always looking for cheaper items...hmmmph...don't get me started.) And I worry about the littlest ones and the push pins falling out, etc. Soooo....I'm wondering if there's a better route to go down in this train of thought. Any ideas?? I know I have some teachers who frequent my site and I know your heads are just swimming right now. So, throw it at me! I'm not afraid of tools or building things or crafts by any means. Just give me an outside-the-box thought or two, will ya? :)
I have this idea of gluing this piece of fabric to a bulletin board and the kids and I can have fun placing push-pin markers of sorts in each state we've visited or each state we know someone or each state we studied, etc. The first problem with that is maintaining a legend so we can determine why there are say, two red flags in Arizona, denoting two families we know there - I'd like to have a list of what each flag specifically means, etc. But after searching for cork board, the other problem I've found that a 3' by 4' piece is quite expensive...and the hardware chains don't sell it either. (Of course if all that tax money I'm paying for public schools wasn't coming out of my pocket, I might not be always looking for cheaper items...hmmmph...don't get me started.) And I worry about the littlest ones and the push pins falling out, etc. Soooo....I'm wondering if there's a better route to go down in this train of thought. Any ideas?? I know I have some teachers who frequent my site and I know your heads are just swimming right now. So, throw it at me! I'm not afraid of tools or building things or crafts by any means. Just give me an outside-the-box thought or two, will ya? :)
Friday, December 01, 2006
Snow Day!
Oh the first snowfall of the winter
Was a day that we all waited for
When it drifted to and fro
Why you shouldve seen the snow
It was near seven feet or more
By the old barn door
-Lyrics by Karen Carpenter
Well, not seven feet here but about an hours drive west of here, they had 16 inches. We mostly got ice. I haven't been out yet but there are major roads closed around us everywhere (including interstates) and as you can see below, at 9am our cul-de-sac hasn't been touched, nor has our main subdivision roads. I can't tell if our neighbor was sliding coming in last night or coming out this morning but I doubt he meant his car to be parked where it is. ;)
Though the ice has made our trees sparkle. My willow tree in back and Rose's Crabapple in front are both very sparkly in the early morning sun. We do have power (obviously I'm not running on my backup power supply just to blog...teehee...well, I might....lol) but close to 500,000 don't have power yet.
My ice-covered sparkly willow. :)
The back yard. You can see the tops of our leeks poking through the garden so though I haven't measured anything yet, I'm sure it's maybe an inch or two of snow at best.
Our trashcan and cul-de-sac. See the neighbors car? It's not turned on. Was he coming or going when that happened? He does typically park in the garage and his truck made it up there. My Hubby did have some trouble getting up our driveway last night around 6pm. Neighbors car wasn't out there until later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
