Well, the good news is that my son has survived and will heal with a very interesting scare. The bad news? He got 15 stitches in his chin!
James has only recently learned how to ride a two wheeler so couple that with the fact that the "new" bike we bought to celebrate moved the brakes from the pedals (where he was used to them being) to the handlebars spelled disaster. He loves flying down the hill outside our house and has been doing so since we moved in. He always timed the brakes just right so he would stop just where he wanted to. This time however, he misjudged something and wound up in a heap on the ground and his chin meeting the curb. He even lost one of his shoes! I didn't see this happen, although I could hear him screaming and was already on my way out when the neighbor kids all descended en mass on our doorstep to deliver the news.
I hauled him inside with the hope that since head wounds, no matter where they are always bleed copiously and that it would not need stitches. I have had lots of stitches, especially in the head area (can you tell I was an accident prone child?) and couple that with my military medical training I felt confident that I could care for it. However, as soon as I got him to calm down enough to remove his helmet and got the blood wiped away so I could see it, I knew he'd have to go it. It was over an inch long, and very deep. For those that don't have experience with head wounds, they always bleed like a stuck pig but surface abrasions are easy to care for as long as they aren't too deep. However, if you can see the layer of subcutaneous fat, go to the ER because you'll need medical care. It's highly likely you'll need stitches.
So Carey hauled him the few blocks to the hospital and proceeded to spend the next three hours there. He said James was a little trooper and did very well. He actually fell asleep while they were stitching him up (this is something I've always done to deal with bad pain as well but I didn't realize that it was inherited; I slept through most of my labor with both of my boys).
In hindsight, I should not have sent Carey with James. Carey has never had major stitches, so he didn't know how to answer any of James' questions. He is also notorious with his queasiness at the sight of blood. He said he felt faint as he was holding James' hand, but it wasn't until they had to trim the jagged flesh from around the wound that he had to lay down on the floor. :D
In the end it wound up being a wonderful bonding experience for them, although, I wish James needn't have gone through that pain and fear for it to happen. It was also only last night that we hit a "WHY" time with James such as why does Deedee have candy and not me, why is the moon orange and why do I have to wear my helmet? So ensued about a 10 minute talk about they why and wherefores of bicycle safety but we could tell it wasn't sinking in. He's barely old enough to really start reasoning and he was having trouble wrapping his brain around the fact he has to wear the helmet because he "might" get hurt. So Carey got the bright idea of googling pictures of bicycle accident victims and showing James. He didn't shield him because he wanted him to understand just how important this was. A while later, while James was working on his homework, Carey took out the trash. He came running back in and hauled James off with no explanation.
After a few minutes, they returned with James looking a little shaken and upset. Apparently, when taking out the trash, Carey noticed a commotion at the end of our street and being the concerned citizen he is, of course he had to poke his nose in. :D A bicyclist had gotten hit by a car, wasn't wearing a helmet and got a nasty head wound. Not one to waste this fortuitous opportunity, of course he came running back to show James first hand what can happen. It must have made an impression because he didn't whine at all when happily securing his helmet today with no premonition that very shortly it would become very important. Although it didn't prevent James' chin getting torn up, a witnessing adult said his head was thrown forward and only the protruding plastic on the front of helmet kept him from getting hurt a lot worse. He wore an Alibi Helmet by Bell.
Bicyclesafe.com~ How Not To Get Hit By Cars ~ This is especially important in a world where bicycles are increasingly becoming a major mode of transportation.
Kids Health~ Written for kids to understand, has some good pictures of hand signals. These too are very important, especially when riding as a group. Carey and I have adapted the many hand signals we learned to use in our extensive military vehicle experience. It's nice to know when the bike ahead of you is stopping or doing something else unexpected!
In the Hands of a Child has awesome lap books that my kids have always had a lot of fun with them. Don't know what lap books are? You're in for a treat! Imagine something that integrates all of the 3 R's and more on a given subject. What would you say to a unit that incorporates reading, writing, math, logic, crafts, foriegn language, and health(and more) AND makes it a lot of fun in the process? And then when you're done, if you want to revisit that unit in the future it's all in one place? The kids have a lot ot fun looking at their past work and seeing now only what they've learned but how they've progressed! By any name, lap books are a lot of fun.
Grade Level: 4th - 8th
So check it out! Just click on the picture and it will take you.
"Thomas Alva Edison is one of the most famous inventors in history. This 54-page pack includes a 12-page Research Guide and 16 hands-on activities about his childhood, family and marriage, inventions, awards and honors, later years, and a complete timeline. Invite your student to learn there was more to Thomas Edison than just the lightbulb!" HOAC
Want to learn more about lap books? Check these sites out:
I confess that I hadn't really been paying attention to the dates. I knew that today was the eleventh, but I wasn't really thinking about the connotation of what today actually meant. I was more concerned with getting my applesauce and blackberry jam entered at the fair on time, and getting James off to school.
So I was broadsided when I got all of the tribute emails in my box this morning. I just sat down and cried as I remembered where I was at the time this had happened. My husband and I were living out in the middle of nowhere, with no TV or computer access. We were newly pregnant with our first child and if I remembere correctly I had either just had my National Guard drill for the month or it was coming up. I can distincly remember ironing my uniforms when Carey called me and told me what had happened. The iron fell to the floor and I can remember spending the rest of the day crying as I listened to the radio. You have to remember that no only was I upset with what had happened to all of those brave men and women, I was also wondering when we would go to war and I would be going as well. It was actually another few years before my state activated her troops and in the end I didn't go to Iraq only because God had other plans for me. He decided to send me Meradydd instead I was meant to stay home.
It's weird to realize just how much time has passed, that it's been seven years already. James is 6 and we have four children instead of just expecting the first one. Life has gone on and we have moved forward. Still, the shock, horror, grief and those complete influx of feelings I felt that day linger and will never be forgotten, although, I didn't see any pictures until the next day when Carey brought home the paper. It seems like yesterday as I remember the sound of the iron crashing to the floor and the sound of the dead line as Carey and I were cut off. So I am not ashamed to admit that I cried as I remembered.
Although it's hard to watch, there is a good tribute here, America Attacked.
OK, want a game that is educational (don't tell the kiddos) and combines logic, strategy with even a little physics that the kids (and adults) love to play? Well, here you have it in Fantastic Contraption created by Colin Northway
It's a basic online Flash game that seems very simple. Basically, you make a device using wheels and sticks to get the widget located in the light blue area to the pink area. Sounds simple, yes? Well, it can be but it's definitely harder than it looks! There is more than one solution to every puzzle and this certainly takes your whole brain! Having trouble? You can back up to a different puzzle or you can also save your contraptions as well as view other peoples answers to solving the puzzles. Some are really cool, some really freaky accidents.
There are only 20 levels in the free game (still hours of entertainment and learning), but $10 gets you access to more, along with a extensive variety of player-created levels. There's also a level editor, so you can create your own.
As a rule, my family doesn't watch much TV. What little they do watch is limited to whether they do their chores and if it's appropriate (in other words, mostly educational). To tell the truth, we don't even subscribe to sattelite or dish because we just can't afford it. Besides, even if we could, we wouldn't subscribe because I can't stand all of those darn commercials. One of my biggest pet peeves is the commercialization of TV and the children wanting a product simply because they've seen it on TV or it has a certain character on it, not necassarily because they need it or really and truly even want it.
I must admit, that not exposing my children to a ton of TV and the bombardment of the assorted advertisements that come along with it has led to a quieter, if busier life. While it's true that I have to work harder to keep my little ones occupied (sitting them in front of the electronic sitter is not the norm here) they no longer clamor to have that box of cereal because it has Dora on it or that pair of shorts because of Spongebob. They do know who these characters are because they watch TV at other people's houses but they also understand that we won't by them that item simply because of the character on it.
But, I digress. Once in a great while, I find a TV show that I think is great (it isn't full of banal repetition and boring or full of violence like so many children's shows are now) and the kids like too. Such as the vintage Seseme Street (I can't stand the newer shows made within the last 12 years or so), The Magic School Bus, School House Rock, etc. Those are some of the few shows that I will make an exception to and will seek out episodes on disk or perhaps to watch online (there are several places to do so for some of these, including Netflix).
We recently discovered this show while visiting Grandma Sue (Carey's mom). She often watches the children for me during James' appointments, and this was one such time. She doesn't always turn the TV on, so it's a special treat there as well. This time, she had tuned in PBS and I didn't really notice the show they were watching when I arrived to retrieve them until I was trying to gather them up over numerous protestastions. So I finally took a look at what had them so absorbed and then quickly found my own attention caught as I watched the bright characters scurry across the screen and play out their adventures.
I have now added WordWorld to that small list. WordWorld is "the first preschool series where words are truly stars of the show". In WordWord words come alive, words save the day, and words become a childs best friend. This animated world is full nimals and other objects whose bodies are literally made up of the letters that spell the word they are. The stars of the show include such animals as Pig, Bear, Frog, Duck, Dog and Ant. Each adventure the friends make center around a certain theme such as "ST" of "SH" and that's the words they focus on. The viewers will join in on a series of comic adventures that are resolved only by finding the correct word and in the process sounding out words, rhyming and more as you accompany a host of colorful friends in a computer animated world with fun music that has an engaging beat that the kids love.
For example, one of the kids favorite episodes is one entitled "Snug as a Bug" and the adventure centers around Frog and Bug. Bug is tired and he wants a place to sleep but he doesn't know where so he enlists Frog's help (Frog of course, isn't too happy about this but follows along). The basis is that classic "snug as a bug in a rug" line that everyone knows and loves. So off they go, trying to complete the rhyme and meeting such words as Jug, Mug, Hug etc. before they finally find the word they're looking for and Bug has a comfy cozy place to go to sleep. And, of course, they have to sing a little song about finding their word before forming it and sounding it out. :D
So, lets see:
Fun, upbeat music
A colorful world
Pre-reading skills
Rhyming
Only 12 minutes long
Hrmmm............What's not to like? This is a wonderful show that I have no problems recommending to other parents and the best thing is, my kids love it too! There are lots of so called educational shows out there that bore the daylights out of my little guys and they wander off rather quickly but I'm glad to say this isn't one of them. Even the two year old loves it and has memorized the opening theme. If she hears it, she comes running from whatever project she had going (usually digging in the kitchen drawers or pawing through the numerous book shelves overflowing with books) just as fast as her little legs will go and screeching "Puppy!" (it opens with Dog) as she hurtles herself onto the couch. LOL
Go to the main WordWorld site and you'll be able to watch a few short clips and even download an entire episode entitled Runaway O! And the PBS site of WordWorld is full of information and fun activities too! It opens with flash games to keep your little one engaged. There are games many Build A Word Adventures for several characters of the show. One of them is helping Bear form a band. Each member of her band needs an instrument and you help collect the "words" to form the instruments. (You can watch a video similar to that Adventure here entitled Dancing Dog.) Or, you can go to the main map to find other adventures such as Alphabet Falls to collect letters to decipher a code and collect the treasure. Or, go to the Parents & Teacher's Area where you'll learn more about the show, watch a couple of short vids, find lots of activities based upon different episodes, etc.
One of the activities is related to "Snug as a Bug" and it's to make an UG!! book. The kids had lots of fun over this one. They enjoyed finding different pictures of 'ug" words to fill the pages. There is also an activity page with three printable pictures to get you started (bug, mug, rug). I provided colorful stickers for them to spell out their names and the other assorted words. So not only did this reinforce rhyming skills but also letter recognition. Oh, and before I forget, you can "read" that same "Snug as a Bug" adventure here as well as print out the book!
LOL, I chose this episode as an example because it's one of five that we have available to watch (the only ones I've found online so far, and this one is at Netflix) and then I found several activities pertaining to it, so it worked out quite well. :D I couldn't have chosen a better one if I'd tried.
And for other fun activities not necessarily related to WordWorld, check out PBSparents.org
So, today we journeyed an hour North to stay the week with my parents. It will be a very busy time, combining several things needing to be done in one trip.
James really enjoyes visiting his grandparents, often several weeks at a time. However, he won't be able to do this once he starts class next week so here's his last chance to spend some time up here until probably Christmas.
Mom has decided it's finally time to go through a lot of my grandmother's stuff and we need to consolidate two storage units into one (a small one into a large one).
I also have an appointment to see a doctor a further hour North of here who will hopefully help me figure out what my problems are. I'm tired of being told that I'm too young for what I think may be happening, and have a family history of. The last three women on my mother's side has all had it, but we have no idea if it goes any further back because my great grandmother's mother died in the flu epidemic when GG was around 9 so not only was she too young to have been told any history, she probably wouldn't have been told anyway.
A chance for Carey to relax before he starts class next week.
Definitely very busy this week. I was happy that we got out of the house right on time, in fact a little early and all we forgot was Charles' suspenders. I had to leave the house a little earlier than planned because I had to stop in a little town on my way, about 30 miles out. There is a local cheapcycle group and a man listed some records of which a few I bought. I had to meet him at the local store and I wound up being there almost 30 minutes early. At first we waited outside, but it was so darn hot and the kids needed to use the restroom anyway so in we went. I especially needed to get Kitty in. She's been diaper free for over four months and I did't want her to have an accident now.
I only had three of the kids since James went up last night to my parents to have a little alone time with them. He's been very angry lately and I'm hoping this will help calm him down. They were all well behaved in the store. They calmly picked out a snack (it's Kitty's special day so she got to pick and she choose Scooby Doo fruit snacks), some banana's and a few other items. They even calmly put the candy back at the cashier when I explained they had already gotten the Scooby snacks and they couldn't have both. I got them loaded back in the van, and then noticed the guy with the records was there so I snagged them real quick.
It's an eclectic mix from Sons of the Pioneers to Frank Sinatra, Peter Paul & Mary, Johnny Cash, even The Night Before Christmas narrated by Louis Armstrong. They're all in good condition and I can't wait to hear them. I paid less than a $1 apiece, and although that's not quite as good as paying only $0.20 at Salvation Army it beats paying several dollars or more apiece.
We quicly continued our trip, and it was a blessed relief when I went from the open valley of agriculture fields and 100 F weather to the hills covered in trees. It was a marked contrast in temperature. It was cool and shady going over the pass and it felt wonderful to be home. I grew up in a logging community, surrounded by hills full of trees and forest only 10 feet out my grandparents back door. And while I'm OK surrounded by the agriculture fields of my current home, I think that's only because the closest tree's are only a quick 20 minute drive, if that. I could never live on the wide open fields of a prairie or the desert. It would drive me mad.
I rolled down the windows, turned off the raidio and breathed in the clean, cool, forest air. I told the kids to look out their windows, breath in the scent and look at the trees as well. This lead to Deedee asking if she could hug a tree. Since I was driving through a section of road that's part of a scenic byway with at least a couple of parks, it was simply to find a place to park although in the end I just chose a turn out because Deedee was getting antsy and we were between both parks. In the end, that was the perfect choice anyway.
It was right in the trees and it was level vs. several that angeled down. This one was also complete with it's own mostly complete deer skeleton. So the kids spent an interesting 10 minutes just looking at that. It had been a doe and was completely picked clean. So we looked at the teeth and talked about how they're different from our teeth and why. Bits of the fur was still there as well and they held some of it to feel the texture and stuff. But they're little so they quickly lost interest and went on to the original goal of hugging a tree. We walked about 20 yards into the trees and it was perfect. It was far enough way that we couldn't see the highway and the traffic wasn't quite as loud. We talked about the birds we heard, and the kids were happy to find a little brook they splashed around in. We wandered around looking at the different plants and flowers and even discovered a spider or two.. Oh, and Charles was really excited to find a little patch of thimble berries that he quickly scarfed down. His whole mouth was stained red and he looked like he'd smeared lipstick on like a clown. LOL Deedee said hello to several trees and collected some fallen leaves for us to identify later. She also said she found several gnome homes. :D
That little side trip delayed us by thirty minutes, but it was well worth it to see the looks on their faces and then listen to their excited talk in the back the last 20 minutes of our trip. When we finally arrived, they couldn't wait to tell their grandparents of their adventures.
Today, I felt better than I have in a long time. The new supplements and herbs that I started taking really seem to be helping the pain. I have had an ongoing battle with my health for some months now and I hope that it's finally turning around.
Every Thursday, a local organization does free crafts for local children ages 4-6 and I generally try to make it if I feel up to it. This week, James wasn't with us because his swimming lessons conflicted and he was still with his grandmother, but Charles wanted to go so off we went. This weeks featured crafts was billed as "Easy Bedroom Door Bells". I wasn't too sure about that but I couldn't think of anything too bad that could come of it. I'm glad we went. It was a lot of fun. Not too many other children showed up, so Deedee and Kitty got in on it as well although technically they were underage and their age group meets on Tuesdays. :D
They're really easy to make. All you need is a cardboard egg carton cut into sections, paint, brushes, ribbon, glitter and/or other decorations, small jingle bells and glue. Poke a hole through the middle on the bottom of each section and paint it whatever color you wish. Either set aside to dry or sprinkle with glitter and then set aside. If it's already dry and you want to use glitter, use a brush to spread on a thin layer of glue. One you have completed your decorations and each section is sufficiently dry, choose how you want to thread them. Everyone seemed to do it thier own way and the choices are infinite. One child used several varying lengths of ribbon, one for each section but he also tied on bits of leaves, bark, acorns etc. along the lengths. He tied one end to the bell and then threaded the other end through the hole on the inside of the section and then tied all the loose ends together (this is the same way that Charles and Deedee tied theirs, minus the bits of Nature). However, Kitty only painted two sections and I tied hers. I tied on a bell, threaded it through one of the sections from the bottom and then treaded it through her other section through the top before tieing on the other bell. I then tied a know in the middle of the ribbon to form a loop to hang it with. The other family there put all of their "bells" on one length of ribbon, evenly spaced.
All of the finished product looked great. Considering there were nine children there 6 and under and two 2 and under, we blessedly had no accidents with the paint. Or, at least those easily remedied. Kitty's glow worm is now personalized (there's orange paint and glitter smeared on it) and I hot a small smear of orange paint on my dress. The cool thing is I washed it out right away and it left a very faint orange tint but it blended right in and now that it's dried I can't even see it.
James is doing great in his swimming lessons. His grandmother takes him and she says that he enjoys it and that he's also very helpful with other children that are a little scared. I'm really proud of him. It seems like he's really grown up lately, even though he's still very childish at times. He had a lot of fun this evening because he got to go with his grandmother and see a play. She said it was rather odd but apparently James enjoyed it. He's working really hard on his K and T sounds although, he's getting really frustrated with them. That's why it really angered me that his grandfather offered to take him to a baseball game (something he adores) but only on the condition that James mastered both of those sounds BEFORE the game, which is very soon.
Did you ever wonder why there's such a huge emphasis in our country for "SHOPPING!"? Or why stuff is made so cheaply that it has us throwing it away and running right back to the store to buy another one to keep us happy which just upsets us again as soon as the fads change or it breaks? Or why there's such a huge emphasis on "disposable" stuff now and we're throwing away items that are perfectly good for more than one use? For instance, look at all of the baby manufaction companies (including Gerber and The First Years) that make disposable sippies, bottles and other eating utensils. I too was sucked into this loop and bought these when Deedee was a baby. With one difference. I didn't throw them away after one use as I saw complete strangers and even close friends and family doing. I used them and you know what? They lasted me until just recently when my last sippy finally broke. Which means that although they were only made for one use, they lasted for countless. Which makes one wonder. If that stuff lasted this long through the use of four rambuctious children for three years, how long is this stuff going to last in a landfill? And why are they making disposable stuff like this in the first place? There are even disposable dvds that are made to be thrown away after 48 hours just for our convenience! The whole premise is that we'll no longer incur late fees if we borrow a movie on this type of platform but all that's doing is telling us we don't have to be responsible enough to make sure we return our movies on time. The only good thing about this is that there are special recycling centers for these to be sent to, but how many people will actually do so instead of simply chucking in the trash?
So why am I on this kick? Because this morning, I finally got around to opening one of my newsletters, Ideal Bite, that's been floating around in my inbox for the last week or so. It was entitled Trashy Poe(m). I was a little leery opening it, but let out a sigh of relief when I realized the title was exactly what it looked like, a play on words. It was centered around Poe's great work, The Raven, and it was talking about, you guessed it, trash. But it seemed like any other newsletter I've gotten from them with a bunch of quick facts, trivia, a few cute (or horrible) puns and some links. Today however, there was a link for a movie entitled "The Story of Stuff" and it was described as a good primer for what happens to our stuff. So I and the kids watched it. Wow. I've known for some time that we have too much stuff (as a family and as a nation) but I never really knew any of the figures. And I never really thought about how the system works and atlhough I've been working hard moving towards a more sustainable way of life, I still find myself slipping at times such as using plastic bags at the store because I forgot my cloth ones or maybe useing something that's disposable because it's quick and convenient (which happens sometimes when one has four children) but I never really thought about it. I mean, come one. How much damage can just one person do? Well, not much. Until you multiply that a billion times and realize just how much damage is actually done every day.
So what exactly is the Story of Stuff? Well, according to them it's "a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever". All very true. It even got my littles thinking. After we watched it, I asked them what they'd learned and how we might change things. They really didn't say much and all I got from Charles was a blank stare. However, this is what Deedee said: "We don't want too much garbage" and "Buying stuff is bad". Both of those statements are really generalized, but what can one expect from a 3 yo? But it's a start and that's what counts. And she's already aware of trash and the fact that it's bad. For over a month now my "Little Litter Bug" picks up trash wherever she sees it and throws it away, sometimes holding onto it for blocks until we find the proper receptacle. How awesome is that? (I just wish she could do it at home so well. LOL) So check it out. You'll be amazed how much you learn and how many questions it sparks.
Every year, a large two day music festival is held in our city park and the two days leading up to it herald a large arts & crafts festival for the younguns. It's certainly interesting and there are two ways to experience this. One, you can preregister your little darlin' for access to group activities (yellow tents), a tshirt and a nice lunch as well as the assorted craft booths (blue tents) or you can be a "walk-on" and register for just that day or even both days with the difference that you get none of the above except the "blue tents". If you are signed up for group activities you go either with the older children who are then seperated into several groups that rotate through the yellow tents every 45 minutes with time to spend in the blue tents as well, or the little ones go to the preschool group.
Hrmmm.........Where to begin? Last year, only my boys were old enough, both went to the preschool group and we registered for only one day. I was vaguely dissastified last year although I wasn't really sure why until this year. In some ways it was better last year. The provide lunch was awesome (donated by Applebee's) and they also took into account vegetarians, which seem to abound in my local progressive University town. This year was a huge let down on the lunch, but I get ahead of myself. Last year I was upset because although we preregistered months in advance (and Carey's parent's winery also helped sponsor, which they do every year) there was no room for us. Literally. There were no seats at the tables for the boys to do their crafts at all so we were actually released early for the craft tents. That always happenes. We scrap the money together to take our kids to a fun event, register when we're supposed to to reserve a spot, arrive on time and "walk-ons" have been given preferance and taken our spots. :( Which is why we have stopped doing a lot of this type of stuff. That's sad because there's a ton of really cool activities done every year that we don't bother with anymore. But, I feel myself getting on a soapbox so I'd better put it away.
So, this year with the three children, well... this year was certainly busy. The older children (which James was a part of this year) start a whole hour earlier than the littles so I had to have him there before 9 to make sure he was signed in. So, after leaving Kitty with a neighbors daughter, I left the other two with a friend that literally lives right beside the park that planned on joining me latter with her two preschoolers. So I thought, perfect, I'll get to spend at least 45 minutes with James making sure he was settled and comfortable with his group before having to leave him to escort his brother and sister around with their group. Unfortunately, that's where things started going wrong. Deedee, who had returned only the day before from an extended visit with the grandparents was frantic that I wasn't there so they had to come and get me to console her while my friends husband stayed with James. I was unable to console her so back to the park she came and then amused herself taking pictures of everything in sight while I spent time with James. Sigh...... For those that have read this off and on for the past year or so, you'll know that James just doesn't do well with a lot of people. Sometimes he settles right in and I was happy to learn that the son of another homeschooling mother was in the same group as James and hoped it would help. James can follow orders well enough and in fact he's become quite the little helper around the house lately, especially when it comes to little Kitty. He's becoming more comfortable with crowds and even greets people properly now! But when it comes to arts and crafts, a child needs to have artistic liscence. However, in his very first group activity, this is exactly what he didn't get.
He wound up in the worst possible place for his group's first project. They were making bday cards and I thought, awesome, Carey's big day is coming up in just a few weeks and what could be more special than to give Dad a card you made yourself? Well, it started out ok but the instructor was too rigid. She actually expected the kids to make it exactly like hers (five candles of varying widths and heigth on the outside on the card; no more, no less and certainly none on the inside) and I actually heard her correcting children! James saw this, and got upset that he was going to have to change his card which got him asking could he go play bubbles and when at first I stalled because I didn't know what to do (we had paid for him to do the group activities after all) he got upset and started yelling he wanted to go home which froze me in the dilema even more. On the one hand, we had paid for him to go with the group. On the other hand, what was the point of paying if he didn't want to stay and have fun? While one must learn how to take orders (that is the way of the world) there is still a place and a time and in the end I decided this really wasn't a battle that I needed to fight. So, instead, I let his group leader know he was going to be with me and we met his siblings at the preschool area. And you know, that was the best decision that I ever made.
For the most part anyway. Both my friend and I were annoyed that the preschool group was planned to read three books with corresponding crafts before being released to do the blue tents (at least an hour but probably more; you know how slow preschoolers move). I was lucky I got them to sit through one story and craft when all they wanted to do was bubbles! (as always, there was a big bubble station set up) In the end, we left that group early as well and wandered around wherever the kids wanted to go which suited them a lot better although, they still had to work on patience since there were lines at some booths.
We spent the first 20 minutes or so of both mornings at the bubbles and they had an absolute blast making big ones and little ones and getting absolutely drenched in the solution. There were also little buble cups that could be made. Small plastic cups with wide mouths had a hole punched in the side for a straw to go through, and a bit of washcloth secured with a rubber band. Then, a bit of dish soap is squirted on top and water is sprayed on until you could blow through the straw and make bubbles come out of the top. It was all great fun for them and I'm sure those cups will float around at home for quite some time.
From there, we were everywhere. The snack art booth (that I didn't like because it was a huge waste of food since most children threw their sculptures away instead of eating them), tie dye, face painting, flag making, more bubbles, string art, meeting the Avista dog (local utilities company), etc. My kids had a great time and never once did they ask to rejoin their groups even though I gave James plenty of options to do so if he wanted. I'm very proud of my little ones. They were very creative in their artistic endevours and they made an impression at most booths they went to. I was also thankful that the booths were relatively small and placed close together which allowed me to park one or two at the bubble station so I could spend one-on-one time with the third child (and still keep an eye on the others). I really enjoyed that time and I hope they did as well. The one-on-one time was spent with them the second day since the first day we stayed with some friends (who only registered for one day).
The kids did great at the flag making booth. Most children chose a piece of fabric from a huge mound and made a basic flag shape to decorate. Many children scribbled something on them real quick and called it good; not my children! Both Deedee and James chose the same basic orange polyester but they were radically different. Deedee had tons of little streamers fashioned from scraps of bright, vibrant (and clashing) fabrics and lace while James' actually coordinated. He had a main streamer of navy blue with bright swathes of gold, burnt orange and cream but then he choose a pretty gold fabric for his smaller streamers. And Charles... well Charles' was a lot more simple with a wild paisley print for the main fabric and fruit print for the one streamer he chose.
They did well at the tie-dye booth although Deedee went way overboard with the dye on her bandanna. You can see a pattern but it's quite dark. In fact, it was so dark that at first it was completely black and I thought that she'd get no design at all! When it had been washed a couple of times, it actually didn't look too bad. Charles wound up making two. Another homeschooled child couldn't make it (her mother was sick) so we got her little bag with her tshirt and then each child contributed a craft kit (Deedee an Ojo de Dios, Charles the tie-dye bandanna that she can wash out herself, and James threw in a bubble cup kit). They were very thoughtful about that.
They had a blast having their faces painted. Deedee asked for a green dino, James a dragon and the girl was quite relieved when Charles wanted a simple apple. :D However, they were a little dissapointed at the last booth we hit at the end on Friday. It's one they'd been wanting to do but everytime we went it was too full. So, of course, just as we got there they ran out of supplies. They were supposed to make alien gloves (latex surgery gloves stuffed and decorated, pretty cool looking) but there weren't any more gloves. So they were actually given the displays to use and they had fun decorating them instead.
At the string booth, they were supposed to be making an Ojo de Dios (God's Eyes) but that quickly turned into luanching airplanes. From there they wandered over to the snack booth and proceeded to load up on goodies, made themselves comfy under a tree and stuffed themselves. One woman complained that the children had more than their fair share. I asked her if her children would be eating their sculptures and she said no, of course not and looked at me as if I had two heads. She complained that my children weren't actually making things with their food so I gave them pretzel sticks to stick in their fruit to eat it with. While on the one hand, she was certainly right, in some aspects my littles did have more than their fair share but on the other hand they were hungry and how do you explain to a preschooler that they're not allowed to eat the yummy melon or olives, crackers with strawberry cream cheese or cheese sticks with cranberry eyes simply because it's supposed to be "art"? You can't. And when I thought of the children who didn't have this bounty, I certainly wasn't going to make them put it back, which they couldn't anyway because they'd "contaminated" it. Bleh... So they had a nice midmorning snack, which was good considering the miniscule lunches they got!
Based on last years spread, I was expecting something really yummy and I was looking forward to the lunch time entertainment (a play on Thursday and a magician on Friday) and you couldn't imagine my shock when the kids came back with a bag lunch and a milk. Still, I shrugged thinking that there was probably a sandwich in there, with perhaps a bag of chips, or a cookie or maybe even a piece of fruit. Wrong! All that was there was a teeny tiny sandwich with a piece of meat and a slice of American cheese slapped between it; ketchup and mustard were provided at a nearby table. That was it. And this angered a lot of people. Not because the sponsor had been so stingy and cheap this year but because no allowances were made for vegetarians. The family I stayed with the first day are vegetarian and when thee inquired about a vegetarian meal the woman in charge of the lunches was quite rude when she said there werent' any. Now, my friend was lucky (remember I mentioned she lived right there) she she ran home real quick and grabbed something for her family to munch on while watching the show. But imagine how many children went hungry that day because they didn't have that option? Most children were dropped off by their parents and picked up again at about a quarter to one and lunch was technically paid for and expected but not received.
It wasn't all fun and games for me. Deedee really got my goat twice. Once, she disappeared only to be found happily stuffing her face after making herself comfortable under a tree and the second time she told me she'd buried her sandals in the sand only to remark that she'd actually left them across the street at my friends house after I dug for over 10 minutes! Grrr...LOL
The thing that made me the proudest of my children: We wound up sticking around a little longer because I was talking to another homeschool mom I hadn't seen in about 8 months. We heard an adult thanking someone for their help, turned around and here were my four (yes, four, Kitty rejoined us for lunch) little monsters that had volunteered their help to the lady cleaning up the stage area. Tarps had been laid out over the dirt and large cases of water had been set out, not all of which were empty or even opened in the first place. And my kids were the only ones there helping! Even my tiny itty bitty little Kitty got in on it by grabbing the biggest thing she could get her little hands on which turned out to be an unopened case of water bottles that had to weigh at least half as much as she did but she hauled it about two feet before the woman took it from her. Now, why can't these guys be this cooperative at home?
Next year, I'm going to make some changes. I'm not going to bother preregistering and will just go as walk-ons. I also plan on taking each child only one day, instead of both. So I'll take the boys one day, and the girls the other. I figure it will be much easier to heard only two little ones around and have fun with them vs. all four. It was a lot of work with just the three of them this year. I also see no point in an extra tshirt (theirs are trashed already; they're covered in dirt, chocolate milk, smears of paint and dye and smell strongly of bubbles) and with the extremely crappy and unhealthy lunch this year I certainly wouldn't rely on that next year and would be bringing my own anyway. And, since my children refuse to "conform" to the normal state of things and join a group, theres no point in paying for that either. There were too many children I saw that were technically part of a group that weren't able to enjoy the smaller blue tents. Inparticular there were two girls I kept seeing in line at the face painting booth only to get up there and be rounded up by their group leader for a "group project". Eventually, I saw the painters heard them to the front of the line, which was really nice of them. So while the group activities really did look like fun, they also seemed to take some of the spontaneity and joy out of the process. I also saw a few mothers inhibiting their children. One woman really amazed me when she pretty much told her daughter that what she was making didn't work and wound up doing the whole thing herself! And another woman stopped her daughter at the tye dye tent. Not because she was drenching it (like Deeder's did) but because she wasn't making it "perfect" as in each little wedge have one color, etc. What's the point in tye dying something to be "perfect"? That's just such a huge misnomer!
The whole organized group aspect of it really bugged me. It really reminded me of school, or even a factory when a certain amount of time is spent on something and then you move onto the next station regardless of whether if was finished to your satisfaction or not. Does anyone else have thoughts on this? Was I being really silly about all of these, and should I have made my kids "behave" and stay with their groups? Or was this the right decision? My FIL especially came down on me about it on the whole aspect of "being in a group" that James has to work on if James will be sucsessfull in school this fall. (For those that don't know, James' father has decided to enroll him in kindergarten this year, so we'll see how it goes.) Things will go on as usuall for my other kids with the FIAR curriculum this fall. Deedee especially is excited about this and keeps calling it her "schoouh (she drops the L's on all words like this and I have no idea why).
China is becoming more dominant in the news as the Olympics approach so a Michigan State University professor has created an online video game that teaches Chinese culture and language.
Called Zon/New Chengo, the multiplayer Web-based role-playing game was created by Yong Zhao, MSU distinguished professor of educational psychology and technology. A native of a poor, remote area of the Sichuan Province, he has become a highly influential researcher in Chinese education, bringing in more than $20 million in research to the university.
"Games are supposed to be fun and educational," said Zhao."This game offers a vicarious, virtual experience of China."
This looked really interesting so I decided to sign up. Once you have entered your new account information, you get to choose your character. There's not a ton of choices. You can choose between male/female and the female at least has four more choices for features & clothing (I don't know about male because I didn't think to look). Unfortunately, you can't personalize much further such as color of hair or style of hair. All you can do from there is choose the colors of your clothing. Once you have activated your free account, you're shown your passport that's been stamped by Zon. There, you're ready to play!
The scene opens in the airport and you can imediately start exploring. As you click on things you can hear the name of that item spoken in Chinese. There's also a background music you can choose not to hear. There are lots of people to talk to, including the other players. Once you're done in the airport yo're able to get a cab to talke you to your hotel.
For those not familiar with MMORPG's, you're in for a real treat. There are a ton of these games out there, taking place in whatever type of world you're interested in. While most of these do cost money to play, not all of them do and you just have to poke around to find them. I've always enjoyed thse because it gave me a chance to talk to real people in real time. That was a big thing for a young mother stuck at home in the middle of the country with a small baby and no one to talk to. And of course, the world that I played in was fantasy, my favorite genre.
So check this out. While it's not for smaller children since you need to be able to read to do most of this stuff, you can still sit a child on your lap and expose them to the language even if they can't take an active part. What a really fun way to learn about another culture and language.
Every morning, rain or shine, Carey drops in at Break.com before class/work. It's like Youtube with tons of vids posted. While not all are appropriate for children, I just had to share these. The first one is of an excellent contact juggler (For anyone that's seen Labyrinth, you've seen this type of juggling before and you can see a vid for that here.) and the second one is an awesome dancer (Charles really liked this one and wanted to keep watching it).
Today was crazy. It had started out to be a nice, peaceful, lazy day. James & Deedee were both outside playing and Kitty was still asleep. I had meandered over to a neighbor to swap some zippers and a few other notions for some outifts I'm working on for the girls and ask how she's doing (she's 8 months pregnant and counting the days :D ). Carey had dropped in real quick for a bit to eat before heading to class. So I was surprised to see Carey running over, yelling about Deedee and hospitals. Oh, no. I start to rush off, with visions of blood gushing everywhere and then he says bug bight. Huh?
So I slow down and start to tell him that he needs to find a better way of saying things than scaring me like that when I get a look at her arm. Sometime between kicking her out and the hour and a half later that we discover it, her arm had puffed up twice it's size just below the elbow. That really does freak me out since although we've been bitten by various bugs before, none of us have ever had this reaction before. So the doc gets called, Kitty gets woken up and everyone is dropped of with Grandma so Deedee could could see the doctor. Sigh... after a 40 minute wait in the lobby, it only takes Dr. A 10 minutes to take a look, give a prognosis of a spider bite and give me instructions of how to care for it. I was a little surprised that I was told not to bother giving her benadryl or cortisone cream, but then again, that's why I like this pediatric office and am willing to drive 16 miles round trip, even with these gas horrible gas prices. They're untraditional in the fact that they don't push a ton of synthetic meds on you and will even tell you when they don't think something will work. I was told just to pust some aloe vera on it to help sooth any itching, and to keep it clean in case of infection in the punture wounds.
Of course, my MIL wasn't happy about that and insisted that I use benadryl but I think I'll just keep an eye on it and see how it does. I was told that the swelling would go down in a day or two so we'll see.
And then this afternoon we celebrated Kitty's birthday by taking the kids out for ice cream. It's a local little shoppe where I get most of my produce as well as local eggs & sometimes milk. They also sell sandwiches, smoothies, etc at really reasonable prices. I love the proprietor. He goes out of his way to work with you and is very welcoming to the kids. That is to say, he doesn't glare at one when he sees the horde coming and he even asks after them when I happen to pop in by myself. The kids had a blast picking out their flavors. Everyone got little child size waffle coans for only $1 apiece wich is much better than if we'd gone to Baskin Robbins (whose stuff always makes me sick).
Today, we celebrated both James' and Kathrynn's birthdays. We saw no point in throwing two big parties with them so close together. So, instead, we invited a bunch of friends and family and celebrated the children's accomplishments together.
James chose a dino theme and was excited to pull out the box of decorations I'd snagged from freecycle last year to put up at the park. There were even a few balloons that I got although, his wound up getting popped by a jelous three year old sister. Sigh... Even Kitty was happy to see her huge balloon (it's bigger than she is, literally) and her little banner.
Today was one crazy day. I got up before 5 (completely by accident and if I'd realized what time it was I would have marched right back to bed) and was actually ahead for once. Until disaster struck; we had two, yes, two, cake fiascos. The first one was Kitty's. I'd gotten a really cute silicon pan to make a pullapart butterfly for her. I have used silicon before but this is the first time it all stuck so I wound up with a huge mound of cake not in the shape of a butterfly. :( It was easily fixed by turning it into a trifle. It was layered with vanilla pudding, peaches and blueberries. It came out really cute.
Now, as for James'.... well, it wasn't that easily fixed. James wanted this dino cake and I thought, sure, no problem. Wrong although, not in the way you think. The body came out beautifully and even the cake meant to fashion the rest of the head & tail. That is, until it got eaten. Yep, my wonderful husband whom was supposed to be watching kidlets managed to let them sneak into the kitchen and they ate half of an 8" round cake. Grrr.... So I got to make another one at the last minute (it also overflowed and set my oven on fire) and it was cooling when I went to the party, sans cake!
I got to turn around an hour and a half later, go home, spend 15 minutes assembling the darn thing, frosting it, and then hauling it and the other two cakes (oh, we were also celebrating my nephew Jordan's bday) back to the park during which time my MIL & SIL had taken over, children had gotten the idea of cake and were now demanding it and somehow presents were getting opened without me. :( Still, in the end, it was worth it and everyone had a lot of fun. The potluck idea was also a stroke of genius because not only did I spend much less money than I would have providing a full lunch, but there was a much bigger variety. Lots of bean salads (all different types) and fruit salads showed up. And the kids made out like fat rats, both recieving far more than I would have likes. Still, I was happy to see lots of books, outside toys and a few games vs. a lot of plastic junk requiring batteries. There are two presents received that need batteries (one hasn't come in yet, and I don't know what it is) and there other is a little glow worm. I don't mind a glow worm and I'm wondering what the other item is and if I'm going to be strangling a SIL. Actually, there was a third toy that takes batteries, a big plastic dino, but James doesn't know that it can make noises since there aren't any batteries in it and so far he's ecstatic with it.
I was pleased that several members of my homeschool group also came. I wish there had been more, but planning this on Father's Day was the smartest thing to do although, we didn't know that it was Father's Day when we picked the date. Ah, well, there's always next year. I was happy to be able to spend some time with them, and one of the women even had the idea of having an ethnic potluck later this summer. The idea is for each family to choose one or two dishes from their ethnic background and then bring them, introducing the children to all kinds of different foods while giving a bit geography as well. It sounds really neat and I hope it works out.
So, here's the huge slideshow (sorry if it takes a long time to load) of all the pics. Slide your mouse over the pics to pause it and to see any captions.
I'm serious. We had an honest to God snowstorm this morning! And it had not been forecast. It was supposed to be rain all day. It was quite a shock (and an annoyance) to get woken up at 7:30 this morning by a call from my husband saying guess what. Sigh... Late nights and early mornings just don't go together.
We have had quick little flurries before. I remember one little snow shower on July 4th one year. However, the one's I can remember never lasted more than a few moments and were quickly gone. The snow never stuck and was was pretty much melted before it hit the ground. Today, however it not only stuck, but accumulated well enough that the whole ground was white. It lasted around three hours and while at the end it was a very fine snow, more sleet than anything else, at the beginning there were huge fat flakes. WOW
Now, as to my long and unfortunate absence. :( It had not been planned at all. Things have been super busy around here and while I've continued composing posts in my head, somewhere along the way they were never set to paper (or to keyboard as the case may be). I've missed doing this. So, here's just a quick update about what's been going on. I'll post a slideshow of pics withing the next couple of days.
Today is James' 6th bday!
James has lost two teeth within the last week.
Charles inists that Deedee is no longer his sister. She's now a magic pig.
Kitty is potty training very well. She's almost exclusively in undies now and she sleeps dry 4 nights out of 5.
Kitty is speaking very well, even starting to string words together into sentences. One of her favorites is "I go play".
I have been sewing up a storm. Carey put his foot down and said I had to use my enormous stash of fabrics and patterns or get rid of them. So I've started making Kitty her summer wardrobe. We have extensively downsized clothing anyway and we settled on 10 outfits for her. I need only make 4 more (but I have more planned :D). Even Deedee has gotten in on it and I've managed to make her two outfits with a third cut and ready.
Not only have I have been sewing clothing, but children's aprons. The first two I did as a last minute bday present. I had two batik fat quarters but couldn't think what to do with them. As I was digging in my stash I found a large length of canvas, I happened to see Deedee's little apron hanging from the easel and an idea was born. The fat quarters are big enough for the apron as well as a pocket so I made a reversible apron (batik one side, canvas the other) with pockets, rick rack and little buttons for decor. The party was a bug theme for fraternal twins so the boy got a caterpillar button and the girl a butterfly. They were such a big hit that two more were asked for as bday presents and a few others ordered by guests! I will eventually get a pic posted of them, and I hope to start selling them on Etsy.
James is having sewing lessons! And he's having a blast. More on that in a few days (such as the manual he's using, etc.). I have a big potluck bday bbq to plan for this weekend.
Carey finished this semester with a 3.0 and has an A in his summer class so far. (It ends next week).
James is oficially enrolled for kindergarten this fall. I'm not happy about this one but his father wants him to try. He decided because of some of James' problems, that this is the only way to get some services that he feels are needed. So, we shall see how it goes. So far, James seems excited. So, according to the professionals, other than his speech delay, he has a fine motor delay, seperation anxiety, maybe a low level autism, and Oppositional Defiance Disorder. Fun, huh? Why his father thinks he'll be treated better in school is beyond me. I'm especially frustrated because I believe in a philosphy that children aren't really ready to learn this way until they're around 7 or 8 and that this early is just pushing them too much. At least he's in K and in the afternoon so I can still control some of it. The district actually wanted to put him in 1st! Grrr... He's not ready developmentally, emotionally or academically and it was unprofessional of them to want to do this only for their convenience and not because of what's best for James. The K is in a seperate building entirley from the rest of the school, and a couple blocks away so the idea was that it would be easier for them to provide the services they promised (and sold Carey on) if he was in the main building. GRRRR..... Although he's been making breakthroughs, he's still not at a 1st grade level academic wise, and barely K. They're already insisting on putting him in special ed and if they had succeeded in sticking him in 1st, he would have needed it extensively and they would have pretty much set him up to fail. Sigh... Sorry, didn't mean to get on my soap box here.
I'm now oficially a Barefoot Books stall holder and am authorized to sell their books! HOORAY
My garden is doing very well. I have leaf lettuce, strawberries and onions right now. There's also garlic, assorted tomatoes, acorn squash, potatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, bell peppers, radishes, spinach, and a few other things I can't remember. :D
It's hard to believe that only two days ago it was almost 80 outside. We actually had snow today! :( Today was also very busy. We had Deedee's Well Child checkup (which I was almost late too because I mixed up times). She did very well and cooperated for the most part with her doctor. She's now 36 inches tall and 28 pounds. She even cooperated with the little eye test and she has 20/20 vision.
We stopped on the way home (siblings were with their grandparents) to do some quick shopping. Since she did so well with her doctor (especially with it being a new doctor) she got to choose a treat. So she came home the proud new owner of a fruit leather and a box crackers. :D We got to her grandparents just in time to haul everyone over to Deedee's preschool only to find out that no other students would be there today. :( So it wound up just being free time while the kids ran around and played and I chatted with the teacher whom also happens to be a good friend of mine. We went straight from there to our movement class, which was a complete bust today. :(
There were a ton of kids so James didn't want to participate at all and he was being disruptive. And, unfortunately, the others were taking his lead. Sigh.... I did notice that at one point when I'd had to take the boys out into the hall, I came back in and Deedee was right in the thick of it but as soon as James was back,, she was on the sidelines being a pill again. So I'm going to try just sending Charles or Deedee there with a friend and see how that works out. Because, although it's very inexpensive, it just not cost effective to keep taking the kids if they're not going to participate and have fun. Sigh...
After the dance class, most of us descended upon the new Salvation Army that had their grand opening today. We all found some treasures and I'm so thankful that this has moved in. Not only is it much closer to us than Good Will, it's prices are also much better. It's sad to say that Good Will is certainly not for the poor people anymore. :( I found several books, including a 1957 copy of Cat in the Hat, a unit about bears, and a unit introducing several of our greatest presidents to children. Oh, and addition bars that I'm not sure of or even how they work but hopefully I'll figure them out sometime.
Oh, and one of my friends also had the great idea of our homeschool group setting up Library Thing accounts and having an intraloan library which, of course, is just awesome. We all know that we as homeschooling moms have all have a ton of books (and that we probably don't even know half of what we have, which for me is very very true :D ) and that also we often loan out books to one another and then promptly forget where they are or that we even had hem in the first place (once again, this is so me). This is an awesome resource and I highly recommend that you check it out, if only to set up a personal account for yourself. Even if we hadn't talked about doing this for the group, I had been thinking about setting up an account to help me keep track of our huge library that's growing more and more almost weekly. If you'd like to check out my library sometime, look up briarwren.
My husband found this today (he's always in Metacafe, speaking of which it's not a good idea to kids wander around in this site unsupervised) and thought it was interesting. The kids enjoyed watching it and then we looked at some books about birds, how the eggs are formed, cracked open some local chicken eggs, etc. An interestind day.
This semester. James' RE (religious education) class at Church has been focusing on the environment. Each week, the've been learning about a different animal that Heifer International gives to impoverished families. These might include water buffalo, silk worms, bees, chickens, snails, etc.
Today's animal was the water buffalo. I was interested to find out that their horns are made out of the same material as our finger nails. The kids made water buffalo tracks using sponges and paint and James is very proud of his effort. Today, it was also announced the fund raiser that we'll be doing for Heifer International. Two different ideas were chosen, one being a bit more secular than the other.
The first one, Read to Feed, looks like a lot of fun. Basically, this one is an agreement between you and someone else that they will pay you so much per book that you read. James' grandmother has agreed to pay 0.25 per book he reads. His goal is $25 because he'd like to pay for a bee hive.
This second one, Fill the Ark, looks like a lot of fun too. This one is a little more Bible based since it's based on the concept of Noah and his ark. This one comes with a calendar and a little box that looks like an ark. Every day, a different animal that Heiffer Interational deals with is showcased (such as a yak, bees, horses, sheep, etc.). It gives you a bit of trivia for the animal and then it asks you a question. If your answer is yes, you put so much change in your little box. If your answer is no, you still put so much change in the box, but the amount is often a little more. It's not very much, the one I can remember off the top of my head was 0.15 and 0.25 respectively.
So, we've decided to do both of these. I figured Fill the Ark can be done by just us (Carey always has change in his pockets) and we'll ask assorted family members and friends to help us with Read to Feed. This will run until May 18 when all money packets will be collected. This also coincides with our Churches First Annual Animal Blessing so that's very appropriate I thought. The next Sunday after that, the children will count their money and then decide what they want to buy and earmark it for that animal before sending it off to the organization. James is really excited about this and he's already put change in his little ark.
After Church, Carey insisted on taking us for a drive although he refused to tell us where we're going. The nice peacefull drive ended at a store and we're now the proud new owners of a 32 inch HDTV. Bleh. I can't believe how light the things is! Carey's plan is to hook this up as our computer monitor (this is his answer to my "no" to two new flat screens coming into the house) so my posting will be a bit off over the next week as I get used to the new screen. My parents came down to get our old tv for my brother. I had a nice visit with them and I wish that they could have stayed longer. It was really nice again today too. It was almost 80! It was a bit overcast and muggy though since it's supposed to rain tomorrow. :( The kids' new hats came in handy though. However, Miss Deedee has to be watched because her proclivity for nudity keeps getting her into trouble. She had ditched her underwear somewhere and then decided to climb up the play structure. Sigh... three year olds.
Today was absolutely gorgeous. It actually got up close to seventy and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We spent most of the day out of doors. I ignored a few chores but it was just too nice of a day to pass up. Then again, I did get lots of gardening done so that was an acceptable trad off.
The kids had me pull a lot of their outdoor toys out of the shed such as their teepee and a couple of chairs. They had a blast playing with the stuff as well as other children. Deedee and Charles even hauled some sheets and few toys out to set up house. We just got them a new play kitchen (that's staying outside) and its heavy enough that neighbor kids won't be hauling it off anymore like the other one we had. Oh, and James has an admirer. A young lady brought over a picture of a frog that she made for him. :D
I had planned on taking the kids to a concert that's held every year. Lots of great classical music and then a walk through to get a look at the instruments at the end. I've been looking forward to it, but a mix up in our schedules had Carey doing something else today and no way was I taking all four of my little hooligans to that and expect them to sit still for at least an hour. :( A friend of mine whom was also going was going to take James for me but the decided he would rather ride his bike instead. So then Charles was going to go, but he was getting whiney and I didn't think he'd behave. So he stayed home, and instead after the concert, my friend came back with her son so he could play with the kids. They wound up staying for a couple of hours and everyone enjoyed the ice cream she brought. I enjoyed talking with her as well as swapping books. It's her TJ Ed book that I"ve borrowed and several of my books went home with her as well as a few titles that she's going to find for herself.
The gardening went very well. I weeded out some old pots to give to a neighbor who did't have any, got the last of the old growth pulled up, etc. I snagged some daffodils off of Free Cycle and finally got around to dividing them up and getting them planted. I wound up with so many that several friends also got some. I bought a bag of worm castings to mix in with the dirt this year. I would like to have been able to use my own. There are plans for a foray into vermiculture and the building of a worm bin so hopefully you'll hear more of that soon. So, today I and James planted assorted leaf lettuce, onions, potatoes, strawberries, spinach, radishes, and sunflowers. Soon, the tomatoe plants, squash and other assorted seedlings will be ready to transplant. There are also plans for a few other assorted plants, but that will have to wait until our annual Church plant sale to see what treasures will be found and hauled home. Last year I got some great garlic and tomatoes.
Poor Deedee got sunburned today and I felt horrible. I didn't even think of putting sunscreen on her. She was in a sleeveless dress so her arms, shoulders, nose and cheeks got it. I forget that her fair skin needs more care vs. my darker complexion. How I wound up with a red haired daughter with super pale skin with my coloring is heaven's guess. :D Charles' fair coloring also got a bit pink but he had put on a sweater so only his face got it. Kitty was very slightly pink but she got my darker coloring so she's ok, as well as James. Deedee liked the aloe I put on her arms and doesn't understand why we can't just use all of the plant. :D
I first learned about this great resource about a year and a half ago when I first decided to homeschool my young son. I was looking for stuff about lap books, stumbled upon Jaminacema's awesome blog and from there it was easy to find me way to the Schoolhouse. Right away I saw so many awesome books and stuff that I wanted to order, and I really liked the idea of free shipping. For a family of very limited income that's a huge plus and it's kept me coming back. As for the magazine, I remember really really wanting it and not having the funds. I was so excited this winter when I finally got a chance to not only actually look at a digital copy (a must for this household so I know what I'm getting) and my husband saying that yes, I could use the last of our Christmas money to get a digital subscription. While I've only had the chance to look at a couple of issues now, I've been provided with much food for thought and I've learned of some wonderful resources. One thing I especially love about the digital issues is that I can print only what particularly interested me and what I want to archive for future referance. When space is at a premium, one can't always justify having huge stacks of magazines everywhere. So if you haven't subscribed yet, now's your chance and I highly recommend that you check it out!
The musings of my childrens journey in the wonders of love, life, and spirituality. Love, Live, Laugh, and Learn. That's what it's all about. Welcome and blessed be.
* Carey ~ Beloved husband that puts up with everything.
He's majoring in history, loves to read, play D&D and Mech Warriors.
* Ami ~ Me. Busy teacher and housewife. I love to spend
time with the kids, read, garden, cook, knit, sew, make my own soaps
and salves.
* James ~ Our oldest at five. He loves to build with blocks, enjoys the guitar, adores robots and believes he
can't live without his trucks (and skateboard).
* Charles ~ My little monkey! Our youngest son at four, he
is the most precious gift ever recieved on a birthday.
He's a wonderful, sunny little guy that's very inquisitive and artistic.
* Meradydd ~ Our oldest daughter at three.
An opinionated and exceedingly bossy little girl with a temper to match her copper hair.
My little fashion diva that loves shoes, furlies, & hair pretties.
* Kathrynn ~ Kitty is my 1 year old little angel. She's a beautiful, mellow little girl that's extremely patient but is also starting to show her claws.
