The Holidays, Honestly.

 Okay Honestly....
 I do not want to be one of those mothers who makes their life sound nothing but perfect.

I do love the holidays, we are having a ton of fun, but I may have left a couple things out.

The cinnamon applesauce ornaments didn't turn out, I hadn't done them in a while so I googled a recipe. The recipe I got called for a lot of glue, against my better judgment I went with it. Brown sticky over powering cinnamon gunk sticking EVERYWHERE!

I for some reason let Jasey get opened toed dress shoes, which she loves by the way, but can't walk in the snow. Yes, go figure it snowed in Colorado so along with a baby, she needs to be carried in and out everywhere we are going. Not my best plan.

Our fabulously awesome new tree, looks ridiculous. It gets redecorated daily, not because this is an activity, but because Alex has decided all the ornaments mus be toys. So when no one is here the lower 1 1/2 feet of tree has no ornaments, but if someone is coming over I quickly run to the tree and balance out the decor. Vain I know.

I gave everyone ideas for the kids, for C.J. I said army stuff, anything cameo, anything swat and so forth. We have had one Christmas celebration so far and he has received 3 army vests! He loves them, I try to do creative and educational toys, but in the end I want them to have things they want. C.J. is all about the armed forces. He and Jasey clear the house whenever we get home.Running to every doorway peering around with there weapons (yes I let them play with guns) and yelling all clear.

I may have bribed my children with a holiday treat so we might accomplish some shopping without whining.
C.J. is and does give me a hard time about writing thank you notes, but I feel it is importent.
Jasey keeps asking every santa she sees, and telling every one who asks that she wants a little sister for Christmas, yeah no pressure there.
Alex... Alex has decided that upon learning to walk it must be accompanied with emptying every drawer and cupboard he reaches. Which he does by the way with lightening speed. I don't use child locks, I have personal feelings about that. So as others say I do it to myself.

Jasey also had the tummy flu. Yuck!!!

So yes, there is another side to the holidays.

Christmas is almost here

 I cannot believe Christmas is almost here. We have been having a lot of fun. It is really neat to see how the kids this year embrace things on a different level.

  Secrets- While we do not promote secrete keeping, the children have expressed A LOT of enthusiasm about buying gifts for others and not telling the receiver what the gift is. They really seem to revel in the receiver's surprise as they open the gift. We did have a conversation about when it is okay to keep a secrete and when it's not. I have been blown away at their ability to with hold telling the person about their gift, exspecially to each other. It has become a new joke in our house. "C.J. I know what your present is.", "What?" "A poopy diaper!" then she dissolves into giggles.

Re-enacting/ Dramatic Play- We have been reading a bunch of seasonal and holiday themed books. I find both of the children together and separately re-enacting what we have read. They on their own decided to place their shoes outside their bed room doors to receive goodies, after we read about it. They have used a children's nativity to act out the nativity story. we have read this story every year and I love the questions' they have been coming up with this year.
   Each child has had numerous opportunity to play wrapping. I give them scissors. tape and wrapping paper. They spend hours wrapping up there toys and then giving them to each other or daddy and myself to be opened. Jasey's scissor skills amaze me.

Art/Crafts- We have made ornaments, cards, pictures, and paintings. I love how I can incorporate this into our school. In science we learned about snowflakes and how they were made, the we made snow flakes out of coffee filters ans decorated the house. I keep always keep holiday wrapping paper with the intentions of using it, this year I gave my kids all the odd scrapes and they cut out the scenes, figures or words and re-glued them to paper to make Christmas pictures.

Baking- We have always done a lot of baking, this year it has been really fun because C.J. has been learning about fractions. My oh my how fast he picks up on concepts when we are doing fun things. We hand out sweets to family and friends.

  C.J. has been such a wonderful helper this year. Always striving to separate himself from what he calls "the little kids". The other day I was in our bedroom frantically wrapping daddy's gift when C.J. yells "Dads home." I say, "Don't let him in." I finish wrapping as quickly as I can and carry the present to the living room where we find C.J. standing behind the door rapidly turning the lock every time Chris unlocks the door, "Mom, are you done, he keeps trying to come in." You can hear Chris out side, "C.J. what are you doing let me in!" I was laughing so hard, I let daddy in and explain I just didn't want dad in the bedroom. I didn't mean for him to be repeatedly locked outside. It was pretty funny.

  Our days have been filled with laughter and chaos, but I love it.

Holiday Season

     I LOVE LOVE the holidays. We are having so much fun baking, buying gifts, wrapping, making Christmas decorations. I am so proud of my children, their compassion to others in unbelievable. We as a family are having an amazing time shopping for children we have never met. My kids don't even whine about not getting the toys!!! I feel like I am doing a good job.

   This season has also brought alot of change. C.J. has begun learning the value of money and has expressed a desire to earn some, so that he may purchase items he wants. He has begun doing 2 chores a day. He has started doing cursive,  I love watching him learn. He LOVES to be helpful, feeding the dogs, stacking firewood, making his bed. So nice. Now that he is writing, it is very amusing to read his sentences. He is going through an emotional growth period. Struggling between his wanting independence and my having to say no. We are working on the fine line of expressing feelings but not being rude about it.

   Ms. Jasey has become SO expressive, "Mom let me tell you a story..." , "Mom one day when I grow up..." she is never quiet always talking. I fear she is growing up so fast. She copies everything I do, even wanting to wear her bathing suit top under her shirt so it can be a bra. She loves to play mail. Where she writes letters to people seals them in envelops adds her "stamps" stickers. Then hands then out next time she sees people. She also, has begun expressing a desire to paint her room her favorite color. I told her to think about her ideas and we will write them down. She is so creative.

  Alex has discover all things that open and close and fit inside of items. He loves to crawl into the bathroom and open and close the door over and over and over again. He also loves to put things  in our shoes like cars, his little balls from the ball popper. He has begun growling, very cute. Unless it's midnight and dark, then it's a little creepy. He can stand up all by himself in the middle of a room. He can confidently walk 4 or 5 steps, but prefers to crawl. He has begun biting. Horrible I know, I'm appalled I have a biter. I try really hard to calmly say,  "Teeth are not for biting" very firmly while placing a finger on his mouth. However, there have been a couple times he has clamped down while nursing and I have yelped loudly while jamming a finger in his mouth to stop him. Upsetting him terribly, but it hurt... really bad!

  I can't wait to write more about our holiday preparations, but I need  another post.

 

Awww!

  If the title confused you that was an awwww! With a light bulb lighting up above my head. It was to illustrate my "awww" moment when suddenly things clicked together.

  I have been reading The Simple Year Blog, a telling of a year where a typical American family doesn't buy anything new except consumables. Where instead of running of to the store for an impulse buy because they NEED it. They trade, garage sale, thrift shop in short buy used.

I have been inspired.

I have been enlightened.

I have been energized.

 The ideas sprouting in my brain won't stop. I'm eager, I want to do this. To try an adult size social experiment. Can a typical average family live a simple year? How would others handle this? What would my kids think? Would we save money?

 The benefits seem enormous. How green we would be living. Teaching our kids to be content, to resist the compelling need for instant gratification this society thrusts upon us.

 For now I am considering.

Thinking.

Consulting the Husband.

30 Days of Thankfulness

  For our family, November began our thirty days of thankfulness. My attempt to instill gratefulness in my small children. Every day we talk about what we are thankful for and why. I never want my kiddos to take things for granted.

  This year as we enter the holiday season, we are scaling down what we are doing for ourselves and focusing on what we can do for others.  The empathy, compassion and generosity that I have watched my children displace is so amazing.  It makes me feel confident that I'm raising remarkable people, that WILL make this world a better place.

   So many ideas were given to me by others, I feel I should do the same and pass them along. If we can't change the world, maybe we can change somebody's world.

1) After Halloween have children package some of their stash in goodie bags and then deliver to the elderly or those who live alone.

2) Whenever making cookies or treats try to give some away, random thoughts of kindness can make someones day.

3) If it's clearance, dollar store, gently used or outgrown, go with your kids and buy or gather nice items to donate to those less fortunate.

4) Take the kids and spend a day picking up litter, make our earth a cleaner place to live and teach them to recycle.

  I cannot strees enough random acts of kindness. I want my children to give out of personal joy, not obligation or pressure. Show them how you can be kind through actions the everyday way you live your life. Smile and wave, let others go in line ahead of you. Pick up someones tab in drive through or in a restaurant anonymously, Hand out Christmas cards. So many people live lonely lives, if we can't do anything this year. Lets at least give out friendship.

Schooling

Wow, November 1st already! Now that I have two months of homeschooling under my belt, I wanted to give an update. The first big change is Jasey, she is doing more school work with us and activities then I imagined she would. Why? She simply likes having fun and being included.

  Our schedule is still roughly the same start 8:00-8:30 and be done by noon. However, a couple afternoons a week we spend time doing experiments, projects,games, music or basically whatever is at the moment the most time consuming. I am embracing the flexibility. Alex has been teething and not sleeping really well. So, after a hard night I may let everyone sleep in a little longer.

  The kids and I are really loving the different ways to learn. C.J. has been learning all his addition and subtraction facts and about money. We have been spending a lot of time playing Monopoly. He has been learning fractions also, which is a lot of fun. We use fractions a lot in baking, or when we cut up different apples, then had everyone taste them and we created a bar graph charting the results. In Science we are learning about animals, specifically the different classes mammals,reptiles, birds and so forth we learn the characteristics of each and chose several animals from each class to learn. We have spent lots of time at the zoo. We discovered an amazing reptile pet shop that lets us be hands on, very exciting.

  We read as a family. Sometimes I read, sometimes C.J. reads. Sometimes I pick the books mainly classics, "The Tortoise and the Hare", "The Ugly Duckling"; sometimes C.J. picks like  "The Night of the Living Zombie Gold Fish." Whatever gets them reading right.

  I love that instead of my family revoling around life, Our life is revolving around my family.
  I love that!!

The Adventures of C.J.

   Of all my children I must say C.J. is the most like me. We are both very emotional. I try very hard to remember how I felt when things happened in my childhood and try very hard to be careful of his feelings. Really the only thing he gets reprimanded for is his attitude. Learning that even when you're unhappy there is an acceptable way and an unacceptable way of handing it.
  C.J.has always been my "challenging child" he is very very active, very smart, doesn't need a lot of sleep, and very sensitive to stimulation. We have at different points in his life been confronted with information through articles, well meaning friends and family that would indicate he might be a candidate for medication. For personal reasons we chose to NOT to medicate. We however, use others resources to teach behavior control and self soothing. We began trying different things with a lot of trial and error when he was 15 months old and refusing all naps and only sleeping 8 hours a night. While for most people the saying , the earlier a child goes to bed the longer they will sleep, is true. For us it was not.  For example, we would put him to sleep at 8 pm and he would be up at 4 am ready to go.  Fast forward and we have a wonderful routine that is working so so well. I honestly have to thank homeschooling alot! C.J. NEEDS physical activity, I have him playing outside 3 plus hours a day. He runs, climbs, swings, plays sports, plays with the dogs, rides his bike, we go to parks etc... He needs this burn off to help him control himself. We are also very cautious of what he eats and drinks, moderating sugar and caffeine. He naturally avoids carbs, and with his energy this makes gaining weight not so easy. He also needs mental stimulation, mental challenges to exhaust his brain. Last year he would lay awake for hours, saying , "Mom, I can't get my brain to turn off." In doing the above he does alot better with sensory input. He doesn't get that over stimulated high from crowds and loud noises. I could go on and on about what we do, what works and what hasn't, But I won't. Thats is not who he is.
        C.J. is the bravest kid I know, he loves meeting new kids and trying new things. It's heart breaking that he doesn't need me! He is inventive, creating his own games and making his own toys. He is VERY smart. He is doing school work above his grade level. He is full of random facts and conclusions, "Mom, why do we call it a piggy back, pigs don't ride on backs. We should call them gorilla backs, because they do carry kids on their backs." He is all boy, often dressing in camouflage grabbing his toy gun and crawling around the backyard playing army. He is very helpful, plays so well with his siblings, silly, and sensitive. It's hilarious to watch him run to the toilet whenever Alex has a blow out. Even funnier when he proclaims, " I just can't handle this mom." I am so proud of the boy he is growing into.

  

Ms. Jasey

 Ms. Jasey, there is so much about her. I could  write a book! She loves to look pretty, although her idea and my idea differ a lot. She LOVES having her picture taken. While she is only 3 1/2 many people mistake her for a kindergartener. She is very mature, and the things she says seem older. Looking back she did do things earlier and easier than C.J.  Even now she strives to do things, I fill are advanced for her. After much begging on her part I have begun teaching her how to read. I am using the same Hooked on Phonics series I used with C.J. She already knows 90% of her letters. Now we are solidifying sounds. She writes a lot, random letters, a circle here or there, a pink sticker and so forth. Then she will "deliver" these letters to friends or family and read them. Often the are asking for someone to come play, or to put something on her birthday list.

   Jasey is very imaginative, she plays mommy every day. Insisting her dolly's have clothes, diaper bags, strollers etc... Often I shares Alex's baby items with her. Yesterday she informed me her Teddy had to come to the store with us, because it was illegal for mommy's to leave there babies at home alone. What could I say she had a point Teddy came along. I find her playing out entire scenarios telling me her dolls names and backgrounds, "This is Lola, she came from the moon, she hates broccoli!" She is a total and complete Daddy's girl. She adores him and he dots on her. She is attached to his side when he is home. The boys love daddy as well, but not with the same adoration. Chris treats her like a lady. While C.J. knows to hold open doors and let ladies go first, Jasey knows this as well and I love watching her pause and wait for daddy to open her  door.

She often asks, "Will you teach me?" when I am doing something crazy fun like...mopping, or baking. Most of the time she helps me and does a great job. She loves to mother Alex. When asked what she wants to be when she grows up she will reply, "A Mommy." Jase does talk A LOT, about everything. However, she is surprisingly shy around girls her own age. I had wanted to name her "Fallen Rain" Chris changed that at the hospital. However, Rain stuck and that's her middle name and so fitting of her. She can be calm and refreshing or angry and fierce, like the rain. Maybe only having one girl is for the best, I'm not sure this household could handle two divas! But, as she gets older and changes I find myself missing the little girls she was and excitedly looking forward to the "big" girl she is becoming all at the same time.

Last moments of babyhood...

Heading down the hallway.

  Suddenly, Alex is losing his babyness at a frightening speed. He has grown so much this last month. He refuses baby food, any and all kinds, prefering regular food cut up. He is doing well, he has long developed his pincer grasp. He hates his bottle, but has a sippy he loves. We only do water with our babies, and he is loving it. I can't believe how old he looks when he grabs it and drinks by himself. He does still nurse very frequently and shows no signs of wanting to stop. For the first time I am considering nursing beyond 12 months.

 

Peeking in brothers room.

    Alex,has learned to crawl. He is very quick and it is not unusual to find him going down the hall way looking in the bed rooms to find his brother and sister. We also tend to find him in the bathroom just sitting in the dark. I am never far behind,and it's fun to see where he goes. I noticed he is very content now that he is mobile. Our toy time has taken a break while he explores EVERYTHING! Alex now has 6 teeth and working on more, most things get chewed on. It's really rewarding watching the older kids redirect him when he grabs something he can't have. " That's the dog's toy, here is a ball." Jasey will say as she removes the dog toy handing him a ball.

Looking at C.J. clapping.

 We have also learned to clap. He amuses himself alternating between clapping, blowing raspberries and clapping again. He is so proud of himself. In addition to this he also says, "Da-da" much to daddy's delight. He pulls himself up on everything, babbles and points a lot. I read to him, and he sits with us as I read to the older ones. I find myself narrating my actions. "Mommy is doing laundry, whose socks are these?...These are Jasey's socks. Lets fold the towels. I like the soft towels, here touch the soft towel." I go on and on. My six year old likes to inform me that Alex doesn't care about laundry, or whatever I am doing.

Exuberantly clapping!

Crawling

Pulling himself up.

Happy.

Angry!!!

  Did I mention his developing personality? He now throws baby tantrums. Consisting of flailing arms and legs along with angry cries. It's very cute. Funny even. We just give him words, redirect, distract. I am confident he will out grow this. In the meantime I get adorable pictures!

Toys

  There are many amazing toys on the market for young tots. Some are educational, others are the tried and true like rattlers. Some have bright lights and out of this world sounds, others are simple plastic balls. Whatever is true for your home, if you have a child you have invested or been gifted toys.
   After two kids, I feel as if I live in a toy store. We seem to have a few of every different kind. When my third came along, I declared NO MORE TOYS!!!! Not because I feel as if he doesn't deserve them, I have just realize that for young children everything is new. I already had a TON of toys, why buy more? He has never seen these toys. I did however decide to use everyday items as toys and rotate them as needed. One of Alex's favorite toys has been an old calculator. He loves the sounds the keys make when pounded, he loves watching the numbers appear. It was plain, boring, and not a toy. In his mind that made the calculator priceless. Being that Alex is only 9 months, many of the items are not even close to being used as meant to be. That's okay, he is full filling his desire to explore, to quench his little curiosity.

  As he has begun crawling small baskets of toys in each room filled with similar items as proved to be the most fun. For the living room a calculator, cordless phone, remote, hard bored books. For the kitchen measuring spoons, sippy cup, pot holder, small bowl. In the bathroom, a hand held mirror, brush, and a tooth brush.

  As we approach the holiday season, family members are already asking what does he or she want for Christmas. I find myself really watching what my children zone in on and play with. Much my surprise they don't play with a lot of what they have. This year we are limiting the gifts to experiences (zoo and museum passes), educational toys such as books, science kits, building sets, and toys that they can play with not toys that entertain them. I am sick of people buying toys that do one thing, my kids play with them for that day and then are done. Look forward to some personal toy reviews this holiday season.

 

Sleep

   Sleep has always been a struggle in our home. My kids just don't need a lot of it. I have heard tons of well meaning advice, and we have tried countless things. My kids fall asleep wonderfully, they wake up easily and happily. The older ones rarely wake through the night, Alex still wakes 50% of the time to eat.
   As Alex has gotten older, his body tries to combine his two daily naps into one. Some days this works, other days it is still very apparent he needs two naps. Almost over night, his little body was telling me I need longer "awake" stretches. He was falling asleep at 8:30 beautifully, however he was waking up at 3:30-4:30 in the morning, wide awake ready to play. This was exhausting!!
   After trying several different ideas on how to get him to quit waking up wanting to play. I paused and remembered when his older siblings did this. They weren't confused, or being naughty. Their little bodies were just fully rested after 8-9 hours of sleep and they are still like this today. So, the following morning when Alex woke at 7 am, I kept him awake longer. Yes, he did get cranky the first couple days. I moved his nap from 10 am to 11-11:30 am. Then his evening nap from 3pm to 4:30-5pm. He still naps two times a day for an average of 2 hours a time, but he goes to bed a bit later and is back to sleeping beautifully.

  For the first two, I struggled with insecurities about my children's sleep. everyone else made it seem so easy. My kids were very sensitive to physical activities and a rainy day inside would effect what time they would fall asleep. I felt like a bad mom, like I was doing something wrong. I stressed myself out, my husband and my kids. Trying so hard to make them fit a mold of what I thought was normal. Of what everyone else was trying to convince me was normal.

   Now, I don't care. Not every kid sleeps the same way. Not every kid needs the same amount of sleep. My kids need very little. We have found what works for us, for the whole family to get the sleep they need to be healthy and happy.

  For the parents of a child who needs very little sleep, it can be tiring and frustrating. Remember you are not alone.

Lack of Sleep...

   Alex has begun waking in the middle of the night and wanting to play. He squirms, squeals, laughs and babbles. I have tried laying with him, nursing him, tucking him back in bed and leaving, I don't turn on the lights, I don't engage him. I have tried keeping him up longer in the evening, I don't know what else to do. It's a phase and this too shall pass.

  In the meantime, I am exhausted.

Thank the Lord for caffeine!

Ordinary days worth Celebrating

    "One key to enjoying each day of our lives is to understand that most of life consists of a routine, unremarkable series of events that take place day after day"  ~ Joyce Meyer


   I often focus too much on the damn daily's. Life does have a routine, everyday there are a series of tasks I must complete. However, I want my kids to learn to find true inner peace. I want my kids to learn to be content with what they have and to enjoy life in the moment. Not spending their whole lives wanting "things" and never feeling satisfied. Feeling restless and bored unless something exciting is happening.

   Today we are celebrating the tooth that has finally popped through, and how Tiny is back to sleeping soundly, hugging his blankie. 

Cloth Diapering Updated

 Months into cloth diapering. I feel like I have this down, my confidence has grown. The things I have learned are enormous. I have found a wonderful blend of cloth and disposable that works great for my family.
 I am a self-declared part time clother. Part time because I don't have enough diapers to have some while my covers are air-drying. Part time because, sometimes I feel over whelmed. Part time because when we go out for the day I don't want to always carry used diapers. Cloth at home and on the 5 hour or less outings are best for us. Why? Because cloth diapering doesn't have to be an all or nothing. Anytime you use cloth vs. disposable you are bettering the environment.

 Things I wish I knew when I first started:
  1) You don't have to buy expensive detergents. I use All free and clear, no problems on the diapers or my wallet.
 2) Never underestimated the amount of diapers you will need. Expect 12+ a day for the first 2 months then down to 10 a day and as follows. As you are finding your grove, you will make mistakes resulting in leaks.
3) Cost doesn't always mean better quality.
4) Bio-degradable liners LIFESAVER!!!

  The biggest thing I have decided is that I LOVE the Go Green Pocket Diapers. If I could do over I would only have these. I find myself grabbing these more so then others in my collection. They are a one size pocket diaper. You can find more info here.

Reasons the are awesome;

1) They are NOT bunchy, very fitted. The bigger Alex gets the better they fit.

2) They are amazingly waterproof. We have only had the rare leak at night when I forgot to double stuff.

3) Adorable prints!

4) One size fits all.

5) Easy to use, easy to launder.

  I want to add, anyone that lives close enough to me and wants to come check out my cloth diapers are more then welcome to, just message me. I wish I had had the opportunity to visually see how they worked before buying them.

Learning through experience

  One of the best things about homeschooling is learning through experience. In history we have been learning about nomads and how they hunted. Traveling where the food was. We talked about what a difficult way this was to live. Coincidentally, about this same time my husband got a deer during archery season. C.J. was able to see just how time consuming and messy it is to dress out a deer, and how much meat you actually got. We talked about how the nomads would have done it without a refrigerator. It was very eye opening for him and I loved watching him draw his own conclusions.
  The next day, my husband was heading to the DOW office to get the head tested, a precautionary step to make sure the meat is healthy, we went along. Surprisingly the DOW office was set up like a small museum. We got to see a ton of native stuffed birds and animals up close. We read about what they ate, where they lived and other interesting facts. It was very hands on, they had awesome magnet boards where the kids put the animals in their proper environment. The other board had them match outdoor activities such as hiking,rafting, bird watching to their proper place mountains, river and so forth.They learned about different bird sounds, how to pack a hiking backpack with things you need, matched tracks to the animals, and why we don't feed the wild life. They got to touch different furs and antlers. While we were there a lady brought in wild ducks that needed to be relocated, the forest ranger talked about how they were going to help the ducks stay safe.
  One evening my husband also brought home a gold panning device that sinks the dirt but allows the gold to rise. The kids each took time panning through sand then running it through the machine. They learned how tedious this was, and dirty. We talked about how in the old days they didn't have machines to help and most of it was done by hand. They observed how cold and wrinkly the water made their fingers. Sadly, we didn't find any gold. C.J. concluded after he saw how hard we worked and didn't find any gold that the miners must have been poor. He also concluded they must be hungry, because if they spent all their time panning, when did they farm or go hunting?

  What a wonderful way to learn, by doing and having fun.
 

Exercise and Physical Activity

  Being active is one thing most children are lacking. It's estimated that one in three children are obese. On average kids spend 5 plus hours on media oriented electronics i.e. T.V., computers, video games. It's recommended that children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity and or exercise a day. Many more statistics can be found here. I have always prided myself in that my children have always spent a lot of time being active and playing outside. However, I want to do more. I want to create family memories that are based around us being active, in hopes of cultivating a life long love of being active in my children, resulting in healthy adults. I recognize that not everyone enjoys doing the same things, not everyone is talented at the same things, so we are expanding our knowledge of all things active and passing that along to our kids. I hope to make this  series of fun and active things our family has done together, in hopes of encouraging others to lead their families to healthier lifestyles.
  Jump-roping, in schools they have done Jump for Heart jump-a-thons for ages. They are on to something. Jump- roping is one of the best ways to exercise, it tones, builds muscle, works your heart. It's affordable we got our jump ropes at walmart with an average of $5 each. We learned together what the preferred length was for each person and cut the ropes to length. BTW, standing on the center of the rope the handles are to come to your chest, no higher, no lower. The kids are learning how to jump rope. Mom and Dad are refining our skills and have learned the Ski Jump and the High Jump. This is easily a family activity also, get a long rope, an adult on each side and teach your child to jump in the middle. Many of you will remember this from your childhood. I bet after you try it, you will be amazed that as a child you were able to do this for 10+ minutes at a time. I encourage you to teach your kids the jumping rhymes that you remember as a child. If you can't remember an impressive list can be found here.

  Hula-Hooping- I have not hula hooped since I was a kid. I have gotten the random challenges here and there from my nieces, but honestly I haven't done it regularly for some time. Until today, we bought a hula hoop. I have learned there are different sizes, depending on how tall you are. To successfully hula, you need a hoop that is as tall as your navel or taller. There are many benefits from hooping you can find them here. My favorite benefit is the calories burned, it is reported you can burn a whopping 100 calories per every 10 minutes! We have fun laughing at each others attempts, have hooping competitions, and Jasey likes to teach the dogs to jump through the hoops!

  The American Heart association includes 5 ways play can change your day. Here are a few of our favorite things to do outside, with the kids.
1) Go to the park
2) Go on walks
3) Bike riding, obsticles and races.
4) Sports
5) Treasure Hunting

 What do you and your family do together for fun and exercise?

Alex growing up

 Alex is growing up so quickly. I am sad that it is looking more and more as if he will be our last baby. It makes me hold on to his baby ness a little tighter.

 This babyhood has been SO SO enjoyable. I feel very confident, there has been very little baby stress. Alex is a wonderful baby, he sleeps roughly 9:30-7:00 either sleeping through the night, or waking once to nurse. He is now in his crib in the other room. I was eager to co-sleep, but little darling is an active tosser. When he stirs is comforts himself by grabbing my hair or face, startling me and on a couple times scratching me. I began nursing him and then laying him in his pack and play right next to my bed. He slept wonderfully, but his tossing and turning would shake the bed and awake me. Before, we transitioned to the crib, I would play a lullaby C.D. when he would nap, also laying him down with the blanket we used nursing that day. After a week or so, we transferred the nap set up to the crib and he did GREAT! A week later we began doing nights in the crib. He sleeps better and I sleep better. However if he cries, I gladly bring him to bed to nurse and cuddle.

  Alex is doing things a bit slower than the first two. I know he will do everything in his own time. He plays so happily with his toys, loves his food, loves baths. He does need consistency. I have to make note of what time he wakes, because 2 1/2- 3 hours later he will need a nap. After nap he'll go 3 hours. If I forget he will get overly tired and not sleep well. If he doesn't get his naps, his night time gets messed up and it takes a couple days to fix. He prefers to sit in the shopping cart rather than his car seat. I use a stroller or a carrier, however it's hard to have him in a carrier and lift Jasey at the park. He loves the park, the baby swings, I hold him in my lap and go down the slides.

 He loves to scrunch up his face and snort, it's the cutest thing. No matter what is happening, I can't help but laugh. After listening to us do tongue exercises he now clicks his tongue. He reaches towards people he knows, and stares wide eyed at the ones he doesn't.

 I love watching him grow and change. We can see the little personality develop. Amazing how quickly it goes.

Homeschooling and Green Living

 What a concept that homeschooling has also helped us live a greener life. C.J. was in school roughly 165 days a year. Each day had a snack and a lunch. An average of 5 plastic bags a day. Plus all the individually wrapped items.

 I couldn't use glass containers made lunch way too heavy. Plastic containers took up a lot of space and several accidentally got tossed. The reusable snack bags, awesome, however they are pricer and after losing a couple not very budget friendly.

 Making lunch at home we are saving on TONS of packaging by not buying lunch size items. I am saving roughly 5x165= 825 bags a school year. That is an average of 8 boxes of plastic snack bags.

 I have almost completely eliminated all prepackaged lunch items. I can buy larger yogurt containers, blocks of cheese, gallons of juice etc...Also, all left over organic material goes in the composter. (We fixed it!)

  We are not on a bus route, so each day I would have to warm up my car and drive to the school and back twice. As the days got colder, I would allow my car to warm up longer so the kids wouldn't be cold. We no longer have to do that. We save on gas and reduce the amount of exhaust output.

  

First week of homeschooling

 I began our first day, of our first year homeschooling, very hesitant. I had spent so much time looking over curriculum, making lesson plans, going over lessons, gathering materials, and making copies, now it was time to see if the work would pay off.

 The night before Chris asked that I wake the kids later, so he could leave for work without them crying. I agreed, this would be better, since this year we wouldn't be walking out the door with him. Between, that and Alex waking and needing to nurse we started 30 minutes later then planned.

  By 8:00 am, C.J. and I were sitting at the kitchen table. I introduced the concept of a spelling list and we went over the words. I told C.J. to write his words 2x, then I set Jase up with her "school work", she was matching uppercase with lowercase. Alex was sitting in his high chair happily eating veggie puffs. I began a pot of tea, and started unloading the dishwasher. When C.J. was finished with spelling, we began a science project about deciduous trees and what causes them to lose their leaves.  From there we all sat on the living room floor, while C.J. read aloud, Jase listened and Alex played. Upon completing the reading he sat at the table to do the phonics pretest and a couple phonics worksheets. Then a handwriting pretest. We had our first break while I nursed Alex and laid him down for his morning nap. We reconvened in the living room and started English learning about complete sentences and phrases. Then Math, where we snacked on marshmallows that we used for counting, and so forth. 11:00 am and we were done. The kids ran outside to play, I tidied up and made lunch. The whole morning was relaxed and productive.

 Day three brought our first challenge, C.J. was told to write his spelling words and 45 minutes later had only written 6. He was obviously not focusing, having been told to specificlly do this, he was also being defient. I had him look me in his eyes and explained,  "Mommy is your teacher now and I need you to listen and respect me. When I tell you to do something you need to listen. Now, I am going to set a timer to help you stay on track. If you choose to continue playing around, our school day will be very long." He chose to listen and completed his words very quickly. After that, we took a break and went to story time, where he found several big foot books. Both my kids showed amazing independence at the library. Jasey sat with other girls on the craft room floor to do her craft, while I showed C.J. where the librarian was. C.J. then went up to the librarian and asked about big foot books and then followed her to the shelf and gathering his desired books and went back to the common table. I could see both kids at all times, I just stepped back and observed.

 Today, wrapped up our first week of homeschooling. I'm in love! I love watching my child learn and love learning. The whole morning routine is a wonderful 180. This morning he took his first spelling test and aced it! I am so proud. I took the kids to Mcdonalds for lunch to celebrate our first week. They played so well and burned off a lot of energy. It was a fun ending to a great week. It's so perfect that when I see him getting bored or restless, I can break and let him go run outside for 10-15 minutes. I love how we have the extra time to do fun things like the 2 science projects we have going, and the cave paintings we made (like how we read in history).  He played outside probably on average 2 hours each day, we have had a lot of afternoon rains. He did two 15 minute sessions of piano, where he is learning how to hold his hands, middle see, and the quarter note.

 I love NOT feeling rushed, pressured, stressed out. I love NOT feeling like I'm always compromising what I feel is best and sacrificing the family.

Dwelling

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Choose to dwell on the positive.

My week in review

New friends are found in unlikely places, the line in McDonald's for one.

A near brand new wooden high chair for $10.

Surprising my husband with a brand new bow before hunting season, priceless.

A 10 inch zucchini from the garden.

A wonderful catch up play date with wonderful friends.

Meeting other home school moms and discovering a great co-op!

A friend surprising me with a new book.

Grilling steak with homegrown veggies. YUM.

C.J. breaking is bedroom light, sword fighting on the top bunk.

Alex managing to rocket fire orange poo all over my living room floor.

Jasey deciding all stick figure drawings need to be anatomically correct.

The bear climbed our fence and broke my composter :(

Photo Drop

Daddy holding Alex right after birth.

Growing

My kids are growing so fast, (sigh) I can't believe it. Next thing they will be starting to drive.

 C.J. is reading so well. He has started the Magic Tree House series and LOVES them. He can now read the TV guide on the television, signs on the road, directions for his legos and so forth. It is amazing to see. He continues to be emotional and passionate. I love that so much about him. He is excited about homeschooling. He is now pouring his own drinks from the gallons, opening his own food, making his own sandwiches. Not because I won't, but because he wants to. I have started letting him run carefully and while being watched across the street to check the mail. He thrives of independence. I even let him order a muffin by himself at the coffee shop with my card as I watched like one table away. He is such a little grown up.

 Jasey... my ever talking daughter. She talks and talks and talks about everything. She is really into rocks right now and stops us everywhere to pick up a "special rock". Once home she proceeds to wash her special rock and add it to her collection. She enjoys playing in mud and asks to make some everyday, she loves to play pretend and spends most of her time pretending to go some where , packing her babies a diaper bag and herself and over night bag. I have had to limit this game after the entire closet was emptied a couple times.

 Alex my cuddly boy. He is a solid chunk of baby lovin. He is sitting up and smiling all the time. He definitely is sensitive to new people and DOES NOT like random people picking him up or talking to him. He squeals and grunts, hums and fusses, but not a lot of baby babble. He loves my two carriers, which makes going places a breeze. We are transitioning to his crib, when he sleeps he randomly shakes his head back and forth smiling, making this hard to sleep with him. So far he loves the crib.

Can't believe all the changes.

School Supplies

  Around this time every year, the stores start displaying back to school sales and the schools hand out the supplies list. This year I noticed a BIG difference.There was so many things I DIDN'T have to buy such as; backpack ($12+), lunch box ($8+), hand sanitizer ($3+), sanitizing wipes ($3+) gym shoes ($10+), Kleenex ($1+), ziplock bags ($3+), snack bag ($3+)

  Awesome thing is that all the items I did buy were for my child, not for the classroom to use as a community. I have had a couple people tell me that homeschooling must be more expensive because buying the curriculum. I am going to track what I am saving against what I spent, then we shall see. I am not listing the other supplies as a savings because some things I have to buy either way. At this point curriculum and supplies I am sitting at roughly (rounding up) $300.

 Here are other random expenses I would occur in the first month, some are opptional, but it's realistically what I did.
- $10 on lunch card, in case we forgot a drink or lunch.
- $17 on spirit wear shirt, so my child could participate in spirit day.
- $15 for the month of August in specially packaged lunch foods ( fruit, yogurt, string cheese, meat sticks, crackers, juice boxes) Yes I could send Tupperware, however my young child threw some away and it was cheaper to buy it this way in stead of buying new Tupperware every month. Yes, I said Tupperware as in plastic, my Pyrex containers made his lunch box extremely heavy. Also, children were required to bring a separate snack.

 So taking my overall cost $300 and minus what I did not have to buy, $85. Leaves me at $215, I have spent.

Shop for a cause

I want to encourage everyone to check this link on shopping for a cause. I have known about Special Kids Special Families for two years now. They are a group of amazing people doing amazing things for those with disabilities. If your going to do school shopping anyways check this out.

For more information on Special Kids Special Families visit their site here.


How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.  ~Anne Frank

Jasey's Tongue

 Um, a tongue. I bet all those that are reading this are suddenly very aware of their own tongue. LOL!! When Jase turned 2 1/2 we noticed her speech wasn't very clear, having gone through this with her older brother we knew what to look for. We called our therapist and had her evaluated. We were surprised to find out she was severely tongue tied. To the point that she could not make front sounds ie T,D and S. It also had been effecting her eating, She hated eating bread or sandwiches because it would get stuck behind her front teeth and she couldn't fix it. The therapist had me place frosting on her upper lip to have Jase lick it off. She couldn't do it. Yes, I'm sure you are now trying this with your own tongue.

  By not having the mobility she could not say certain sounds or blends, thus she was compensating and saying things incorrectly. Try keeping the tip of your tongue on the bottom of your mouth while you make the T sound. Now say a word such as TALK. More often then not the T sound will be replaced with a CH blend sound. When saying the same word TALK, it now is being pronounced as CHALK, a completely different word and meaning. This gives Jase so much frustration when people can't understand her.  Fast forward, but mispronouncing affects learning to read and write. How do you sound out a word when you can't make the sounds. How do you try to spell when REALLY sounds like it starts with a W.

  We consulted her pediatric dentist and felt that a clipping of the membrane under her tongue would benefit her greatly. That is called a frenectomy. There has been a lot of debate if this even helps or if being tongue tied even cause speech problems. However, after a lot of research we felt it did cause a problem in Jase's case and a frenectomy would help.

  We had the procedure done in the dental office, with conscious sedation, and use of a laser. She did wonderful. Complained of pain only twice, later that same day and the following day when she decided to eat chips. We are continuing to work of stretching her tongue with exercises. This helps strengthen her tongue and prevent it from re healing together. 5 days out and she is great, talking up a storm and not complaining at all. We will continue the speech therapy and tongue exercises.  I'll post an update further out and note the progress she has made.

Homeschool beginnings

 We are very close to beginning our first year of homeschooling. The books are ready, my lesson plans are done, we have filled out the "Notice of Intent", and families have been told.
  While,  I love the flexibility that homeschooling provides, I acknowledge that children do thrive with structure, knowing what comes next. We have decided to start the school year a week earlier then the school district here. In September, my husband is taking some vacation and we are planning on taking a couple days off to have fun. This feels right, spending his time off together. We have also decided that school will begin at 7:30am, no later then 8:00am. Continuing to wake up early will help with sleeping and allow us plenty of time to accomplish what we need to and still have time to have an outing. I plan on schooling roughly 4 hours each day, some days longer some shorter.
  I am very pleased with the curriculum we have chosen. If goes as follows;
  Math- Saxon, I chose this because of amazing reviews and my own personal experience with it. I love the repetition and easy to understand lessons. I am also excited how hands on it is and uses lots of manipulatives.
  English/Writing- Rod and Staff,  I chose this because I feel children are not taught how to properly write sentences, paragraphs and or use punctuation. This book starts with when to capitalize, use periods and ends with learning how to alphabetize. Again, the lessons are short, easy to understand and very well written. Handwriting, we are doing a penmanship course, mainly, because my son needs it.
  Reading/Phonics-Explode the code and Early Classics, C.J has already completed a hooked on phonics course with me so we are using Explode the Code books with great worksheets to reinforce the rules and exceptions. Early Classics are just that classic literature written at a 1st grade level. I am using this to introduce literature and help him work on reading fluency. Spelling- Christian Liberty Academy, great weekly lessons with additional weekly exercises using the week's words.
  History- World History Series, Science- Science Around the Year and Reading and Understand Science, We are using this particular History series because it teaches themes my son is interested (Greek Mythology and Egyptian Pyramids) at an age appropriate level. I feel he has spent the past two years learning how America was discovered and the first thanksgiving and nothing else. This history series has maps that go along with the lessons that the kids have to identify items on to learn about geography. Our science is really hands on with a TON of experiments. We are also integrating several field trips into our science.
 Music/Art/PE- C.J. will be learning how to read music and beginning piano on my key bored. I have played for several years and feel more then qualified to teach a beginner. I also have slowly been acquiring several other instruments for him to play with and use such as a triangle, tambourine, harmonica, Maracas, cymbals and a couple others. Art, will consist of me providing lots of materials and letting the kids discover different art supplies, color blends, textures etc... We also will be visiting a couple art galleries to learn art appreciation. For P.E. we will be physically active, this one is easy my kids are always go go go. We will be playing at parks, riding bikes, going to open gym, swimming, doing basketball and football. Honestly, he will get more physical activity than the kids in school. The district has a 40 min P.E. 6x a month. I know he will being getting an hour plus a day.

 Jasey, has shown a desire to do school, so I will get her a preschool book and let her practice printing and work on her letter recognition. I anticipate she will sit in on most of our lessons.

 So, this is my grand plan, I will let you know how things go and work out as we begin our journey.

 

The family