As Frequently Sung by Z.
Copyright 2009.
"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa a Boat,
Jelly, Jelly Tweam,
Mewwily, Mewwily, Mewwily, Mewwily,
Life a Butter Dweam"
(sung to the popular tune 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat')
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...
Whew. The house is decorated for Christmas, including the tree, up and decorated. Could use another strand of lights... My hospital bag is mostly packed, including a tiny adorable girly outfit complete with tights and booties. Pump parts and bottles have been located and washed, just in case. Pink flowers are stamped around the border of my daughter's room. The infant car seat pad is washed and mended (stupid mice), and the straps are at the littlest setting possible, ready for my (hopefully) tiny girl. My birth plan is printed & in my purse, ready to be discussed at my Tuesday appt. I still have a mile-long to-do list, my house is still a mess (and my mother is coming when the baby is born, so it'd be nice if it was a little cleaner when the baby decides to come). But I feel a lot better just having those 'important' things done and ready.
And sitting under these homey Christmas lights, with the tree glowing on the side of the room, providing plenty of light even without the lamp on, I feel relaxed. These lights remind me of the weeks when Z was tiny. Many hours sitting on the couch together, nursing, rocking, holding, wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into, and whether my life would ever be the same again. (In case you don't have kids yet, or your first is still tiny and you're wondering this yourself, the answer to that question is: No, it won't. But it won't always be as hard as those first weeks, either. It will be even better than before, in many ways, I promise.) Anyway,now that the lights are up, it feels so much more real - like, okay, she can really come now, because the Christmas tree and lights are up. :)
And sitting under these homey Christmas lights, with the tree glowing on the side of the room, providing plenty of light even without the lamp on, I feel relaxed. These lights remind me of the weeks when Z was tiny. Many hours sitting on the couch together, nursing, rocking, holding, wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into, and whether my life would ever be the same again. (In case you don't have kids yet, or your first is still tiny and you're wondering this yourself, the answer to that question is: No, it won't. But it won't always be as hard as those first weeks, either. It will be even better than before, in many ways, I promise.) Anyway,now that the lights are up, it feels so much more real - like, okay, she can really come now, because the Christmas tree and lights are up. :)
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
This Thanksgiving, I am so thankful that my hubby is HOME! The guys have been working extra hours this week, to try to finish up a certain part of staff-house-building, and they were able to finish it yesterday morning. And it is so nice to have my hubby home for an entire day off. We have spent our day lounging around in our pajamas, watching TV, playing with Z, napping, and, of course, eating.
But we did not have a traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner- we'll be eating one of those with friends on Sunday. Instead, we had a brunch of biscuits & sausage gravy and egg casserole, and then a traditional Broncos game dinner of enchiladas and cheese dip. Mmmm...we hadn't had enchiladas for a while, and they turned out well, I'm proud to say. Maybe I'll share my non-recipe at some point. :) There is a pumpkin pie in the fridge, along with plenty of Cool Whip, so we may be partaking of that shortly. Right now we're watching the Broncos, who are presently beating the Giants, thankfully. :)
I feel a little overwhelmed about how much I still have to do to prepare our house for the baby coming - 3 weeks from tomorrow is her due date! I'd like to decorate the house for Christmas tomorrow, and I really need to pack my hospital bag, just in case - I think that will help me feel better about being ready for her, in case she would come early (Z was right on time, I went into labor on his due date & he came the next day, but I know this little girl could be very different).
Speaking of timing, God's timing is always impeccable, isn't it? And why can I never keep that in mind?
On Tuesday, I had an OB appointment, which is always a treat to take my little guy to...since we end up waiting a long time in the waiting room, and then again in the exam room...and you know how patiently 23-month-olds wait... :) And then I had a HUGE shopping list to do while waddling around on my swollen ankles at Wal-Mart and keeping my antsy toddler happy... I was literally feeling physically sick about the whole trip, and how much I was dreading it, and to top it all off, I would have to wake Z up early from his nap (though I put him down early to try to avoid that unpleasant act), and he & I both had a rather terrible, grouchy morning. One of us is getting two molars, and the other has no excuse. Not going to elaborate on those details.
Anyhow, on Tuesday, Hubby was supposed to work until 5, and Z & I were supposed to leave at 2:15 for the dr. appt.. At 2:10, Z was still sleeping, so I called the dr.'s office to see if they happened to be running behind. And they were (surprise!). :) So I avoided waking Z up prematurely, he woke up on his own at 2:25, and we read a book & I called the office back at 2:40 as they suggested. They said there were still several people waiting, but that we should start in (we have a half-hour drive). So as we were getting ready to put our shoes on, Hubby stopped in & said that the guys had run out of the materials they needed to finish their job that day, so they were going to finish on Wednesday morning instead, after they stocked up on supplies. So would I want him to bring his computer home & do office work from home, and go to my OB appt. and do my shopping by myself?
Had to think about it for, um, .2 seconds... YES!!!! :) Isn't it amazing how God worked out all the timing there perfectly - my dr. being behind, the guys running out of supplies, us not leaving until Hubby came by... And by the time I was done with all of my shopping (got home after 6:15 as it was), I was utterly exhausted. I think I would've given up if I had had Z with me - I'm so thankful God worked it all out so that we didn't have to make an extra trip!
Also, physically, I feel like I've finally hit the wall these past couple days. Up until this point, I've been uncomfortable & such, but these last few days, I've really had to take extra breaks and I've had the swollen ankles & hands pretty badly at the end of the day, and through the night, especially. Finally starting to REALLY look forward to being physically DONE with this pregnancy! (yes, I'm one of those weird people who LOVE being pregnant).
So, I'm praying that God will continue to give me physical strength through these next three weeks (if she waits that long to come), and that I will remember that His timing is ALWAYS perfect. :)
But we did not have a traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner- we'll be eating one of those with friends on Sunday. Instead, we had a brunch of biscuits & sausage gravy and egg casserole, and then a traditional Broncos game dinner of enchiladas and cheese dip. Mmmm...we hadn't had enchiladas for a while, and they turned out well, I'm proud to say. Maybe I'll share my non-recipe at some point. :) There is a pumpkin pie in the fridge, along with plenty of Cool Whip, so we may be partaking of that shortly. Right now we're watching the Broncos, who are presently beating the Giants, thankfully. :)
I feel a little overwhelmed about how much I still have to do to prepare our house for the baby coming - 3 weeks from tomorrow is her due date! I'd like to decorate the house for Christmas tomorrow, and I really need to pack my hospital bag, just in case - I think that will help me feel better about being ready for her, in case she would come early (Z was right on time, I went into labor on his due date & he came the next day, but I know this little girl could be very different).
Speaking of timing, God's timing is always impeccable, isn't it? And why can I never keep that in mind?
On Tuesday, I had an OB appointment, which is always a treat to take my little guy to...since we end up waiting a long time in the waiting room, and then again in the exam room...and you know how patiently 23-month-olds wait... :) And then I had a HUGE shopping list to do while waddling around on my swollen ankles at Wal-Mart and keeping my antsy toddler happy... I was literally feeling physically sick about the whole trip, and how much I was dreading it, and to top it all off, I would have to wake Z up early from his nap (though I put him down early to try to avoid that unpleasant act), and he & I both had a rather terrible, grouchy morning. One of us is getting two molars, and the other has no excuse. Not going to elaborate on those details.
Anyhow, on Tuesday, Hubby was supposed to work until 5, and Z & I were supposed to leave at 2:15 for the dr. appt.. At 2:10, Z was still sleeping, so I called the dr.'s office to see if they happened to be running behind. And they were (surprise!). :) So I avoided waking Z up prematurely, he woke up on his own at 2:25, and we read a book & I called the office back at 2:40 as they suggested. They said there were still several people waiting, but that we should start in (we have a half-hour drive). So as we were getting ready to put our shoes on, Hubby stopped in & said that the guys had run out of the materials they needed to finish their job that day, so they were going to finish on Wednesday morning instead, after they stocked up on supplies. So would I want him to bring his computer home & do office work from home, and go to my OB appt. and do my shopping by myself?
Had to think about it for, um, .2 seconds... YES!!!! :) Isn't it amazing how God worked out all the timing there perfectly - my dr. being behind, the guys running out of supplies, us not leaving until Hubby came by... And by the time I was done with all of my shopping (got home after 6:15 as it was), I was utterly exhausted. I think I would've given up if I had had Z with me - I'm so thankful God worked it all out so that we didn't have to make an extra trip!
Also, physically, I feel like I've finally hit the wall these past couple days. Up until this point, I've been uncomfortable & such, but these last few days, I've really had to take extra breaks and I've had the swollen ankles & hands pretty badly at the end of the day, and through the night, especially. Finally starting to REALLY look forward to being physically DONE with this pregnancy! (yes, I'm one of those weird people who LOVE being pregnant).
So, I'm praying that God will continue to give me physical strength through these next three weeks (if she waits that long to come), and that I will remember that His timing is ALWAYS perfect. :)
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tot School
This was a busy week, and we didn't do too many formal Tot School activities. We did spend time doing some of our favorite puzzles (such as this one, which he can now do all by himself), playing with our letter blocks, and spending some time outside. In house-building class this week, we learned more about laying block, and Z got to spend a few minutes playing that he was driving the camp's tractor. He learned to use the tractor's turn signals, too, which is always an important lesson. :)
One night, Hubby & I were able to get out on a date together, which was nice, and Z spent nearly the entire evening with his babysitter coloring! Somewhere along the way, he even got a hold of a pen, and she let him color in his coloring books with a pen. And he didn't forget how to use it, either! The next day, we were walking around the house with our brooms, I was making sure there were no cobwebs in the corners, and he was whacking stuff. I heard him repeatedly whacking the wall in the hallway, so I stuck my head out to ask him to be gentle and not hit the wall, and he was actually writing on the wall with a black pen! He was very proud of himself, and didn't realize he had done anything wrong. So we had a little lesson - we tried to use a rag to wipe the pen off, but it didn't come clean. And we discussed writing on paper with a pen, not on the wall. He ended up realizing that it was wrong, and when Daddy came home, and we had to tell him what happened, his little eyes looked down, and I could tell he knew not to do it again. Sometimes now when we're in the hall, he will point to the pen marks and say something like, "I use a pen. No write on wall. Write on paper." It has been neat to see him absorb this little lesson, and it has taught me not to jump too quickly to discipline, but to make sure he understands the reasoning behind the rules whenever possible.
We did bake together this week, which was a fun time for both of us.
Here is Z in the kitchen, all ready to mix up our pumpkin muffins.
He helped me pack down the brown sugar.
He dumped each of the ingredients into the mixing bowl after I measured them out.
He helped stir the batter.
And, of course, his favorite part, watching the mixer mix the batter up!
He wasn't really able to help with the scooping of the muffin batter into the tin, though, just because of his height and the awkwardness of the counter level....maybe another time I would think to spread something out on the floor & have him help me down there. I didn't get a picture of the finished product, but we made two dozen pumpkin muffins...I think we have about 8 or 10 left... :) Yummy!
Hope you all are having a great week, and have a great Thanksgiving holiday! We hope to do some kind of turkey project later this week, and to relax as a family on Thanksgiving, and then decorate for Christmas this weekend - so those are my goals for the week! :)
Check out more Tot School over at Carisa's!
One night, Hubby & I were able to get out on a date together, which was nice, and Z spent nearly the entire evening with his babysitter coloring! Somewhere along the way, he even got a hold of a pen, and she let him color in his coloring books with a pen. And he didn't forget how to use it, either! The next day, we were walking around the house with our brooms, I was making sure there were no cobwebs in the corners, and he was whacking stuff. I heard him repeatedly whacking the wall in the hallway, so I stuck my head out to ask him to be gentle and not hit the wall, and he was actually writing on the wall with a black pen! He was very proud of himself, and didn't realize he had done anything wrong. So we had a little lesson - we tried to use a rag to wipe the pen off, but it didn't come clean. And we discussed writing on paper with a pen, not on the wall. He ended up realizing that it was wrong, and when Daddy came home, and we had to tell him what happened, his little eyes looked down, and I could tell he knew not to do it again. Sometimes now when we're in the hall, he will point to the pen marks and say something like, "I use a pen. No write on wall. Write on paper." It has been neat to see him absorb this little lesson, and it has taught me not to jump too quickly to discipline, but to make sure he understands the reasoning behind the rules whenever possible.
We did bake together this week, which was a fun time for both of us.
Here is Z in the kitchen, all ready to mix up our pumpkin muffins.
He helped me pack down the brown sugar.
He dumped each of the ingredients into the mixing bowl after I measured them out.
He helped stir the batter.
And, of course, his favorite part, watching the mixer mix the batter up!
He wasn't really able to help with the scooping of the muffin batter into the tin, though, just because of his height and the awkwardness of the counter level....maybe another time I would think to spread something out on the floor & have him help me down there. I didn't get a picture of the finished product, but we made two dozen pumpkin muffins...I think we have about 8 or 10 left... :) Yummy!
Hope you all are having a great week, and have a great Thanksgiving holiday! We hope to do some kind of turkey project later this week, and to relax as a family on Thanksgiving, and then decorate for Christmas this weekend - so those are my goals for the week! :) Check out more Tot School over at Carisa's!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Selfishness
Do you ever just want to scream at someone, "Why can't you ever think of anyone but yourself???"
I was suffering through a terrible mood yesterday. I was rather impatient with my little man. I blamed it on his constant disobedience (which is always made worse by my impatient frustration - it's like my muttering and huffing and puffing egg him on somehow). I blamed it on my 9-month-pregnant-enormous-belly, my uncomfortable hugeness, my sore back and hips, several nights of poor sleep, my LONG list of housework and baby-readying tasks.
And I had some thoughts like the one above. And I realized that what I was really thinking was, "Why can't everyone just think of ME instead of themselves?"
And I realized that, while thinking this, I was thinking, of course, only of myself.
When I focus on myself, and how others SHOULD be serving me or thinking of me, I'm miserable.
But when I focus on others instead of myself, and how to serve and please them, this leads to happiness.
For my whole family.
Because it is SO true that 'when Momma ain't happy, ain't NObody happy'.
Here's to happiness through selflessness. :)
Radical concept, right? You'd think maybe somebody would've written about this thousands of years ago or something...
I was suffering through a terrible mood yesterday. I was rather impatient with my little man. I blamed it on his constant disobedience (which is always made worse by my impatient frustration - it's like my muttering and huffing and puffing egg him on somehow). I blamed it on my 9-month-pregnant-enormous-belly, my uncomfortable hugeness, my sore back and hips, several nights of poor sleep, my LONG list of housework and baby-readying tasks.
And I had some thoughts like the one above. And I realized that what I was really thinking was, "Why can't everyone just think of ME instead of themselves?"
And I realized that, while thinking this, I was thinking, of course, only of myself.
When I focus on myself, and how others SHOULD be serving me or thinking of me, I'm miserable.
But when I focus on others instead of myself, and how to serve and please them, this leads to happiness.
For my whole family.
Because it is SO true that 'when Momma ain't happy, ain't NObody happy'.
Here's to happiness through selflessness. :)
Radical concept, right? You'd think maybe somebody would've written about this thousands of years ago or something...
Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.
For the first shall be last, and the last first.
-Mt. 20:27 & 20:16.
For the first shall be last, and the last first.
-Mt. 20:27 & 20:16.
Friday, November 20, 2009
An Amazing Morning
If you're NOT the mother of a little boy, you probably don't even notice when the garbage truck comes. Or maybe your thoughts are along the lines of, "Okay, I put the garbage out, good." or something equally un-exciting.
If you ARE the mother of a little boy (or a big boy who used to be a little boy), you know that this can be one of the most exciting times of the week.
I'm thankful that the camp's dumpster is near our house, so that Z can watch the garbage truck each week. :)
I apologize for the quality of the photographs, due to my height, my window, and my lack of photography skills.
On another, slightly more exciting note (unless you're a little boy, of course)...
Wednesday night, Hubby surprised me by telling me that he lined up one of Z's favorite babysitters to come watch him yesterday afternoon, and we were going on a date! We went and saw the movie The Box. If anyone has seen it, and understands what just happened, please fill us in. :) I don't regret seeing the movie, and we had a great time, just one of those things you have to think about for a while afterwards. Like the show LOST or something along those lines.
Anywhoo, on the way home from our date, Hubby & I were discussing the fact that our little girl will be arriving soon (FOUR WEEKS from today, people - I am FULL-TERM TODAY!!!). And, also, we don't have a double stroller. I had been wanting one that had big tires that you can put air in, like a jogging or terrain stroller, but a double jogging/terrain stroller is typically very expensive. And I wanted it for around camp, on the gravel. But, now that Z is so big, he likes to walk around camp, and I don't really remember the last time I used the stroller for him on camp, anyway. So, I was saying that maybe we should just get a regular double stroller, and that way we could use it at the zoo, mall, etc. and just use the old single stroller around camp for the baby while Zachary walks.
This morning, I opened my email, and found a message titled, "Congratulations! Winner of Kolcraft Contours Options Tandem Stroller Giveaway!" Um, really? I was just thinking the other day that I hadn't won anything online for a while... And, REALLY! I won a double stroller - the last 'big' thing that we need for the baby!!! I am so excited!!! You can see the giveaway (and the stroller) here!
The icing on the cake is that, based on what Hubby and I talked about last night, if I had shopped for a stroller & money wasn't an option (because, truly I would've been shopping at the thrift store in real life), this is EXACTLY what I would've picked!!! :) It's just like God to provide what we need and SO much more, right on time. I'm SO glad we didn't 'get on the ball' and buy a double stroller months ago!!!
To close, just to give you an idea of the cuteness I have to deal with around here on a regular basis, here is Zachary sleeping last night:
It's just too much. I don't know how I ever get anything done around here. :)
If you ARE the mother of a little boy (or a big boy who used to be a little boy), you know that this can be one of the most exciting times of the week.
I'm thankful that the camp's dumpster is near our house, so that Z can watch the garbage truck each week. :)
I apologize for the quality of the photographs, due to my height, my window, and my lack of photography skills.On another, slightly more exciting note (unless you're a little boy, of course)...
Wednesday night, Hubby surprised me by telling me that he lined up one of Z's favorite babysitters to come watch him yesterday afternoon, and we were going on a date! We went and saw the movie The Box. If anyone has seen it, and understands what just happened, please fill us in. :) I don't regret seeing the movie, and we had a great time, just one of those things you have to think about for a while afterwards. Like the show LOST or something along those lines.
Anywhoo, on the way home from our date, Hubby & I were discussing the fact that our little girl will be arriving soon (FOUR WEEKS from today, people - I am FULL-TERM TODAY!!!). And, also, we don't have a double stroller. I had been wanting one that had big tires that you can put air in, like a jogging or terrain stroller, but a double jogging/terrain stroller is typically very expensive. And I wanted it for around camp, on the gravel. But, now that Z is so big, he likes to walk around camp, and I don't really remember the last time I used the stroller for him on camp, anyway. So, I was saying that maybe we should just get a regular double stroller, and that way we could use it at the zoo, mall, etc. and just use the old single stroller around camp for the baby while Zachary walks.
This morning, I opened my email, and found a message titled, "Congratulations! Winner of Kolcraft Contours Options Tandem Stroller Giveaway!" Um, really? I was just thinking the other day that I hadn't won anything online for a while... And, REALLY! I won a double stroller - the last 'big' thing that we need for the baby!!! I am so excited!!! You can see the giveaway (and the stroller) here!
The icing on the cake is that, based on what Hubby and I talked about last night, if I had shopped for a stroller & money wasn't an option (because, truly I would've been shopping at the thrift store in real life), this is EXACTLY what I would've picked!!! :) It's just like God to provide what we need and SO much more, right on time. I'm SO glad we didn't 'get on the ball' and buy a double stroller months ago!!!
To close, just to give you an idea of the cuteness I have to deal with around here on a regular basis, here is Zachary sleeping last night:
It's just too much. I don't know how I ever get anything done around here. :)
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tot School
This week, we didn't do a lot of projects for Tot School, but I was able to get some pictures of some of our favorite learning play activities. And I was able to take time (during a weekend hobby retreat, when my hubby watched our son during the evenings & I spent time crafting) to make some new Tot School activities, which my son is loving. So, here we go!
One of our favorite toys/tools recently has been these wooden ABC/number blocks. I love that they have upper and lowercase letters on them, plus all the numbers, and pictures of things that begin with each letter. Z loves to build with them (though recently he gets frustrated when his towers topple), and he loves to name the letters, numbers and pictures. Each block has an uppercase letter on one side, and the lowercase on the other side, so right now I use them to tie together the upper and lowercase letters - Z has a pretty good grasp on his uppercase letters, but the lowercase is still mostly a mystery.
I also bought these alphabet and number flashcards last week ($1 at Wal-Mart), and I know, they're flash cards - boring, right?
Well, you just have to know my son - he loves cards, and even junk mail stuff is exciting & must be read before being thrown away. So he loves these cards - he loves the pictures, and, again, I am using them to tie together the upper & lowercase letters, as well as exposing him to the numbers 10-20 and even some animals he doesn't have much experience with...such as whales.
While we were looking at the cards this day, I made a sound which I THINK a whale makes...kind of like a high-ish-pitched sighing/moaning sound...and Z looked at me & said "Whales tired." Apparently my whale-speak sounded more like a yawn. :) I was able to laminate the flashcards this week with the camp's laminating machine, so I can just hand them to Z & not worry about him bending them.
I was also able to make a color-matching game, which idea I picked up from Tools for Tots here.
I just printed my circles (actually smiley faces, which Z loves), on several different colors of paper (which I borrowed from camp), and laminated them, and then colored my 'matching' clothespins with colored Sharpies. I ended up doing the white clothespins with craft paint, and really liked how they came out - if I had it to do over again & if I wouldn't have had to buy 8 colors of craft paint, I would paint them all instead of coloring them - I think the colors would be more 'real' on the wood.
But Z enjoyed playing with them anyway. This first time, we focused on opening the clothespins, and had a good dialogue about the colors, but he wasn't able to clip them on the smiley faces. His favorite part was picking up the clothespins and putting them back in the bag, and also this 2nd game that we made up on the fly: "Stand on the color". He liked standing on the different-colored smiley faces, and thought it was funny to also grab a smiley face of a certain color & put it in front of his face (or mine). :)
We also had a good amount of life school this week, as always. It was gorgeous weather, so we walked outside in the 'crunchy leaves', and since there was a retreat at camp, we ate our weekend meals up there, and were involved somewhat in helping in the kitchen (Z mostly runs around, makes a mess, and will occasionally brings dirty dishes to the guys in the dishpit or help pick up & put away chairs). The camp is working on building a staff house, and this weekend, they poured the concrete for the basement floor, so it took some slight rearranging of our schedule, but Z was able to watch the cement truck come in and pour some of the floor - I asked him later if he remembered the cement truck, and he didn't remember that it was yellow, but he did remember the guys "sweeping it with brooms" - they were using shovels/rakes to spread out the cement as it poured into the basement. It will be interesting for him to watch the house being built, and learn all about the different steps involved - it's been interesting for me to learn, too, that's for sure. :)
I am so enjoying Tot School, and I hope to get a few more tot activities made before our little girl arrives, that I can just hand to Z & play with him while baby nurses or plays during the next few months. :) I also hope to get a couple Thanksgiving and Christmas craft projects in, and build more 'creative' time into our days.
To close, here is Z enjoying a 'ladybug' that was crawling on our kitchen floor. Here is his ladybug monologue: "Ladybug! Ladybug on floor! Ladybug crawling on floor! I see ladybug. I touch ladybug."
Then..."ewwwww...." Ladybug stinky. :)
Check out more Tot School posts over at 1+1+1=1!
One of our favorite toys/tools recently has been these wooden ABC/number blocks. I love that they have upper and lowercase letters on them, plus all the numbers, and pictures of things that begin with each letter. Z loves to build with them (though recently he gets frustrated when his towers topple), and he loves to name the letters, numbers and pictures. Each block has an uppercase letter on one side, and the lowercase on the other side, so right now I use them to tie together the upper and lowercase letters - Z has a pretty good grasp on his uppercase letters, but the lowercase is still mostly a mystery.I also bought these alphabet and number flashcards last week ($1 at Wal-Mart), and I know, they're flash cards - boring, right?
Well, you just have to know my son - he loves cards, and even junk mail stuff is exciting & must be read before being thrown away. So he loves these cards - he loves the pictures, and, again, I am using them to tie together the upper & lowercase letters, as well as exposing him to the numbers 10-20 and even some animals he doesn't have much experience with...such as whales.
While we were looking at the cards this day, I made a sound which I THINK a whale makes...kind of like a high-ish-pitched sighing/moaning sound...and Z looked at me & said "Whales tired." Apparently my whale-speak sounded more like a yawn. :) I was able to laminate the flashcards this week with the camp's laminating machine, so I can just hand them to Z & not worry about him bending them.
I was also able to make a color-matching game, which idea I picked up from Tools for Tots here.
I just printed my circles (actually smiley faces, which Z loves), on several different colors of paper (which I borrowed from camp), and laminated them, and then colored my 'matching' clothespins with colored Sharpies. I ended up doing the white clothespins with craft paint, and really liked how they came out - if I had it to do over again & if I wouldn't have had to buy 8 colors of craft paint, I would paint them all instead of coloring them - I think the colors would be more 'real' on the wood.
But Z enjoyed playing with them anyway. This first time, we focused on opening the clothespins, and had a good dialogue about the colors, but he wasn't able to clip them on the smiley faces. His favorite part was picking up the clothespins and putting them back in the bag, and also this 2nd game that we made up on the fly: "Stand on the color". He liked standing on the different-colored smiley faces, and thought it was funny to also grab a smiley face of a certain color & put it in front of his face (or mine). :)
We also had a good amount of life school this week, as always. It was gorgeous weather, so we walked outside in the 'crunchy leaves', and since there was a retreat at camp, we ate our weekend meals up there, and were involved somewhat in helping in the kitchen (Z mostly runs around, makes a mess, and will occasionally brings dirty dishes to the guys in the dishpit or help pick up & put away chairs). The camp is working on building a staff house, and this weekend, they poured the concrete for the basement floor, so it took some slight rearranging of our schedule, but Z was able to watch the cement truck come in and pour some of the floor - I asked him later if he remembered the cement truck, and he didn't remember that it was yellow, but he did remember the guys "sweeping it with brooms" - they were using shovels/rakes to spread out the cement as it poured into the basement. It will be interesting for him to watch the house being built, and learn all about the different steps involved - it's been interesting for me to learn, too, that's for sure. :)
I am so enjoying Tot School, and I hope to get a few more tot activities made before our little girl arrives, that I can just hand to Z & play with him while baby nurses or plays during the next few months. :) I also hope to get a couple Thanksgiving and Christmas craft projects in, and build more 'creative' time into our days.
To close, here is Z enjoying a 'ladybug' that was crawling on our kitchen floor. Here is his ladybug monologue: "Ladybug! Ladybug on floor! Ladybug crawling on floor! I see ladybug. I touch ladybug."
Then..."ewwwww...." Ladybug stinky. :)
Check out more Tot School posts over at 1+1+1=1!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
I Need Advice!!!
Today marked the end of our busy fall retreat season at camp - we closed it out with a wonderful Hobby Weekend - we had lots of scrapbookers, card-stampers, photographers, knitters, and a cross-stitcher. A lot of my MOPS friends were here for the retreat, so my great Hubby watched our little guy both evenings after dinner so that I could sit with them and make cards (and work on tot school projects!). I had a great, relaxing time, and the girl talk was a LOT of fun.
And now...four weeks and six days until our little girl joins us, and no more retreats during that time! Of course, Hubby will still have to work, but it will be normal work-week hours, and lots of family nights and weekends together! I have been so looking forward to this time together! We are celebrating by laying around and eating leftovers tonight. :)
Okay, moms, I need some advice. Zachary is going through a stage. I know, he's a toddler, right? He's supposed to go through stages. I know. But. This is an indecision stage, almost a power trip type thing, and I don't know what to do. Here's the situation: I say, "Z, do you want to wear your Elmo shoes or your Crocs today?" He says: "Crocs". Okay. I grab the Crocs. He says, "No, no, Elmo shoes." I look at him, and ask, "Elmo shoes? Are you sure?" and grab the Elmo shoes...as I'm putting them on him he begins to whine for his Crocs. And I say, "well, too bad, you chose your Elmo shoes. Let's go." Sometimes a tantrum ensues, and we both leave grouchy.
The worst is at bedtime and naptime - he has always liked to hug & cuddle before going down, and last week, we moved him into a toddler bed (which is going famously well, by the way, he's only woken up in the night twice since he's been in his big boy bed & he's napping great). Anyway, now that he's in there, he sometimes climbs right in without his hug, and so I remind him by asking, "Do you want a hug before night-night?" and he says yes, but then when I reach for him, he lays down and says, "Sleep in bed. Sleep in bed." and refuses to come to me for a hug - if I pick him up for his hug against his will, he resists me & struggles. So I tell him, "Mommy is leaving, and if I go out and close the door, you will not get a hug." Halfway out his door, he says to me, "Hug! Need a hug!" and I hate to deny him. So I go back in, and he does the laying down/refusing to hug thing again. So I leave. And he cries for a hug for 5 to 10 minutes, breaks my heart. At naptime, he did go down without a hug, but at bedtime, I went back in after about 5 minutes, because how can I deny my little guy a simple hug at bedtime? :(
So, here's my question: Is my toddler on a power trip, to see if he can control me? And should I deny him the right to change his mind even once...or deny him the hug after one chance and let him cry?
I am not the kind of parent who has to 'win' every battle, I think the relational part of parenting is so important, I don't want to withhold a loving security thing like a hug from my little man just so I can feel that I 'won' and he didn't. I guess what I'm asking is, "Is it really important for me to 'win' this battle? Or is it even a battle, or something else going on?" Seasoned moms, help me out here, please! I look forward to hearing your comments, oh wise readers! :)
And now...four weeks and six days until our little girl joins us, and no more retreats during that time! Of course, Hubby will still have to work, but it will be normal work-week hours, and lots of family nights and weekends together! I have been so looking forward to this time together! We are celebrating by laying around and eating leftovers tonight. :)
Okay, moms, I need some advice. Zachary is going through a stage. I know, he's a toddler, right? He's supposed to go through stages. I know. But. This is an indecision stage, almost a power trip type thing, and I don't know what to do. Here's the situation: I say, "Z, do you want to wear your Elmo shoes or your Crocs today?" He says: "Crocs". Okay. I grab the Crocs. He says, "No, no, Elmo shoes." I look at him, and ask, "Elmo shoes? Are you sure?" and grab the Elmo shoes...as I'm putting them on him he begins to whine for his Crocs. And I say, "well, too bad, you chose your Elmo shoes. Let's go." Sometimes a tantrum ensues, and we both leave grouchy.
The worst is at bedtime and naptime - he has always liked to hug & cuddle before going down, and last week, we moved him into a toddler bed (which is going famously well, by the way, he's only woken up in the night twice since he's been in his big boy bed & he's napping great). Anyway, now that he's in there, he sometimes climbs right in without his hug, and so I remind him by asking, "Do you want a hug before night-night?" and he says yes, but then when I reach for him, he lays down and says, "Sleep in bed. Sleep in bed." and refuses to come to me for a hug - if I pick him up for his hug against his will, he resists me & struggles. So I tell him, "Mommy is leaving, and if I go out and close the door, you will not get a hug." Halfway out his door, he says to me, "Hug! Need a hug!" and I hate to deny him. So I go back in, and he does the laying down/refusing to hug thing again. So I leave. And he cries for a hug for 5 to 10 minutes, breaks my heart. At naptime, he did go down without a hug, but at bedtime, I went back in after about 5 minutes, because how can I deny my little guy a simple hug at bedtime? :(
So, here's my question: Is my toddler on a power trip, to see if he can control me? And should I deny him the right to change his mind even once...or deny him the hug after one chance and let him cry?
I am not the kind of parent who has to 'win' every battle, I think the relational part of parenting is so important, I don't want to withhold a loving security thing like a hug from my little man just so I can feel that I 'won' and he didn't. I guess what I'm asking is, "Is it really important for me to 'win' this battle? Or is it even a battle, or something else going on?" Seasoned moms, help me out here, please! I look forward to hearing your comments, oh wise readers! :)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tot School
This week was another 'light' week for Tot School - Hubby was gone, so I was holding down the fort & also trying to get Z's new room painted - on that note, last night was Z's first night in his 'big boy' toddler bed & he did amazing! It took him about an hour to get to sleep, since the whole experience was so exciting and all, but once he finally went down, he only woke once in the night, and slept until 7:20 this morning! I am so proud of him, and also a little weepy! :( It remains to be seen how he will do at naptime, though - we'll find out in a few hours! :)
In spite of our busy week, we did manage to get a few informal tot school activities worked in there. :) Z's new favorite toy is this stuffed frog named Tad (from LeapFrog), who sings songs when you press his hands, feet, and belly. Tad also has a night-time feature, where he sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and then goes on to play instrumental music for either 5 or 10 minutes, depending which setting he is set for.
Z played with this frog, who he calls "Todd", nonstop this week, and took him everywhere with him. By the end of the week, he was walking around, listening to Tad sing, and singing along...and he now knows almost all the words to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!
I discovered another great tool this week for practicing letters and numbers - the computer keyboard! If your child is as enamored with computers (and anything with buttons to push) as Zachary is, they will love practicing typing on the computer! Z loves to push the letters & numbers & see them show up on the screen (I just open a Word document for him & let him go).
The one big activity that we did this week was bathtub painting. Or, rather, it was SUPPOSED to be bathtub painting. I got the idea and the recipe here, but the recipe didn't mix up the way it should have...so I ended up with soapy suds along with cornstarch lumps...not great...but we went ahead and enjoyed it anyway. :)
Here is the mixture in my mixing bowl:
And here is Zachary painting with the soap suds, he actually loved it:
He started out painting with a little plastic brush that was already in the bathtub, and being a little shy about getting it on himself or all over his hands...after he got comfortable, we switched to a sponge, and he got a little more into it:
Here he is inspecting his work:
So we had fun! This week, I hope to get pictures of some of our more favorite learning tools, and also to do a craft or two together - just have to remember to get the camera out when we're doing 'active learning'! :)
Fore more Tot School, head over to 1+1+1=1 and see what everyone else has been learning this week!
In spite of our busy week, we did manage to get a few informal tot school activities worked in there. :) Z's new favorite toy is this stuffed frog named Tad (from LeapFrog), who sings songs when you press his hands, feet, and belly. Tad also has a night-time feature, where he sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and then goes on to play instrumental music for either 5 or 10 minutes, depending which setting he is set for.
Z played with this frog, who he calls "Todd", nonstop this week, and took him everywhere with him. By the end of the week, he was walking around, listening to Tad sing, and singing along...and he now knows almost all the words to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!
I discovered another great tool this week for practicing letters and numbers - the computer keyboard! If your child is as enamored with computers (and anything with buttons to push) as Zachary is, they will love practicing typing on the computer! Z loves to push the letters & numbers & see them show up on the screen (I just open a Word document for him & let him go). 
The one big activity that we did this week was bathtub painting. Or, rather, it was SUPPOSED to be bathtub painting. I got the idea and the recipe here, but the recipe didn't mix up the way it should have...so I ended up with soapy suds along with cornstarch lumps...not great...but we went ahead and enjoyed it anyway. :)Here is the mixture in my mixing bowl:
And here is Zachary painting with the soap suds, he actually loved it:
He started out painting with a little plastic brush that was already in the bathtub, and being a little shy about getting it on himself or all over his hands...after he got comfortable, we switched to a sponge, and he got a little more into it:
Here he is inspecting his work:
So we had fun! This week, I hope to get pictures of some of our more favorite learning tools, and also to do a craft or two together - just have to remember to get the camera out when we're doing 'active learning'! :) Fore more Tot School, head over to 1+1+1=1 and see what everyone else has been learning this week!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A Legacy
This morning, the missionary speaker at our church told the following true story about his childhood:
'Every time our family would go to the post office, my father would pray, "Lord, let these letters bless the people they are intended for, and let us have safe travel to the post office, and let us meet someone who needs You."
Every time we went to the supermarket, my father would pause in the car and pray, "Lord, bless our finances, and help us to make wise decisions about how we spend our money, and let us meet someone who needs You."
Every time we would eat at a restaurant, my father would pray, "Lord, thank you for this opportunity to eat out as a family, and help us to have a good time of fellowship, and let us meet someone who needs You."
Every time we would visit a park, my father would pray, "Let us enjoy our time together, and let us meet someone who needs You."
I spent my childhood standing around at parks, in restaurants, supermarkets, and post offices, waiting and listening while my parents led people to the Lord. Because they asked.'
'Every time our family would go to the post office, my father would pray, "Lord, let these letters bless the people they are intended for, and let us have safe travel to the post office, and let us meet someone who needs You."
Every time we went to the supermarket, my father would pause in the car and pray, "Lord, bless our finances, and help us to make wise decisions about how we spend our money, and let us meet someone who needs You."
Every time we would eat at a restaurant, my father would pray, "Lord, thank you for this opportunity to eat out as a family, and help us to have a good time of fellowship, and let us meet someone who needs You."
Every time we would visit a park, my father would pray, "Let us enjoy our time together, and let us meet someone who needs You."
I spent my childhood standing around at parks, in restaurants, supermarkets, and post offices, waiting and listening while my parents led people to the Lord. Because they asked.'
"Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -Matthew 7:7
What an AMAZING legacy was left to their children (at least two of whom are in full-time ministry). And THAT is what really matters.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Our Week In Review
I haven't posted this week, because I haven't wanted to be whiny, but my hubby has been gone all. week. It has been a L-O-N-G week. We will head to the rental car place (an hour away) and pick him up tonight, so I am really looking forward to that. So, in thinking back over this lonely week that is nearly over, here are some things that I have learned:
1. I am not cut out to be a single parent. Although I doubt that anyone thinks they are. Wow. Without Hubby's support & listening ears, I am rather grouchy. Which makes my son grouchy. Which is not fun.
2. I am completely and totally unmotivated to clean when Hubby is not here. We did not even pick up the toys for the first three days. You could not even walk in our living room. It was ridiculous. And it didn't even bother me. Now, yesterday and today, I've been cleaning, so that our house won't be a pit when Hubby gets home. :)
3. Hubby must wear a lot of clothes. :) I typically do laundry every day or at the most every other day, but this week I think I've only done two loads.
4. I'd rather do laundry.
5. Even coffee ice cream is not a substitute for Hubby's loving support. Although it is delicious and caffeinated...and gone. :)
6. I do not sleep well alone. I am also completely unmotivated to go to bed alone, even when I'm dead tired, I'd rather get other stuff done. Case in point: stayed up until 11 last night shortening the curtains for Z's closet.
7. God's strength has and will continue to get me through this week - I am so thankful for His help.
In addition to being whiny, emotional, and grouchy, we did have some fun and get some productive things done this week. :) It was a rather rainy & cold week overall, but we were able to play outside a couple of times, once in the snow, and we did some fun things inside, too - lots of dance parties - music cheers both of us up. :)
I spent the majority of my free time painting Z's new room blue, and last night I added some clouds with a brush on two of the walls. I had planned for the clouds to look a little less abstract, and a little more cartoon-y, but I am pleased enough with the effect that I am DONE. And this morning I took Z in there to look at the room, and he said, "Clouds on the wall!" several times, so he seemed to like it, too. :)
So those are the two sides of the room. Here is a quick explanation of how I did the clouds, in case anyone else wants to try it - it was super easy & while I enjoy painting, I'm not super artistic, so anyone can do it, I promise. :) You take your paintbrush (not your favorite one, you'll see why), and you smash the bristles into the wall like this:
Over and over. :) The end. :) It's true. That's all! Actually, you dip your brush in the paint, and then start in the middle of your cloud where you want the paint to be more concentrated, and work outwards until your brush has less paint on it & the outside of the cloud will be lighter. Just make sure you smash the bristles into the wall & then pull away (and repeat), don't swipe the brush on the wall. You could also use a sponge, but I'm never happy with the results when I sponge paint, so I used the brush instead.
One other new addition to the room that Z is enjoying is his new Mickey Mouse nightlight - he picked this out at Family Dollar for only $1 & he loves it. :)
Good thing it doesn't cost much to keep him happy. :) I'm heading now to clean out the painting stuff & then we'll vacuum & start moving his toddler bed & some toys & hanging clothes in there today! We should have him sleeping in his 'big boy bed' sometime in the next week or two! (waaaaa!) I'll post pictures when we get it all set up!
In other news, our little girl is due to arrive in less than six weeks -yikes! I can't wait to get HER room all set up after Z moves out! I've been re-reading my childbirth materials & that's getting me a little excited. :) I just can't believe how fast it's coming - not ready!!!!!!!! :)
Okay, it is time to end this post. And I can think of no better way than this.
Bye! :)
1. I am not cut out to be a single parent. Although I doubt that anyone thinks they are. Wow. Without Hubby's support & listening ears, I am rather grouchy. Which makes my son grouchy. Which is not fun.
2. I am completely and totally unmotivated to clean when Hubby is not here. We did not even pick up the toys for the first three days. You could not even walk in our living room. It was ridiculous. And it didn't even bother me. Now, yesterday and today, I've been cleaning, so that our house won't be a pit when Hubby gets home. :)
3. Hubby must wear a lot of clothes. :) I typically do laundry every day or at the most every other day, but this week I think I've only done two loads.
4. I'd rather do laundry.
5. Even coffee ice cream is not a substitute for Hubby's loving support. Although it is delicious and caffeinated...and gone. :)
6. I do not sleep well alone. I am also completely unmotivated to go to bed alone, even when I'm dead tired, I'd rather get other stuff done. Case in point: stayed up until 11 last night shortening the curtains for Z's closet.
7. God's strength has and will continue to get me through this week - I am so thankful for His help.
In addition to being whiny, emotional, and grouchy, we did have some fun and get some productive things done this week. :) It was a rather rainy & cold week overall, but we were able to play outside a couple of times, once in the snow, and we did some fun things inside, too - lots of dance parties - music cheers both of us up. :)
I spent the majority of my free time painting Z's new room blue, and last night I added some clouds with a brush on two of the walls. I had planned for the clouds to look a little less abstract, and a little more cartoon-y, but I am pleased enough with the effect that I am DONE. And this morning I took Z in there to look at the room, and he said, "Clouds on the wall!" several times, so he seemed to like it, too. :)
So those are the two sides of the room. Here is a quick explanation of how I did the clouds, in case anyone else wants to try it - it was super easy & while I enjoy painting, I'm not super artistic, so anyone can do it, I promise. :) You take your paintbrush (not your favorite one, you'll see why), and you smash the bristles into the wall like this:
Over and over. :) The end. :) It's true. That's all! Actually, you dip your brush in the paint, and then start in the middle of your cloud where you want the paint to be more concentrated, and work outwards until your brush has less paint on it & the outside of the cloud will be lighter. Just make sure you smash the bristles into the wall & then pull away (and repeat), don't swipe the brush on the wall. You could also use a sponge, but I'm never happy with the results when I sponge paint, so I used the brush instead.One other new addition to the room that Z is enjoying is his new Mickey Mouse nightlight - he picked this out at Family Dollar for only $1 & he loves it. :)
Good thing it doesn't cost much to keep him happy. :) I'm heading now to clean out the painting stuff & then we'll vacuum & start moving his toddler bed & some toys & hanging clothes in there today! We should have him sleeping in his 'big boy bed' sometime in the next week or two! (waaaaa!) I'll post pictures when we get it all set up!In other news, our little girl is due to arrive in less than six weeks -yikes! I can't wait to get HER room all set up after Z moves out! I've been re-reading my childbirth materials & that's getting me a little excited. :) I just can't believe how fast it's coming - not ready!!!!!!!! :)
Okay, it is time to end this post. And I can think of no better way than this.
Bye! :)
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tot School
This was a sparse week for tot school, sadly. I had two doctors appointments, and we had a big retreat at camp, so we spent one day getting ready for that, and three days pretty much up at the retreat. We did read several books, though, and do one project, so I'll share about those things. :) First of all, we were able to play outside some...we found a caterpillar one day, but I didn't have my camera. So we explored that for a few minutes. And we found a ladybug on the car, which Z was excited about.
We did do one project - on Friday afternoon, we swept the leaves off the porch & then collected some leaves for our project. I drew a tree on a piece of paper, and then had Z color it brown. (He loves this new hat and is wearing it to color - he also wore it to the store today.)
Then we glued our leaves onto the tree, and some on the ground for good measure. :)
Here is the finished product! Please ignore the toddler hand wielding the glue bottle (Not open, thankfully) in the edge of the picture. :)
So, without further adieu, here are some of the books we've been reading:
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever - we love this cute book about two mice raising the same pumpkin. :)
Clifford! - Zachary loves Clifford, and so he loves this book. :)
And this next one is a favorite from my childhood - Pierre, who only ever says, "I don't care." and therefore gets eaten by a lion (Spoiler alert- He survives, don't worry!). Z loves to look at that page & say, "Where Pierre go? In the lion's tummy!" and then turn the page and say, "THERE he is!" Also, as a sidenote, whenever I am telling Zachary to wear his shoes & he chooses Crocs in the dead of muddy fall, and I sigh defeatedly, "Whatever, I don't care", his eyes light up, and he says, "Pierre says...I don't care!" and it makes me laugh in spite of lime green Crocs with an otherwise matching outfit. :)
In conclusion, I hope all your Tot School weeks are going better than mine! I'll close with one last cute picture of Z & his favorite hat. :)
Check out more Tot School posts over at the Tot School website!
We did do one project - on Friday afternoon, we swept the leaves off the porch & then collected some leaves for our project. I drew a tree on a piece of paper, and then had Z color it brown. (He loves this new hat and is wearing it to color - he also wore it to the store today.)
Then we glued our leaves onto the tree, and some on the ground for good measure. :)
Here is the finished product! Please ignore the toddler hand wielding the glue bottle (Not open, thankfully) in the edge of the picture. :)
So, without further adieu, here are some of the books we've been reading:The Biggest Pumpkin Ever - we love this cute book about two mice raising the same pumpkin. :)
Clifford! - Zachary loves Clifford, and so he loves this book. :)
And this next one is a favorite from my childhood - Pierre, who only ever says, "I don't care." and therefore gets eaten by a lion (Spoiler alert- He survives, don't worry!). Z loves to look at that page & say, "Where Pierre go? In the lion's tummy!" and then turn the page and say, "THERE he is!" Also, as a sidenote, whenever I am telling Zachary to wear his shoes & he chooses Crocs in the dead of muddy fall, and I sigh defeatedly, "Whatever, I don't care", his eyes light up, and he says, "Pierre says...I don't care!" and it makes me laugh in spite of lime green Crocs with an otherwise matching outfit. :)
In conclusion, I hope all your Tot School weeks are going better than mine! I'll close with one last cute picture of Z & his favorite hat. :)
Check out more Tot School posts over at the Tot School website!
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