Has it seriously been since August that I posted? What a shame!
We are settled into our new home and enjoying it quite a bit. I'm still trying to find places for things. Going from a larger home to smaller is a challenge, but one we joyfully welcome. It feels great to get rid of things!
We closed on our short sale on Wednesday this week! Yay! We no longer have to think about the old home with the exception of all the special memories we had there. :)
I am now 27 week pregnant, 28 tomorrow, and the same exact back pain I had with B is back for this one too. If I don't stand or sit in one place for a while I do fine, but if I'm super active or do too many dishes at once I can feel my back tensing up. It probably has a lot to do with the stress of my day as well. I always try to get in a cup of raspberry tea with honey and my vitamins in the morning with a good protein for breakfast.
My little B is growing like a weed and it is a challenge for me to keep him busy.. the evil temptation of computer games and tv wins mommy over too often, but we are striving to take less and less time a day to get off the terrible addiction. We are learning a letter a week. This week was E and next week will be F. That sounds like it would be a good post in itself showing our specially activities we do every week.
We are so excited for baby #2 to come. We are tirelessly looking for a boy name! We are picky on meaning and we both have specific desires on it being unique, but not weird. Both of our definitions of "weird" seem to be different though. HAHA.
Financially we are so blessed. We are not out of debt, but if Jake keeps his job for the next year we are very confident that we will easily be out of debt completely in a year. We are so looking forward to that, but we know new life challenges will come along as usual. :-)
It is hard not to start drooling over land yet. We do desire to have a place out in nature, but we need to enjoy the transition time we are in. Right now we are transition to go from 1 to 2 children, which, from what I have heard, is a big step! Mama will need to learn even more selflessness! Children are so good for our adult character development.
This is probably a good place to close for now. I will try to make my posts more frequent and short and include pictures!
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Busy Life Update
1) I am now 18 weeks pregnant! :) I am hungry a lot and trying to pace my energy. I hope to be making homemade contour diapers like these to prepare for baby.
2) We are selling our house by short sale. It is coming along slowly but surely. The bank is being sure to drag its feet, but we have a great negotiator who knows what to do to make the process move as quickly as possible.
3) We bought a mobile home for $4000 and it wasn't a major junker either. It was dirtier and grimier as I'll get out, but as far as condition, very nice. It has a pantry and a walk-in master closet and also a sunroom. Three things I don't have in our current 1200+ sq foot house. It is in a nice park right near both our parents. They do not allow felons or sex offenders as residents in the park so we know it will be a safe place for our children. We are fixing it up and should be moving in soon. We need to paint the kitchen and put floors down in the living room, hallway, and Jake's office. We also need a master bathroom vanity. I'm looking forward to having time to settle in before the baby comes in January.
4) I will be trying to keep a Montessori approach to homeschooling this year for my 3 year old, but also adding materials and books that interest him while encouraging shapes, colors, numbers and letters. Right now he has spurts of "I need to learn my letters!", but when I start to teach him he gets extremely playful and imaginative and loses site of the actual letter. (probably because he is an overly entertained child.) I will need to focus on one letter a week and find different applications and activities for that letter. He is also big into learning about his skeleton. My friend and I are also planning some field trips for a small group of mommies and preschoolers. I'm very excited to get B out on a regular basis for social interaction and learning!!
5) I hope to do 2 bible studies this fall! One is an inductive study on Revelation and the other is a book study on Nancy Leigh DeMoss' book "Choosing Gratitude" which my sister is leading at her house. I just need to find someone to watch B while I'm at my sister's Friday Mornings. My main desire in bible study this year is that God would give me a heart change that will change my thoughts and behaviors, not just my head knowledge. And not just a temporary change, but a real change that will last more than a week or two! It is easy to learn something new. The real challenge is living by that new knowledge. It takes work. Knowledge does not produce immediate and automatic life change. We have to act upon what God compels and convicts in our hearts.
What does your fall look like? What are you planning? What goals are you setting for yourself?
2) We are selling our house by short sale. It is coming along slowly but surely. The bank is being sure to drag its feet, but we have a great negotiator who knows what to do to make the process move as quickly as possible.
3) We bought a mobile home for $4000 and it wasn't a major junker either. It was dirtier and grimier as I'll get out, but as far as condition, very nice. It has a pantry and a walk-in master closet and also a sunroom. Three things I don't have in our current 1200+ sq foot house. It is in a nice park right near both our parents. They do not allow felons or sex offenders as residents in the park so we know it will be a safe place for our children. We are fixing it up and should be moving in soon. We need to paint the kitchen and put floors down in the living room, hallway, and Jake's office. We also need a master bathroom vanity. I'm looking forward to having time to settle in before the baby comes in January.
4) I will be trying to keep a Montessori approach to homeschooling this year for my 3 year old, but also adding materials and books that interest him while encouraging shapes, colors, numbers and letters. Right now he has spurts of "I need to learn my letters!", but when I start to teach him he gets extremely playful and imaginative and loses site of the actual letter. (probably because he is an overly entertained child.) I will need to focus on one letter a week and find different applications and activities for that letter. He is also big into learning about his skeleton. My friend and I are also planning some field trips for a small group of mommies and preschoolers. I'm very excited to get B out on a regular basis for social interaction and learning!!
5) I hope to do 2 bible studies this fall! One is an inductive study on Revelation and the other is a book study on Nancy Leigh DeMoss' book "Choosing Gratitude" which my sister is leading at her house. I just need to find someone to watch B while I'm at my sister's Friday Mornings. My main desire in bible study this year is that God would give me a heart change that will change my thoughts and behaviors, not just my head knowledge. And not just a temporary change, but a real change that will last more than a week or two! It is easy to learn something new. The real challenge is living by that new knowledge. It takes work. Knowledge does not produce immediate and automatic life change. We have to act upon what God compels and convicts in our hearts.
What does your fall look like? What are you planning? What goals are you setting for yourself?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Starting Coleus Indoors
There is not a whole lot of gardening experience in our household, but I intend to change that quite a bit in the future. I think it is really important to teach my son the basics of gardening and farming. Perhaps some of the most important practical life lessons are learned in the garden.
Since we are trying to sell our house we've decided not to do many veggies, if any. We do have our basement hydroponic system that my husband set up. I will be updating on that soon!
Today we started some coleus seeds. I had some pots that we found at a thrift store for $.75 each a couple years ago and they have come in very handy.
The first thing we did was put some rocks and gravel in the bottom for 2 reasons. 1) So the dirt won't fall out of the bottom hole and 2) To fill some space so I don't need to use as much dirt.
Then we mixed some dirt from under our tree house with some potting soil.
After watering we sang a song to our seeds and told them that we will take care of them. I'm looking forward to planting some coleus in June!
Since we are trying to sell our house we've decided not to do many veggies, if any. We do have our basement hydroponic system that my husband set up. I will be updating on that soon!
Today we started some coleus seeds. I had some pots that we found at a thrift store for $.75 each a couple years ago and they have come in very handy.
The first thing we did was put some rocks and gravel in the bottom for 2 reasons. 1) So the dirt won't fall out of the bottom hole and 2) To fill some space so I don't need to use as much dirt.
Then we mixed some dirt from under our tree house with some potting soil.
I had a great helper while putting dirt in the pots.
Then we took the pots inside found our seeds and watering can. Ready to plant!
The seed packet said "barely cover" so we patted down a spot in the middle, put the seeds down, and sprinkled some dirt over top.
After watering we sang a song to our seeds and told them that we will take care of them. I'm looking forward to planting some coleus in June!
Monday, March 21, 2011
A Critical Spirit is not Inspiring
I could probably just leave my title there and let it settle in our minds a bit, but I want to say that this is especially true for us women, wives, and moms.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely think men have their own way of condescending a child's character, but we moms have a unique way of discouraging our husbands and children. Here is what I mean by "critical spirit".
It can be found in making our family member's best efforts "never good enough". This usually is the phrase that comes out of their mouths when they finally have had enough of our negative comments. Sure, we may have meant it as "gentle" correction, but when approached in the wrong way and at the wrong time it can be very hurtful.
So then, what is the solution? It starts in acknowledging their efforts with gratitude and focusing on the positive things they are doing. Encouraging and exhorting a person starts with kind words. Gentle correction does not begin with "you are doing this wrong, let "me" show you how it is done." This says 1) They are incompetent and 2) Pride "I am better". Neither of these things are true so the way we express our desire to help must be humbly and positively.
Another approach would be "Thank you so much for doing this. I see you had a little struggle with "this". Can I offer a suggestion for next time?"
Their good behavior begins in respecting you as a parent when they see you respecting their needs. (emotional and physical) You don't achieve this buy making mountains of requirements when they are still learning how to climb the small hills. I hope this is a good positive challenge to you as well! I needed this reminder to have a "yes face" with my child and to offer positive words to encourage his good behavior.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely think men have their own way of condescending a child's character, but we moms have a unique way of discouraging our husbands and children. Here is what I mean by "critical spirit".
It can be found in making our family member's best efforts "never good enough". This usually is the phrase that comes out of their mouths when they finally have had enough of our negative comments. Sure, we may have meant it as "gentle" correction, but when approached in the wrong way and at the wrong time it can be very hurtful.
So then, what is the solution? It starts in acknowledging their efforts with gratitude and focusing on the positive things they are doing. Encouraging and exhorting a person starts with kind words. Gentle correction does not begin with "you are doing this wrong, let "me" show you how it is done." This says 1) They are incompetent and 2) Pride "I am better". Neither of these things are true so the way we express our desire to help must be humbly and positively.
Another approach would be "Thank you so much for doing this. I see you had a little struggle with "this". Can I offer a suggestion for next time?"
Their good behavior begins in respecting you as a parent when they see you respecting their needs. (emotional and physical) You don't achieve this buy making mountains of requirements when they are still learning how to climb the small hills. I hope this is a good positive challenge to you as well! I needed this reminder to have a "yes face" with my child and to offer positive words to encourage his good behavior.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Days of the week success!
We've been casually enjoying the days of the week themes that I shared in this post. We've switched Fridays to Fitness Friday where we usually look on hulu for some workout video or I'll get out one of my work out videos. This helps me have a day devoted to exercising as well!
Some weeks we do the themes really well. He is getting used to it and soon he will be reminding me what day it is!
This morning's happening reminded me of how he is soaking in the information we're giving him. My husband works at home and often comes up around 8 or 9 to get dressed and have breakfast for his morning "break". Today he asked B what day it was (I hadn't said a word to him about it). B said enthusiastically "Truck Tuesday!" I guess he really is starting to get the order down in his head! When it comes time for him to really learn about the calender and the days of the week its going to be a breeze for him.
These small successes are big motivators for this mommy.
On another note I'm already finding him asking us what words are on labels and bottles. There have been a few odd moments where he seems to have read something, but I'm never sure if someone had previous told him what the word was. I'm really startled since he is only 2 1/2 have an is interested in reading already. We decided a while ago that we would not pressure him too hard in his early learning. I've just tried hard to "set the stage" in a sense to make learning part of his natural life experiences.
Preschool is easy, it's Jr. High I'm concerned about! :) One step at a time!
Some weeks we do the themes really well. He is getting used to it and soon he will be reminding me what day it is!
This morning's happening reminded me of how he is soaking in the information we're giving him. My husband works at home and often comes up around 8 or 9 to get dressed and have breakfast for his morning "break". Today he asked B what day it was (I hadn't said a word to him about it). B said enthusiastically "Truck Tuesday!" I guess he really is starting to get the order down in his head! When it comes time for him to really learn about the calender and the days of the week its going to be a breeze for him.
These small successes are big motivators for this mommy.
On another note I'm already finding him asking us what words are on labels and bottles. There have been a few odd moments where he seems to have read something, but I'm never sure if someone had previous told him what the word was. I'm really startled since he is only 2 1/2 have an is interested in reading already. We decided a while ago that we would not pressure him too hard in his early learning. I've just tried hard to "set the stage" in a sense to make learning part of his natural life experiences.
Preschool is easy, it's Jr. High I'm concerned about! :) One step at a time!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Preschool Daily Themes
In my last post I mentioned that I have been doing daily themes. This helps both my son and I try to maintain a healthy routine in each day. He really responds well to it. I also see a general comfort and happiness in us doing all these things together. Even though he is an independent personality and enjoys playing by himself, he also naturally needs a healthy dose of "togetherness" that, I believe, is programmed into us as people.
By no means am I as structured as I should be. It really is not my bent to have the same routine every day. Pushing toward being disciplined and on some sort of healthy routine for B's sake is challenging. There is a real sense of accomplishment, though, when I see him responding so positively to these things.
Here is a list of our current daily themes, but are subject to change if I feel one is not working quite as well.
Music Monday - Mainly just giving general emphasis on music in each activity/game/craft and perhaps making up songs as we go. This is also a day for learning about different musical instruments.
Truck Tuesday - We us his transportation toys to talk about them and what they do. We also talk about jobs like firemen, policemen, etc.. Just being casual with it and having fun. This day also includes getting out the hot wheels track and crashing and doing mini monster truck rallies. All in a days work!
Water Wednesday - While I see great potential for this day we do lack a lot of water world/oceanic type toys, but there are tons of water games online. I still haven't quite thought through my general purpose of this day, but I don't think it really has to have a specific purpose. What matters, at his age, is that he is seeing new things and learning. Plus, I don't need to over analyze these themes anymore than I already have!
Animal Thursday - Sorry for the break in the fun alliteration. I could not think of another good T word that could be broadly applied. Any ideas? This is just an animal exploration day. We have lots of fun books and many games to choose from. Not to mention "Go, Diego, Go" is a great resource for learning animals!
Fun Friday- This is really just a miscellaneous do whatever we want day. If I think of anything he would like to learn during the week then I'll throw it in here. It's also an opportunity for us to kind of just take it easy because our weekends tend to be so busy.
The results I am hoping to see from this is B getting a good grasp of the days of the week and to introduce him to "school time" in our mornings. We need to transition to this routine as we prepare for homeschooling and mom needs to learn this just as much as he does!
Here are some books I am interested in. There are so many great ideas out there! I don't know how I will ever choose. Maybe I should see which books are at the library first. (especially the expensive ones. What's up with the one that costs $200? I suppose if your seriuos into your homeschooling curriculum that's not a bad price. That is only if it is worth it)
By no means am I as structured as I should be. It really is not my bent to have the same routine every day. Pushing toward being disciplined and on some sort of healthy routine for B's sake is challenging. There is a real sense of accomplishment, though, when I see him responding so positively to these things.
Here is a list of our current daily themes, but are subject to change if I feel one is not working quite as well.
Music Monday - Mainly just giving general emphasis on music in each activity/game/craft and perhaps making up songs as we go. This is also a day for learning about different musical instruments.
Truck Tuesday - We us his transportation toys to talk about them and what they do. We also talk about jobs like firemen, policemen, etc.. Just being casual with it and having fun. This day also includes getting out the hot wheels track and crashing and doing mini monster truck rallies. All in a days work!
Water Wednesday - While I see great potential for this day we do lack a lot of water world/oceanic type toys, but there are tons of water games online. I still haven't quite thought through my general purpose of this day, but I don't think it really has to have a specific purpose. What matters, at his age, is that he is seeing new things and learning. Plus, I don't need to over analyze these themes anymore than I already have!
Animal Thursday - Sorry for the break in the fun alliteration. I could not think of another good T word that could be broadly applied. Any ideas? This is just an animal exploration day. We have lots of fun books and many games to choose from. Not to mention "Go, Diego, Go" is a great resource for learning animals!
Fun Friday- This is really just a miscellaneous do whatever we want day. If I think of anything he would like to learn during the week then I'll throw it in here. It's also an opportunity for us to kind of just take it easy because our weekends tend to be so busy.
The results I am hoping to see from this is B getting a good grasp of the days of the week and to introduce him to "school time" in our mornings. We need to transition to this routine as we prepare for homeschooling and mom needs to learn this just as much as he does!
Here are some books I am interested in. There are so many great ideas out there! I don't know how I will ever choose. Maybe I should see which books are at the library first. (especially the expensive ones. What's up with the one that costs $200? I suppose if your seriuos into your homeschooling curriculum that's not a bad price. That is only if it is worth it)
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