Holding Down the Fort

Christmas Catch Up Part I

2011-12-23T10:47:00.000-05:00

Wow! We have been super busy just enjoying all there is to do and see during this season! I am loving the fact that Wook is old enough to understand that Christmas really is Jesus' birthday. I am constantly reminding myself in the hustle and bustle of all there is to get in that all we are doing is to celebrate our Savior's birth. The lights, the candy, the cooking, the wrapping, the opening, all of it celebrates Him!

We celebrated my hubby's birthday this month, too! It is crazy to think that we have now known each other over half of our lives. What a blessing it has been to see what God has done in our lives, what changes He has made in us.

Our traditions are always kicked off with decorating the tree. The past two years, we have given Wook his special ornaments to put on the bottom portion of the tree. He uses the cluster deco technique, as seen here. You won't see this in Southern Living y'all, he is just that fresh!

I have really enjoyed watching the boys play with their Little People Nativity Scene.

Did you know that Mary and Joseph had a farm truck????

Several nights, we have ventured out in our jammies to look at Christmas Lights. We always stop in one large neighborhood nearby and watch the lights set to music on the radio. We got the boys out of their seats and all danced in the front, this year. I always make hot "choco-lick" as Wook calls it. This year, there were even a few ooo's and ahhh's from Mr. Little's seat, facing backwards.

My hubby and I attended his work party. I just love his company. They are such a tight knit group and his department is very family oriented. It is always so fun to see everyone...and this year I made a new friend. She has older children and I will be begging her to have coffee with me so I can pick her brain!!!

Random, my hubby always makes me take a pic before we go to the party, in front of our tree. Well, this year we forgot so we had to take it afterwards (hence my tired eyes). My hubby is a BIG fan of self pic taking....I think it takes him back to our college days!

Wook decorated cookies with his G-G, a Christmas tradition, and we enjoyed two cookie decorating sessions at friends' homes.

There was even a birthday party for Jesus...one of my favorites for the boys!
It has brought me such joy to watch them experience all this together!!!

M's first Christmas

L's first Christmas

Birthday Boy

2011-12-20T09:43:00.000-05:00

So you don't see much of Mr. Littles on here. I guess that comes with the territory of being the second child. I constantly feel terrible that I constantly blogged about Wook the first few years of his life. Oh, wait! This post is about Mr. Littles.

We threw him a Circus/Carnival themed 1st birthday party!!! We invited mostly family and a few of his "friends".

A friend of ours painted faces and I set up a Photo Booth. I was shocked that the kids actually put on the clown wig, bow tie, and nose! Cute cute cute!!! We made Wook be our guinea pig, the night before!

I made his cakes, mostly because I felt guilty buying his cake when I put so much time into making Wook's first cake!

I seriously stayed awake most of the night before the party worrying and praying that the four layer cake would make it without cracking! I don't have much luck with layers over 2.

He loved smearing the cake EVERYWHERE!

We ate corn dogs, nachos, and fruit on a stick! One of my pals caught on to the food on a stick theme. I will keep her.

It was super fun and bittersweet. We had a lot of friends and family there, who made it extra special!!!

Sometimes Things Just Happen

2011-11-10T16:56:00.001-05:00

Last night, while I was reading M a bedtime story (the same one for the fourth night in a row) his baby brother demolished his train track. When I say demolished, I mean pulled the entire track off the table and sent it flying in a million pieces.
He is so very different from M, and different isn't necessarily negative. He has just taught us some things.

M didn't eat things off the floor. L has given me plenty of mouth sweeping practice.

M was told "no touch" and he went about his baby business. L considers this a show down, a laughing matter.
M liked to play with baby toys. L likes to bang remotes, and picture frames, and anything else that will leave dents in furniture. He appreciates the shabby, and not so chic.

If there is something to get into, he has ripped it open and is probably in the box the trouble came in.

Back to my story,
M said "Mommy, I need to go help L put that track back." He calmly walked over to his brother and began picking up the pieces. I told him I was sorry it happened. He gently said "Mommy, its ok, sometimes things just happen." He looked at his brother and said "It is ok, L, I forgive you."
I was just so touched by this.
I prayed with him and thanked God for calming his heart about it. And we prayed that L would learn some self control, too. (hehe)
L gets into a lot of M's things. M puts up with a lot. He is learning to be tolerant of others. I have decided to be sympathetic but not feel sorry for him. He will learn a lot from having a brother.
Usually, I hear a groan or a growl, the sweet little nickname we have for L, said in a very disapproving tone, or some other frustrated noise (that he has picked up from me). This time, he was forgiving and genuine.
It was a clear reminder that I should be more like him in this moment.
I should be slow to become angry and quick to forgive. Sometimes people sling our track into a slew of pieces. Sometimes they aren't sorry they did it. Sometimes things just happen.

But one day, Someone will return and set our track back perfectly, just the way it was supposed to be. Built in a better formation than we could have ever imagined it ourselves. All because we were forgiven, when we didn't deserve it.

Pp for Pumpkins

2011-11-08T10:27:00.001-05:00

Wowsa! What a fun two weeks learning all about pumpkins!

Our scripture memory for this unit was "Be patient with everyone!" 1 Thessalonians 5:14
This verse has come to mind quite a bit since completing this unit. I have been convicted of my impatience while driving, waiting at the checkout, waiting for M to put his shoes on, by himself, while waiting on water to boil. You name the situation, I have needed patience.

It has helped M too. I have quoted it to him while he ~~pesters~~ asks me if his cheese waffle is ready EVERY MORNING, if we are "to the park yet?".... I could go on.

Well, back to pumpkins. Again, I was terrible about taking pictures and I am WAY behind, so here are some of our favorites!

-Pumpkin Vine Measuring (from 2TeachingMommies)

Capital P Pumpkin

Pumpkin Life Cycle Paper Plate

We played a really fun game where we drew a card (covered with a certain number of dots) and M had to find the corresponding number on a pumpkin. If he matched them correctly, he got to color that pumpkin. I was really proud of how patient he was with this, and his one to one correspondence is really improving.

We carved our real pumpkins with Daddy and roasted the seeds!

A second game that M really enjoyed was this Roll a Jack-o-Lantern Game (from MakingLearningFun)

M has finally memorized the dice, which makes the game go faster. I think I needed the patience scripture prior to him mastering this skill!

We made playdough pumpkins and read tons of pumpkin books, thanks to our local library!

Nn for Night

2011-11-08T10:05:00.000-05:00

This week our scripture memory was "Apart from me, you can do nothing." John 15:5

We studied creatures of the night!!! This was a craft filled week....partly because I needed some fall decorations around here, and partly because M loves anything requiring glue these days!

These owlets were made from toilet paper tubes after reading "Owl Babies"

We painted the tubes brown and pressed down the tops to form the points. We glued on teardrop shaped wings cut from scrapbook paper, and added wiggly eyes and a beak. I am amazed by all the craft ideas on the internet!!!!

We used our foot prints and a toilet paper tube to create a baby bat after reading "Stellaluna".

We completed a nocturnal and diurnal animal sort. We did this each day until M could do it all on his own.

Several other owl crafts, like this Cheerio Owl (from SpellOutLoud)
and Handprint Owl (from Making Learning Fun), were made.

G-G also made these super cute Owl Cookies with M.

They were very easy peasy!
Just lay a graham cracker on your plate. Cut a large marshmallow in half, creating two circles. Place them on the cracker. Lay yellow candy melts on the marshmallows, and a chocolate chip on top of that. Microwave for literally 5 seconds, just to make everything stick! They were yummy!

We also made a web of things we do at night...watch fireworks, wear pj's, eat dinner, go to bed, brush teeth, and use a flashlight, were a few of the ideas we came up with.

Oo for Ocean

2011-11-07T16:51:00.000-05:00

I am a little behind on the preschool posts, but better late than never right????

The two weeks before we headed to the beach, we explored ocean life!
I kinda dropped the ball this week and forgot to take many pictures. Maybe it was the mass packing I was involved in?

We did have a sensory tub, filled with blue gravel (for water) and lots of mini ocean animals and creatures!

We completed several ocean themed crafts!

One of M's favorites this week was the "Roll An Ocean Creature" game. This was his first exposure to a graph and I was pretty impressed with his grasp of it. We simply colored in a box each time a creature was rolled!

The picture says it all.

My intention was to hang blue STREAMERS from the chandelier in our playroom...BUT that would involve me remembering where I put them. So my creative hubby sacrificially handed over his painters tape and we made do. It was quite a sight. M really felt like he was under the sea. Thank you Lord for 3 year old imaginations.

Most of our games and printables came from the Under the Sea unit at 1+1+1=1.

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

This Halloween, we were taken over by pirates.
Apparently, they docked their shipped and cleaned up quite a bit, before invading our home.

The infant pirate threatened to take chunks out of our furniture with his need to teethe.

The older pirate promised that bedtime would be harshly difficult for an entire month.

We were forced to meet their demands and take them trick-or-treating.

My hubby was tempted to go exploring with them until he realized they had no appreciation for chocolate candy, and there was no more room in their ship.

Their final requests were for a diaper change, and a night-night snack.

Gg for Garden

2011-11-01T09:07:00.000-04:00

We kicked off our Gardening Unit with this sensory tub!

M's favorite part was the mini-watering can. I found it in some old craft stuff I hadn't used in a while. I am constantly on the lookout for small items for the tub. He just enjoys it so much, and it makes a great incentive for focusing and getting through our little bit of school time!

Our largest project this week was our Bean Baggie. We place several white bean s in a ziploc bag with a moist paper towel. I seriously prayed over those beans because they had been in my pantry so very long.

Each morning we checked our Bean Baggie, noting the changes we saw.

After two weeks, we ended up with this....

This gave us the perfect opportunity to learn what plants need! We also memorized a song about what they need.

We completed a simple 'Parts of a Flower" puzzle (roots, stem, leaves, and flower) each day until M could match it up himself.

We read a few books about worms and ate our own Gummy Worms....M looks for them every time we play outside now. He is a pretty decent worm hunter.

Number recognition was practiced with this "Find the Trowel" game.

Several other general gardening themed activities were also completed the first week:
-Do a Dot Gg
-Pre-Writing Practice
-Sorting flowers vs. vegetables with mini seed packets

We finished the week by creating this paper bag "My Garden" book.
Pictures from G-G's garden were used. Using a paper bag was the neatest idea ever. If you fold it correctly, it even makes pockets to slide matching cards or other items into!

During the second week, we read "The Adventures of Peter Rabbit". M got a little emotional when Mr. McGregor was hunting Peter in his garden shed. Thankfully, it ended happily for Peter.
Most of the Peter Rabbit resources came from the Making Learning Fun website. They have an entire section on Peter Rabbit.

We completed their Peter Rabbit Clank Can Veggie game.

This brought to my attention how few veggies M has ever tried. Maybe we will have to do something about that.
We also played "Farmer's Market" where I gave M a list of veggies to buy at the "market". He had to choose the correct veggie and the correct quantity.

A measurement activity was completed with Peter's hops.

M also when on a Carrot Hunt. I cut carrots from craft foam and wrote capital and lowercase Gg on each. I also wrote some letters we have previously studies on a few other carrots.

He had to pick the carrots from our living room garden and place them in the correct corresponding baskets! We played this for a REALLY long time because he couldn't get enough of it. I think it was all the running in the house he was allowed to do!

Over the course of the two weeks, we read a TON of gardening books.


And Disney Gardening Adventures. Jesse driving McQueen and Ramone on the tractor.

We are also memorizing scripture with each letter. Songs for Saplings has a great resource for this. I just print off the small scripture card for the corresponding letter. I hole punched these and placed them on a ring, so we can take them anywhere!

Sailing The Seven Seas

2011-10-29T08:03:00.000-04:00

This morning I walked in on one of M's imaginative pretend trips.
From my eavesdropping, I gathered that he was building a boat to "sail the seven seas".
His dialogue was a combination of the Veggie Tales Jonah, Captain Donald from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and the lesson of Jesus sleeping on the boat during the storm.
It went on for a LONG time (enough time for me to clean the kitchen.

I heard him ask L "please don't spit up in the boat?" and "L, I'm sorry you are too little to go this time. But you can ask Mommy if you can get in". Of course I couldn't turn him down when he was actually sharing with his baby bro.

He was later "shoo shoo"-ing him away.

Of all the things to take with you, he shouted out "I almost forgot to take my vitamins on the Seven Seas!"

I teared up for a minute when he yelled into the kitchen "Mommy, I took my phone so I can call you on the way back....but I'm sleeping all the way there!"
I love boys.
I love that laundry baskets, pillows, and blankets transform into sailboats.
I love that a three year old imagination is immeasurable.
I love that they will share these adventures together.
And there is no telling the things the two of them will come up with.
I can't wait to eavesdrop and take pictures!

Menu Plan Monday...Except It's Tuesday

2011-08-16T09:46:00.000-04:00

I don't meal plan because it is fun, I do it because it makes my life easier, it helps our budget, and I don't get the "5 o'clock-What-Am-I-Going-To-Cook" blues.

Last week I was a total meal planning slacker. Our budget and my waistline show it. But, just like with my diet...every Monday is a new week, except that it's Tuesday. Let's don't get technical.

I also no longer assign the meals to a specific day because sometimes things come up or just don't thaw out in time! Of course it would never be because I forget.
Anyways, here goes.

Meatloaf Cupcakes, Corn Casserole, Sweet Peas I got the recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes
1. Mine looked nothing like those and I used ground beef instead of turkey.
My husband doesn't believe in eating ground turkey and pretending its beef
2. We had "ketchup" icing, but I plan to try the mashed potatoes next time.
3. I suggest you use the baking cups or be prepared for comments from your husband such as "what are those?" or "interesting" which translates as strange. (not that my husband would dare to critique my cooking...)
4. They were super yummy. I didn't have the grated zucchini, but I plan on disguising veggies next time.
5. Super Easy Cleanup!

Deep Dish Baker Chicken (topped with fresh roasted tomatoes, then,smeared and slathered with that new Philly Cooking Cream stuff...we received it free in our food co-op. Served with tri-color pasta and green beans.

Pizza, Fruit

Chicken Melts (chicken salad on bread, topped with tomato slices, onion, green pepper, and sprinkled with cheese, then toasted until bread is crisp) served with fruit and Sunchips.

Chicken Enchiladas, Black Beans and Corn Salad
Black Beans and Corn Salad is a mix of equal parts beans and corn, seasoned with a few tablespoons of your favorite salsa and minced onion! This can be served cold or warm!

Roma Shrimp Alfredo (sauce that was on sale, fresh roasted tomatoes, shrimp, tri-color pasta) Served with broccoli

And my favorite....Drum roll please........ Leftover Buffet!

Aa for Astronaut

2011-08-16T09:14:00.000-04:00

The inspiration and most of the resources for Aa for Astronaut came from Spell Outloud and their ABC Themes!

I plan on using several of their units.

Check out our week as astronauts!!!

The Saturday before we began the unit, my hubby and I decided to make M his own Space Station Command Center or Spaceship...whatever his little heart dreamed it to be. Using my idealistic imagination, partnered with my hubby's ability to execute and create most anything, we came up with this....

which turned into this.....

We began the unit by reading On The Moon by Anna Milbourne.

We created this TP Tube Astronaut
from DTKL kids after reading the book, and M played with him all week!

Later in the week we made our own flag...covered in "A"s and stuck it in our play-dough moon...just like in the book!

We also read "The Berenstain Bears On The Moon".

After reading, we went on a Moon Rock Hunt, just like the bears. I wrote capital and lowercase "A" on some stones, along with some random other letters. If the "moon rock" had an "A" written on it, M put them in his moon rock sack!

Thanks to Making Learning Fun, we completed the Astronaut Do a Dot.

The Lowercase "a" craft was inspired by Creativity Abounds. M was over the moon having his picture in the "a" ship!

M made his own Name Rocket!

We spent a lot of time exploring and playing in his Astronaut Sensory Tub!

I used black beans from our food co-op for the ground. I found glow in the dark stars and the Astronaut bubble jar in the Target $1 Spot! I also found various space toys around the house. (Buzz Lightyear figurines, a light saber, Little People Construction Balls, stones, Toy Story puzzle pieces...)

We completed a lot of independent activities and games from Spell Outloud's Astronaut Printables.

One of my favorites was the "5 Little Astronauts" game and puppets. These can be downloaded from the Spell Outloud link above. M wanted to sing this EVERY day!

We also completed:
-shadow matching
-pre-writing practice (tracing straight, curved, zig-zag lines)
-letter A tracing

Some days we visited the following websites:
Astronomy for Kids
NASA Kid's Club
Dress Me For Space Game

Let's just say it was a BLAST!!!!

Other Read-A-Loud Resources:
Where Does The Moon Go? by Sidney Rosen
The Magic Moon Machine by Jane Belk Moncure
Astro Bunnies by Christine Loomis
Roaring Rockets by Tony Mitton
Quack! by Arthur Yorinks

My HMG Part 2...Let's Do This!!!!

2011-08-09T17:24:00.001-04:00

In Part 1 of My HMG, found here, I talked about finally getting my Home Management Guide together.

Having this little notebook has really helped me minimize some of the "crazy".

There is no right or wrong HMG. It is yours. You live in your home, so your guide should be what you need it to be.

I am posting about mine to hopefully share some inspiration and encouragement. Encouragement to get you started. I have no idea how I ever lived without it. Oh yeah, I do remember. (not good)

Remember, it is a work in progress. It simply begins with a notebook and some paper.

Let that be Step One: Find a notebook and some paper and keep it handy.
I leave mine on the kitchen counter. Make it a habit to refer to it often, even if it is just to write down a to do list. Just start using it! (the notebook and paper that is!)

Step Two: Write a list of all the areas where you need some mental/paper organization.
Just get them down, you can shrink/alter this later. Keep this list in the front of the notebook, on the paper. (Notebook, Paper, List). When things come up, add them to the list. My final list looked something like this...
-church: hospitality, bible study, serving schedule (We had a church luncheon coming up, and I needed a place to list all the things I needed to do to get ready. I made this list TWICE the week before, but I couldn't find it)
-contacts: family addresses, pediatrician, after hours, important business numbers, church directory
-food stuff: baby feeding guide, random recipes, weekly menu plans
-medical: med dosages, articles, updated shot records etc.
-random house stuff: cleaning checklists, shopping lists, m's chore charts
-homeschool stuff: articles, lesson plans, developmental checklists
-calendars: preschool letter of the week calendar, weight watchers calendar,
-library stuff: homemade book list, pines codes/passwords, due dates

Step Three: Start putting things in there, just to give them a home.

As you come across papers/things you use...put them in the notebook. Just keep using it, and keep it out where you can see it.

I found a few great resources at The Organized Home. Click the links below to find printables, you may find useful!!

Step Four: Create Tabs. These are what you need them to be. Mine look like this....
1. Nutrition and Meals (meal plans, cooking tips, articles, nutrition guides, recipes)
2. Health (medicine dosages, articles, updated medical info)
3. Contacts (church directory, Family Yellow Pages (random phone numbers your family uses) Birthdays / Anniversaries calendar)
4. Church (hospitality stuff, discipleship group stuff, bible reading calendar)
5. Household (cleaning checklists, chore charts, blog ideas)

The following tabs are all based on Preschool/Homeschool Needs.
6. Homeschool...main tab for the following tabs (random notes, ideas/tips, websites, developmental checklists)
7. Lesson Plans (preschool simple lesson plans)
8. Calendars (school stuff calendars)
9. Book Lists/Library (all the stuff to keep me from having to pay library fines.

10. BLANK...just in case I forgot something.

Step Five: Start going through random papers and information that has previously had no home. Start putting stuff in there! This is the part that takes time. Work through this little by little. You will truly enjoy having a place for things.

Remember, this notebook is always a work in progress. It is constantly changing and being added to, as the needs of your family change. It may take you a year to get it where you want it to be. Or you may be a little more focused than me and only take a month, or a week! I just urge you to give it a go! Tell me how it goes in the comments, or if you have been using one of these for a while, please share your tips and tricks.

Happy HMG Making!!

Three Things My Baby Does, That Totally Gross Me Out.

2011-08-09T16:28:00.000-04:00

I love Mr. L but here goes....

1. The scritchy-scratchy sound his fingernails make when he's grabbing his diaper.

2. Seeing him sit like this. Totally reminds me of the FIRST time I dislocated my knee sophomore year of high school.

3. Hearing him spit up, while sucking his thumb, and then swallowing it.

My HMG....Part 1 Where It All Began

2011-08-05T10:21:00.002-04:00

Were you a Trapper Keeper Kid???? Me too!

Ahhh, Lisa Frank.

I remember the crackling of the Velcro as if it were yesterday. That same crackling that instantly notified your teacher (during rest time/reading time/anytime you were supposed to be doing something important) that you were about to write a note to your best friend.

I was also obsessed with my Sanrio Pop Out Pencil Case.

This next pic makes my heart flutter. Wait for it.

Oh, all the organizational tools you could ever need....I mean a magnifying glass! A pencil sharpener built right in. Oh the shavings I got in trouble for leaving in my desk! (I said I was organized, but not that organized. I think I was a mere wanna-be at this point.)

There was even a place to write your schedule...before I even had a schedule. I used it to write down our assigned lunch time and P.E. ...that we had EVERY day.

A moment of silence for each! So that's two moments.

Anyways....

Why did we love our Trapper Keepers? It wasn't just because they were covered with unicorns and rainbows and the initials of our BFF's. It was the fact that they did their job! They trapped! They kept!

They trapped all the important things we needed to keep!

Why haven't I continued to trap and keep all of my adulthood stuff?

Three years ago when I started this Stay-At-Home Mom thing, I came across a blogger that I will forever be indebted to. Her name is Heather and she blogger-lives at Want What You Have. I dare you to check her out. God will use her to change you. He will use her because she is real. She doesn't promise to have it all together all the time, because really, who does???? But man she really has it together when she has it together.

Reading her blog was one of the instruments God used to pull me from the dark place of discontentment three years ago. I was discontent with God's provision for me and my family. I took it out on our bank accounts, on our home, on my husband. Basically, telling Him that all He had given me, just wouldn't do.

But that is another post for another time. It ends happily, instead of giving me what I thought I wanted, He taught me to Want What I Have not Have What I Want...which is the premise behind her whole blog!!!
Love her guts.

Heather also preaches that being organized absolutely saves you money!!! I love this post about the things her family doesn't do to save money.

This one was posted yesterday. Did she know I was blogging about her????? I love me some organizational tips!

She also introduced me to the HMG three years ago. When you visit her blog, click on Inside the Guide at the top. You will be amazed.

So back to my question.........
Why haven't I continued to trap and keep all of my adulthood stuff? I have been meaning to for a while now.

Three years ago, I started one. It was a notebook with a couple tabs. Mostly, our contacts, family addresses and such. I mainly used it when I needed to address a card, invitations, or all our Christmas cards. I would flip through it for our church contacts and important phone numbers. I also kept recipes and other helpful tidbits that I didn't want to lose. It was a work in progress...

Fast-forward three years.

About a month ago, I got serious about this. I went through one of my overwhelmed spells. So instead of feeling sorry for myself, I took it out on that binder of mine.

Now I am just gonna tell ya that my Home Management Guide is NOTHING compared to Heather's. So don't get your hopes up. BUT it works for me!

Check back soon for Part Two where I will let you see inside my HMG!
I will show you how I started to get it together SIMPLY, without going out and spending any money.

It has changed me. I spend a lot less time looking for things. My favorite part of the HMG is the space to write down ideas, even blog ideas. Ideas for church, homeschooling, you name it. I have a safe place to keep these random thoughts...bye bye post-its!!!!!

After only a month, I can tell you that it has made me a happier gal. I am serious. It has freed me from trying to keep it all in the noggin! Cause we all know this noggin filled up a long time ago!

WFMW Library Fine Prevention Plan....How NOT To Keep Your Library In Business!!!!

2011-08-03T10:41:00.001-04:00

In the past 3 months I have paid $21 for FREE books. You read that correctly.

How did I do it? It was way too easy.

I consider myself to be pretty organized. I haven't always been this way though, ask my Mama!

It is just that sometimes the old "stick it under the bed" ME comes out. Usually organizing a drawer will shut her up.

Since we are on a tight budget and I am married to a man who would never let the $21 for free books incident happen......I came up with a plan. (WARNING! I know for some of you, this will scream redundant and simple...and yes some of you wouldn't need a plan...or two weeks to make it a habit.)

DON'T PAY FOR FREE BOOKS PLAN:

You will need:
1 library book bag
the sense to keep your due back lists (yeah, the ones they print for you)
a homemade Book List (see below)
contact info for your library of choice

Our library has been majorly furloughed, and their constant changing schedules made me nuts! I am sure their pay cuts made them nuts, so I am not complaining. Still, I had no idea when they were open for me to call and renew books. And yes, I could go to the "physical" library to do this, but tote 2 kids to do this, in this heat...no thank you! Whenever I thought to call=closed=adding up fines!

I started fresh. They had to pry the money from my death grip, but I settled up with them.

Then, I picked the closest library to my house, instead of the one I preferred, thus finding that I actually like the one closest, and my hubby drives by there EVERY afternoon on his way home from work.

LIGHTBULB!!! Remember when I said he would NEVER let this happen????

Step One: I found M's library book bag. I hung it where I will see it often.

Step Two: I went to the library and made friends with the children's librarian...who wrote down my online password for the 2,000th time.

Step Three: I taped the password into the LIBRARY section of my HMG notebook.
(a post for another time...but basically a notebook that houses all kinds of info that I would lose or parish without getting my hands on quickly) I recommend this for EVERYONE! I will post about it soon!

Step 4: I KEPT the convenient print out they give you, listing all the books they have entrusted you with in the LIBRARY section of HMG notebook.

Step 5: I also made a simple book list to inventory the books I need for upcoming units. This way I can mark if they are in, out, or need to be ordered from another branch and take it with me to the library! I also have a space for the author/call number. This has probably been my most used tool for planning preschool!
Step 6: Mark in my calendar when to call and renew books A COUPLE DAYS EARLY, just in case of schedule conflicts. If you would like a copy of this...leave me your email in the comments.

It has really been pretty easy. Not all the books have the same due date since my hubby is picking them up as they come in from being on hold. Because of this, the checking due dates constantly is making me a little nutty but I haven't paid a fine and have enjoyed reading tons of books with my boys!

What is your library plan???? Please leave a comment and share your tips and secrets!

Tt for Transportation

2011-07-31T14:08:00.002-04:00

Here is a little glimpse into our first two weeks of Preschool at Home!

We concentrated on recognizing the letter Tt and its sound!

M loved playing in the Sensory Tub! It was filled with various vehicles and items that started with "T". He was pretty good about keeping the pasta and beans "in" the tub!

Here is our very first graphic organizer...I loved using these when I taught 1st Grade. M was really into gluing the pictures on and I noticed him counting and naming them throughout the two week period.

He used the pattern blocks to recreate these pictures right on the mat. I also gave him one that was a car and a train but he became frustrated with those, so we stuck with the simpler ones. The turtle can be found here at PreKinders.

I made a transportation "scene" and gave M a couple sheets of stickers! This is what he came up with after just a tiny review of where helicopters go, boats, etc.

It reminded me of a scene from "The Day After Tomorrow". The helicopter is taking a nose dive, there is a boat collision, and a major apocalyptic traffic jam.

He spent 30 minutes stamping "T"s and I cleaned the kitchen :)

He flew through this Left/Right activity, thanks to G-G teaching him this concept a while ago. It was in the Transportation Pack at 1+1+1=1. You will find TONS of preschool packs there!

Color by Number can also be found in the Transportation Pack, linked above.

We completed a "T Hunt" thanks to Confessions of a Homeschooler. I downloaded the hunts for A-Z here. Just scroll down and click on the Letter Hunt Worksheets.

We played Street Sign Memory!!!!

We traced our letter "T" using this road map and cars!

We ate Tuna Melts one night since they start with "T"!!!

We read a variety of books concerning our transportation topic throughout the week. I am amazed by the fantastic resource my local library can be, when I stay organized and slightly ahead of the game.

It was a great week, and by the end of it, M was no longer calling "T" "S". And he even managed to have a little fun squeezed in there somewhere! Letter "Aa" here we come!

OTHER ABC RESOURCES:
Confessions of a Homeschooler
Homeschool Creations
Totally Tots
Spell Outloud
Making Learning Fun

"Preschool / Playroom" Room

2011-07-26T15:38:00.001-04:00

I know there are too many "room's" in that title.

Here are some pics of the playroom/school time area! I really enjoyed hanging a few things. It reminded me of my teacher days, preparing the room for a new group of students each year. I miss teaching, not all the other stuff that bogs you down, but the teaching. Teaching children to read and to love it! That was my favorite.
Most of what we used, we already had, mostly from my old teaching days. I picked up a few things from the Back to School Target $1 Spot!
I know it will be a whole different ballgame teaching my own children....but we are going to give it a go.


We start each "preschool" session with prayer, and then a VERY brief calendar time. We also color in one box for each day we do preschool time. We haven't started tracking the weather, but we do talk about the season. We also sing our Days of the Week song, and tell the month. These are all combined on a half piece of poster board that I had laminated at The Schoolbox.

The easel was given to us by some friends. M loves painting and drawing on it. We also have a book basket.

Welcome to Clutter City. This area makes me a little nuts, but there is nothing I can do about it. The bookshelf houses all the games M can do independently, as well as books we will use during upcoming weeks. There are also manipulatives and craft supplies...all lidded so L can't get his hands on them. I know this table will become a catch-all but what do ya do??? I could have straightened up for you but this here is REAL life!!! We already had the two cork boards up for all of M's art. The marker/crayon caddy on the wall is my favorite. We picked it up at IKEA way back and it comes in very handy. Pocket chart...Target $1 spot! I did buy a hanging file organizer with a lid and it makes me very happy :)

So there you have it. More pics to come of our first letter theme...... Tt!!!!

Welcome Back!

2011-07-18T10:46:00.000-04:00

Oh how I have missed you, sweet blog of mine!

Today started a new chapter for us. We started Preschool at Home!!!
With the help of lots of online resources such as 1+1+1=1, Preschool Corner, Spell Outloud, 2TeachingMommies, COAH, and MakingLearningFun, we are under way.

I have no idea what I am doing, but with a lot of prayer and patience from me and the guinea pig, we are going to try this thing!

Our goal is to do a few activities each day centered around a letter and theme, and call it Preschool! I will most likely focus on a letter/theme for 2 weeks since there are a couple days we just won't be here to do it!
My focus will include (and feel free to comment any that I am missing!)

-daily devotion/prayer time/simple verse memorization

-calendar exposure: months/days of the week

-tons of read-alouds

-exposure to graphic organizers

-recognize all letters and introduce sounds

-count consistently to 20....50

-recognize numbers to 20....50....100

-one to one correspondence

-learn and practice developmentally appropriate life skills

-pre-writing practice

-crafts and tons of fun stuff!!!

Here is the simple, simple, simple lesson plan template I am using bc I have to organize my brain somehow!

I am sure there will be a great deal of changes in what this looks like for us, but I have a boy who asks to do school time every single day, in the sweetest voice you've ever heard. How can I say no to that????

Next, up....I will post pics of our playroom/school room. I spent the weekend working on the space, using MOSTLY stuff I already had on hand. Thank you old school stuff!!!

All Day Buffet

2011-05-20T09:54:00.000-04:00

I sometimes call my kitchen an All Day Buffet. I have never actually been to an All Day Buffet, but I imagine it would look like what we have going on over here!

Y'all, I seriously feel like I need to install a toilet in there, I am in my kitchen all the time.
And I don't mean Betty Crocker-in' it up. It resembles very little cooking. It is more like fetching. And it is only for M. L is still nursing and immobile...what am I gonna do when there are 2 making requests. I am usually pretty organized and I love getting a "system" down that works for our family. But this is NOT working.

You see I am too chicken to let my 3 year old start opening the fridge to get his own stuff. He is way to interested in what it going on in there. The cleanup is for a post all its own! Crumbs that could feed us all for weeks!

I want to start out by saying that I am in no way complaining about feeding my children. I just feel like there has to be some better system out there that could work for us...or is this just life for us right now?

This is how the morning goes....just the MORNING.
L wakes up, I nurse him. (feeding someone)
I make myself a cup of coffee.
A little while later I feed L rice cereal. (feeding someone)
M wakes up and I pour him a sippy cup of milk. (feeding someone)
M watches some toons while I make him breakfast. (feeding someone)
M wants another piece of toast/waffle/bagel/pancake.
(I don't make two in the first place because sometimes he doesn't eat the first one.)
Talk him into a yogurt/banana, knowing he is going to eat another ______. (negotiation with mini Jack-Bauer)
Fetch said yogurt or banana. (feeding someone)
It is here that I admit to you that M eats breakfast while watching toons instead of at the table. Simply because we got into this habit when L was an itty bitty newborn.
Fetch more milk, or juice. (feeding someone)
"Kindly" remind M that he JUST ate breakfast when asking for a snack 15 min later. (refusing to feed someone)
I realize I haven't eaten breakfast myself. Make self breakfast.
Clean up living room and kitchen since both were made messy during breakfast...If I get around to it!

Begin to think about lunch plans, usually while nursing L mid-morning. (feed someone)
M asks what's for lunch? (I smile because the way he says it and the look on his adorable little face melts me. He smiles. knowing he could talk me into buying him a 2011 Caddy at this moment)
Begin process for lunch...where we do sit at the table. Sometimes we eat together, sometimes we don't.

I would really like some advice on this one. I know some of y'all have this down, with multiple multiple kids!! Please tell me how you handle meal times when you are at home ALL DAY (Buffet).

Laundry, Loads of Fun!

2011-05-17T16:56:00.002-04:00

Can you sense the sarcasm????? I will be linking up with Crystal and Co. this week!

Well about a year ago a friend and I jokingly decided to start an Organization Accountability Partnership. We decided to start with our laundry rooms and you can check it all out here and here and here.

Are you noticing that there were no final results????? Yeah, I know. Don't start something you can't finish.

Well shortly after the completion, I found out I was pregnant and I just had bigger fish to fry, or larger loads to wash. (har-har) Sometimes I just can't resist.

I found the "after" pictures on my computer, but I decided to take new ones. I can honestly say that I have kept up with the organization, and since No. 2 was born, I have found a laundry system that works for me.

Here are some current pics. They are in "real" life, no airbrushing.

I love the mail organizer...it also holds thank you notes you should have mailed months ago.

baskets starting to overflow...time to purge them.

The dryer basket holds detergent and stain removers...and the occasional misplaced item.

I have made it my life's mission to keep this from being a Dumping Ground. Now we dump everything in the kitchen, but that is a whole 'nother Oprah!

Now my secrets to laundry success...

Wait for it.....

Wash one load of laundry EVERY day.
(ok I know there are some days that a load doesn't get done)

Dry said load of laundry the same day.
(This seems simple but for me I was doing a lot of rewashing because I would a forget a load about a load and it would sour)

Fold said load of laundry the same day.
(Can you say wrinkled EVERYTHING???)

Put away said laundry the same day.
(We have been known to use the baskets as a closet, wearing straight from the basket until it was empty. I am not kidding. Please tell me I am not the only one!)

I know it sounds so simple for most folks, but this was an AH HA moment for me. Seriously, this is what has kept me from having a terrible attitude about laundry. Yes, it never ends, but it has to be done. Doing a little a day takes the crazy away. (for me)

It also helps if your kids stay out of the baskets and don't dump out the freshly folded clothes. Freshly folded...who am I kidding??