MajorScoop

Botanical Garden Field Trip

2011-10-01T07:38:00.003-04:00

We took our first homeschooling field trip yesterday with some other homeschooler's in the community. It definitely made me feel more at home to be with other Mom's who homeschool!

Our local Botanical Garden (which is beautiful, btw, and you should go check it out if you live in the area) just opened up their new big bug tour and we were the first to see it. Our guide was really great with the kids and taught them all about different bug classifications, their body parts, habitats, what they eat, and how they affect our environment.

Praying Mantis

It was great to see their proportions on such a hug scale.

Dragon Fly

Did you know that as Dragon Fly babies, they can live underwater for up to 5 years?

And, one eye looks up for predators and the other down for food?

Spider

Um.... I can't remember this guy as I've never heard of him before, he has a crazy name, and I didn't write it down because I was trying to corral my youngest with keeping her shoes on her feet :-)

Lady Beetle

Ant

We learned a lot more than these pictures or blog post does justice at the moment, but a helpful song we brought home for learning about insects was (to the tune of head, shoulders, knees, and toes):

Head, Thorax, Abdomen

Abdomen

Head, Thorax, Abdomen

Abdomen

Two Antenna and an Exoskeleton

Head, Thorax, Abdomen

Abdomen

... and sometimes wings!

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Sandpaper Letters, Safety, and Pre-Reading

2011-09-26T11:25:00.004-04:00

My eldest has been using sandpaper letters for about a year now. I cannot recommend them enough. They taught her how to write the entire alphabet with accuracy in no time with little help from me. Today we focused on upper and lowercase letters at the same time. We practiced sorting them, putting them in order, tracing them, and writing them.

September is safety month and we've been talking about various safety things such as what to do if there were a fire, a suspicious person, or medical emergency in our home. I've described the difference between the fire, police, and ambulance departments. We've practiced pretend calls to 9-1-1 and have been memorizing phone numbers and our address. This weekend is Fall Safety Day with the local police and fire departments in which we will be attending to learn some more real-life scenarios of what to do in emergencies. We've also discussed road signs and left and right in order to identify public signs and what they mean. I have matching cards with words for further reinforcement.

We are also finishing up our pre-reading sets in order to begin with Montessori's pink reading series! Very excited to begin reading. Again, my eldest has been ready to begin reading for about 6 months or so now, but with moving and getting settled, this is the first time we've been able to sit down and methodically begin the phonics work. This activity above is identifying vowels. BTW, it has been very helpful to introduce the sounds of letters rather than the names of the letters in the alphabet from the start. It makes sense because when you begin reading words, you do it by sounding out the letters rather than stating their name. It saves an extra step of going back and re-teaching what could have been done from the beginning.

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Commissions

2011-09-12T11:29:00.004-04:00

We listen to a lot of Dave Ramsey around here as both my husband and I completed Financial Peach University 9 months ago. Last year, we started (and stopped when we moved) Commissions from Financial Peach Jr that we found on sale.

There are chores we do around the house that are expected as a part of the family and there are things we do to earn "commissions", which is different from both a chore and an allowance.

We give 3 pennies per each responsibility achieved with 4 (the number of her age) being the expectation. The ones at the bottom are character traits that are rewarded as bonus when we see great attitudes shining through. The bottom portion came as inspiration from The Blessing Chart. You can reward with whatever, but it seemed fitting to just keep it simple with adding it to the Commission Chart. Tangibly rewarding both kinds of behavior helps keep me accountable as a Mom to remember to praise my girls when I see them doing great things and not just correcting behavior I want them to stop.

The Commissions worksheet is simply a goal of what you are saving toward.

Three packs of gum are on this list! Since so may pennies will have to be earned to purchase something, we've agreed to match half with whatever is earned.

One penny goes in each bank. On Sunday's, we tithe to our church what was earned that week, continue to save for long term, and spend what was made... just like in the real world. I'm praying this instills all three attributes in our children as I'm a firm believer that all three are important.

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Calendar and Observations

2011-09-12T11:27:00.004-04:00

We started talking about days of the week, months of the year, how many days are in a week/month/year, covered seasons, and observed the weather.

My laminator machine (one of my favorite toys) is in repair and I was so bummed because I wanted to have velcro on the back to make the calendar reusable.

So, as shown above, we talked about each component and....

...hammered each object up on the board. That was the fun part!

I heart consignment sales. I get the best books for so cheap there. I got this book at a consignment sale last year that discusses the 4 seasons in depth which was very helpful.

Explained why we have seasons...

Went outside to observe summer and color what she saw to record a memory.

She is drawing a house with some flowers. What little girl DOESN'T draw houses with flowers?!

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Color Wheel: 3rd Period Lesson

2011-09-12T11:25:00.003-04:00

We didn't do any homeschooling last week due to the holiday and going out of town on Friday to pick up our local CSA delivery. This art lesson is picking up from the last two lessons we did two weeks ago...

We reviewed our color wheel components and set up outside to do our first experimentation with acrylic paints. Nice shadow, huh?

Next, we filled in our color chart using primary and secondary colors she mixed together.

She did very well painting on an easel. Both of my girls love art and being creative. I love it, too. Little known fact: my maternal Grandmother was an artist and I LOVED going to her house to use her plethora of paints!

Final experimentation.

(I painted that flower per her request.)

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Dance Classes

2011-09-08T14:37:00.001-04:00

We started dance classes today at a local academy. She already learned a lot of coordination with ballet, tap, and tumbling. We were both super excited and I'm so thankful she gets to go for two days a week for this next year. What a great outlet for my girl who LOVES to dance and sing!

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Awana Cubbies!

2011-08-31T20:26:00.003-04:00

Awana Cubbies began at our church tonight! Yay! Our daughter loves going to Awana, memorizing Scripture verses, singing songs with other Cubbies, and being loved on by other people who love the Lord.

It's important to hide God's Word in our hearts and Cubbies is a great way to hold us a parents accountable to helping our child memorize Scripture as well as giving our type A child a tangible reward for her hard work throughout the week with patches and stickers.

Since we aren't in a formal educational setting, it's my goal to provide as many opportunities as I can to provide good places for our children to make friends, learn new skills, and be exposed to people with whom they can learn new things. I feel that if my children aren't "socialized" (such a relative term anyway) it's my failure to incorporate that into the structure of our day. There are so many ways for children to be exposed to other people! We are blessed to be apart of a Mother's Morning Out, a MOPS group, Awana, a homeschool group, 2 dance classes a week, and other playgroups with our fabulous new friends here in our new home. Actually, we are out and about with things to do 6 out of 7 days a week and it feels like such a good balance to have things to do both here at home and out in the community. I haven't been apart of the MOMS Club, but I hear they do fun things together, too. Just last night, I saw on Craigslist a Mom/educator who was wanting to form a Montessori play group for those who do Montessori homeschooling. There is stuff to be a part of everywhere, just look around.

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Color Wheel: Second Period Lesson

2011-08-30T11:27:00.001-04:00

Continuing from yesterday, we filled in the color wheel in order of primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. She felt a lot more confident today.

We arranged these laminated cards in order of the color wheel. The cards were mixed in a stack so she had to compare and contrast colors and put them in correct order.

We then categorized them this way. She definitely feels more comfortable with the vocabulary and all three categories after doing these last two exercises.

Next, we will do watercolor, play dough, and paint mixing experiments so she can visually see how they all connect together.

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What Should I Teach My Child?

2011-08-29T22:58:00.003-04:00

Ever wonder what kinds of skills your child should know/learn and at what age? After scouring the internet, it seems to me that most lists are really vague. I'm sure there are tons of lists out there, but I really find Montessori For Everyone's Comprehensive Lists really helpful. There are lists for Toddlers all they way through 12th grade. I like to use them as a detailed skilled outline and add extra things to the list like character and spiritual development. That's the beauty of homeschooling, you can tailor the curriculum to how you wish according to what fits best for your family and the needs of your child.

Also, M4E has free downloads every month and month-by-month Teacher Workplans for grades 1-4 that are FREE.

Getting organized

2011-08-29T11:38:00.002-04:00

This year I'm determined to make the most use of our time and get organized. What did I ever do without my iPhone, seriously?! This is how I've organized my schedule. How have you other Mom's planned your day when you incorporate daily activities? For me, I feel freedom in a calendar as it allows me to rest knowing everything will get done in it's own time and not freak when things do not go according to plan. It's easy to make adjustments. I like it to be flexible and not rigid. You?

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Color Wheel

2011-08-29T11:01:00.002-04:00

Today we introduced the color wheel and it's terms- primary, secondary and tertiary colors and their corresponding names. Crayola crayons have all of their colors labeled correctly with the color chart so we were able to read the colors on the chart and double check the color on the crayon label. We will continue to work on names and colors and add food coloring experiments and watercolor paints to the mix to see how primary colors make secondary colors and so on in the future.

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Emily Esther

2009-11-08T16:33:00.003-05:00

Emily Esther

was born on 10.28.2009

7 lbs. 2 oz!

Emily means "strength". You know how when your baby is in the womb you can detect some personality? Well, we just know this little girl is going to be strong. From her kicks to her cry, it's the beginning evidences of someone who is strong. We are praying she's strong in many ways including her strength of character and her strength of heart to love the Lord.

Esther. This name has a lot of meaning for us.

Esther was an amazing and beautiful Jewish queen of Persia.

She was brave. She was strong.

And God used her to save the Jews from complete and total annihilation.

Had they been annihilated, Jesus would never had been born.

But, God used her "for such a time as this" to keep that from happening.

History is His Story, of course, and He can do miraculous things it and through anyone-including through a Jewish orphan.

I studied the book of Esther throughout this pregnancy.

When choosing a name, we like to not only look at it's meaning for a prayer for the future, wait until we see their faces to make sure that it "fits", but also have that name symbolize something of that time period during pregnancy.

And, during this pregnancy, we have decided to change direction in where we, as a family, are headed. God has been the author of that move in our hearts and God used Esther in mine to be a reminder that whatever happens in the future or in history that the best and most safe place to be is right where God is leading you to go, despite how scary it seems, even if facing death.

When I think of Esther, when I see Emily, I will be reminded to have courage and to remember that God may be moving our family for many reasons "for such a time as this" even if I never see the fruit of the purpose, just like Esther never knew that the Savior would come from her decision.

So, we feel that these two names are like two peas in a pod that are supposed to fit together.

We love her and can't wait to see who she becomes, who we become, as she grows.

Checking Into My Hotel

2009-10-28T04:27:00.001-04:00

It's 4:30 am. We are on our way to the hospital! Pray for us! I'll be posting more up-to-date info on Facebook. We'll let you know when she arrives. Stay tuned...

Happy 5 Year Anniversary, Honey!

2009-10-16T10:17:00.006-04:00

Happy 5 Year Anniversary, Honey!

We met at the end of our first year of college together.

He knew he was going to marry me before we ever had our first conversation.

I knew within the first phone call before we ever had our first date.

He proposed to me 3 1/2 years later while I was interning at a summer camp....

.... at a waterfall. I was totally surprised.

It was fantastic.

He has been committed to me from day one.

I never doubt his love for me.

He tells me he loves me and that I am beautiful every day.

We spent our honeymoon in a cabin during his fall break

(he had one semester left of school after me).

We lived together for three months before he left for training for 10 months. We were separated the whole time minus three short weekends.

We made it to Germany to spend our 1st anniversary there-- married and living together!

He's my best friend.

In five years, we've moved 5 times, lived in three different states and 2 countries, traveled to many more, had one baby, due with the second any day now, and I don't expect the adventure to end there...

He's a great companion, provider, love, Daddy, and so much more.

God knew the one whom He had in mind just for me.

He is strong where I am weak.

I compliment him in all the right ways, too.

He's never made me feel like I am anything less than apart of who he is and he treats me like his own body (Eph. 5.).

He is gentle and tender with my heart.

I don't struggle with my body image anymore because of how God has used him to refine me and make me feel secure.

I can be who I really am and he never leaves, nor do I ever feel the threat of that happening. In fact, he has shown me God's grace because he loves me even more.

I wouldn't want to do life, parenting, or preparing to meet Jesus in heaven with anyone else but him.

I love you, honey!

Happy Anniversary!

I can't wait to spend tonight with you!

Applique All The Way

2009-10-11T22:56:00.005-04:00

So, I've seen people do cute applique shirts all year long (like this one) and have wanted to give it a try every time I see a new blog post. I've also read how addicting it is. Oh, yes, it's true. This is so fun and so addicting.

I've been preparing a goodie bag for Hannah for "birth day" since it will be a big day for her, too. I made them matching big and lil' sister shirts. I can't wait to see them on!

Tip #1: when using letters to applique, if at all possible, use felt because it doesn't fray. Sewing around each letter is cumbersome and felt makes it so much easier because you don't have to worry so much about getting every stitch just perfect. Tip #2: when using letters, find felt stickers like these pictured below. I was going to use stencils and cut fabric but I couldn't find any that I liked and I am too meticulous anyway. I never like how my letters turn out even with stencils. Plus, they fray and it takes so much more time to sew them onto the fabric. I used Wonder Under to attach them and then (Tip #3:) sewed around each letter with a straight stich that was super close together to minimize the thread that you could see around the outline.

Another plain shirt that I bought where I thought these letters would be cute...

This is a gift for a friend.

I learned another new trick from a friend about how to go around the edges using a very close zigzag stitch around the seam. I am sure all of you knew how to do that already, but remember, I am still a beginner. That's what I did with these below.

And in other news, Hannah likes to play her bass guitar like Daddy. She has a strap around the neck made from 550 cord and dances when she jams like a rock star.

37 Week Pics

2009-10-11T22:40:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow I begin 38 weeks. I have a feeling that we are close. I had more painful contractions today and I'm getting that burst of energy to do everything I can to accomplish last-minute things before chaos ensues. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that we might see this baby by the end of the week or early next week. Oh, that would make me very happy and infinitely more comfortable! For those of you who ask and care, here are some pictures.

This is 37 weeks with Hannah (she only made it two more weeks before she entered the world). I think I was uncomfortable the last two weeks with her and that's it. No lie. She was 6.9. Nice and easy. I cannot even button those pants this time, let alone sit down in them.

Same week with her....

Here I am now! If I were brave enough to post the bare belly shot (which none of you are getting- okay, maybe my Mom and sister) you'd see that we are going to have a bigger baby this time. Oh, come soon pllleeaaaseee! This is gonna hurt! Plus, I am totally out of clothes to wear that fit and I refuse to go and buy more.

My MIL is coming tomorrow to love on us. Yea! It will put my mind at rest having some one here to help should we go to the hospital early. I'll keep you posted (no pun intended).

A Conversation With A Two-Year Year Old

2009-10-02T13:12:00.003-04:00

"Hannah, how are your feeling?" I asked as I was sitting down to the lunch table.

"Um, not very good. Um, I mean good, but not higher," she said.

"Oh, so you still don't feel very good but not as bad as the past couple of days?" I asked (only a mother would understand that sentence ;).

"Yeah. But, Mommy, I feel very frustrated," disclosing some of her feelings about us fighting a short time ago.

(She was refusing to obey some of the things I had told her to do and did some things I specifically told her not to do and we still had no resolution. We were both feeling pretty frustrated at that point which is why I was surprised that she expressed herself so openly when I asked how she was feeling... we've been working on "doing everything without arguing or complaining..." Phil. 2:14-16 since there has been a lot of that happening when we ask for something to be done.)

"Why are you frustrated?" I asked.

"Um, I don't know."she said.

"Are you frustrated because Mommy wouldn't let you go outside and because I didn't want you to go downstairs while we were upstairs finishing getting ready?" trying to articulate for her.

"Yes," she admitted.

I then re-explained why I didn't want her downstairs while I was upstairs, and reminded her of my explicit instructions to not open the gate (it's not back in working order since I've painted) along with her refusal to come back upstairs to help me carry down some of her things.

"Hannah, do you know it was the wrong thing to disobey what Mommy had asked of you (Eph. 6:1-3) and that when you disobey, you will always be left feeling frustrated?" I explained.

"Yes, Mommy," she said.

"Hannah, I think that you need to apologize to Mommy," I asked.

"I am sorry Mommy for not doing the right thing." she said, finally with a softened heart.

"I forgive you, sweetie. Thank you for apologizing. And, thank you for telling me how you feel. I am glad that you told me. I love you." I said.

I was really humbled today that in spite of my frustration and delaying on taking care of this issue (I was mad!) she expressed to me how she felt because things were not right between us. I am thankful that even though Hannah is disciplined often (oh, it wears on me!), she longs for the restoration that comes from seeking and accepting forgiveness and doesn't like remaining in a state of wondering if I am still upset (which is why things need to be taken care of quickly). Repentance and reconciliation is the fruit of discipline and it's in moments like this one that I am encouraged to keep going.

The Future Of Food

2009-10-01T23:44:00.003-04:00

Right now, on Hulu.com, you can watch The Future Of Food. This film did and excellent job of showing the very complex issues that come from genetically modified foods. I think it's safe to say that most people don't know what GM (or Genetically Engineered/GE) foods are or, at the very least, don't understand how large of a role they play in our nation's and the world's food economy.

If you eat food, you should know a little bit more about what GMO and GE foods are because, as a consumer, you should have the right to make informed decisions about what your eating. Currently, in the US, no one is required to label GMO foods. You would be overwhelmed if you knew how much it's currently in our diet from infant formula to crackers to cereal. You name it, it's there. Many other countries have had to fight a huge battle to get labeling on their products or to fight to not have GMO seed and crops be apart of their nation's food supply.

This is only ONE aspect of some things that I think should be changed about our nation's food industry and only ONE aspect of why we try to support our local farmers and eat organic foods. Trust me, the rabbit hole is pretty deep when talking about issues like this one.

After you watch the film, I'd love to hear about what you think... but, watch the film first.

FYI: Children's Tylenol Recall

2009-09-29T21:13:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to inform you that Tylenol is doing a recall on items sold between April and June 2008 due to a possible bacterial contamination. If you've got Tylenol or children's Tylenol around your house from those dates you need to get rid of it PLUS it's expired and you need to throw it away!

Here's a link to the full product list

Last Minute Projects

2009-09-28T14:30:00.005-04:00

I have literally had 9 months worth of projects around the house that I have wanted to finish before this baby is born. I am down to three left to finish! Wahoo! Here are just a few things we've been doing...

Baby's Room:

Although I love yellow, this yellow was really bright and my "cream" in the hallway and throughout the house is more yellow in it's tint than cream. So, the yellow had to go. I LOVE pink (always will ;) and didn't get to do this with Hannah's room when she was born, so now I'm getting it out of my system. It's really pink. Like, glowing in the hallway pink. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Ladybugs. I started with the obsession (although not an obsession anymore) in 6th grade and so I have lots of stuff already to use. I found this crib set on ebay and already had the quilt. It was perfect and since it's discontinued, I literally got the last and only one out there.

The rocker was from craigslist and in almost perfect condition. I can't wait to rock my baby! I didn't have a rocker last time (boooooo!) and now I have two! Yea! I finally got to hang up this quilt that great Grandma made for Hannah. The quilt on the chair is uber cute too and was made by my cousin. When I do purple in the girls room (next house) this quilt will be on the wall. Hand made things are the best!

These banisters were sick.

What in the world did they do to them? Seriously?! Since this is the first thing you see when you walk into our house, I wanted this to go ASAP.

So much cleaner! I was going to do just the pole and not the hand banister, but I couldn't stand the color and the fact that it was STICKY. Gross. Gross. Gross. The first layer I sanded off was just a black film of hand gunk alone. Y'all, take it from me, when you clean your houses don't forget to wipe down the banister.

Also, I had my husband cut with a miter saw (thanks Grandpa!) some wood trim to make it look fancier. I am so glad I went with this rather than the smaller trim because it matches the other trim much better.

I did the upstairs one, too.

Guest bath:

Lime!

I tried to make it work, but this too had to go.

Also, our big huge mirror. It lost it's reflection at the bottom and was so boring.

I would replace it, but it was super glued to the wall and I really didn't want to deal with that mess.

I have been secretly wanting some trim to put around it that they advertise in the back of Better Homes & Gardens but they are silly expensive for some cut wood.

Who is that stud smiling at me?

So, I had hubs cut me some trim and glue it to the mirror. Fan-tastic.

Painted the bath purple (I think my house has every color of the rainbow now) and made a curtain for the window from some fabric I bought at Jo-Ann's.

Earlier, we painted these cabinets, too.

Plus, we had a super great family friend who is a plumber come down and fix our bathroom fixtures. They were old, moldy (I should've taken a pictures of the grossness), and super hard to pull out from the wall. The original plumber told me it was going to cost us about $1,000 to replace two fixtures (another one in our bath) because they had to cut through the walls and replace the piping. What a blessing our friend was to us!

Yea! It's clean AND it works great!

And finally, this bookshelf that's in our guest bedroom.

It's my husbands.

I am not allowed to touch it.

No, really. Not allowed.

It's an organizer's nightmare.

All I want to do when I walk in is touch it.

I feel like a two year old.

SO....

I left the inside untouched but took out the glass and frosted it so you can't see what's inside!

It was my mom's idea.

Ingenious.

I think I can sleep at night now.

In our next house (we move so often that I already know what I am going to do in the next house!), I have envisioned a new paint job and some new bubble glass going into this bookshelf. BTW, this was given to us by a friend in Germany. It's an old army bookshelf that must be about 30 years old. What do you know? Those legs are back in style. I can't wait to give her a true makeover.

Protege

2009-09-17T23:43:00.002-04:00

Girls are so much fun. Period!

I have a little protege who sews and irons with me :)

I am diligently working on Christmas gifts trying to get them all done by the end of this month, wrapped, and put away in the closet. We'll see how well that goes!

Grandma sent this iron that looks just like the real thing...

And I have tons of fabric swatches from the upholstery store that are her "project"...

I even found this little real sewing machine 1/2 off at a consignment sale for $5!

Totally worth every penny.

MajorScoop

2009-09-15T15:24:00.007-04:00

We're on the six week countdown! Blogging seems to be on the bottom of the list between resting (I mean, um, complaining about my aches and pains) and preparing. I can't sit for long periods of time on the computer because it's so uncomfortable and painful. My google reader just says 1000+ and gave up on counting how many blog entries have gone unread. So, I haven't left the blogging world for forever in case you were wondering...

There's been a lot going on but below is what I've managed to capture on the camera.

Grandma's are seriously lacking in pictures... and nuzzles.

Here's some for you...

We checked out a new playground that comes complete with static cling

(of which it's work to just be up and walking around!).

We do lots of painting...

This is the reality that I don't live by my sister to cut our hair (boooo!) and Hannah getting a haircut with someone else. I feel like a traitor :)

However, she did have a super fun cape of zebra's and monkey's on the front.

Ash, I think you need to invest...

Here is Hannah with her future arranged husband.

They have a ton of fun and play really, really well together.

When Grandpa came to visit (another post for details on why), he brought with them this rocking chair that's been in hubby's family for generations. Grandma calculated it should be at least 87 years old. Hub's aunt restored it and it's gorgeous and it will be of great service while rocking a baby.

After several years, I FINALLY went to my first change of command ceremony.

Daddy/Daughter date!

Hub's had last Friday off from work and decided to put Hannah in the bike trailer and take her to tea time. Is he the BEST dad ever or what? They had a blast.

They put on all kinds of hats...

... and ate scones with their tea. Cuteness.

Oma came to visit! Yea!

I NEEDED a break and some extra sleep!

I didn't clean my kitchen for almost three days.

That's a TRUE vacation.

She also got to come to a dual baby shower that was thrown for me and another friend (who is having twins) at our church.

Great food...

Three babies celebrated with cake (I'm sure they kicked with yumminess)...

... and fun friends!

We felt like we were at our weddings cutting the cake together. Mmm... cake....

The baby (one of ;) honor...

We painted pumpkins on Sunday. We wanted to carve them and make some yummy pumpkin cake thing (can you tell I am pregnant?!) I found with the pulp, but we're just a little too early in the season yet for big pumpkins. I'm afraid we're not going to get to do it and so I was trying to be ahead of the game...

Daddy's pumpkin...

I think Hannah's turned out very creative looking...

Mine...

"I LIke Bread And Butter..."

2009-08-25T20:18:00.005-04:00

Probably the easiest recipe I have ever made has been, believe-it-or-not, my very own butter. No, I did not sit out on the front porch with my bucket, wooden spoon, and bonnet slowly churning until my golden spread was ready to eat. Instead, I poured fresh cream from my farm fresh milk into the blender, turned it on for five minutes, and set the product (butter) on the table for supper. Super easy. Super good. Super real.

Wanna know the recipe? Click on Food Renegade.

Wanna know the amazing benefits of drinking farm fresh milk? Click on The Nourished Kitchen for a top 10 list.

Fun Friday

2009-08-23T10:01:00.004-04:00

Hub's had a half day on Friday, so he took the Marta and met us down at the Aquarium, Centennial Olympic Park, and the Coco-Cola Factory. It was a fun day! So much fun, in fact, that I did almost nothing on Saturday trying to recover because I was so tired! Ha.

While we were waiting for Daddy to arrive, Hannah would run out into the field, stop, turn around and say, "Mommy, take a picture of me!".

Here's another...

... and another. I think it's so funny.

Before the factory, we needed a snack. We wnet to Johnny Rockets which had really good burgers and fries. The employees even did a dance for us. People walking by stopped and started dancing, too. I really felt like I was back in the '50's. Good times.

FYI, if your an active duty soldier, you get in free to the museum. If you're 2 or under, it's the same price. Soon, dependents will also have a discount on their ticket.

This polar bear cracked us up. His mouth moved and his eyes blinked. He was very realistic and Hannah was thoroughly intrigued by him.

Where I am from, every carbonated beverage is a "coke". At a restaurant, if you tell them you want a "coke" (meaning, a soda) they ask you, "what kind?". Fun fact: did you know that Coca-Cola makes over 63 different flavors of soda? And, the first one to be sipped was right here in Atlanta itself. At the end of the tour, you can try all 63 flavor varieties and take home your own bottle of coke that was filled in the factory during the factory tour. Even though I had maybe a half a glass of soda from the taste tests, I felt sick afterward from trying so many kinds! Hannah obviously loved it. And, we did get to have some Mezzo-mix and Bitter Lemon that are made only in Germany which is something that we miss. I think you're brave if you can make it through all 63 flavors!

Jump

2009-08-15T17:24:00.004-04:00

We bought this trampoline from a friend this weekend.

Two words: LOVE. IT.

This little girl is being infused with energy out of nowhere

and jumps from room to room all day long...

What's Been Going On

2009-08-13T19:30:00.003-04:00

Has it really been over a week since I've posted an entry? I've thought about it everyday, but haven't been able to sit down long enough to blog. It's been a busy week and I'm starting to slow down again, as much as I try to fight it. I don't rest very well. I usually like to blog at nap time, but these days a nap is like gold, and I can't function through the evening without one!

So, that being said, I'll try to post on a few happenings in the next day or so, but in the meantime I thought I'd just share what's been going on.

We currently have Grandpa and Mr. Homer here doing some plumbing, and Grandpa is giving me an oh, so needed break by playing with Hannah. She adores him.

Until tomorrow...

Roasted Veggie Lasagne

2009-08-05T09:33:00.004-04:00

For The Love Of Cooking is one of my bloggie websites I like to peruse for yummy food to try. She has gorgeous pictures and tutorials which is a must for me since I am such a visual cooker. I made Roasted Veggie Lasagna last night and loved it. I've tried veggie lasagna's in the past, only to be very disappointed. Actually, I thought I would never try veggie lasagna again I was so disappointed. This, however, was full of veggies that weren't soggy (just right) and it had lots of flavor. The only changes I made was that I used whole milk ricotta and I cooked whole wheat noodles beforehand rather than using the no cook kind. This would be a great dish to have with company if you have vegetarians over or if you want to freeze individual portions for lunch sized meals.

*This picture is from For The Love Of Cooking.

Teaching 24/7 Resources- Pt. 2

2009-08-03T23:29:00.003-04:00

Due to the reasons from my last post I categorized, in my mind, what I think of as traditional learning (geometry, colors, alphabet, even Montessori, etc.) from, for lack of a way better term, spiritual/moral learning. Please don't misread: these two types of learning definitely go together, especially as a child ages, but for now in my curriculum selection I've kept them separate mostly because there is nothing out there that combines them in the way I'd like to see them; so that I can be more in depth with each, not feeling like one is dominating the other. Therefore, I use Montessori for a very manipulative, methodical approach to learning a variety of subjects. I use Scripture, books, time, discipline, and milieu moments to teach worldview, shape my children's hearts, and to plant seeds knowing that God is the only one who can water. I pray that he makes His word become effective to change my child's heart to want to love Him and follow Him. That being said, here are some good resources I currently use and some I will use in the near future:

Parenting and approach to discipline: I kind of put these into three categories of good/really good/ and really, really good. BTW, I read all three of these for the first time before I had ANY children. It was so good to chew on all of this information before I had to put it into practice. Now, I read them at least once a year and thumb through them when I need encouragement to persevere or remind myself of things, which is why they are under my coffee table in the family room.

Good: Shepherding A Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. I like this book because it's a really good introduction to Biblical parenting and discipline. It separates the book into two main sections: first, dealing with worldly methods and why they don't work. Secondly, it lays the foundation for a Biblical model and separates them into age categories.

Really Good: Don't Make Me Count To Three by Ginger Plowman. I like to think of this book as a very practical manual for the ideas presented in Shepherding A Child's Heart. Of course, that's a pretty blanket statement and there are some extra topics she covers, but it is more of a field-guide rather than simply philosophical method. Short, easy to read, very good. If you use it in connection with Wise Words For Moms, it will be even more practical and useful for understanding how to ask heart-probing questions and ready-to-use scripture verses.

Really, Really Good: Teach Them Diligently-How To Use The Scriptures In Child Training by Lou Priolo. Every time I read this I am convicted even more. One of the things Priolo says is that if you aren't using the Scriptures while you are disciplining and correcting, you aren't doing it Biblically. At first, this may seem like a strong statement, but upon reflection, I really agree. I am not the one who changes my child, it is God through His Word and if my child doesn't know what it says or if I am not using it, then how do they really know what God expects of them and why? It is not simply I who commands obedience from my children, it's God, and for good reason. Read this book. You don't really need anything else to train your children except for Scripture. Know how to use it.

I've been scouring every resource I can think of to find solid books for a toddler/post-toddler to be somewhat disappointed. I don't want to simply teach virtues or good morality, but I want my children to know God's Word and His Son, Jesus, in the context of what God has done in history culminating in the Gospel. There is a fundamental difference between the two. Here are a few resources I've found and some I have in the forefront of my mind to use in the near future when Hannah and subsequent children are ready.

One thing about this stage of development (2's-3's) is that children are actively starting to use their imagination and they have a desire for order in understanding how the world works. I love that both The Big Picture Story Bible and The Stories Jesus Told series put imaginative illustrative stories and parables together within a context of understanding Biblical truths.

What we are using now:

The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm

Hymns For A Child's Heart book and CD by Joni E. Tada

To Be Like Jesus CD by Sovereign Grace Ministries

Foundation Verses by Desiring God

Wise Words For Moms by Ginger Plowman

The Precious Pearl & The Little Gate by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen

The Prodigal Son Pamela Broughton

What I'd like to use soon or have soon in my collection:

Parents section of The Praise Factory

Sojourn Kids Resources

Polished Cornerstones and For Instruction In Righteousness by Doorposts.com

Toddler's ABC Bible Storybook by Carolyn Larson

The Princess and The Kiss by Jennie Bishop

I Can Say To God I Love You by MacKenzie and Stewart

My Thankful Heart by Sally Loyd-Jones and Jennings

Big Truths for Little Kids by the Hunt's

Scripture set to music for memorization

More Stories Jesus Told series by Butterworth & Inkpen (I think these are classics or out of print b/c they are expensive)

The Gospel For Children by Leuzarder

Jesus Is Coming Back/I Love My Bible! by Debbie Anderson

No More Whining! by Ginger Plowman

Anything by Lamplighter Publishing

I'll post more as I come across them. In the meantime, do you have any resources you'd like to share with me?

Teaching 24/7- Pt. 1

2009-08-03T23:28:00.000-04:00

One of the reasons I have chosen to stay home with our children is the incredible teaching opportunities I get to have with them throughout the day. No one gets to spend as much time with them (well, soon-to-be them) as I do, so I feel my job as a mother is one of incredible influence. As well, the responsibilities to train, equip, and lead them so that they would ultimately know and love the Lord, to prepare them to someday live without us, all weigh heavy. Of course, I don't do this alone, as my husband is a tremendous part of this equation, but I am only speaking of my role. Therefore, I am thankful to say that I live this role out of calling and conviction, not out of mere economical choice or because being resigned to something lesser in life.

I don't know what our future educational choices will look like far down the road, but for now, I am committed to having them home until age six (we'll go from there) for a few reasons. First is the consistency and comfort that comes with being home with mom. Not everyone gets to do this, so I consider it an incredible privilege to savor the extra moments that will be gone soon (like watching them sleep) and the extra time that I don't have to rush around being on someone else's schedule (I get to set our schedule, yes!)

Second, is discipline and correction/teaching. Life's foundation of living as a person under authority (we are at whatever stage of life we are in) and understanding a worldview are being set right now. I feel like I am working with wet cement. Someday it will dry. And although it can be cracked and reformed, so to speak, now is the time to lay the groundwork for understanding who God is, who they are, and how all of those pieces work together. One of my favorite parenting books, Teach Them Diligently, talks about how we are to teach in the milieu, meaning teaching (the whole of Scripture) in the moment of life occurring, in our environment, with consistency and constancy all throughout our days. Of course, this is all in reference to Deuterononmy 6:5-9:

"5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

How am I to teach all that God has given me to share if I am never around my children or spending any time with them, intentionally or leisurely? While I do think that the saying "spending quality time with your children is important" holds some weight, what I really believe is that spending large amounts of time with your children is even more important, because of the opportunities to train and instruct that arise simply by living life with them.

Thirdly, for a whole host of reasons, being home gives me the chance to tailor traditional schooling to their needs or add what might be lacking in a regular setting. For instance, we can spend extra time on a subject, add a subject that is not taught, or go more in depth in worldview to explain things that we personally disagree with and want our children to be more informed.

I started this post simply to share some of my favorite resources that we use to help shape our parenting philosophy, and some toddler resources I have been using. In the midst of this I have ended up feeling the need to share what affects our decision making in regards to teaching and raising children, thus influencing our educational choices.

I'll be honest to say that I do think the ideal is that every mom would have the blessing and opportunity to stay home, at least for more of the time. I know that every family is different. This post is not meant to be condemning in nature or judgmental, but merely an explanation as to how our family is structured and why. I encourage you follow conviction's lead to do what you can and to not let life and opportunity pass you by; to be with your children as much as possible even if that comes at some kind of sacrifice (which, to some degree, it usually does). If you are now right where you are supposed to be in life, more power to you and I encourage you to continue!

Now, without further adieu, I'll post some resources in my next entry so you can read what I really intended to write about :) ....

Third Trimester- Already!

2009-08-03T14:45:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I start my third trimester today. This pregnancy is flying by and it gives me what I like to call the "roller-coaster fear" when I think about it. You know, the sitting in the rollercoaster going, "oh, oh, oh, here it comes, here it comes.... ahhhhhhhhhhh" with your hands raised high all the day down. I'm super excited to see this little girl who now has eyelashes and hiccups all the time ;) We're painting her room pink this weekend (no, I will NEVER get sick of pink) and putting the final touches on getting things ready. Here's what she probably looks like. And, no, we don't have a name yet.

Jump 4 Joey!

2009-08-03T14:34:00.002-04:00

Jump 4 Joey is super close to my house, is open 7 days a week, and has a military discount (among others on different days) on Monday's making our open jump $2- and I'm free!

This is a great way to spend a Monday.

Community Makeover

2009-08-02T17:41:00.001-04:00

This weekend hubs and I were able to be apart of our church's/Atlanta's Community Makeover Project. This year we had over 30 churches doing various projects throughout the city such as landscaping and painting various schools. Last year, there were over 5,000 participants.

I helped to paint a mural inside of one of our elementary schools close to us. Hubby helped landscape the outside. I figured being almost 7 months pregnant, I should be holding a paintbrush instead of a shovel! I had a lot of fun! This is a mural of Charlotte's Web.

The almost finished product!

Rain.

2009-07-30T10:10:00.002-04:00

"One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other..."

2009-07-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

Language-Sensorial-Categorizing Alike and Not Alike-

reading and writing prep, visual discrimination, ability to problem solve

This is a Montessori For Everyone's free resource-What Doesn't Belong? When you click on the link, you can see all of the pictures. There are four sets of four pictures. One picture in each set does not belong. The object is to put an "x" over the picture that doesn't belong. For more advanced levels, as the directions explain, you can discuss why the object doesn't belong with the others.

This almost to Hannah's level of ability.

When I walked through the cards and explained them, she was easily able to see what didn't belong with 3 out of 4 cards with no question. However, when I was only observing her, watching and hearing her process, I could tell that she didn't fully understand. That's okay! It's something to grow into, and thankfully, there are lots of things to practice with discovering which object don't belong.

And, all I can say is, I only think of the Sesame Street Song from waaaaay back when: "One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other". Enjoy.

Dressing Frames

2009-07-28T21:14:00.003-04:00

Practical Life-Dressings Frames

I decided the day that I recovered my ottoman that I would use the left over fabric combined with spare buttons I had around the house and make my own dressing frames. Pain-in-my-behind. I would do it differently next time. Part of the reason why I didn't want to use an old shirt was that I wanted to learn to use my button options on my still-new-to-me sewing machine. It took forever. Although I am happy that there are so many buttons (large, medium, and small), I definitely have different plans for the tying, velcro, snaps, zipper, etc. frames in the future. If anyone wants to donate theirs to me please let me know and save me from the hassle!

This is perfect for Hannah right now.

She can get some of them but not all.

I think this is something she'll go back to for some time.

There are four large buttons on this one...

This is taking lots of concentration...

Seven on this one- 4 medium and 3 small...

Bedroom Edition

2009-07-27T17:59:00.003-04:00

I've been working on the bedroom for forever.

This is what it looked like before. We had painters come and paint the interior of our home back in the beginning of April. I decided on two different shades of blue for the bedroom (khaki for the bath) as opposed to the green and LIME green (you can see a close up if you click on the picture) that was in the bathroom.

At an antique mall in Marietta, I found not one but TWO of these headboards from Pier One. One is in our bedroom, the other is in the guest bedroom. (Bad iphone picture quality here.)

I was delighted to see in the latest edition of WestElm had this headboard for $399 plus $75 for shipping! I got TWO of them for under the cost of shipping alone. I felt like I had "considered a field and bought it" that day ;)

I wish we had gotten before shots of all the furniture. Two of the pieces looked like this before and two of them were a dark cherry.

We replaced the knobs to match and found a great deal at Home Depot.

I have yet to put the knobs on this one...

I couldn't get a good picture of this but you get the idea.

Our bedroom always seems to be the last room to get attention. It's finally a place of rest and relaxation for us (okay, more for me :)! Yea!

Fun Fun Fun

2009-07-25T22:09:00.006-04:00

I've discovered a new favorite pastime... pressure washing!

This was incredibly instantly gratifying leaving me wanting to do more but, unfortunately, I had to stop because my back started to hurt!
Some friends of ours graciously let us borrow their gas powered pressure washer for the week.

I knew it was dirty, but I didn't realize how much...

It's just like a pencil eraser...

Check that out!

The green just wiped right off...

Two sides...

We don't get a lot of sunlight on our concrete which is why we are getting black residue (a type of mold, I think) on our concrete.
We still have a little bit more to do, but should be done by round two.

Later on during the day we had our naps.
Hannah read to hubby while they were playing up in her room (she likes to pretend she's the mommy putting us to bed) and he passed out!
She came downstairs and I asked where Daddy was and she told me he was sleeping in her bed.
I went upstairs to wake him later to find what will only be a familiar sight living with all girls :)

Belly Pics.

2009-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

I found this photo of me at 29 weeks when I was pregnant with Hannah.

I think I had a belly photo for almost every month.

This is me (today) at 26 weeks.

It's my first preggo picture of this pregnancy!

Funny how things change when you are a little preoccupied by a toddler ;)

Hannah wanted to get a front and side picture, too.

I think she's the cutest of them all!

Geometric Solids-Introduction

2009-07-24T06:00:00.005-04:00

I found these geometric solids at a garage sale.

I introduced them today and (surprisingly to me) she was intrigued by them.

Shamefully, I had to learn the names of them, too.

Here's our lesson plan.

We'll be building upon it in the future.

Food Preparation: Breakfast

2009-07-24T06:00:00.004-04:00

Practical Life

I like what Montessori Primary Guide says about PL:

"Because Practical Life Exercises are meant to resemble everyday activities, it is important that all materials be familiar, real, breakable, and functional. The materials must also be related to the child’s time and culture."

Hannah helped to make her own breakfast this morning.

We went over the mechanics of the oven, the hot burner, hot to tell if it is on or off, and what happens to the pan when it is placed on the burner.

First, she spread her oil in the pan (pan and utensils were child-sized).

Then, we cooked her own egg (I had a separate pan for mine).

Then we toasted some bread.

Next, she practiced her spreading with a knife that she learned another day to spread butter and jam onto the bread.

Not only was this fun and meaningful, it curbed the hungry Hannah monster in the morning while waiting for breakfast to cook!

Potty Trained.

2009-07-22T20:57:00.007-04:00

I think I can safely say that Hannah is pretty much potty trained and has been wearing underwear since the 9th of June. I wish I could take credit for this and give you the step-by-step how-to plan, but really, it's by the grace of God (thank you, God!) and Hannah taking the lead that the toilet is now our new friend. Here's the story of how it happened:

Let me start by saying that of everything concerning parenthood this was the thing I was dreading and was in denial was going to happen. I wanted to do it before the baby came along but kept trying to push it closer and closer to that date (late October) because, honestly, I didn't want the extra work of laundry, accidents, finding a restroom, etc. And, in almost every other stage of child rearing, I have scoured books, contemplated how I wanted to do things months in advance, and asked multiple people tons of questions on how they did things first before I took action myself. Not this time. Complete denial. I only know one story of how my SIL did it and thought I might do something similar, but again, I was in complete denial and didn't even want to think about it.

Back up to the middle of March. We started putting Hannah on the toilet before she got into the bath because she would always go in it as soon as she got in and I wanted to not have to drain and refill it every time. Instead of her falling in, we just purchased a potty seat to go on top. Both sitting on the potty and going was a TOTAL novelty to her. She loved to read magazines and do something new and big. "Oh no", I thought, "what have I done?" I didn't want the process to start and bad habits to form. I wasn't ready!

Then came pull ups. I bought them because she wanted to take off her diaper all the time and sit on the toilet! Again, I wanted to make the process simpler so she could do it herself. It's so selfish, but really, it was so much extra work that I wanted her to learn to do it by herself so that I would not have to sit by the toilet all day putting on and off diapers. Again, pull ups were a novelty. She was thrilled to wear "princess diapers" (princess characters on the front) and so we would wear pull ups during the day and regular diapers at night. BTW, the only motivating factor for me to get her out of those is the fact that she started to get a rash in them. She has been rash free up until then and some bumps were starting to get infected. I thought, "I've got to just bite the bullet and do this before she gets into habits I have to unbreak." My excuse to delay further still came because we would be traveling for two weeks with long trips in the car at the end of May through the first of June. Right before we left, we got a package in the mail from Grandma...

Panties! She was so excited to be able to come back home to them and couldn't wait to wear them. I told her we would put them on and, with the exception of naps and bedtime, we would no longer be wearing princess diapers during the day. And, when the diapers ran out, we weren't buying any more. I think she had one accident in her panties before she decided she didn't like that! When we started the first couple of days in them, I was paranoid that she needed to go but just wasn't telling me. I asked her all the time if she needed to go and she would get so frustrated with me and basically let me know that she was frustrated and that I was asking her too much. I thought if I pee so much (like every 30 minutes being pregnant) surely she has to go! Nope. After that first accident, she now let's me know when she needs to go and runs to the toilet on her own. And, she's got great control. She can hold it longer than I can! We also noticed that she only wet her diapers at night once or twice. I was still scared of having to do tons of laundry (can you hear this being all about me, yet?) and made the diaper stash last as long as possible, but one night, hubby put her to bed with underwear and we've never gone back. She's had an accident at night on her way to the bathroom, but never in her bed yet. Oh, how thankful I am! Praise God!

The other thing that has added to this whole situation is that, I think, Elmo taught her what to do in the bathroom (seriously). Our next door neighbors (love to you!) let us borrow Elmo's Potty Time and, since she loves Elmo, watched(es) it over and over again. It's a whole video on what to do in the bathroom. We even laughed one day as she was wiping the sink up with a towel from the water she had spilled from washing her hands realizing one of the girls in a segment of the video does that. If your child likes Elmo, this is a good video to watch.

So, that's our story. I am thankful it happened the way it did which, to my surprise, was much more easy than I thought. There have been a handful of accidents, but really nothing to complain about. In fact, I think that most of them were my fault rather than hers. In retrospect, I don't think I will see it as such of a nightmare and might welcome it next time since the reward is getting out of diapers and on the road to independence! I do know that it typically takes boys a little bit longer than girls to develop those muscles for bladder control but I didn't think that Hannah would be closer to two rather than three before she was out of diapers. When some people told me they trained their girls at 18 months-2 years, I think I just flat out didn't believe what they were saying was true (sorry, people)! Maybe this will give some other parents out there a little bit of encouragement that it's not so scary :) I give God all the credit for this, for the blessing of Hannah, and thanks for His grace of sparing me many nightmarish memories of potty training!

*Toilet image from here.

New Blog For Infants & Toddlers

2009-07-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

My Montessori House has a new blog for infants and toddlers (finally, someone did it!). Check it out! BTW, I get newsletters from them on the year one and year two age range for a small fee that is really helpful.

*This photo came from their new blog.

I'm Making The Switch!

2009-07-22T06:00:00.006-04:00

I cannot believe it. How many things in my life am I doing that I said I would NEVER do? Too many to count. Well, here's another one. I am going to be making the switch over to cloth diapers. Yep, I said it. Cloth Diapers!

Before Hannah was born, I was asked if I would ever use them. ARE YOU CRAZY?! No way! Well, about a year ago in Germany at a MOPS, I watched a presentation by a mother of five who not only uses cloth, but makes her own and has used them on all of her children. I had no idea what they were like (how cool they really are)! The ones made now are not your grand-mamma's diapers!

There are all different kinds with accessories: one sized, all-in-one, pocket, fitted, pre-folded, covers, inserts, liners, doublers, and fasteners, just to name a few. I am not going to explain all of them but only tell you what we've decided to start with (I've linked to other great posts on cloth diapering at the end that you can read for yourself, if your interested).

1. Why are we making the switch? First, and mostly, money (plus, they are so cool and waaaay cuter ;) With disposables, you spend about an average of $2,400 per child. With cloth, depending on which ones you buy and if you take good care of them, you can cloth one child and many more on about $200-$600. And, Lord willing, we don't plan to stop with baby number 2! Second, there's a little bit in me that thinks it's pretty sick that landfills are sitting with diapers that are non-biodegradable. Gross. Thirdly, health. I don't think my child is going to die for using disposables (Hannah used them and I will still use them limitedly), however, there are some heath concerns I do have in the back of my mind like the fact that they have certain certain chemicals such as sodium polyacrylate (gel crystals) that were removed from tampons due to toxic shock syndrome and tribulytin that is hard on the immune system and hormonal system-especially to boys regarding fertility. Read more here for basic starters and do your own research.

2. There are hundreds of options and price ranges. Here's where we are starting (I'll do more exploring as time goes on)- the middle of the road- one sized pocket BumGenius diapers. It's one step down from an all-in-one (which is just like a disposable except you wash it). The one sized pocket is a diaper you can use from 7 pounds to potty training. It has a waterproof outer layer and a pocket that you put an insert into that can hold up to 15 oz. Double it up and it holds 30 oz (that's almost four cups). When you change your baby simply remove the insert and wash the diaper and insert together in the washer and you can use it again! Fabulous. The GREAT thing I've learned, is that a breast fed baby's poop is entirely water soluble which means that it all comes out in the washer. So, basically, the only difference between the disposable and resuable diaper for me is the fact that I wash it and use it again vs. putting it out on the curb for the garbage man to pick up on Wednesday.

This is what one diaper looks like when it is small vs. when it is at it largest fitting...

This is the cuteness of the girl diaper...

This insert is made of microfiber and holds 15 oz. of liquid and snaps into place.

Okay, now, do your own reading.

Good posts:

Passionate Homemaking: Is It Worth It? Guest Post #1 and Guest Post #2

Keeper of the Home: Cloth Diapering (Even For The Faint Of Heart) Pt. 1 and Pt. 2

The Diaper Diaries

The Cloth Diaper Whisperer

Good stores (you can register here, too!):

Jillian's Drawers (this is where I registered)

Kelly's Closet (the best package deals are here for BumGenius)

Cloth Diaper Clearance

Nicki's Diapers

Baby Because

My Three Favorite Reference Books

2009-07-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

After doing a lot of reading this past year on the Montessori method, these are my three favorite books that I like to use for reference and would rather have on hand to make notes. These are all for the 2 1/2-6 years age range (although there is a little infant dipping on the last one).

Teaching Montessori In The Home: The Preschool Years

very simple and easy to read
black and white pictures
brief method intro before each subject
some easy do-it-yourself options for those attempting this at home

Teach Me To Do It Myself: Montessori Activities For You And Your Child

in color
adds a few extra activities than just the basics (like science)
also has easy do-it-yourself ideas
slightly more comprehensive with activities but does not teach method

How To Raise A Child The Montessori Way

(I have yet to have this in my personal library!)

color pictures that are very easy to flip through to search for activities
written by the President of The Montessori Foundation
includes infant material

Montessori Highlights Over The Past Couple of Weeks

2009-07-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here are a few highlights over the past couple of weeks:

Practical Life-Three Finger Grasp-squeezing clothes pins around an object.

Hand-eye coordination, control, preparation for writing, concentration...

Sensorial-Sorting By Color-

hand-eye coordination, concentration, control, order, etc.

Language Presentation w/in Practical Life-Bead Stringing w/Control Object or Card-

ability to follow a pattern from left to right (how you read in our culture), writing prep, hand-eye coord., concentration and control,

This isn't an "official" practical life lesson, but I count is as such since it mimics a real-life scenario of home activities that is meaningful and there is an order to it...

Practical Life-Diapering A Baby

order, concentration, preparation for siblings (!)

Practical Life-Spooning-Three Finger Grasp

Order of left to right and reverse, concentration and control, ability to transfer objects, cutting and writing prep

Practical Life-Taking Care Of Environment & Wrist Turning-Dust Pan & Broom

order, hand eye, coordination (it takes a lot!), writing and cutting prep.

Practical Life-Handwork-Cutting (Coupons)

order, coordination, concentration, etc.

*She just learned how to use scissors (the real kind) maybe two months ago. She figured out on her own by practicing how to cut up and through a page. Hence, by following her, I knew she was ready to cut lines and coupons were a perfect way to do this...

Science-Environment-Bugs & Living Things

Very simple, learning about a slug (slime, color, what they do, etc) that had crawled into our house.

Practical Life-Wet Pouring Pitcher To Pitcher-Wrist Turning

Ability to transfer liquids with control, concentration, hand-eye coord., prep for writing

Art-Painting

Vacation Is Over

2009-07-20T14:01:00.007-04:00

Where in the world have I been lately? Well, right here. Except, my hubby had two weeks off of work (he went back today) so we have been vacationing right here at home. Hence, the lack of blogging. Here are just a few highlights of what we have done...

Shopped for flowers (which sadly DID NOT get to go in my front yard. We brought them home and discovered concrete under the dirt where I wanted them to go--boo!)

Went on a date and saw a friend's alternative rock concert...

Hiked Kennesaw National Battlefield's Mountain.

There were 5,350 soldiers who died here during the Civil War.

This is one of Sherman's stops when he went through Atlanta.

A view from the top. You can see pretty much all of Atlanta.

Hannah sticking out her tongue.

We even took Lily with us. She loved it.

Little Miss...

We went on a perfect day. It was cloudy and we thought our hike was going to get rained out at the beginning, but decided to go anyway.

Then, it cleared up by our way back down and was beautiful!

Hannah passed out right at the end.

Our baby birdie #2 flew away.

In no particular order: the 4th of July.

We started the day off with a parade in our neighborhood.

It was mostly kids with decorated bikes and wagons and cars.

We don't have enough pictures together.

Next, we met friends out at Stone Mountain Park who were camping.

We left early to see the fireworks in our town and beat the traffic.

Downtown PS. We had a little slideshow presentation and even got to see a soldier propose on stage to his girlfriend! It was cute. The presentation was SO patriotic (southernly so). It was refreshing and really fun to actually celebrate the 4th of July on American soil.

Hannah loved the fireworks (we were afraid she was going to freak out).

I made pillows for Hannah's room out of her old crib sheet. I am not going to use the sheet anymore (stains and such) but it gives me such sweet memories. Instead of packing it away or tossing it out, I thought I'd just make some pillows.

I also recovered our recovered ottoman. I didn't take a picture, but the color underneath this fabric is a DIRTY SALMON. It's gross. But, when I recovered it the first time, I didn't know how to sew.

I just guessed at what to do hoping it would turn out.

I used some sturdy khaki curtains that I haven't used in almost five years for my material.

It's in Hannah's play closet now and fits in and out underneath her drawing table.

It's perfect.

And, we rested some...

... although, we did a whole lot more like: I painted the bathroom, we cleaned more out of the garage to sell some things, revamped our entire budget, hung more pictures, walked all over PS on the Silver Comet Trail, and grouted and cleaned out one of our showers that was nasty. I am having a hard time resting these days as I feel like time is running out to finish my little projects I have to do around the house. We've been busy but had fun having Daddy home!

Bathroom Talk

2009-07-13T10:40:00.004-04:00

"Daddy, don't come in here... I'm having private time", says Hannah, yelling in the bathroom.

"Alright, Hannah, I won't come in there." (Daddy)

"Daddy, I wanna tick tack!"

...after a long pause of someone not rushing in there to give a tick tack immediately...

"Not for my booty! For my mouth! I don't want it to fall in!", says Hannah, yelling again.

...another pause...

"Daddy, I wanna maz-a-gine!!!"

"Alright, Hannah, here you go." (Daddy)

Now, all we hear are pages turning and Old McDonald "E-I-E-I-OOOOO"

Infant and Toddler Montessori Resources

2009-07-01T06:00:00.004-04:00

I've been asked about Infant and Toddler Montessori resources. There certainly isn't a ton out there in comparison to the 3-6 age range. Here's my top favorite places to find stuff:

An earlier post I put together of lots of different resources...

Montessori Basics 7: Essentials of A Toddler Classroom

Comprehensive Lists of what your child should be doing or have mastered according to different levels. If you are doing this at home, this is a great list to have to give you some direction on how to sift through tons of material out there on what you can do with your child. Plus, there are a lot of free materials from Montessori For Everyone that are helpful in doing some of the things on the list.

Ecology

2009-07-01T06:00:00.002-04:00

Ecology is the study of our environment and our role within it. To be honest, I have to get excited about this one myself. I am still on a rebellious "I don't live in Germany anymore and I am NOT going to recycle because I don't HAVE to!"... kick. Oh, the plethora of German trash receptacles is a memory I am gladly forgetting. Plus, I've read much on how ineffective some of our recycling programs can be and I get a little perturbed. Hence, I need to be able to have a good attitude about this and do some things to set an example for Hannah bear to want to take care of and be a good steward of God's Creation!

Day One: Introduction

Pretty simple: pictures of...

clear water, slime on water, clear skies, smog in the skies...

clear snow, soot in the snow, clear land, littered land.

Present these cards explaining what each card is and relate it to the word and definition of ecology. Lay cards out next to each other and observe. Put them away.

Geology

2009-06-30T15:22:00.005-04:00

"Geology is the study of the Earth, the materials of which it is made, the structure of those materials, and the processes acting upon them.(geology.com)". That includes studying the earth's history. To be honest, I didn't like this class in college. It was really, really hard! But! Now, I know why I took it. Before, all rocks would have looked just like rocks to me (in case they do to you, too, trust me, they're not)!

Day One: Rock Hunting

Our neighborhood wasn't so great for this. This is all we came up with by the end of our walk. And, to be honest, Hannah is not so interested in gathering rocks and much more so in helping me walk Lily, the dog. But, had we been in a better place with more interesting rocks, I am sure the story would have been different. You can do this with rocks, pebbles, sand, and soil, too.

Day Two: Tonging Rocks

This carries over into the practical life area with using tongs. I have two kinds depending on the ability Hannah has to be able to pick up these rocks. You can also spoon pebbles, whisk sand, and...

scrub a rock! Now, this was up Hannah's alley. I was able to clean up the whole kitchen while she scrubbed this little rock clean!

Botany

2009-06-30T15:05:00.004-04:00

Botany is the study of plants! There's no better time to start learning about plants than when they are out all around us during the summer!

Day One: Introduction-Concrete

What do all living (learn living vs. nonliving) plants have in common?

Food, air, water, and reproduction.

We went through each section and talked about how plants (that are alive) need each of those four things.

It was great that we had a big window right behind us to see multiple different plants.

We also talked about God/Jesus creating all of these plants and went over the Creation story in Genesis. We related her watering the plants outside with her tin can to God watering all of the plants outside with rain. It helped me reinforce why we pray and thank God for our food before we eat it--because God provides all plants with food, air, water, and the ability to reproduce so that we can eat, enjoy, and be satisfied by them!

Day Two: Introduction-Abstract

Simple: Picture control cards of different parts of plants.

Present cards looking at them one by one, saying it's name, that "x" is a plant, and botany is the study of plants, and then laying them out side by side. Put them back when finished.

A tree trunk, pine nuts on a tree, and fruit on a tree...

Chestnuts, leaves, branches, and roots...

Pine stems, a flower, more roots that look different, and a stem.

Physical Science

2009-06-30T14:34:00.004-04:00

Well, I've finally cracked open my Montessori Albums I've been putting together for about a year. My class ends pretty soon and I've still got a bit to print off and add, but I have enough now to get started. In case you don't know, I have taken an online course (a 2 year program condensed into 1 year) through WorldWide Montessori Online. Check out the site for more complete information. I have really loved it. The albums begin from 2.5 years through age 6. I am right in the stage of figuring out what Hannah can start and be ready for and what is just slightly too early. I think at this beginning stage I will just try some things and see what she's ready for now. I want to get into a routine of doing lessons throughout the day to work out the kinks before the baby is born.

Before you begin any science activities with your children I really recommend reading a few posts done by Montessori For Everyone. I highly respect her work and her blog.

Shattering Common Science Myths

The Challenge Of Teaching Science Correctly

Leading Children To True Discoveries (best one in my opinion)

Let's Investigate!

First Lesson in Physical Science:

Day One: Introduction: Concrete Objects-Flashlight

This was really simple: a flashlight and a control card.

I presented the flashlight and showed Hannah the pieces one by one laying them out as she sees them on the control card. Then, I put it back together.

Her turn to explore. This was very fascinating to her for most of the day.

When it didn't work (the light) I asked questions to help lead her to draw conclusions that it was because it wasn't put back together correctly. There are a plethora of open ended questions you can ask. My biggest temptation in these activities is to focus on her being able to do it correctly rather than letting her discover go through the process of figuring it out on her own. Resist the temptation to do it for them!

I printed off a picture to make my own control card.

Day Two: Introduction: Abstract-Flashlight

Again, a very simple concept. Abstract pictures of many types of flashlights to view.

Present the activity viewing each one and laying them out side by side, then put them back again.

As can be expected, this is not as exciting as the first lesson, but she did take interest in them especially once I told her that Daddy made them for her. She saw him looking at the pictures last night on the computer to print off for us today. She thought they were his pictures this morning. When she found out they were made for her she thought they/she was so special!

Whole Wheat Nut Bread

2009-06-27T21:17:00.004-04:00

We made Whole Wheat Nut Bread to accompany our Minestrone Soup tonight. It was delicious.

Whole Wheat Nut Bread

Prep: 15 min., Bake: 1 hr., 15 min.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup sugar (*I substituted 1/2 c. sorghum syrup)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup molasses

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Dissolve baking soda in milk; stir in molasses. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into a greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loafpan.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack.
Yield: Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf (We made 2 smaller loaves with this recipe)

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2004
Diane E. Onachila, Hendersonville, North Carolina

Chunky Minestrone (pg. 219 of SL cookbook pictured above)

14. oz. of chicken broth

14.5 oz. of diced tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

15.5 oz. cannelloni beans (we used red kidney)

10 oz. spinach (we used fresh and not drained, thawed like they suggest)

1 c. water

1.5 c. chopped onion

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup uncooked shelled pasta

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

*Combine first 11 ingredients in a 4 quart slow cooker (we cooked on low in traditional soup pot on the stove).

*Cover and cook on LOW 5.5 hours. Add pasta, and cook on LOW for 30 more minutes (we waited and added the spinach in at this time, too). Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Makes 5 servings.

FREE Coffee

2009-06-27T12:11:00.003-04:00

Wanna go for a free coffee date? Click the link and get a free 12 oz. beverage at Borders good through 7/2/09. I will be going there right now for a coffee date by myself! Yahoo! The only thing better would be a babysitter and my hubs ;)

Cutest LIttle Birdie You Ever Did See...

2009-06-26T15:42:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week our bird nest hatched two babies

(we don't know where the other three eggs went...).

Unfortunately, I came outside one afternoon to find the second one on the ground (he didn't look healthy when he was born to begin with) and I had to tell Hannah what it was-sad ;(

However, this one is going strong!

He's really sweet.

Baby Burp Cloths

2009-06-26T15:30:00.003-04:00

Hannah and I spent the morning sewing and ironing together.

Here is her makeshift iron- we have yet to find a "real" substitute.

I loved my baby burp cloths my SIL made for me when we had Hannah that had a ribbon strip sewn along the bottom seam. I wanted to make some myself and have been dying to follow this tutorial for some time now. I had all of these ribbons and extra fabric pieces on hand (including the cloth diapers) and so this is what I came up with today.

Since I never got to use my original burp cloths (Hannah never spit up-seriously) I took some of the leftovers I had from today and added them to the top strip (green, yellow, and pink are the original-hope that's okay with you J!). I can't tell if I am excited to use these or not considering what has to come up in order for them to be used! :)

FREE Parents Magazine for 24 Months

2009-06-24T21:37:00.003-04:00

I just found out from Baby Cheapskate that Coupon Cravings is informing people that Parents Magazine is offering (for a very limited time) a free 2 year subscription just by signing up with no strings attached. I don't always care for the parenting advice this magazine publishes, but I do like the activities and the advertising for all the things I never knew I never knew ;) Anyhow, it's free, right?! Better get it quick!

Singing On Stage

2009-06-24T21:22:00.002-04:00

Daddy has band practice for our church after our Wed. night Bible study.

Tonight I told Hannah she could sing on the microphone.

(I think she's seen someone sing in one only one time to my knowledge).

She immediately knew what to do and sang the song, "Jesus loves the little children of the world".

We were her two audience members.

Very fun.

Practicing

2009-06-24T15:16:00.004-04:00

We have been trying to teach Hannah a few things in order to prep her for a new sister in the house.

Crying. There will be lots of it! What to do about it?

We rented this book from the library that goes through feeding, playing, bathing, and helping a baby take a nap in order to help meet some physical needs they baby may have in order to curb crying.

Dressing. We've been putting clothes on and off of babies and Hannah has been putting them to bed using her bedtime routine. This is a great way for her to practice buttoning, lacing, putting a coat on, etc. on a soon to arrive sister. I am hoping that this will give her an outlet of wanting to help when the baby is born rather than being frustrated that she is not getting all of my attention.

We've also been practicing how to hold a baby a.k.a. with the head supported.

She already knows how to rock and sing the baby a lullaby. She has done that since she was 7 months old, naturally.

And the new rule: you can throw any toy down the stairs you want EXCEPT for her babies. They are to be carried and always treated gently, with love.

Any other words of advice for things we can do in preparation?

Compost

2009-06-23T17:55:00.004-04:00

We started a compost bin and I wish I would have read more before doing ours about what TO and NOT to compost. Here is a quick, helpful beginners guide to composting. Of course, you can make it as complicated as you want to get certain types of compost if you want to be a uber stellar composter for your garden. If that's the case, you'll have to go to the library or internet for that. Check out this link: Squawkfox: How To Compost Without Raising A Stink.

Father's Day Review: Updated

2009-06-22T09:05:00.005-04:00

We shared a good Father's Day with my husband yesterday...

Here he is standing up at our church service with many other Dad's--I think he is the youngest one up there (possibly in the church) by about 5 or 6 years!

We relaxed with yummy food, a few gifts, and some naps...

And Daddy had the honor of dancing all around the house with Hannah by her request. He wouldn't let me capture him on film so this is only one half of the party. I cannot express you to enough how much this little girl adores her Daddy. He's the perfect one for her! We love you, babe!

Otis Marston's Potato Leek Cheese Soup (pg. 19)

8-10 Servings

3/4 pound bacon, chopped (use real bacon for this recipe and not turkey b/c you need the remaining fat-- also get nitrate, processed, and preservative free)

2 large leeks, coarsely chopped white ends only

1 white onion, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 cups water

5 large russet potatoes, peeled, diced, and reserved in cold water

2 tablespoons chicken base (no MSG)

2 cups whipping cream (or milk if you want a thinner consistency)

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

2 cups Fontina cheese, grated

2 cups cheddar or Swiss, grated

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

garnishes: croutons and bacon bits

*In a large soup pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and drain. Reserve 2 TBS. of grease.

*Add reserved bacon grease, leeks, onions, shallot, and garlic and saute over med. heat for 10 min.

*Add water, potatoes (drained), and chicken base, and boil until potatoes are soft, about 20-30 minutes.

*Mash potatoes with wire whisk in pot with liquid. Add whipping cream and Worcestershire sauce and all but 1/3 cup bacon (I reserved all the bacon to put into individual bowls). Heat over medium heat.

*Add grated cheeses and continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring with a wire whisk, until cheese is melted. Watch closely so it does not burn.

*Ladle into warm soup bowls. Garnish with croutons, bacon, (I added more cheese & fresh chives).

This was very good. I served it with fresh bread. A nice small salad on the side would be delicious, too!

What We've Been Up To...

2009-06-20T10:01:00.006-04:00

I don't feel like things are too exciting around here which explains my lack of posts. My life pretty much consists of doing things with Hannah (a.k.a. the pool-she's gone everyday this week) and getting my to-do list checked off of things I want done before the baby arrives. This week we cleaned out both parts of our garage, I'm working on boxes in the attic which includes all of my memory boxes, rearranged the baby's room and went through Hannah's old clothes to put them in drawers, reorganized ALL of our paperwork and filed them in drawers, started Hannah potty training in undies, and prepared Daddy's Father's Day gift, among some other things. I am MAJORly nesting. I'll post soon some pictures of our painting jobs we've recently done around the house, too.

Here are a couple of random pictures I've taken as of late.

Pool snack...

There are always new kids to meet at the baby pool in the mornings.

This has been a great time for both of us to play and meet new neighbors.

Oh the joy of HOT weather! It was 95 yesterday! Yes!

We watched baby Christine last week-the day before we found out we were having another girl. It was fun to see Hannah interact with her and envision what life might be like really soon!

Hannah shared her shoes, of course...

These are fresh hydrangeas picked from our front yard. I was curious to know what color they would be. They are a bright, beautiful blue- even more bright that what my camera captured. We have really acidic soil around here.

This is my fabulous Craig's List find! I am so excited to have a glider. I couldn't afford one in Germany. They are SO expensive there for such little quality.

This is my fabulous freepeats.com find. I got a practically brand new nursing stool for free. If you are not signed up for freepeats in your area, you are sorely missing out on great free children's stuff.

I FINALLY hung this beautiful, hand-stitched quilt one of my friends made Hannah for a baby gift. I didn't want to poke holes and such through it so I.....

Sewed small rings I found at JO-ANNE'S through the corners and bought new cabinet knobs from Hobby Lobby and screwed those into the wall. That way, the quilt stayes unharmed but I finally get to enjoy it all hung up! BTW, did you know that Jo-Anne's accepts ALL Hobby Lobby and Michael's coupons?

Our Pool Is Open

2009-06-16T08:57:00.002-04:00

It's getting nice and hot here and our neighborhood pool is now open.

We went for a dip in the pool after supper last night (not being native to the south I use supper and dinner interchangeably and lunch is still lunch after church to me ;).

In just one hour we will be walking down to jump in again!

Yea!

Daddy's First 'Do

2009-06-14T19:40:00.003-04:00

Hannah insisted on doing Daddy's hair tonight.

She kept saying, "You look so pretty Daddy."

We tried to explain the difference between handsome and pretty but she continued to stick with pretty which cracked us up.

New Nest

2009-06-14T19:34:00.004-04:00

Since we've found out what we are having (girl), I have been nesting like crazy. I can't stop thinking about all that I want to be done by the time this little one arrives, Lord willing!

Speaking of nests, we have another little one next to the fern that hatched about a month ago. I was sad to go outside for another photo op of the previous birds to discover they had already flown the coop. It's fun to hear their little chirps and Hannah is looking forward to checking up on these little guys.

Drum Roll Please...

2009-06-11T20:47:00.005-04:00

PINK!

IT'S A BABY GIRL!

Our Trip to South Bend and MI

2009-06-10T15:04:00.009-04:00

On Thursday, I rented a car and drove up to see one of my great friends, Stacy, and her little girl, Addie Grace, and husband, Dustin. They graciously let us stay the night with them as a pit stop on the way to Mears, MI where we attended another wedding.

During the trip, Hannah kept asking for me to pray for her belly over and over again which was really weird (not the praying but the belly being upset). A couple of hours later, she starting crying/screaming about stomach pains and spiked a fever quickly. To make a long story short, Stacy was SO GOOD to spend our entire evening with us in both the urgent care and emergency room. All tests came back negative and relieved my fears of driving TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE the next day with her having something really serious looming and not knowing how to get proper medical care. She battled a fever and stomach pains for the rest of the trip (and still is having some issues) but no one would have even known had I not told some people because she acted so well (thank you all for your prayers--they were definitely answered by many things I saw as God's specific provision for us and goodness toward us).

In the urgent care room waiting for the Dr.

In the ER with cute kiddo gown...

Hannah was the flower girl for my friend Sarah this past weekend.

This is us waiting in the car...

On Friday, we drove up for the rehearsal to a little town called Mears, MI. Here is the church where the wedding was. It was dedicated in 192x (can't remember the last number). It came complete with an outhouse.

I was a little nervous about driving to find this place because there is very little cell phone coverage out there and my directions were like this: get off of the main exit and turn left. Drive down that road for awhile until you hit the cherry farm stand and turn left. You will be on a dirt road for about a mile or so. When you come to that intersection, the church will be on your left. Now, those directions seem simple enough but I hate getting lost and feeling like I might never be able to get unlost (it happened so much in Germany). If I did get lost I had no map, no one around, and no way of getting ahold of my friend!

Entrance to the church...

Sarah's parents moved into their summer cottage year round as of a couple of years ago. Martin's family (German's) and the bridal party all stayed in the 5 cabins surrounding her parents'. Here is Hannah sitting on their back deck.

The view was really pretty of a lake next to one of the Great Lakes.

Perfect windy weather for blowing bubbles.

60 degrees and windy. Needless to say, I was hardly prepared for such coldness considering it's 90 degrees and hot here in ATL.

Sarah and I met at BSU my sophomore year. She was a Mary Kay rep. (and later became my director) who hosted a party on my floor when I was an RA. She went on staff after graduating in Freiburg, Germany with Campus Crusade for Christ (Campus fur Christus). We lived in Germany at the same time about an hour apart and she was one of the first people to see and hold Hannah in the hospital in Heidelberg.

Sarah got her matching shoes for the reception--glittery!

The wedding didn't start until 3 pm Saturday. We had time to go and see the sand dunes and dip our toes in the very cold water.

One of my favorite pictures at the dunes.

The day of...

Walking down the aisle...

Martin, Sarah, and Hannah

Martin works for Playmobil and his friends made these special for them.

The dancin' machine.

She had so much fun bustin' a groove!

POOL TIME

2009-06-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

One of my all time most favorite things to do is to lay out by the pool all.day.long.

I haven't been able to do that in four years (sniffle).

It's probably been about 10 since I've gotten to do it with my family (double sniffle).

It was wonderful to be able to hang out by the poolside all day yesterday.

Mom, Dad, Hannah, and me

Auntie Ash

Hannah bear had her own chair to read the paper just like Oma (german for Grandma)

Kristin's Wedding

2009-06-01T09:58:00.008-04:00

The past couple of days I've been having fun with my friend, Kristin, being a bridesmaide in her wedding. We went to the Melting Pot on Thursday night for her shower, got our fingers and toes done on Friday which is one of my favorite things to do (watch this funny video), and then watch her get hitched on Saturday! They are now celebrating in Jamcia! Wahoo!

Here's the beautiful bride.

Us together. We've been friends since 2001 when we met in the same college dorm. She was also a bridesmaide in my wedding. I've missed her these past couple of years!

Her Mamma putting her dress on... I held back tears several times thinking I am going to have to do that for Hannah someday! Boo hoo for me, so happy for her!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE her something blue on her toenails. So cute.

The party. She made all the wedding decisions herself. She did such a good job! I would have never have pulled it off so well. What would I do without my Mom and sister who are my fashion divas that make me wear leggins to stay in style :) By the way, I just bought BRIGHT RED high heels and they were so proud of me...

The flower girl-Krisitin's neice.

The bride and groom. If anyone reading this went to BSU, Chris Sarver was the officiant from Cru.

Bridesmaides... preggo mamma-

We got such a kick out of my 'AWESOME' hair! NOT! I looked like such an old lady. It was sooooooo bad. I kept telling Kristin how sorry I felt for her that she had to look at me for the rest of her life and tell her grandchildren who that funny lady with the bad hair was... ha!

I mean, real bad. Even if she was trying to pull off the french twist, she should have covered up the bobby pins.

To IN And MI We Go!

2009-05-26T22:55:00.007-04:00

Tomorrow early AM, Hannah and I fly to Indiana and then later to Michigan to attend a couple of weddings. I am in one and Hannah is in the other.

I hope to blog sporadically but if you don't see me for about two weeks, you'll know why ;)

Tschuss!

Botanical Gardens

2009-05-26T21:44:00.007-04:00

Yesterday for Memorial Day we spent the afternoon at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens-a very fun place to visit. It reminded me so much of many places we visited while being in Germany, especially Schwetzingen Gardens.

We had great weather and Hannah had a blast seeing the water fountains, plants, and exhibits.

We kissed the frog.

I told her it was the frog from her "Frog and Toad" book.

Does anyone know what kind of flowers these are? They weren't labeled and I want to plant them behind my hydrangea bushes in my front yard.

Hannah briefly got to use her new umbrella.

She had a blast playing in the water fountain at the beginning of our time and at the end.

My little flower.

This is why we came: to see Mr. McGregor's Garden and the fence Peter Rabbit climbed under to get back home. We have been reading Peter Rabbit before bed (the full version) and she loves this book. All she talked about all morning was the fact that she was going to go and see his garden.

And the pail that Peter jumped in to escape Mr. McGregor in which he got all damp.

Here is Peter's home where all of the bunnies live...

His coat and shoes! His jacket even had only one button on it.

I was so thankful the garden was real so that it made it life like to her.

A picture of the family inside of the bunny home.

The fence that Peter climbed under to get home!

We had a great day together and I can't wait to go back.

Favorite Sayings

2009-05-26T13:40:00.003-04:00

My top three favorite sayings Hannah has been saying as of late are:

"Abso-loopy, Mamma!" (absolutely, Mamma)
While eating lunch outside yesterday and snacking on bunnies (like goldfish) we told Hannah to be careful so as not to drop them on the ground. She said, "Mmm, hmm. That would be terrible! Then I would cry and cry and cry in room!" She was so serious about it too.
Whenever Lily barks, she looks at me and says, "What's the deal, Lily?!" or "I just don't know what the deal is!" That's something I say all the time.

The Outdoor Hour

2009-05-24T14:43:00.002-04:00

Handbook Of Nature Study is hosting a weekly nature study to do with your children outdoors. Here is lesson #1 for you to read if you want to get started. Beyond that, look to the column to the right to click on individual studies to do throughout the week. Have fun!

PickYourOwn.org

2009-05-24T14:26:00.005-04:00

PickYourOwn.org is a great resource of information to find out where you can go and pick fresh fruits and vegetables at a farm near you. They have seasonal charts per state so you know what produce is in and out of season as well as picking tips so you know how to pick certain kinds of fruits and veggies and not come home with duds! Lastly, they have a good deal of information on how to can, freeze, and preserve your produce which is something I am wanting to start doing in the near future.

How To Get A Good, Chemical And 99.9% Decaf Free Cup Of Joe

2009-05-23T15:43:00.010-04:00

Man, do I luuvve coffee. Mmm, mmm, good. However, although not definitely proven, caffeine can possibly do harmful effects on a growing baby. Therefore, during my first trimester, I stopped drinking it. Ahh! Then, I relapsed a bit to only about a half a cup or so with milk or I switched to drinking decaf coffee or decaf tea only (did you know Starbucks has decaf espresso?). So, I thought I'd do some research. Here's what I found...

The regular decaf processes (there are several) soak the green coffee beans into a chemical solvent of either methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. They repeat this soaking process anywhere from one to three times until most of the caffeine is removed and some of the flavor. However, there is typically about 1-5 mg of caffeine left behind. Regular coffee has about 60-180 mg in it.

However, there is another method that is uses water only to remove 99.9% of the caffeine and none of the flavor. It's called the SWISS WATER PROCESS. Here's how it works:

This is what is typically inside of a regular green coffee bean:

The beans are placed into a water diffusion process that enables the caffeine to lift out of the bean.

Next, heated, and over about 10 hours, the caffeine molecules are drawn from the bean and captured by a special filter leaving the green beans 99.9% caffeine free with flavor still intact.

Closely monitored to guarantee 99.9% decaf free this is what the green coffee bean looks like after the Swiss Water Process has taken place.

This results in a better bean, better flavor, and almost all of the caffeine removed. There are several people who use the terms "natural process", "European process", or "water process" to describe the process above but that actually still use chemicals. However, if you are buying your coffee from a micro-roastery, for instance, you can ask what they mean. It's possible they use the real water process but aren't certified by the actual Swiss Water Process company. However, if you are buying from a large retailer and have no way of asking, the only way to know for sure is if you see the Swiss Water Process Logo which, by the way, is also certified organic.

Starbucks used to carry this type of decaf coffee but then got rid of it. The store worker I was talking to said she didn't understand why because it was one of their best sellers and best tasting decaf coffee.

Sunergos Coffee in Louisville uses this process although they don't carry the label. It's by far our most favorite micro roastery and you can order online for this awesome cup of Joe.

If you want to locate others, you can click the link to find out more. I know Whole Foods is supposed to be a carrier of some brands but I haven't had the time to look at my local store. Also, some brands like Caribou Coffee (Mom), Green Mountain Coffee, Seattle's Best, The Coffee Beanery, and Van Houtte Cafe are supposed to be carriers.

Lastly, if you want to watch a video of the process, click below:

Book Of Ruth & Numbers

2009-05-21T19:14:00.003-04:00

Here's a good children's video about the book of Ruth. It tells the story and shows the lineage of Ruth to Jesus. The second one is about the book of Numbers-a 40 year time out ;)

Ministry-to-Children.com

and

SojournKids.com

are my two favorite places to go to for children's ministry resources.

Favorite Of The Day

2009-05-19T17:16:00.002-04:00

This is my favorite picture of the day.

It was almost a disaster as I caught Hannah getting ready to "go" on the potty seat her baby is sitting in on the floor... Whew! Glad I didn't have to clean that mess up! Her little rear end barely fits on it!

Anyway, she decided that they needed to stick together so she brought her into the bathroom ;)

Geometry, Flour Tray, & Language

2009-05-18T15:48:00.004-04:00

Since it had been awhile since we had done any Montessori exercises, I re-introduced the mat and how to roll, un-roll, and carry it.

Next, we did an intermediate language lesson using spoons.

I did a three period lesson using four different kinds of spoons: soup spoon, dinner spoon, table spoon, and teaspoon. First, recognition of identity, say the names of each of the spoons until you think they are understood. Secondly, recognition of contrasts, ask, "Can you hand me the teaspoon, please?" If correct, great. If not, say, "That is a tablespoon. Could you hand me the teaspoon, please?" Repeat until understood. Thirdly, discrimination between similar objects, ask, "Which one is this?" Listen for answer. Restate if incorrect (don't precede with the word "no") affirm if correct.
After that, we played a matching game. I had two spoons of each kind. She had to match them together.

Finally, we did something similar to the three period lesson above using our geometry puzzle. Since she is pretty familiar with the objects, some of it was just a refreshing of information. What we added was the flour tray (I didn't have sand and our brown rice was too thick)...

First, we did the recognition of differing geometric objects.
Next, I sat behind Hannah and traced her finger inside of a inset, such a the circle and repeated the name.
Then, I had her close her eyes while I guided her finger inside of the shape.
Last, we did the same movements as the tracing only inside of the flour tray.

You can see the circle in the picture below.

This was a great sensory exercise, too.

Finally, we used the geometric pieces as stamps to make shapes inside of the flour.

She could have done this for a lot longer and we will use this over and over again, hopefully with some sand next time.

Lacing A Shoe

2009-05-18T15:37:00.005-04:00

Oh how we have missed our Montessori mornings together! I have taken a break the past couple of months due to first trimester blues and because I was a little burned out on lesson planning. There were so many mornings where I wish I had a lesson put together because we both were pretty bored and I am pretty uncreative when it comes to being spontaneous. I'm a planner, remember? Well, I am feeling refreshed and will slowly be getting back in to the groove of things...

This "lacing a shoe" inspiration came from Teaching Montessori In The Pre-School Years. I really like this little book and I am excited Hannah is getting to the age where she can do more of the exercises.

Lacing A Shoe: Demonstrate to the child clearly (even slightly exaggeratedly) how to unlace the show and then how to re lace the shoe. Skip tying and focus only on the lacing. This will develop hand-eye coordination, hand muscle movements, and prep for independent dressing. The control of error is if the shoe is laced incorrectly or sloppily. If your child will sit still long enough you can show two demonstrations. The first is a silent demonstration and the second introduces vocabulary words. Be sure to use the words when doing everyday things together as well.

Baby Birdies

2009-05-17T21:37:00.002-04:00

We've got baby birdies hanging in our ferns!

I actually didn't know if these little eggs were going to hatch.

I scared the mamma bird away for awhile one day when I took the fern down to water it.

That's when I discovered the nest.

I would have been so sad if she didn't return! But she did!

It's really fun for Hannah to watch the babies (since we talk a lot about babies lately).

I had baby birds to watch when I was little outside of my parents window and I remember thinking how utterly cool and amazing that was to see.

Gallup Poll Out With New Stats

2009-05-16T23:53:00.005-04:00

The Gallup Poll is out with new data: "More American's 'Pro-Life' than 'Pro-Choice" for First Time. It's "the first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995".

I think that this country is definitely going through some major cultural shifts as has been evidenced since January. You should take a look at the poll and the new graphs that are posted. They are very interesting.

WIN A FREE BOOK!

2009-05-15T23:11:00.003-04:00

Go on over to One Man Trying... to enter to win this free fantastic book by Bruce A. Ware. Hurry! Deadline is May 24th.

Great Check-Up

2009-05-11T13:27:00.004-04:00

Today we had our 16 week check-up and things went great. We heard the heartbeat right away and it was pounding strong. In just one month we hope to be able to determine the sex of our baby which, in my mind, cannot come soon enough! This weekend I doubled in size (which doesn't mean much yet ;) but it was funny to feel my stomach stretching and telling hubs, "I am growing right now!" Also, I have felt some tiny flutters when lying really still and look forward to feeling more soon.

Here's what's going on down below: (From BabyCenter.com)

How your baby's growing:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop. Last week: She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.

Hide God's Word In Your Heart

2009-05-09T07:00:00.002-04:00

There are two things I have noticed since I've had Hannah. One, is that she remembers so much and is like a sponge memorizing words, phrases, and songs like crazy. Two, is that my memory has flown out of the window. It used to be a struggle for me to memorize things in school, but now, I can't even remember where I put my list that was supposed to be helping me remember to do what needed to be done so I wouldn't forget!

Psalm 119:9-16 tells us to hide God's Word in our heart. Usually, for me, this means that I need to read Scripture, meditate on it, and memorize it so that I can recall God's good promises when I am facing day to day life that comes my way.

9How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
10I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
11I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
12Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees.
13With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.
14I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
15I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
16I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

It seems that I cannot remember much of anything these days unless it is in song or some other pneumonic device to help me recall material. I have learned quite a few old hymns in the past year alone from singing to Hannah each night songs that I had never heard before that have such good truths in them. That being said, here are some various scripture memorization tools that might benefit you if you find yourself in the same boat that I am in with a fleeting mind or just want to spice things up a bit! Plus, we NEED some new car material since I think I have listened to "Old McDonald Had A Farm" about a bazillion times.

Covenant Life Church Scripture Memory Projects from Galatians

Awesome God- scripture memory songs for children ages 7 and up focusing on God's attributes

Five Great Children's Music Resources

Forever Grateful Music--multiple CD's that just put Scripture to music

Listen to two samples here over at Worship Matter's

Seed's Family Worship

National Vaccine Information Center

2009-05-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

Want to look at a sight that helps you make an informed decision on vaccinations? Check out the National Vaccine Information Center's website for some helpful information. Maybe I'll do a post someday about vaccines but for now click here to check out who they are and how their foundation was formed.