Kids

Snow Day!

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So after warnings of blizzard conditions….we did in fact get a “snow day”!! Not quite the storm they projected us to get, but none the less fun for the kids. It has certainly been  enough  to give those who work outside the home a headache, and those like myself plenty of creative ‘play-time’ with my kids. Being the planner that I am…my prep started as soon as the warnings went out;

*First I stopped at the library (making sure I had plenty of “new” books on hand)
*I planned several Sensory Bin Activities (which also included going to buy new bins at the dollar store!)
*I planned a fun craft for the little guys (check…)
* Homeschool continues as usual yes, even during snowstorms! So we will continue our study of Arctic (with emphasis on Alaska)  and of coarse all of our ‘daily’ work too!!

I even completed my “Winter Storm Prep” with a surprise trip to our local Toy/Hobby Shop. (My favorite Mom and Pop Shop around!!) I then let the kids pick a toy using their gift cards from Christmas. I love doing this with them because they get to choose what they want and it costs me nothing (well very little sometimes). I show them how much they have and proceed to walk around the store looking at the price tags with them. I am a firm believer in teaching little ones about money and spending within his/her means (yes, even at 2 and 5 they know what money is). For more on our “Snow Fun” be sure to stay tune as I will be posting all of our Winter Adventures here shortly!!

Wee Scream 4 Icecream

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Although, I am a SAHM I tend to wear MANY hats, don’t we all? I am wife, mother, daughter, sister, maid, chef, Dr., and the list goes on…One thing that has always seemed to remain very much the same is that kids flock to me. I have been babysitting since I was 11 and have seen MANY kids grow up before my eyes. This year marks the year that all my “1st set of babies” graduates (you do the math and you can figure out how old I am…LOL). Now with that said, I thought this “watching kids thing” would end after I had children of my own…nope they just keep flocking my way!! Most recently I was a sitter “fillin” for a friend. We had lots of fun with the girls ages 4 and 2. Crafts, outside activities, “school”, movies, “camping”, eating (lots of it!!), park days, games, and just plain fun!

To end our “season” together I took the girls for icecream and we came home for an “icecream porch picnic”!!

All of the girls wanted chocolate!! And of coarse my Pumpkin was the only one that ate every last bit of it (that girl will never let chocolate go to waste!) We had a few spills and O’no’s but over all they stayed pretty neat.

I’m not sure what we are looking at in this picture (probably a bug) the little one really hates bugs and the entire block could hear her if she saw one!

Our icecream social went out with a bang and we are now onto our next “kid adventure” starting next week, I will take on yet another family of 2 kids (soon to be 2 nd and 3rd graders) this ought to be a trip! Im still in baby land over here…nursing, diaper changing, naps, etc.

Raising a Leader

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Raisingaleader

I have always been one to make my own decisions, not follow the crowd, and be a leader! So, why since having children it is so easy to buckle at the knees and conform? This was the question I pondered at 5:00 AM as I showered (in peace I might add)! The answer I came up with was this; it is one thing to be a leader for ourselves and stand out but we don’t want our children to stand out or be different. Or then again do we?

School is well underway and my oldest daughter recently started 3 year old preschool. She is at a great school with wonderful teachers and a great curriculum. However, there appears to be a missing link. I always thought I would homeschool my children. I begged in Highschool for my Mom to homeschool me ( I didn’t even know what it was…but, I begged anyways!). This random request then led to a 10 year long research project. I have read books, made lesson plans, and stayed up for hours dreaming of what “a perfect school” would be like for my children. {A special note I thought of homeschooling long before there were kids in the picture!}

Jump forward; now there are kids in the picture and I sent them to school?! What??!! I buckled at the knees you could say. I did what everyone else was doing in fear that my child might lag behind? I sent my baby girl to school! Some would say “Great job, she has to get used to it at some point!” while others would say “Awe, why did you send her the best place for her is at home with you – she’s only 3!”.

My thoughts are this she is chugging along in school just fine (well, once she is in the door that is). The morning battles, crocodile tears, and the “I don’t want to go to school” is really what rips my heart out. Why do we force our children to conform at such a young age?

My Mom mission continues; I promise to my children I will not “buckle any longer” to the ways of the rest of the world.

What example would we be setting to our children to be independent thinkers if we became followers ourselves?