I know I just posted a couple of weeks ago about how I am surviving the start of "real school", but I wanted to focus a bit on how my girls are surviving this massive life change. First, as a mother AND an occupational therapist I have a unique perspective on school. On one hand, I love that my children are getting the structure and routine of the academic world. My children have to learn how to sit still, follow multi-step directions, and attend to a variety of tasks-- which are all KEY to surviving in the workplace in the future. However, as an O.T. I understand child-development- and much of the school day is often too structured for a child to experience the proper developmental milestones in a natural way. Plus, if a grown up can't sit through a half-hour meeting without getting 'spacey' how do we expect children to focus for so long? Play is a child's job. That is how human development works....
Controversial but interesting perspective!
Though Grace is doing well academically, she is overwhelmed with the rigidity of the classroom experience. For example, Grace said, "I love art class, but you have to make what she says, not what I want to make!" Is that defiance or is it simply creativity? After Kindergarten, it's rare that a child has a chance to have any "free expression" time through art, writing, or music. I think certain children might need a bit of a creative outlet without the structure- sort of like recess for the mind.
I am trying to find a balance for her- I am setting up more unstructured crafting for her- paint, glitter, sequins, etc.- so she can explore a bit after school. So far, she has made several Christmas presents and she looks forward to that time each day.
I also find reasons for mini-celebrations- such as our Half-Birthday parties. Luckily, my girls are born five days apart so I can save half the cake.... I gave Grace the icing, sprinkles and food dye so she could dabble at the bakery arts for an hour.
Yummy half birthday cake!
Recess is fantastic for giving the children outdoor time and the gross motor/vestibular stimulation that children need- but, I would still recommend encouraging that wild, upside-down play their bodies crave when they get home. From climbing mountains to hanging on the monkey bars, I challenge my kids to get moving when they get home.
Hay jumping!
Does she love school? Nope. Is she surviving? Yup. We are still adjusting and every week is a challenge. I love that she has friends and she enjoys music and art- those are areas that homeschooling often doesn't provide as well. I miss the freedom to explore topics that interested us but I am glad someone else has to force her to do daily math... I can definitely see the perks in both lifestyles.
Easy Rule #54354- Sometimes your work can help your home life- I am blessed to have a career that complements my parenthood.
Easy Rule #7897- When life stresses you out, bake a cake. Or just half of one.
My two eldest have been in "real school' for seven days now- which means I am a complete expert on the subject. Seriously though, I am still in the "learning curve" of having children attend a regular school. Besides the emotional adjustments- more tears from mommy than the kiddos- the logistical changes have been slightly overwhelming. With homeschooling, I have never had to "make them presentable" by breakfast, pack lunches, and coordinate drop offs/pick up times. Whew. I have done a few things that are helping me stay a bit more sane with all the chaos of this new regime...
Good bye summer- Hello School!
Paperwork- I was amazed with the amount of paperwork for the start of the school year. From emergency cards to lunch choices- I was completely overwhelmed. And when the school year started- it kept coming, and coming. From "Friday Folders" with mailers in my mailbox, I had to get organized fast. I quickly made up a "School Information" folder in my home center and a "Complete & Return" folder so I knew to bring it BACK to the school. I often get questioned on the difficulty of homeschooling- and quite frankly I found the paperwork/decisions for "regular" school to be more challenging....
I love the folders
Routine- This week we have had the HOTTEST weather we have had ALL summer (I have made it all summer with out installing my AC)... and, for our readers who are NOT in New England- schools do not come equipped with A.C. The children were little uniformed-sweat-dripping-messes when I picked them up; of course, they begged to got to the beach every single day after school. Did I acquiesce? YES! I was hot too. But, I must say playing at the beach for two hours, cooking dinner, making lunches, doing homework, etc. etc. etc.... was a bit much each night. Blessedly, tonight the weather changed, and we were unable to go to the beach today... and it was so much better. I was able to enjoy dinner and our conversations rather than rush them through to get homework done.
Frosty after Hot day!
Yummy!
Sleep Schedule- Along with a simple routine for meals, my children have been strung-out tired this week. Our normal routine had been "summer-ized" with late nights every night. I have been slowly making bed time earlier so they will get enough rest, and I will get some too :)
Sleep chart for how much sleep they need!!
Free Play- From an OT standpoint, having kids be in a scheduled, rigid day of school can definitely wind them up. After school, kids need to have free play, exercise, and major "brain breaks". My children run the gamut from exhaustion to hyperactivity each day. I try to give them fewer chores, more time to choose their own activities, and I encourage sibling re-bonding. I am really glad my kids aren't in lessons, sports, and more every day. I am a big proponent on allowing the kids imaginative play and free time to create. We are definitely NOT an over-scheduled family. Though I know we plan on doing some sports and piano lessons, etc, I am going to attempt not to over-lap the activities so the kids still have plenty of down time.
Getting in some vestibular action with Delaware cousins!
Lunches- After scouring Pinterest, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a shape-lunch guru for every day school lunches. Some of the parents out there must have A LOT of free time.... however, I do love my bento-style box for the kids lunches. Every day I do attempt to pack well-rounded meal for the girls: fruit, vegetable, grain and protein. Sounds healthful, right? Well, Lissie favors bologna so I do give her that processed meat too :) Grace prefers the hummus with veggies. It took a few days to master how much the children would actually eat. I also give them water bottles each day rather than purchase milk or have juice.
Mmmm.... :)
Meal Planning- With my working days and the children's school days, meal planning is critical to my grocery shopping and food management. On Wednesday, I have a very long day with the children in after-care at the school. By the time we get home, I am way too tired to figure out food. This week, by 7 AM I had breakfast (baked French toast), lunch (packed), and dinner (crock pot) all completed for the day! I created a pinterest board for crockpot meals, as I plan on doing 1-2 meals a week this method.
I made honey garlic chicken thighs. Yum.
Forget "ME" Time- I know, all the websites and self-help books tout "Mommy "ME" Time" so why am I denying such a blissful need? Well, when I plan for downtime, and I don't get it I am more often not a very nice mommy.... For example, I was exhausted last Wednesday night, and by the time I wrestled the kids into bed at 8:30 PM, I came down to Netflix and finish up my work notes- when out ambled a little anxiety-ridden 7 year old.... and she wanted to talk. I was more impatient than I should have been; I was not as caring as I could have been; and honestly, I wasn't the mom that I wanted to be. So instead of expecting down time, just be grateful when you get it. My children were pooped tonight- we had plenty of time to connect, discuss, and enjoy our time when we got home. The kids seem more mentally-ready for an earlier bedtime. I got to Netflix TWO TV shows as I slowly-type this blog. I am incredibly grateful for this moment- but I also would have been able to sacrifice it for the sake of my children in a heartbeat. I am appreciative but not demanding about my space/needs. That seems self-sacrificing, but in reality, it makes me (and the kids) happier.
If kids don't behave, they plank. Just kidding- we are doing a plank challenge... 10 seconds added each day. We are up to 90 seconds.... wish us luck!
And to prove my point, this is the exact conversation I had with James while I was in the shower:
Knock Knock
"Who is it?" asks me in the shower. "James." And he just walks in the bathroom.
"What is it James? I put you in bed already."
"Um... I just have a question" (he ALWAYS has a question at bed time).
"Yes?"
"Why do you always shower at night after bed time?" he asked.
"Because Mommy likes a nice, quiet shower so I can have some privacy and peace." I said.
"But Mommy, I am in here right now! It's not quiet!" He so brilliantly pointed out.
"Exactly. Now go to bed."
Grace swimming at the beach after school!
And Lissie crashing at the beach after school...
Can't do it all- Biggest thing I am learning- I am not a superwoman. I look at the parents who work full-time, manage the children, and run the household and I am in awe. I know I need at least one day to catch up on chores, organization, shopping, and meal planning. I am going to really, really try hard to stick to my minimalistic budget so I don't have to work that extra day in the future. I'd rather be poor and sane. Or really rich with a maid, housekeeper, and chef. Throw in a masseuse too.
Easy Rule #22323- Every change in life has challenges, roll with the punches until you find a way to survive.
Easy Rule #98023- Even when your time is more limited with your children, keep the conversations going. Let them know you will always listen, even when you really don't have the time...
Spring has sprung in New Hampshire-- beautiful flowers, tweeting birds, playing outside from dawn until dusk... and hatching mosquitoes.... ugh. The beauty of New Hampshire often gets a bit tainted by itchy bites and tedious black-flies. Though the spring hatch makes me want to go all DEET on my backyard, I do find the ensuing frog-mating quite hilarious. For some reason, our backyard and small marsh area in the forest is home to several species of frogs. When you walk through the neighborhood our house is the only one that sounds like a South American rainforest. It gets so noisy during mating season I have to shut the sliding door in the back so I can hear my television at night.... Now this video is mostly pitch black, but sit back, enjoy, and if anyone can identify the monkey-sounding frog around 40 seconds in, let me know:
**Side note-- videos often don't play in mobile version but they do work in regular.
Besides frogs, our backyard has been home to many an animal in New Hampshire which leads to pretty cool homeschooling nature studies too. We have seen porcupines, hawks, chipmunks, racoons, deer, moose, and even the dreaded fisher cat (Never heard of one? They are creepy, weasel-like creatures that can eat house-cats). We especially see the wild turkey:
Wild turkeys at the mail box
Usually they are in flocks of 10-15 birds and they wander in and out of neighbors' yards. My children love following the turkeys around and seeing where they end up!
My favorite thing we see (and HEAR!) in our backyard are the barred owls. Usually, we have a very hard time spotting them with their amazing camouflage:
Can you spot the owl in our tree?
But one day, as I exited my car, I heard a very loud noise behind me... I turned around to see a giant barred owl sitting on our swing set. I also heard the answering mates/enemies of this owl surrounding me. I carried one of my kids in the house quickly, and then we videotaped it:
My favorite part is when John gets attacked by a yellow jacket while filming...
Now I live in the southern part of New Hampshire, but my parents reside way up north in the White Mountains which means they have even more amazing animal adventures, including this moose that we witnessed last summer:
I hope you have enjoyed this episode of Nature: New Hampshire. Let's hope I don't have a bear encounter soon to post-- I've been quite lucky! If you don't live abutting a preserve like we do, add a bird feeder so you can have nature come to you. We have a window bird feeder that has helped my children to identify over 10 species of local song birds. (Note: in New Hampshire bird feeders must be removed in the spring as to not attract the just-awoke-from-hibernating-and-very-hungry bears).
Easy Rule #4923- It's spring! Stop and enjoy the awakening nature in your own backyard! Or just go to a zoo....
After six years of reading toddler-aged books, I feel as if I am a bit of an expert in early children's literature. Some books make me want to scream aloud at the weary, trite verbiage (i.e. Good Night Moon), but others can entertain both the grown up AND the kids. Rhyme, repetition,and simplicity are hallmarks of picture books as they foster early language, vocabulary, and reading skills, but some authors make the experience fun for the adults too. I chose the top 10 toddler-approved books that I have memorized from years of bedtime story-reading:
10. Jamberry by Bruce Degan. A silly, rhyming book that engages in a sing-songy romp around a berry-filled land. Honestly, I don't know why we love this book so much, but it is fun to say the tongue-twisting phrases!
9. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell. This Lift-the-Flap book entertains babies and toddlers with the animals hidden inside boxes and cages. Parents can make the animal sounds while the children guess what animal is coming next.
8. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin. We have two versions of this book: the board book is quicker and better for baby-level and the full-version even my 5 year old still enjoys. Before reading this book, watch the video online. The tune is catchy and it makes your interpretive reading much more fun!
7. Brown Bear Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr./Eric Carle. I am not a huge fan of this book, but kiddos LOVE it. It becomes the first book they can 'read' because the pattern is the same throughout. Lissie even 'reads' this book to the reading dog at the library.
6. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. This book is so sweet for a mommy to read her little ones before she goes out! The moral of the story is "Mommy always comes home." It's a very sweet, cuddly book before bedtime.
5. The Lamb Who Came for Dinner by Steve Smallman. O.k. the kids like this one, but I like it WAY more than they do. I am usually hysterically laughing at my own interpretation of the characters. I think my babies/toddlers have listened to this patiently because they are in awe of mommy snorting with laughter. It's a super-cute, funny book about a lamb who's looking for a warm place and a wolf who is quite hungry.....
4.The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Just like Brown Bear the repetition of the concepts makes this an easy "first read" for toddlers. The different fruits/foods really spur some language development in the kiddos too!
3. I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt. Finally, a loving bed time story that has gross elements for boys (and even my wimpy girls love it!). It's similar to the Runaway Bunny concept of a mother loving her child no matter what.
2. My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. This is the only Dr. Seuss book that will make the list as it is a board book that uses regular language (See below). I really like using different voices with each "color" to show babies/tots expressions and feelings.
1. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. I love this book. It rhymes, it's fun, and it's a series! There are several Bear books and lots of fun forest creatures. Because the book incorporates rhyme and repetition, even though the language is somewhat challenging, even the youngest enjoy the "sound" of this book!
These books are kid AND parent approved. Most of these even my youngest will sit through and enjoy. I do want to point out books/authors that are off of my list:
Dr. Seuss: I know, everyone loves Dr. Seuss, but his books are soooooo long and his silly language is a bit challenging and confusing for younger kids. My 5 year old reads them now, but she did not really enjoy them until recently. That is why only ONE made the list, and not even a popular one...
Good Night Gorilla I am sure anyone who had a baby shower prior to your first kid received this book. I am sure other people love this book. I despise books with limited words (or none) and just pictures. This book is great for kids to peruse on their own time....
Where the Wild Things AreI've never enjoyed this book or any other Maurice Sendak's books. I find his books to be anti-parent---which is a sentiment I don't want my children to mimic. Later, I watched an interview about much Maurice Sendak actually disliked children. Seriously. Plus PierreI Don't Care is the worst children's book ever.
I plan on writing an "older kid's" picture book post too- so stay tuned!
Easy Rule #2390- Reading to your children every day is the most important learning tool- make it fun for everyone!
