We’re doing the letter A today and tomorrow. Since we just got back from a 3-day weekend out of town, we were a little behind on our preparations, but we’re sticking to the schedule.
Jock picked up groceries for A and B on his way home from work, and started dinner, while I took the kids to the library to pick up books for A, B, C, D and E (this week and next week's letters).
For supper, we had Alfredo sauce over Angel hair noodles (we threw some meat in there too). Our vegetable was Asparagus, and we had some Asiago cheese bread to go with too. Then we had Apples/caramel for dessert. We'll have the left-overs tomorrow.
We’re reading books about Animals, Apples/Applesauce, and Airplanes. We also have a couple Alphabet books at home we’ll probably read.
I found and printed our coloring page here and our letter-writing practice page here - I chose the D'Nealian handwriting worksheet with the Apple on it. We only did the first one today - we'll work on the handwriting tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
ABC Summer
A friend of mine the last couple summers has done an "ABC Summer" with her kids. She started the summer before her oldest started kindergarten. I decided a while ago to do this with Elijah & Josephine this summer. I’m going to give Kaylen the option to participate, be my helper, or work on her own things. I think it will bore her though, and I do want her to keep up with reading at math at her own level too. For the little kids, I thought it would be a fun way to learn their letters.
We’re going to spend about two days on each letter. We’ll take Sundays off or to review letters. We’ll also take a few days off around the 4th of July, which will be just about mid-alphabet for us, so maybe will use that time to review as well. We should finish up the first week of August, then we’ll have a few days to review the last half of the alphabet before Kaylen starts school and Elijah & Josephine start their preschool curriculum at daycare.
For each letter, we plan to do the following things:
Each week, I’ll have our menu planned (some are more difficult/creative/healthy than others). I’ll also have the coloring/writing pages printed out ahead of time, and will have to take some time planning the fun activities too.
We’re looking forward to it! The kids have no idea what’s in store for them, but I hope they’ll have fun learning their letters!
I'll post about what we did for each letter as we go through the summer.
We’re going to spend about two days on each letter. We’ll take Sundays off or to review letters. We’ll also take a few days off around the 4th of July, which will be just about mid-alphabet for us, so maybe will use that time to review as well. We should finish up the first week of August, then we’ll have a few days to review the last half of the alphabet before Kaylen starts school and Elijah & Josephine start their preschool curriculum at daycare.
For each letter, we plan to do the following things:
- Read books with subjects that start with the letter we’re working on
- Eat foods/snacks that start with the letter
- Color the upper and lower case letters (printed in block format), and practice writing the letter
- Point out/stress words that start with the letter as we’re going through our day
- Depending on timing and the letter, possibly do a special activity that starts with the letter
Each week, I’ll have our menu planned (some are more difficult/creative/healthy than others). I’ll also have the coloring/writing pages printed out ahead of time, and will have to take some time planning the fun activities too.
We’re looking forward to it! The kids have no idea what’s in store for them, but I hope they’ll have fun learning their letters!
I'll post about what we did for each letter as we go through the summer.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Swing Set
Jock’s been working hard on the swing set! Our old one was made out of 1x4s, so it was VERY unstable, especially when we got three kids, 140 lbs-worth, on it. We knew last summer we were going to have to do something before this summer, as it just wasn’t safe anymore! Jock took it apart about the first nice weekend, so nobody would be tempted to play on it and then get hurt.
Then we figured our budget and started pricing swing sets and swing set kits, and what we could get for our budget wasn’t much better or sturdier than the one we were replacing. So Jock set to work designing one himself!
I was a little nervous when it started going up. A couple of the neighbors made comments about how big it was. (My favorite was, “Is that your new guest house?”) Yah, it’s huge! The fort part is about 8’x8’, and the floor is about 5 feet off the ground. The base of the roof will be about 5 feet tall, so total height from ground to point will be about 12 feet! The beam for the 2 swings, glider, and trapeze swing is about 16 feet long. We still need to get some chain extensions so the kids can get on the swings/glider a little more easily by themselves, but we’re enjoying it already!
Next up in assembly will be a slide and monkey bars – at a 90 degree angle from the swing beam. There’ll be steps coming up to the fort, as well as a rock wall. Then he’ll have to get the roof put on the fort.
I think we went over budget a bit with the accessories, but we were close. Still much less than buying a swing set or a swing set kit of this size and sturdiness. And it’s sturdy enough for mom and dad to swing on too! :)
Then we figured our budget and started pricing swing sets and swing set kits, and what we could get for our budget wasn’t much better or sturdier than the one we were replacing. So Jock set to work designing one himself!
I was a little nervous when it started going up. A couple of the neighbors made comments about how big it was. (My favorite was, “Is that your new guest house?”) Yah, it’s huge! The fort part is about 8’x8’, and the floor is about 5 feet off the ground. The base of the roof will be about 5 feet tall, so total height from ground to point will be about 12 feet! The beam for the 2 swings, glider, and trapeze swing is about 16 feet long. We still need to get some chain extensions so the kids can get on the swings/glider a little more easily by themselves, but we’re enjoying it already!
Next up in assembly will be a slide and monkey bars – at a 90 degree angle from the swing beam. There’ll be steps coming up to the fort, as well as a rock wall. Then he’ll have to get the roof put on the fort.I think we went over budget a bit with the accessories, but we were close. Still much less than buying a swing set or a swing set kit of this size and sturdiness. And it’s sturdy enough for mom and dad to swing on too! :)
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Happy 4th Birthday Josephine!!!
Today my baby is turning 4! I can’t believe it!I can so clearly remember the very first photo we saw of her, at 2 months of age.
And the first time I held her in my arms, at nearly 10 months of age.
Then my second trip to visit her, at 14 months of age.
Then our last trip to visit her in Haiti, at 22 months of age.
Then finally in our arms forever, at 33 months of age.
Then her first birthday celebrated at home, age 3.
Then her first Christmas home, age 3 1/2.
And now she’s 4!
Yikes! We now have two four-year-olds in the family (for three months and a day).
Monday, April 25, 2011
Hair Day
I still love doing Josephine’s hair, although I’ve been horrible about actually finding time to do it! So I’ve done a lot of double-stranded hanging twists (aka twist ponies). Josephine likes these, because there is minimal pain from the tightness and pulling with this style – that is, after the inevitable combing that comes before any new style. She doesn’t like those either.
After Christmas, I think I’ve done twist ponies, then box braids, then another set of twist ponies. The last time I did box braids, I had planned on doing cornrows, but chickened out at the last minute and just did box braids. But I didn’t make the boxes very small, and the braids weren’t done the best, so they didn’t last long. Then I was VERY short on time right before spring pictures at daycare, so I did some quick twist ponies again.
This time I was bound and determined to do cornrows again. They actually go quite quickly, once my fingers remembered how to do them. They turned out really well, but I think I did them a little tight. That does mean, however, that they should last a while. I only got the front done, and had planned to do something in the back, but she looks so stinkin’ cute with just a puff pony behind the cornrows, so I decided to leave it at that. The next day I put in the spring-colored flower beads, so she was all ready for Easter!
This isn't the best photo, as I forgot to take one right after it was done. This was on Easter morning.
After Christmas, I think I’ve done twist ponies, then box braids, then another set of twist ponies. The last time I did box braids, I had planned on doing cornrows, but chickened out at the last minute and just did box braids. But I didn’t make the boxes very small, and the braids weren’t done the best, so they didn’t last long. Then I was VERY short on time right before spring pictures at daycare, so I did some quick twist ponies again.
This time I was bound and determined to do cornrows again. They actually go quite quickly, once my fingers remembered how to do them. They turned out really well, but I think I did them a little tight. That does mean, however, that they should last a while. I only got the front done, and had planned to do something in the back, but she looks so stinkin’ cute with just a puff pony behind the cornrows, so I decided to leave it at that. The next day I put in the spring-colored flower beads, so she was all ready for Easter!
This isn't the best photo, as I forgot to take one right after it was done. This was on Easter morning.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Exercising
So I finished Farrell’s 10-week program on March 19th, down 6 pounds and several inches, and in much better shape than when I started in January. I decided to continue on… with the work-out classes, and the nutrition plan.
Well, life happens, and I’m not near as strict as I had been with the nutrition, but for the most part I’m keeping it up (Easter didn't count though). I have missed some classes in the last couple weeks (traveling a few days for work, not feeling good, and a few lazy/need-sleep days). But for the most part I’m still making the 5:15 am class on weekdays, and a Saturday class, time dependent on how early Kaylen’s soccer game or other plans for the weekend are scheduled.
I’m down three more pounds, so I’m happy about that. It’s going slowly, which hopefully means it’s going to be easier to maintain. I hope to continue losing in this area as well. At this rate it might take another two years to reach my goal, but for me, it’s more keeping up with the lifestyle change. I like the workouts, hard as they are some days, and hard as it is for me to get up in the morning some days. I also like the nutrition portion – I feel better when I stick with it – or at least fairly closely.
I’m also still going to try to run the Dam to Dam 5k. That should be fun. We have several friends planning to run the 20k, but one friend in the group wants to run the 5k. I asked her how fast she usually runs but she didn't really answer me - just said she’d even walk it with me, to have someone to do it with. I think she’ll probably be annoyed with how slow I am, and my having to stop and walk, as I haven’t done very well working my training up from a 1 mile run.
I thought once I got into shape with Farrell’s, I’d be able to take the 1 mile testing run and just run a few times per week to increase the distance up to a 5k. But, I’m still having issues with my shins, so I haven’t been able to do it.
FRUSTRATING!!!
I’m working on some home physical therapy exercises, and got different shoes, so still trying. I did get a bit longer run in on a hotel treadmill (I was traveling for work) last Tuesday – and doing the exercises throughout the day, I did NOT have shin pain during or afterwards – YEAH!!! Eventually, I’ll get to the point where I can run a full 5k without being in severe pain... maybe. But it might take a while.
Well, life happens, and I’m not near as strict as I had been with the nutrition, but for the most part I’m keeping it up (Easter didn't count though). I have missed some classes in the last couple weeks (traveling a few days for work, not feeling good, and a few lazy/need-sleep days). But for the most part I’m still making the 5:15 am class on weekdays, and a Saturday class, time dependent on how early Kaylen’s soccer game or other plans for the weekend are scheduled.
I’m down three more pounds, so I’m happy about that. It’s going slowly, which hopefully means it’s going to be easier to maintain. I hope to continue losing in this area as well. At this rate it might take another two years to reach my goal, but for me, it’s more keeping up with the lifestyle change. I like the workouts, hard as they are some days, and hard as it is for me to get up in the morning some days. I also like the nutrition portion – I feel better when I stick with it – or at least fairly closely.
I’m also still going to try to run the Dam to Dam 5k. That should be fun. We have several friends planning to run the 20k, but one friend in the group wants to run the 5k. I asked her how fast she usually runs but she didn't really answer me - just said she’d even walk it with me, to have someone to do it with. I think she’ll probably be annoyed with how slow I am, and my having to stop and walk, as I haven’t done very well working my training up from a 1 mile run.
I thought once I got into shape with Farrell’s, I’d be able to take the 1 mile testing run and just run a few times per week to increase the distance up to a 5k. But, I’m still having issues with my shins, so I haven’t been able to do it.
FRUSTRATING!!!
I’m working on some home physical therapy exercises, and got different shoes, so still trying. I did get a bit longer run in on a hotel treadmill (I was traveling for work) last Tuesday – and doing the exercises throughout the day, I did NOT have shin pain during or afterwards – YEAH!!! Eventually, I’ll get to the point where I can run a full 5k without being in severe pain... maybe. But it might take a while.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Potty Training Update
Dare I post this???
This photo is actually from Monday night.
He's earned two more stamps on that calendar from yesterday and today.
Yes, that means he's had 9 days in a row of "dry alllllll day!!!", including naptime.
No, this still does not count the soaking he does in a pull-up at night, but we're not going to even think about that for a while. Just being dry all day is a huge success.
We're praising him like crazy, and he's so proud of himself - as you can see from the picture. :)
This photo is actually from Monday night.He's earned two more stamps on that calendar from yesterday and today.
Yes, that means he's had 9 days in a row of "dry alllllll day!!!", including naptime.
No, this still does not count the soaking he does in a pull-up at night, but we're not going to even think about that for a while. Just being dry all day is a huge success.
We're praising him like crazy, and he's so proud of himself - as you can see from the picture. :)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Who are you???
I'm declaring it de-lurking week. This means if you read my blog, please leave a comment and let me know who you are and where you're from. If you have a blog, let me know - I'd love to read my readers' blogs as well. I know some of you but not all - so leave a comment whether you think I know you or not. :)
During the month of March, I had readers from the following locations:
*And one techie reader who has their location blocked.
During the month of March, I had readers from the following locations:
| Haiti | Brazil | Italy |
| US: | ||
| Alabama | California | Colorado |
| Florida | Georgia | Illinois |
| Iowa | Kansas | Michigan |
| Minnesota | Missouri | Nebraska |
| New York | North Carolina | Ohio |
| Tennessee | Washington | Wisconsin |
*And one techie reader who has their location blocked.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Two Weekends Ago
I was super-excited for this weekend. We attended Family Life’s Weekend to Remember marriage getaway. Not a lot of travel, and no exotic location, but we’ve wanted to go to this for quite a while, and were REALLY looking forward to the weekend away, to spend time with each other and enrich our marriage.
My dad and step-mom arrived Thursday evening, and we left them in charge as we headed out of town on Friday morning. We (mostly) turned off the cell phones and the computers, and just enjoyed each other’s company. We don’t do that enough – which we’ve known for a while, but it was made abundantly more clear over the weekend, that we need to spend time on us more often – even if it’s just time doing something together in the evenings at home after the kids go to bed, or an evening out – not necessarily for a whole weekend.
We got to Kansas City several hours before the conference started, so we did a little bit of shopping before getting checked into the hotel. We then had a cocktail, a game of pool and a light dinner before the conference started. Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning were in the conference sessions, which were excellent. I definitely recommend the Weekend to Remember for anyone having issues in their marriage, or to just draw closer and get some helpful hints for your marriage. Key topics were: why marriages fail, communication, God's plan for marriage, resolving conflicts, the roles of a wife & mother/husband & dad (men and women were separated for this part). There were also special break-out sessions for engaged couples.
I would recommend if you go to one, to stay at the conference hotel - it was helpful to have that private space to work on the projects in the time allotted between sessions. Also, focusing only on my spouse and the conference material was a big bonus, without having to think about kids and/or things that need to be done around the house. :)
Saturday evening was a planned date night - as part of the conference schedule. We had done some research and found a really nice restaurant, and a fun activity. We made it to our dinner reservation at Bristol Seafood Grill, and pigged out on ivory salmon (Jock) and crabcakes (Lisa). Then we headed over to the UMKC to see a production of Cabaret at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. We were seated right on-stage, which meant that we just couldn’t get up in the middle of the show – which, why would we anyway?! Being on-stage meant that the cast was no more than 20 feet from our seats, and we were actually behind them, facing the audience. The stage rotated at times, and the scenes were set such that the actors faced both the main seats and the on-stage audience. We also could sometimes see how they did things, and when something was about to happen. It was such a fun experience!
Sunday after the conference we stopped at one more store for a quick purchase, then grabbed a lunch to go, to make the three-hour drive back home to our crew. They survived the weekend, although it seems everyone was worn-out by the end of the busy weekend! My sister and kids came down for part of the weekend too, because one of my nephews was wrestling at the state AAU tournament and one of my neices had a gymnastics meet, so that made things really busy around our house! Kind of wished we could have spent more time with them while they were here, but so glad we were able to get away, just the two of us, for a bit.
My dad and step-mom arrived Thursday evening, and we left them in charge as we headed out of town on Friday morning. We (mostly) turned off the cell phones and the computers, and just enjoyed each other’s company. We don’t do that enough – which we’ve known for a while, but it was made abundantly more clear over the weekend, that we need to spend time on us more often – even if it’s just time doing something together in the evenings at home after the kids go to bed, or an evening out – not necessarily for a whole weekend.
We got to Kansas City several hours before the conference started, so we did a little bit of shopping before getting checked into the hotel. We then had a cocktail, a game of pool and a light dinner before the conference started. Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning were in the conference sessions, which were excellent. I definitely recommend the Weekend to Remember for anyone having issues in their marriage, or to just draw closer and get some helpful hints for your marriage. Key topics were: why marriages fail, communication, God's plan for marriage, resolving conflicts, the roles of a wife & mother/husband & dad (men and women were separated for this part). There were also special break-out sessions for engaged couples.
I would recommend if you go to one, to stay at the conference hotel - it was helpful to have that private space to work on the projects in the time allotted between sessions. Also, focusing only on my spouse and the conference material was a big bonus, without having to think about kids and/or things that need to be done around the house. :)
Saturday evening was a planned date night - as part of the conference schedule. We had done some research and found a really nice restaurant, and a fun activity. We made it to our dinner reservation at Bristol Seafood Grill, and pigged out on ivory salmon (Jock) and crabcakes (Lisa). Then we headed over to the UMKC to see a production of Cabaret at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. We were seated right on-stage, which meant that we just couldn’t get up in the middle of the show – which, why would we anyway?! Being on-stage meant that the cast was no more than 20 feet from our seats, and we were actually behind them, facing the audience. The stage rotated at times, and the scenes were set such that the actors faced both the main seats and the on-stage audience. We also could sometimes see how they did things, and when something was about to happen. It was such a fun experience!
Sunday after the conference we stopped at one more store for a quick purchase, then grabbed a lunch to go, to make the three-hour drive back home to our crew. They survived the weekend, although it seems everyone was worn-out by the end of the busy weekend! My sister and kids came down for part of the weekend too, because one of my nephews was wrestling at the state AAU tournament and one of my neices had a gymnastics meet, so that made things really busy around our house! Kind of wished we could have spent more time with them while they were here, but so glad we were able to get away, just the two of us, for a bit.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Last Weekend
We had a beautiful spring weekend – warm weather (although windy), sunshine, and no rain! And we were busy, but glad to have a chance to get out and enjoy it a bit too.
I went to a 6:00 am workout on Saturday morning, because of our busy day planned. Then we all went to a family birthday party for one of Jock’s nephews over breakfast. From there we raced to Kaylen’s first soccer game of the season. We were a bit chilly at first, but the sun came out about half-way through to warm us up. More on the soccer game later.
After lunch, Kaylen went to spend the afternoon and overnight with friends of ours. The little kids took naps (although Josephine didn’t sleep long enough and ended up having to return to bed later in the afternoon. Jock met with a contractor friend of ours about finishing our basement. My sister and 3.5 of her kids came to stay with us for the night, to be closer for my niece’s gymnastics meet pm Sunday, and to break up the driving a bit. The kids played outside on the trampoline while Amy and I visited.
We all went out for supper at HuHot – mmmmmm! Then my little two got showers and all the kids went to bed. Jock, Amy, and I stayed up late playing a board game (Anyone play Settlers of Catan?). Then Amy and I stayed up even later talking. Always nice to catch up with my sister!
Sunday we went to church/Sunday School. Amy and the kids left for the gymnastics meet before we got home. Then we had lunch plans with friends – this time BBQ at Smokey-D’s. We hadn’t tried there before. I liked their meat better, but their selection of sauces wasn’t as extensive as our regular BBQ place. We enjoyed it though, especially chatting with our friends over lunch!
Sunday afternoon – bring on the naps! Elijah & Josephine and I got in good naps. Kaylen just rested, and Jock worked on building a new swing set for the kids in our back yard. The main structure of the fort part is now complete and leveled - not sure what’s next. I made a quick supper for the kids (PB&J sandwiches and apple slices) before taking them to Awana. Then I went for a run while they were gone. After Awana, Kaylen helped us catch up with dishes from the weekend, while I got laundry started.
Crazy weekend - but I know there are more of those busy ones coming up these next several spring weekends, because of all the projects we have going on. It will be nice to have them accomplished though. :)
I went to a 6:00 am workout on Saturday morning, because of our busy day planned. Then we all went to a family birthday party for one of Jock’s nephews over breakfast. From there we raced to Kaylen’s first soccer game of the season. We were a bit chilly at first, but the sun came out about half-way through to warm us up. More on the soccer game later.
After lunch, Kaylen went to spend the afternoon and overnight with friends of ours. The little kids took naps (although Josephine didn’t sleep long enough and ended up having to return to bed later in the afternoon. Jock met with a contractor friend of ours about finishing our basement. My sister and 3.5 of her kids came to stay with us for the night, to be closer for my niece’s gymnastics meet pm Sunday, and to break up the driving a bit. The kids played outside on the trampoline while Amy and I visited.
We all went out for supper at HuHot – mmmmmm! Then my little two got showers and all the kids went to bed. Jock, Amy, and I stayed up late playing a board game (Anyone play Settlers of Catan?). Then Amy and I stayed up even later talking. Always nice to catch up with my sister!
Sunday we went to church/Sunday School. Amy and the kids left for the gymnastics meet before we got home. Then we had lunch plans with friends – this time BBQ at Smokey-D’s. We hadn’t tried there before. I liked their meat better, but their selection of sauces wasn’t as extensive as our regular BBQ place. We enjoyed it though, especially chatting with our friends over lunch!
Sunday afternoon – bring on the naps! Elijah & Josephine and I got in good naps. Kaylen just rested, and Jock worked on building a new swing set for the kids in our back yard. The main structure of the fort part is now complete and leveled - not sure what’s next. I made a quick supper for the kids (PB&J sandwiches and apple slices) before taking them to Awana. Then I went for a run while they were gone. After Awana, Kaylen helped us catch up with dishes from the weekend, while I got laundry started.
Crazy weekend - but I know there are more of those busy ones coming up these next several spring weekends, because of all the projects we have going on. It will be nice to have them accomplished though. :)
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