Seven Quick Takes

Go visit with Jen to read more Quick Takes!

 

~1~

Why won't men go to the doctor? It's a mystery I'm hoping to solve before I die. Superman has his yearly bout of bronchitis, but refuses to go in for the medication that will help. Instead he insists on powering through, and hopes that it will fix itself. This happens EVERY YEAR. And every year he refuses to go until it's bad enough he's actually starting to worry about pneumonia. Why, why, why does he always wait til it gets this bad? I need a man manual.

 

~2~

I spent most of yesterday in bed. My mother came to take my healthy kids Wednesday night just before their bedtime, kept them all night for me and let me spend yesterday recovering. I slept straight through until 10 a.m.- can't remember the last time I did that! I slept most of the afternoon too. I was hoping I'd feel better than this by this morning, but no such luck. I'm just as achy and grima s before. Maybe the get well vibes will work tomorrow. Thank goodness for my mom and her willingness to jump in to care for my kids so I could get some sleep yesterday.

~3~

Little Bit has a little bit more ornery in him than his brother. Okay, okay- he's the very definition of ornery.  Earlier this week when I was making breakfast for myself and the boys I realized that Little Bit was *very* quiet. I thought he had surely made his way upstairs so I went to the base of the stairs to call for him. After saying his name I heard mad splashing in the downstairs bathroom, which is about 5 steps away from me.

 

"Great- he's playing in the toilet." I think to myself. I went in ready to wash hands and give a little "we don't play in the potty" speech for the gazillionth time. But no- he's not playing in the toilet, he's using a little toy spoon to scoop toilet water into his mouth!

 

I'm really stringent about cleaning my bathrooms. My dishes may not be caught up every single day and I know my laundry isn't, but my toilets are. I still almost threw up when I saw him drinking toilet water- it certainly didn't help that I was already feeling ill.

 

Later on I was telling my mom what he'd been doing. She laughed- laughed!- and said, "He'll probably be your healthiest kid." I have caught the child licking shoes, putting rocks in his mouth, and one time I fished part of a ladybug out of his mouth- another gag inducing moment. Now I have to add drinking toilet water to the list. Boy, his future wife is in for a handful.

 

~4~

We will find out in the next few weeks whether or not my mother-in-law will be laid off from the job she has held for almost 30 years. She is almost certain she will be. She has survived many other layoffs with the company, but she says this time is different and she' almost 100% certain that she's on the chopping block. She was going to retire in 2 more years. So now she is in her mid-50s, and looking for work that will be difficult to find as her company will be laying off thousands, many with the same credentials that she has.

 

Superman and I both work in service industries, so we are thankful that work has been steady for us. I've been warned by 3 families of probably layoffs or cutbacks, and that music lessons would have to be one of the first things to go. I completely understand (food before music and all that) and I know this wouldn't be an easy decision for any of those families. Superman takes as much overtime as he can right now- we're trying to take nothing for granted.

 

~5~

Need cheap entertainment for your kids while you moan and groan on the couch? Close the curtains, turn off the lights and hand them each a flashlight. For the price of 4 double A batteries you can keep them busy for 20 minutes.

 

~6~

Age-old question: How much t.v. is too much t.v.? I know the APA recommendation is none under 2 years old, and very limited viewing after that. The boys usually watch 1 show a day so that I can get something done- a shower on the days that I work, and on the days I'm off they watch while I make dinner. Over this week they have watched an obscene amount of television. When this bug first hit over the weekend it seemed like we watched an unending loop of Backyardigans and Wonderpets thanks to the magic of the DVR. All anyone could do was lay around, so t.v. it was. And as I started to feel really sick on Wednesday that's what they did much of the day because it was all I could manage to supervise. After feeling guilty about it for awhile last night, I'm okay with it. We rarely watch that much television, we did what we had to do to make it through.

 

~7~

I'm just getting into the facebook thing. I found a friend I haven't seen since 10th grade- we were best friends for 5 years before I moved away. It's also been a good way to keep up with my siblings who are starting to scatter all over and the college friends that I exchange emails with every 4 or 5 months to catch up.

 

I knew I had to get into facebook when my dad called and told me he had just set his own page up. My DAD. And then he told me he was helping my mom with hers... It's highly embarassing to have my parents be more technically advanced than I am, so I had to go for it. I may be the last 27-year-old in America to sign up for facebook, but I'm there now.

Yuck

My first sign that Big Kid is sick? He asks for a nap.

My first sign that Little Bit is sick? He falls asleep while playing.

The first sign the grown ups are sick? You don't even want to know.

We're sick here, of the gross variety. Superman and Little Bit have the congestion, cough and runny nose, I have this really fun GI thing, and poor Big Kid has both. We all spent the weekend laying around (except for Little Bit, who has the continuous energy of a hummingbird even when ill) and no one is any better today. I canceled my teaching day but Superman started a new trainee today so he had to go in at least for a half day.

Trying to care for the children while sick yourself? So not cool. Big Kid is pretty miserable and hanging out on the couch watching t.v., but Little Bit is still running around like his usual self, although he is whining a lot while he plays, and complaining a lot about having his nose wiped. You would think he wouldn't have the energy to scale the bookcase today, but apparently that kind of energy just stays with you. If he ever lays around on the couch I'm sure it will signal an ER visit.

Seven Quick Takes

 

 Go see Jen for more Quick Takes!

 

~1~

We've been working on a lot of Valentine's Day related things around here- heart collages, chocolate-y treats, and heart shaped sandwiches are just the beginning! Today's project? Stained Glass Hearts.

 

~2~


I'm trying to figure out a good way to hang and store the boys' art work. I want to be able to hang it for a little while but still switch it out every few weeks for new work, so I don't think I want to go with framing. I do want something that will look nice though, not something that looks like we just pinned it up on a bulletin board or something. Any thoughts on this? As far as storage, right now I have a rubbermaid box that stores under my bed, one for each boy. Is there a better way to store their artwork?

 

~3~


I've been off most of this week. I gave 2 afternoons of makeup lessons and taught 2 large group classes, and it was a really nice break. We spent Wednesday in the kitchen, and today I plan to stay in the kitchen too. Can you believe I haven't baked any bread in a month? Big Kid loves to measure ingredients for me, and Little Bit is an excellent taste-tester, there just hasn't been much to measure or taste around here lately! I stocked up the pantry and the fridge on Wednesday in preparation for a big baking and cooking weekend. Mmmm...

 

~4~

I haven't sewn in a few weeks, but this post at Angry Chicken got me thinking in that direction again. Sew my own underwear? Make it fit however I please? Definitely intriguing.

 

~5~

I've been getting interested in embroidery lately. I know, I know- like I need another hobby, right? I can't help myself. Projects like this make me fall in love! I'm not even sure what exactly it is about those pillows that make me return again and again to the photos, but they are exciting to me.

 

~6~

Big Kid and I have been playing War a lot lately just with numbers 2-5.  It has helped him to better understand higher and lower numbers, and he loves it when our cards match and we get to have a war. The one difficult thing is that he's really disappointed if his card is lower than mine, so I suppose he's also having one of his first lessons on being a good sport, learning not to whine if his card is lower, but also not to gloat if his card is higher.

 

~7~

I had been doing really well with drinking water all week and keeping track of sugar and all that until Superman brought home a 12 pack of Coke. I've had 3 cans in the last 2 days. If it's in the house, I DRINK IT ALL! It's like it calls my name or something. I haven't even been drinking coffee in the morning! I asked him to take it in to work or something, or store it in his truck- anything to get it out of the house so I won't drink it all over the weekend.

Montessori in Our Home (Part Two)

I wrote here about the reasons I was drawn to Montessori and how I feel it fits our family and specifically the boys. I touched a bit on how it fits me, and I'd like to continue that today.



Routine

One of the things I like the most about Montessori is the sense of order and routine that it introduces to the child. The reason that appeals to me is that that is the way that Big Kid is built. He has a natural sense of routine that he relies on to make his world work. This is the way Superman works too, and frankly it's something I've had to get used to. My upbringing was the opposite of routine and organized so this is a skill I've had to learn throughout our marriage. I feel like Montessori's approach to routine, but still giving the choice is very important. Big Kid takes great comfort and satisfaction in the ordered portion of his work (always laying a mat to work on, putting things away before getting other things out), and the choices he has to make encourage him to reach out and take steps forward.



Organization

One of the things I've loved everytime I visit a Montessori classroom is the organization of the materials. Less on the shelves, very beautiful and inviting materials, always using a mat or carpet to work on- all these things organize not only the room but the child's thoughts and actions as well. The emphasis on using higher quality materials has been interesting. The idea is that the more beautiful the item the more irresistible it is to the child, but I wasn't sure that that would be true for my son. In fact, it is! It was a surprise to me, but we're making a big shift in the direction of investing in fewer items, but items of higher quality.

This kind of organization and reasoned placement of materials has affected how I organize all of my home. I've started organizing my own items with these ideas- having fewer things out, but more beautiful inviting things.

 

Practical Life

Presenting practical life skills to the child blew my mind a bit. The idea that you can show a child to wash a table with water and a sponge at 15 months old? I thought that was a little silly at first, but I tried with my youngest. He not only could do it, but he thought it was great fun and laughed much of the time. It's still one of his favorite works! Not only is it fun for him, but it improves his coordination and gets my table cleaner than it was before. I think that's a great combination!

For my 3-year-old some of the practical life skills are things we were working on anyway- dressing himself, working on buttons and zippers, and other kinds of personal care, so that part of seems to have fallen in place naturally for us. Some things, like pouring his own milk or water, had me a little nervous, but he does very well, and I can see the pride he has in being able to do it on his own. I was especially nervous about allowing a glass pitcher for him, but he treats it very carefully; I think if it was plastic he would not pour as accurately as he would treat the entire process a little more carelessly.

 

Montessori almost fills a need within myself in these areas, and that is admittedly part of the appeal. It has helped me to understand my older son a little better since he is so very ordered and structured in his personality. I'm understanding the whys behind his decisions in every day life now that I'm looking at it all from a more structured place. For my younger son, the "choices within limits" structure has been a good thing so far as well. He will learn to sit through an entire work  when he is able, but still to choose what interests him most.

I can't wait to see where Montessori takes us.

Inspiration

I'm working on some new work for the boys this week so I thought I'd share some of the inspiration I have for activities for Big Kid: 

 

Crystal posted about her day-of-the-week boxes at the end of this post. What an excellent suggestion for preschool quiet times!

 

I've been reading the coin activity posts over at Moveable Alphabet with interest. Big Kid is interested in money but not neccessarily math, so I'm thinking about extending the work he's done with money to include some of the suggestions listed here. Anything to get him started thinking about numbers!

 

I'm using this example of Valentine's Day Tic-Tac-Toe to make a more generic Tic-Tac-Toe board for Big Kid. Small bean bags are in the works, and we're off to the store for posterboard later this morning.

 

I'm also planning to teach Big Kid how to play the card game War. We're going to start with 2-5, then add cards as he gets to know the game better. We'll throw a couple of decks together to have a decent amount of cards, and see how it goes.

 

For Little Bit, I'm putting together a basket for tearing paper, a tub for washing dishes, and some new color matching materials. I also asked Superman to think about the possibility of making a low balance beam to walk on, but we have to consider storage for it first. I'm thinking it can hide out in the laundry room.

Goal Check-In

I've posted before about how I'm feeling stretched lately. I've been spending a lot of time knitting and thinking about what I really want from my life and how to make that happen. Superman and I find this topic coming up between us every few day, sometimes from my perspective, sometimes from his. I've been reflecting on my goals from the year too, and I have to say that I'm not regretting any of the goals I've set for this year. Usually something has shown up as really difficult by now, but the one really difficult thing on my list is one I'm determined to stick with.

1. Plant a garden this year and hopefully end up with edible produce. We're going ahead as planned! I've ordered seeds for the things that we need to have seeds for, and I've got my list ready for the transplants we will buy locally. I'm as ready as I'll ever be! We're deciding on containers this week, and then we're ready. Big Kid is tremendously excited.

2. Eat at-home prepared meals only for a week. This is going to happen sometime, but not until work slows down for both me and Superman- probably over the summer.

3. Read 20 fiction books this year. 0 down, 20 to go! I'm still working on Kushiel's Chosen if you can believe it or not- that is one huge book. I'm on page 344 out of 687 . . . I know, I know- It's already February and didn't I say I'd moved on from it? Well, I did, but I had to come back to finish because I just can't get the story out of my head. I am partly through Inkheart also, it's a faster lighter read than the other book. I'll catch up a bit when Rachel Caine's new book gets here and with some of the young adult fiction I'm planning to read this year.

4. Start Bible memory with Big Kid and build it into a habit. I actually got a few cards made for him over the weekend and we are starting today.

5. Keep my nightstand area completely clear for 30 days except for vitamins, Bible and 1 current book. This hasn't happened yet, but it will be happening soon.

6. Keep/Toss/Donate 15 items each day for 30 days. Done! And the house feels lighter. :)

7. Move systematically through the house to declutter and re-organize. I'm working on our living/dining room this month, a little bit at a time. It comes down to a few big projects- properly containing all of my sewing and knitting things,keeping school related items and crafting items contained properly, and then general tidiness. I'm still trying to find a solution to our "hot spot" - the dining room table. It collects all kinds of things, and it is NEVER clear, even if I've tried to really focus on it for a few days. It has become the catch-all for anything that has no home or is in transition (needs to go upstairs or to the studio). Next up after the living room is the master bedroom.

8. Drink water. Make juice an occasional thing and soda a rare thing. THIS is the really difficult thing. I'm doing either really well or really horribly at this on a given day- like I drink only water for several days in a row and then I have a few days where practically all I drink is soda. It has helped a lot that we haven't been buying any soda to keep in the house, but I'm pretty easily convinced to stop for a drink at one of the fast food places we drive by every single time we go out anywhere.

9. Move to using as many fresh ingredients as possible in our cooking. This is harder to do right now because of the season, but we haven't bought any pre-packaged meals in the last month, so we HAVE to make meals. It has resulted in a few "sandwhich nights", but I'm getting better at planning ahead for meals.

10. Re-evaluate my goals every 3 months. I think I'm going to try to check in every month. I need to keep focused on some of these things, and checking in is what keeps me on track.

Beyond Homemaking Daybook

Weather: This morning has been a rude awakening after being treated to 65 degree days for the last 2 days! We spent a lot of time at the park on Friday and Saturday- the perfect treatment for the overabundant energy my boys have.

This Week: I'm working a short schedule this week- hooray! I teach a group performance class this week that all students attend, so the only private lessons I have are those who need makeup lessons  due to illness. This is the busy season for Superman so he's grabbing as much overtime as he can right now around his school schedule. It will help to offset the slower weeks that come toward the end of the year. He's not home very much right now- we miss him!

Current Fiction Read: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, and Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey.



Current Non-Fiction Read: Bountiful Container by McGee and Stuckey.

Craftiness: Still dishcloths while I'm trying to figure out what to knit for a non-traditional baby shower gift.

Learning at home: We're focusing on Valentine's Day this week. Big Kid is going to be working on making and sending Valentines, plus we have a few Valentine crafts and treats to make.

New Work: No new Montessori work this week, though I've been thinking about adding a flower arranging work, drawing inspiration from My Montessori Journey.

In Other News . . . My brother called last night to tell us that he and his wife are expecting their first baby! I'm the oldest of nine; 6 of us are married, 1 is getting married in May, and I'm the only one with children so far. We're excited to have a cousin around here!

Seven Quick Takes: Kid Edition

Go check out other Quick Takes at Jen's Place.

 

~1~

We have been more or less unschooling around here lately. Their montessori work is available to them on the shelves, books are in baskets waiting to be read, but I haven't had the energy for new presentations or really hands-on work this week. Big Kid has a collection of Kumon workbooks that he loves so I pulled those out for him and let him choose whichever page he wanted. So he wrote a variety of uppercase letters, worked a few mazes, and traced shapes. He used the measuring tape to measure his favorite book, his blanket and the hardest object of all- his little brother. One of the funniest things I've seen in awhile is Big Kid chasing his brother saying, "hold still! I just want to measure you!" and the little one running away laughing hysterically.

 

~2~

If you were having your first baby girl and you weren't really a girly-girl yourself, what would you prefer as a knitted gift? I'm trying to figure out what to make for a friend and she doesn't like very traditional things, definitely not pink and purple. I've looked at several kimono patterns, mary jane type booties, hats... and nothing is jumping out at me. Ideas? Ravelry links?

 

~3~

I asked Big Kid what he thought I should blog about tonight. His words of wisdom,

"Blog? I don't really think that's a word, Mama. I think you mean log."

I laughed, because how can you not? I tried to explain what a blog was, but he shook his head. "I think you're confused. A log is made of WOOD, not in a computer."

 

~4~

Big Kid has been looking over the seed catalogues with me over the last few weeks and lending his own advice about which things he likes best, specifically about which color flowers he likes. He wants a completely yellow flower garden since yellow is his favorite color. I asked him what he thought his brother might like and he said, "well, he yellow is his favorite too." I'd like to know how he knows that!

 

~5~

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but Little Bit does not speak yet. He's 19 months old today, and not a word. He has said about 4 words in the last few months, and each time he's used that word a handful of times over a few days and then not a peep since. I haven't been terribly worried until the last few days. He's stopped signing completely and he's not babbling anymore. He is still a very active kid and definitely makes his needs known. He'll go pat the fridge if he wants a drink, he can follow directions to go sit in his chair for meals or to get a certain toy, he does puzzles and plays like a normal child. He interacts with us, just not verbally. I can see his sense of humor in there waiting to get out.

 

~6~

I think we may be through the sleep hurdle with Little Bit. This has consumed my mind since before Thanksgiving- that is how long it had been since he's slept through the night. Notice the nice use of past tense in the last sentence- he's slept through the night for 3 nights in a row now! Be very quiet so he doesn't hear us even *thinking* about the possibility that he's sleeping decently.

 

~7~

What do you do when the work you'd like to do isn't on the shelf? Why, you ask your mother to make it! Big Kid asked me a few days ago if I would make him a cutting basket like we've had before, so I cut some strips of construction paper for him and he chopped them up- finishing the whole basket in one sitting. So I drew a few shapes for him to cut out the next day and he polished them off in the next day also! So for today I've made some swirl type patterns, and we'll see if he can follow along with those.

Artist at 27

When I started college I was newly 18, a music major looking to do something big with myself. I'd been blessed with amazing performance opportunities in high school and had already worked professionally for a few years. I planned to be with my band for a long time and I loved performing just as much as I loved the geekitude of music theory and composition. I didn't have the clearest map carved out in my mind, but I knew I had places to go and I planned to hit as many stops as possible along the way.

 

I didn't account for possibly meeting Superman. Or that marriage thing that I so often said I'd never do.

 

So I did another thing I said I'd never do- I began to teach. At first it was about making a living. As a musician you only have a few real sources of income before you have to resort to a "real job" and teaching private students is the best chance for a steady income. I started out with just a few kids and to my surprise I kind of liked it. I learned more about pedagogy and teaching methods and found that I liked it even more.

 

Here I am almost 10 years later closing in on 28, married and raising 2 kids, running a business full-time, and nary a performance in sight . . . how did that happen? 27 was originally intended to be a lot of late nights and equally late mornings, playing gigs, writing music, and generally being an artistic type.

 

At least I was partially right 10 years ago. I am having a lot of late nights (thanks to Little Bit) and I am writing a lot of music (though for a teaching project, not gigs). Performances are now given by Big Kid and Little Bit- Big Kid accepts applause for a job well done, Little Bit prefers laughter. My artistic side has moved into sewing and knitting, lesson planning, baking and crafting with littles. There are very few late mornings- Little Bit is far too excited to start each day to wait until a respectable waking hour, so we start early and quietly. He's right- there is too much fun to be had each day to sleep hours after sunshine hits.

 

This year has been a "quarter-life crisis" for me, as Superman calls it. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I want from my life, thinking back on all the changes, what I used to love and desire, trying to sort out my current wants. I've felt for awhile that I want to perform again, that I want to get back to some of that old life. But then the opportunity actually presented itself just a few weeks ago and I had to truly consider what I wanted and what is important to me. I was amazed to find that this opportunity confirmed the present-day truth- I am exactly where I want to be right now.

 

Maybe it isn't artistic or musical or anywhere close to where I imagined a decade back, but perfect for right now.