Wordless Wednesday: Pure Energy

Playing Games- A Learning Process

The first few times Miss Moo and I tried to play a game together, it wasn't so successful. She was more interested in reaching the final goal - whatever that was - and I was more interested in being sure she followed the directions properly.

In a lot of cases, we would both end up frustrated. She didn't understand why she couldn't just walk her person around the board or build her city. I wasn't sure why she couldn't just follow the directions.

So, I took a step back- from the games we had, from the places we played, and from the rules.

A New Start

Yesterday, we went to look for a new game to play while we wait for Baby Boy to arrive and in the days following when I won't be able to go up and down the stairs all the time. Even though I tried to steer her away, she kept gravitating toward Cootie. When I conceded- she HUGGED the box.

After nap time yesterday, we opened Cootie in our bedroom floor. Miss Roo sat in my lap. Moo asked me what the paper said to do and we began to play according to the rules. Soon, I could see that Moo was frustrated and Roo had lost interest. I didn't want this game to end up like the others so I put the paper and the die away.  I let them finish their bugs and we cleaned up to head downstairs for dinner.

Tonight after dinner, Moo suggested that we play "sumping" together before books and sleepy nap time. I suggested that we play Cootie. She seemed hesitant at first; once we were washed, brushed, and jammied she was ready to go.

Rather that start the game, I simply got all the pieces out and placed them on our bed- not on the floor. Moo looked at me and asked to build her bug. I told her to go ahead and I reached for a head and body without rolling the die. She seemed a little confused at first but then reached for the pink bug. The three of us started adding pieces and taking them apart. We counted legs, we laughed at silly head, lip, and eye combinations, and we giggled as heads fell off.

Moo building her Cootie.

Soon I noticed something - we were each taking turns with the die and then taking a piece to add to our bug after counting the number on the die.

Roo rolling the die.

Mama Learning

It's in moments like these that I realize that I am just as much a participant in the education of my children as I am a leader. I don't always have the answers or do the right thing. But, I do look to my children for clues into how they best learn and how the enjoy their playtime and "school time". I don't want our homeschooling journey to become more about "doing school at home" than it is about educating them in the best way possible for each of them. 

I never liked Cootie growing up, but after tonight, it's becoming a new favorite for me.

Motherhood is an Education

Tonight was a good start for each of us. Moo and I have been giving each other a lot of "Start Overs" lately- when we leave a store where were had a disagreement and we load into the van, when we reunite after a grumpy nap time sendoff, after a time out or a raised voice. We give cuddles, share a smile, and agree to start over again. She has taught me that we need "Start Overs" in our homeschooling lesson just as much as our routines, disciple, and general life.

My children are teaching me so much more than I could ever possibly teach them.  That is the biggest blessing of Motherhood.

Like Father, Like Daughter....

If there is ANY question who Miss Moo favors, look NO further.

Daddy sent this to her:

And she sent this back:

Is there any wonder why I love them so? Happy Friday! Wer're off to the Midwives this afternoon- will there be a baby this weekend? Updates tonight :)

Mama Splurged!

Self  portrait in the van.

Today, with the help of our fantastic friend Lizbet, the girls and I went to lunch, Colonial Williamsburg, and the Carter's outlet. I was trying to kill many birds with one stone. Starting with Miss Roo.

This year for Roo's birthday we are doing a few small gifts and one large "experience" gift.  Her gifts (big girl panties, cloth pull ups, a baby wearing sling, a Vera duffel that I got on super-ultra sale, and a rainbow wand) are already purchased and together ready to be wrapped. We plan on going to Busch Gardens for the day and taking her to eat lunch with Elmo and play in "Elmo-Land" (as they call) it to celebrate the big 2.

She is much more girlie than Miss Moo was at this age and is constantly trying to take her sister's sterling silver bracelet and any of my Yurman bracelets she can reach. In an effort to keep gifts to a minimum, we asked NanaPop to get her the same bracelet as her sister.  I went to Colonial Williamsburg to grab one while we were already there and to give the girls some time to stretch their legs, see some history, have a small adventure, and look for horses. We didn't see any horses, sadly, but we DID see a very cute and very dirty sheep.

After gathering some spring summer clothes for the girls at Carter's, Lizbet offered to sit in the van while I took 15 minutes ALONE in a store. I chose J. Crew and entered giddily. I spotted a dress that can be worn three ways - long halter, short halter, and as a skirt! It's cotton, stretchy, coral, and perfect for nursing in! Not only was it an outlet price but it was also 40% off the ticket price!!  Finding the dress took less than 5 minutes. Deciding to actually BUY it took well over 10.

But, I splurged and grabbed it for myself.  I will be able to wear "real" clothes and have belly free dates again with my husband very soon. So, it didn't seem too terribly frivolous. At least that's what I'm still telling myself. We then headed home with a van full of giggles from the backseat - for a few minutes.

Thanks to LizBet for snapping this photo for me! :) 

The girls, by the way, had a GREAT time.

Wordless Wednesday : Double Feature

A Simple Sanity Saver Before Dinner

In our house, we begin dinner between 6:00 pm and 6:15 pm most nights, unless Drew's work day has been hectic and I've adjusted times accordingly. Generally, this means I start cooking around 5:00 pm and the girls are asked to play in the Play Room while I do so. Although they have matured a little in the last few months, leaving them to their own devices in the playroom for 45 minutes or more results in hurricane like forces turning the room upside down. This has forced me to rethink the way I cook dinner and the resources and activities avaliable to them during "the witching hour."

Sometimes it is play dough, tools, and cookie cutters. They both enjoy the tactile experice of playdough and often are cooking just like I am at the time. Sometimes, we pull out the magnetic paper dolls. Miss Moo can sit and play with those for hours- switching outfits back and forth among the dolls, creating stories around their outfits, and creating dialog among the dolls themselves.  Miss Roo isn't as entertained with these dolls for as long as Moo tends to be, so I usually supplement the magnet dolls for her with a few books to "read", some blocks or legos to build with the dolls, or some small animals from our felt farm.

But my best tool is the art station. We have a little organizer from Ikea that hold all our paper, crayons, stickers, markers, and other various creative goodies. Some nights they get stickers, crayons,  and construction paper. Others, they washable markers and activity placemats. Sometimes they get huge pieces of paper and they make their placemats for dinner.*

Art is a great outlet for most people, but especially for little children. Allowing them to explore without instruction and expectation yield a great learning experience of creation for process sake rather than forced product. Moo has moved from scribbles to creating snowmen, animals, people, and forming letters on her own. Roo now repeats the way to make letters, such as "up down up down" for a M, even if she doesn't make the letter at the time. Her scribbles are starting to be more controlled and she's interested in using more than one color of crayon, marker, etc.

Giving them this freedom, and often sitting to color and create while I can if something is boiling or roasting, has made our dinner transition much easier. The girls look forward to our art nights and I look forward to the gentle time I see them spending together. They are learning to share without an adult sitting right with them. They color and create on one another's papers and occasionally together.

I am learning how to allow them to explore without feeling the need to interrupt in order to teach or direct. I'm also using their creations as a way to foster their love of art by asking questions in a supportive way - "That's beautiful! Would you tell me about your picture?" rather than "What is this a picture of?" 

So give it a try- grab the kids, some big paper, and set them at the table. Ask them to make a placemat for themselves for dinner. Let them create. Ask them about their picture. Start a pre-dinner tradition.

What simple solutions do you use for your "witching hour?" Do you ever participate with your children?

The Diapers are READY!* - Cloth Diapering a Newborn

Cloth diaper storage for Baby B.

We are 95% cloth diapering family. There are times when we have/do use disposables. Every time I do, however, I lament that I have the girls in disposables rather than cloth. We decided to continue cloth diapering with Baby Boy. With Miss Moo, we had a diaper service for the first 7 months.

Cloth Moo.

With Miss Roo, we did more disposable that I care to admit because we didn't have enough diapers at the time to keep two in cloth and I didn't have a diaper sprayer when she was born.

Cloth Roo.

Where to Start

Now that all of those issues have been solved, we are charging full steam ahead into newborn cloth diapering. I was on a bit of a learning curve this time, so I did some research to see what was recommended in terms of  the number of inserts and covers we needed, AIO's vs. prefolds (vs flats vs AI2), brand name inserts vs. "generic", and suggested rotation cycles. 

There is A LOT of information out there about cloth diapering. If you aren't familiar with CDing at all and just decide to do a "simple" Google search, you could lose your mind. I know I was beyond overwhelmed as a first time mom and it doesn't always get easier. I highly recommend finding a friend or online community that supports and uses CD's. 

Resources 

Here are a few resources you could use:

Getting Started with Cloth Diapers by Kate Tietje, Modern Alternative Mama

The Cloth Diaper Report

The Blog at Diaper Junction, a local diaper store I use a great deal.

Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom's Guide To Modern Cloth Diapering on Facebook


Our Plan

At First, At Home

Covers and prefolds in the top drawer.

After all my re-research and experience, we decided to initally use prefolds in Thirsties covers. We had quite a few from Miss Moo and wanted to build upon what we had. I want to be able to wash diapers every 2-3 days, so we have 13 (because I can't count when I order) newborn (x-small) size covers. I used reward points from Diaper Junction to build our stash. 

For inserts, I purchased all 29 newborn size Bumpkins prefolds that our local store, Franklin Goose, had in stock the day I was there. Nana also had 9 leftover Carter's cloth diapers she had purchased as burp cloths when Moo was born. I brought those home to supplement my stash. I also purchased some cloth inserts from Babies R Us - a pack of "girl" and a pack of "boy" diapering totalling 8. These diapers are the colors of the rainbow and I plan to use the color as a warning that I need to wash diapers when I see them pop up in the rotation.

At First, On the GO

Additional prefolds and Newborn AIO's in the 2nd drawer.

Even thought I have been using cloth diapers when out and about for over 3 years, I still look for ways to simplify it. I especially need it simple with both Baby Boy and Miss Roo in diapers and the possibility for accidents from an almost potty trained Moo. I decided that rather than dealing with inserts, covers, and folding when out, I was going to get some newborn AIO's.  We use Bum Genius pocket diapers and GroVia hybrid diapers with Roo (and did with Moo), so I started there. I found that the GroVia newborn AIO's were well reviewed, avaliable locally, and well costructed. Using reward points, I purchased 4 to use when we are out of the house in the first month or two to make his diaper changes quicker and easier.

After the "Newborn" Stage

I have 6 small size Thirsties covers. We can move to those as grows, his nursing habits level out, and we learn his schedule/ routines. I can double up the newborn size inserts to use in them. I also bought 3 GroVia AIO's to use when he outgrows the newborn size until he's big enough for the GroVia Hybrids and the Bum Genius pocket diapers.

And, Just in Case
Roo had TINY hips when she was born. There was no way for us to use any of the cloth diapers that we had on her because her hips were just too small. We had to use Preemie disposable diapers on her for almost a month even though she was gaining weigh because she was just too tiny for anything else. So, with this knowledge, our last drawer holds this:

The bottom drawer.

The next step cloth diapers are stored with some Newborn disposables and some Lansinoh wipes, just in case. Like I said, we're a 95% cloth diapering family and I recognize that we will use a disposable on occasion. And, just like I do every time we use them now with the girls, I will curse them for the leaks, the blow outs, and the mess each time he wears them.


Now, On to the Diaper Bag
Cloth diapering always presents a problem of space when on outings and traveling. So I did some research and ordered a FANTASTIC diaper bag for the cloth diapering Mama. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to read all about it! ;) 



*Okay, they have been for a while. I've just been forgetting to haul the camera upstairs for the last month or so ;) 

Wordless Wednesday: Flashback

Explaining Homebirth to the Girls

Image by K. Mochel.

When Drew and I made the decision to have this little boy at home, there were a lot of discussions to be had. We had to be sure we were both okay with the decision. We had both sets of parents to tell and answer a few questions. We had some friends that we wanted to tell in person due to our feeling they might be a tad  - apprehensive -  about the idea. And, of course, we had two little girls to tell.

I struggled with how to tell the girls that Mommy was having a baby at home. We started with Miss Moo, who at 3 has a better understanding of the physiology of the birth process than her sister. She has also experienced a sibling addition before- although I don't know if she truly remembers it or not.  Miss Roo has been present for all the discussions and questions. We've also done a lot of talking to her about her Baby Brother in my belly and his inevitable arrival in our home.

I wanted a little more support in our education process, so I purchased the book We're Having a Homebirth! This fantastic little book is written by the fantastic Kelly Mochel and is available through her website as well as Amazon. If you don't know about it, check out her site and keep reading!

We're Having a Homebirth! is a fantastic little book, narrated by a little girl who's mama is about to have a baby. It explains concepts such as prenatal visits, early labor, transition and delivery, as well as the initial postpartum hours in a simple, concise way that is easy for little children to understand. The images are vivid, modern, eye catching, and simple. (More sample pages can be found here.)

The size of the book is PERFECT for little hands that want to "read" it on their own or closely investigate the action in the illustrations. Moo often asks to read our copy after breakfast and before "school" time starts. She loves pointing out that the new Baby Brother is eating the Mommy's boobies like she and her sister did. She also asks new questions every time we read it,
"Will my baby brother cry a lot?"
"Can I help you take care of him?"
"Will my Baby Brother want to cuddle with me?"

This book has been instrumental in helping her understand what is going on with my body, her Baby Brother's body, and the steps of the impending birth happening in our home. It also gives her a way to be involved "I can make him a birthday cake!!" and the opportunity to ask questions in a comfortable setting by sitting with us to read it.

I highly recommend this little book for your own collection, your midwife's, your doula's, and any (and all ;) ) of your friends! Please feel free to ask any questions you have - but most importantly grab this book!  Although the homebirth community is growing, it's still a small one. We all need to support one another and pass along all the help and information we can!

Friday Fun - Daddy is Pretty Awesome!

Every little girl loves Daddy. After all, he is a first love, a hero, and the best cuddler on the planet.

But who wouldn't love a Daddy that not only fixes the eye on your Sparkly Pony, but also gives her an eye patch to heal?!?!

Pirate Moo was a happy girl when this met her at breakfast the next morning:

My girls are lucky to have him as their Daddy.

My son will love his Dad and look up to him.

And I continue to thank God for all the blessings he has provided us. Especially my husband.

Mommy Guilt - I Worry They Don't Learn Enough

Sometimes, I worry that I'm not teaching my girls enough. Our structured school time isn't happening as often as I'd like it to be. We do "school" 2-3 days a week. I try to remind myself that if they were in preschool, that would be exactly the same amount they would receive there, but its not easy for me to accept. I feel like I fail on any day that we don't sit down to a table to have school.

Playing magnet paper dolls with Daddy.

We do lots of learning that isn't traditional by many people's standards. We cook- measuring, mixing, applying heat, timing dishes. We do laundry- sorting colors, following directions, learning processes and being able to repeat them, gross motor skills. We color a LOT. We build a lot. We role play a lot, especially with their magnet paper dolls. And we follow whatever interests the girls display on a given week - maps, sharks, butterflies. We read, discuss, and talk CONSTANTLY.

However, I spend time worrying that they aren't learning what they "should" be at their ages. Miss Moo can count and do simple addition and subtraction, but she still struggles to recognize and identify numbers correctly. For Miss Roo, every color is blue- so she is occasionally correct when we do color matching but seems to have problems retaining the correct colors long term. 

And then, there are days like today. While on a trip to gather a stockpile for the pantry from Trader Joe's, Moo saw a dotted circle around a logo on a can. She picked it up, pointed at it and said, "Mommy look! We need to trace this line!" She then played with another girl her age at the mall play area and was able to interact,communicate, and lead with no problems. She assisted in counting and unpacking all our goods and telling me how many were left and where they belonged in our pantry. She also sat down with her Tag Reader and attempted to read with it as Tinker Bell shared her story.

For Roo, we talked about colors constantly on our errands, but she rarely got them correct. Walking into Hobby Lobby feeling deflated as a mother, she looked up and saw an E in the words on the side of the building. She told me that E stood for her.
"Good job, Roo! What about Moo?"
"M is for Moo Moo!"
"Yes, and who else?
"MOMMY!!"
"Good job, Baby Girl! And what about Daddy?"
"D for Daddy!!"

So, yes, we could do more structured learning. I could force them to sit daily and memorize more facts and standards at the ages of almost 3.5 and almost 2. We could play with flash cards in a standard manner, only follow a set, recommended curriculum, and ignore the interests, learning styles, and strengths our girls display. Or, we could keep doing what we're doing, spend as much time together as we can, and realize that my little girls will only be little for a short time. I want to enjoy it with them rather than worrying that we're lacking in our learning time together.

They're learning and that's the goal.

My Girl is Home!

Miss Moo is home. She and her sister have been running around screaming ALL NIGHT.

Thankful for a bedtime full of girls. And also for the quiet it brings. :)

My Heart Is Spread Across the State

This morning, Miss Moo had gymnastics as usual. She was a little sad that Miss Roo was going with us  and she'd miss Mommy time but seemed to warm to the idea when she saw I was packing a few of her favorite toys, along with her "Punzel" blanket and a mysterious duffle bag, into the cargo area of the van.  She was even happier when we piled into the van after gymnastics to run errands and I pulled her baby doll from the back for her to play with. After a quick stop at Target for some random items I wouldn't have been able to explain (and thankfully she didn't ask) we traveled off to a mystery location for lunch.

We arrived and the 3 of us went in to grab a table. What was going on? Why weren't we eating? Suddenly I pointed out the window and who appeared???

NANAPOP!!!

A surprise lunch with NanaPop! And the news that she was going home with them ALONE! If a 3 year old can glow, my daughter did for a solid hour. She talked with all of us. She told me lots about what she planned to do. We played with her baby together for a bit. Then Roo and I loaded in the van to gas up and head home and Moo climbed into NanaPop's backseat. There were no tears from children nor from me - because I kept myself distracted by planning the rest of the afternoon in my head.

Roo and I returned to town to hit the baby store for some nursing and car seat items for Baby Boy and the pet store for food for Lady. Moo went to the grocery store with NanaPop to select some juice and fruit and then to their house to play with a new mermaid (be still her heart!). We spoke on the phone a few times. The 3 of us went to dinner together- very different from our normal family outings.

Now Drew and Roo are sleeping in Moo's bed- bedtime was a little different, too. I'm sitting here pondering how my heart can stretch so much for my girls - and how it will possibly be able to stretch more in April.

My heart is spread across the state tonight. My girls are happy, healthy  and surrounded by love. Sometimes I can't believe all the blessings in my life.

Wordless Wednesday: Moo and Lady

Snow Much Fun!

Thursday night brought us our first "snow" of the year.  I use quotes on snow because it started as ice pellets so it wasn't the delightfully fluffy and packable stuff I prefer to play in. The last two winters haven't provided us with much of the white stuff, so the 4.7 of us headed outside with Miss Lady to enjoy it while we could! Here are some of our pictures.

Our snowman was more of a snow penguin.

Happy Saturday! Enjoy your weekend with your family!

Fairy Fun!

Miss Moo has been VERY enamored with fairies lately. We have been talking about them, playing with them (Disney ones are at our fingertips -it's time for Mama to get crafty!), learning about them, and looking for them. So far, they have only visited at night but they have left us some GREAT stuff!

Gold Doubloons

We love all things pirate-y at our house and in the fall Miss Moo and I made some simple gold doubloons with food coloring, wooden disks, and a Halloween stamp. However, they weren't really special because they didn't glisten and sparkle. Moo asked me how we could make them sparkly and I told her we'd have to ask the Fairies. She forgot about it for a week or so - and then the Fairies (using some glitter glue, I think ;) ) left her a treat!

The Fairies left behind some Fairy Dust!

A doubloon.

Look at that sparkle!

Dust

Moo also left a note a few nights later asking for some Pixie dust. Now we have determined that since the Fairies brought it, it is Fairy Dust- but either way she was OVERJOYED to see it on her chalkboard.

Can you see the sparkly "mess" they leave when they fly? ;) 

A Little Tea Party

Apparently, Fairies also like to party - tea party that is!!

Look at those tiny, Fairy cups! So resourceful, those Fairies!! ;)

Next Week

I'm not sure what our Fairy friends will be up to next week- but it might have something to do with special, magic markers, a treasure hunt, and some new friends! Stay tuned!

This Weekend - We Play!!

We are all finally feeling better- even NanaPop! They're here! 

We are looking forward to using the warm weather to get some Vitamin D, fresh air, and plenty of playtime. We're thinking of going to a local park and perhaps Lewis Ginter.  Miss Moo wants to go play in the sand and visit the fairy house in their Garden Keeper's Cottage.

Here's what it looks like:

Both girls love mermaids, but Moo is particularly interested in Fairies as of late. Perhaps visiting this little house will get all of our creative juices flowing. I've thought about making a Fairy wand or a Fairy bed for visitors. We'll see where the weekend takes us!

What do you have planned for fun this weekend? Do you let you kids take the lead from time to time?

Wordless Wednesday: Mama's Russian Nesting Doll

Giving my baby girl one of my childhood treasures makes my soul smile.

Sometimes, We Get Faith Right

The girls were very excited about Christmas this year - Miss Moo in particular. At the age of 3, all of the magic surrounding the holidays was buzzing in her head. Questions about Jesus and God, Santa Claus, and other holiday icons surfaced daily. I tried my best to explain that Santa would bring presents if she was good, but not to focus on it. I don't want to deprive my children of the experience of Santa in any way, but I also don't want to use it as the only reason for her to given generously and love unconditionally.

We used several tools to keep the true magic of Christmas alive. We read from The Jesus Storybook Bible. We played with our Little People Nativity. I invested some money in some fabulous books for bedtime. Among them were:

• Christmas in the Manger by Nola Buck
• God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa T. Bergren
• Humphrey's First Christmas by Carol Heyer
• Song of the Stars:A Christmas Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones
• Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell

We also talked about Jesus as much as we could. We talked about how he was a baby that grew up to love us all unconditionally. We talked about how God was his Daddy but Joseph was his daddy that lived with him. We talked about how he grew in his Mommy Mary's belly like her baby brother is growing in mine. And we talked about his birth.

We used all our nativities a lot. We talked about the people present in them and why they were there. We talked about why Jesus was born in a manger and why we celebrate Christmas when we do. I knew that some parts were sinking in where others might not be. She understood who the kings were but not really why they came or when. She understood that Jesus was God's son and that he was born on Christmas Day. But she didn't seen to understand why Christmas was such a celebration. Or so I thought.

One day were were wrapping presents for her cousins and she asked me if Jesus was coming for his birthday. I explained that he was always with us but that he would spend his birthday with God in Heaven. She wanted to know why we got presents if He didn't get any. I explained that we exchange gifts to remember his love for us and how we should all love one another. I told her it wasn't really about the presents that we received, but the love that we gave to all of those in our lives. I also told her that it was really a day about Him.

She thought for a moment and then said,

"Mommy, if we can't give Jesus a present, we need to bake him a cake. It's his birthday but he has a  party for all of us."

And so we did.

Wordless Wednesday - Why Moo is getting a REAL one for Christmas