At my house we have a quiet time. It is something that I feel the need to enforce because it gives me a much needed break time, and the kids some alone time.
My apartment is a 3 bedroom. In the current set up we have a master bedroom; the kids room, which has a toddler bed, crib and dresser in it; and the guest room/playroom, which has a twin size day bed (do they come in any other size?), the toys and a pack-n-play.
Up until today this worked fine. I put Guy down for a nap in the pack-n-play, and let Cinderella have her "quiet time" that usually isn't all that quiet, in her room. Cinderella hasn't taken an afternoon nap on a regular basis for quite a while. Guy however takes, and needs them, daily. Hence why I put them in separate rooms for this hour of the day.
Well today, I put them down for quiet time, then I sat down to the computer. They were down for probably about 40 min. when Guy came marching out of the playroom, dragging his blankets behind him looking so proud of himself. At first I figured that Cinderella had snuck in there and pulled him out so they could play. I asked her where she was, and she came out of her room. So I figured out that he had climbed out of the pack-n-play all on his own. I had it at the end of the day bed, so I guessed that he had somehow used the daybed to climb out. So I moved the pack-n-play and put him back inside. Not too much longer I heard a thud, and the sound of him moving around the room. Now his timing is terrible, because we are planning on going to my Father-in-law's house for Thanksgiving. Always when we go, Guy sleeps in the pack-n-play. Now I'm wondering what is going to happen when we put him down for bed, and he decides to climb out, in a place he isn't as familiar with.
The other thing is our regular bed situation. Guy sleeps in the crib, and Cinderella sleeps in the toddler bed. I am afraid that my little climber, now that he knows he can climb out of the pack-n-play, isn't going to give up until he figures out how to climb out of the crib too. And it is a lot higher up.
We have been planning on moving the kids to the next size bed anyway, but the timing is off. Cinderella hates change. And by her choice, she doesn't want to give up "her" bed. So the plan was, I am making her a Disney Princess quilt for the twin size bed for Christmas, and she is getting a set of Disney Princess Sheets that are twin size for her birthday, which is right after Christmas. I was hoping those things would make her excited to switch beds. Well now I'm wondering if I can wait a month, or if that will be too risky for Guy.
Oh and the other part of the equation is trying to figure out which beds go in which rooms, when the kids upgrade. I'm not sure what will fit together. So I need to get on the ball, and figure out a solution.
Any suggestions? Would you wait a month? Is there some way you would try to convince Cinderella to switch beds without some way to identify it as hers? Oh and how would you handle quiet time without the pack-n-play? I know your kids (if you have kids) are not my kids, and respond in different ways, but I would welcome any ideas right now.
tracker
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Long Nights
About mid September Cinderella came down with a cough. I figured she had a cold, and didn't worry too much about it. This cough was one that sounded to me, one that she would try to clear her throat and start coughing. It was a loud and disruptive cough, but not one that the Dr. seemed concerned about. She was even removed from her children's class in church one week, because she was causing too much of a disruption with her cough.
Well the cough has been pretty consistent since then. She has had other colds, that have built upon it, at times. But those pass, and the cough remains. Last week, I took her into the Dr. to have him check it again, and make sure it wasn't something serious. He didn't seem concerned. When I asked if it could be allergies, she said that was a possibility, and I could try children's Claritin, and see if it helped at all. Benadryl was another option, but not his preference. So on my way home from the Dr.'s office, I stopped by the store and bought some Claritin. That night, when we went to give her some however, we discovered that the bottom of the bottle had busted open. So that night we gave her Benadryl, and exchanged the Claritin the next day. The Benadryl seemed to help, and she slept well. The Claritin, however did nothing. About that time, both Cinderella and Guy came down with runny noses. I figured that the Claritin wasn't doing much because she maybe had a cold on top of the allergies. We tried one more night of Claritin, but still received no results.
On Friday, Cinderella's cough, changed to a loud barking one, with some wheezing. I was concerned about this, but because it was about lunch time when I really noticed the change, I didn't think we could get into the Dr. that day. I put Cinderella down for quiet time. Hoping she would maybe take a nap, and it would help her feel better. When I went in a few minutes later however, she told me she was going to throw up. So we went to the bathroom, where she coughed a few times, then told me, she wasn't going to throw up, just needed to cough a lot.
I still had some children's cold and cough, that I had purchased before that kind of medicine was pulled off the shelves for children under 6. I'm not big on using meds that are recalled. But because the main reason for the recall, as far as I understand was parents overdosing their kids, and this bottle had a written dosage for children 2-6. I figured I would risk it, and see if it helped.
Well this medication didn't do anything either. When Cinderella finished her quiet time, which unfortunately didn't include a nap, she had a low grade fever. And the cough was as prevalent as ever. I was really concerned, because I couldn't think of anything I could do for this cough. That night I asked my husband if he could give her a blessing. (Using the priesthood, which we believe is God's authority, to say a special prayer for the individual. We believe that priesthood blessings, is a way for God to speak through the person giving the blessing, to pronounce His blessings on that individual. The man giving the blessing, has to be ordained in the priesthood (given the priesthood by someone with proper authority), and has to be worthy). He called a friend who also has the priesthood to assist him, and they gave her a blessing. After the blessing she seemed to do a lot better. We gave her some more Benadryl that night, and it seemed to help, and she slept pretty good. We just took it easy and stayed home on Saturday, hoping to give her some rest. On Sunday we just went to church, but spent the rest of the day at home.
Well Sunday night as my husband and I were getting ready for bed, Cinderella came in. She had woken up, and said her ear hurt. We gave her some Motrin, and put her back to bed. She then came in one more time early in the morning, when the Motrin had worn off, hurting again.
So Monday morning, we headed to the Dr.s . Sure enough she has an ear infection. Plus the Dr. noticed her wheezing and put her on an oral hormone that is supposed to help open up her air ways and help her breath better. Yesterday it seemed to work really well. After I gave it to her, she didn't cough at all until about midnight. Today, she hasn't responded so quickly. I gave it to her at breakfast, and she is still coughing now. But we will see how she does after the week that is prescribed for the treatment.
Last night was another long night. When Cinderella started coughing again, Guy was coughing as well. Cinderella came into our room requesting a drink for Guy, because he was coughing. Daddy got up and gave both kids a drink and put them back to bed.
I however was not able to go back to sleep. For some reason, at that point, my hips wanted to scream at me, and not be comfortable no matter what position I lay in. Guy was having a hard time settling down as well.
I finally got up with him, and rocked for a little while. He cuddled up to me for a little while, and he is so small, and I don't spend time rocking with him much anymore. I kind of forgot he was as old as he is. At one point, it clicked into my mind that he didn't seem to be sucking very hard on his pacifier. And I had the thought that he might be teething. I took the pacifier from his mouth and told him to say "ah" so I could feel in his mouth and see if there were any teeth coming in. It totally took me by surprise, and reminded me how old he really is, when he opened his mouth wide and said, "Ahhhhh" . :) Well he did have a tender spot, so I asked if he had an owie in his mouth. He seemed to agree, and I put some Orajel on that spot. I asked if the owie was better, and he said "owie ber". So I gave him a dose of Tylenol and we put him back to bed. I tried to go back to bed then, but my hips still didn't like me, so I took some Tylenol myself, and once it kicked in, I was able to go back to sleep.
Maybe before too much longer we can all be better, and get the sleep we need without too much effort.
Well the cough has been pretty consistent since then. She has had other colds, that have built upon it, at times. But those pass, and the cough remains. Last week, I took her into the Dr. to have him check it again, and make sure it wasn't something serious. He didn't seem concerned. When I asked if it could be allergies, she said that was a possibility, and I could try children's Claritin, and see if it helped at all. Benadryl was another option, but not his preference. So on my way home from the Dr.'s office, I stopped by the store and bought some Claritin. That night, when we went to give her some however, we discovered that the bottom of the bottle had busted open. So that night we gave her Benadryl, and exchanged the Claritin the next day. The Benadryl seemed to help, and she slept well. The Claritin, however did nothing. About that time, both Cinderella and Guy came down with runny noses. I figured that the Claritin wasn't doing much because she maybe had a cold on top of the allergies. We tried one more night of Claritin, but still received no results.
On Friday, Cinderella's cough, changed to a loud barking one, with some wheezing. I was concerned about this, but because it was about lunch time when I really noticed the change, I didn't think we could get into the Dr. that day. I put Cinderella down for quiet time. Hoping she would maybe take a nap, and it would help her feel better. When I went in a few minutes later however, she told me she was going to throw up. So we went to the bathroom, where she coughed a few times, then told me, she wasn't going to throw up, just needed to cough a lot.
I still had some children's cold and cough, that I had purchased before that kind of medicine was pulled off the shelves for children under 6. I'm not big on using meds that are recalled. But because the main reason for the recall, as far as I understand was parents overdosing their kids, and this bottle had a written dosage for children 2-6. I figured I would risk it, and see if it helped.
Well this medication didn't do anything either. When Cinderella finished her quiet time, which unfortunately didn't include a nap, she had a low grade fever. And the cough was as prevalent as ever. I was really concerned, because I couldn't think of anything I could do for this cough. That night I asked my husband if he could give her a blessing. (Using the priesthood, which we believe is God's authority, to say a special prayer for the individual. We believe that priesthood blessings, is a way for God to speak through the person giving the blessing, to pronounce His blessings on that individual. The man giving the blessing, has to be ordained in the priesthood (given the priesthood by someone with proper authority), and has to be worthy). He called a friend who also has the priesthood to assist him, and they gave her a blessing. After the blessing she seemed to do a lot better. We gave her some more Benadryl that night, and it seemed to help, and she slept pretty good. We just took it easy and stayed home on Saturday, hoping to give her some rest. On Sunday we just went to church, but spent the rest of the day at home.
Well Sunday night as my husband and I were getting ready for bed, Cinderella came in. She had woken up, and said her ear hurt. We gave her some Motrin, and put her back to bed. She then came in one more time early in the morning, when the Motrin had worn off, hurting again.
So Monday morning, we headed to the Dr.s . Sure enough she has an ear infection. Plus the Dr. noticed her wheezing and put her on an oral hormone that is supposed to help open up her air ways and help her breath better. Yesterday it seemed to work really well. After I gave it to her, she didn't cough at all until about midnight. Today, she hasn't responded so quickly. I gave it to her at breakfast, and she is still coughing now. But we will see how she does after the week that is prescribed for the treatment.
Last night was another long night. When Cinderella started coughing again, Guy was coughing as well. Cinderella came into our room requesting a drink for Guy, because he was coughing. Daddy got up and gave both kids a drink and put them back to bed.
I however was not able to go back to sleep. For some reason, at that point, my hips wanted to scream at me, and not be comfortable no matter what position I lay in. Guy was having a hard time settling down as well.
I finally got up with him, and rocked for a little while. He cuddled up to me for a little while, and he is so small, and I don't spend time rocking with him much anymore. I kind of forgot he was as old as he is. At one point, it clicked into my mind that he didn't seem to be sucking very hard on his pacifier. And I had the thought that he might be teething. I took the pacifier from his mouth and told him to say "ah" so I could feel in his mouth and see if there were any teeth coming in. It totally took me by surprise, and reminded me how old he really is, when he opened his mouth wide and said, "Ahhhhh" . :) Well he did have a tender spot, so I asked if he had an owie in his mouth. He seemed to agree, and I put some Orajel on that spot. I asked if the owie was better, and he said "owie ber". So I gave him a dose of Tylenol and we put him back to bed. I tried to go back to bed then, but my hips still didn't like me, so I took some Tylenol myself, and once it kicked in, I was able to go back to sleep.
Maybe before too much longer we can all be better, and get the sleep we need without too much effort.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Ice
Because we decided to visit family for Thanksgiving, we had a mini Thanksgiving dinner tonight. We chose to add some sparkling apple juice to our meal. This isn't something that we have very often at all, and our children aren't familiar with it. We also don't drink soda pop regularly, so our kids don't drink much carbonation.
When Daddy was pouring drinks, he poured Guy a drink of water. Then as he was pouring Cinderella's drink, he asked her if she wanted some ice. She said yes, and then Daddy put some ice and juice in her cup. Guy took all this in, pushed his sippy cup towards Daddy, and said "ice". I figured he was referring to the juice. So Daddy gave him some juice, and an ice cube. As soon as he finished his drink he pushed it across the table again, saying "ice, ice". Silly boy.
When Daddy was pouring drinks, he poured Guy a drink of water. Then as he was pouring Cinderella's drink, he asked her if she wanted some ice. She said yes, and then Daddy put some ice and juice in her cup. Guy took all this in, pushed his sippy cup towards Daddy, and said "ice". I figured he was referring to the juice. So Daddy gave him some juice, and an ice cube. As soon as he finished his drink he pushed it across the table again, saying "ice, ice". Silly boy.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
It makes me wonder what she is thinking....
Yesterday, I was cooking dinner when Cinderella came in and wanted to know if she could help me. I was making lasagna, and I needed cheese grated, so I let her help with that. Well I moved over to the other counter where I was putting together the layers. She had finished with the cheese, and remained on her stool. I don't know why I didn't wonder what she was doing. But I really gave it no thought.
A little while later she told me she was eating an apple. Well a problem we have had with her recently is she gets hungry and comes and grabs something easy to find, with out asking. And it isn't that uncommon to find her with an apple, chomping away. Now she knows she isn't supposed to do that, but true to her age and stage at the moment, does it anyway.
Anyway, I said something to her about how she isn't supposed to be eating apple without asking, and she isn't supposed to get something to eat while Mama is making dinner. I asked her to put the apple down. She said OK. It was still a while before I turned around, and when I did, I found 3 apples with bites taken out of them. And her putting them back in the fruit bowl. I was really frustrated, and didn't know how to handle it.
Anyway, later that night, I discovered two pears that also had bites taken out of them. Turned bite side down, so that you couldn't see them.
It just makes me wonder. Why did she take one or two bites out of each fruit, instead of just munching on one? I guess I'll never know.
A little while later she told me she was eating an apple. Well a problem we have had with her recently is she gets hungry and comes and grabs something easy to find, with out asking. And it isn't that uncommon to find her with an apple, chomping away. Now she knows she isn't supposed to do that, but true to her age and stage at the moment, does it anyway.
Anyway, I said something to her about how she isn't supposed to be eating apple without asking, and she isn't supposed to get something to eat while Mama is making dinner. I asked her to put the apple down. She said OK. It was still a while before I turned around, and when I did, I found 3 apples with bites taken out of them. And her putting them back in the fruit bowl. I was really frustrated, and didn't know how to handle it.
Anyway, later that night, I discovered two pears that also had bites taken out of them. Turned bite side down, so that you couldn't see them.
It just makes me wonder. Why did she take one or two bites out of each fruit, instead of just munching on one? I guess I'll never know.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Oh, the things we do for our kids.
I have a fear of heights. I really don't like things that are tall. Once when we were visiting Washington DC we had taken the metro into town. We were meeting my husbands sister, and her husband. They had given us directions on how to get to their hotel, from the metro. And part of these instructions included the escalator. Now I'm not sure how tall this escalator is, and my fear might have made it seem bigger than it was, but I would say that thing was 4 or 5 stories at least. It was huge. And it was shaky, and I was holding a squirming toddler in my arms, terrified that I would fall backward down this huge stairway. Anyway, we survived, and it wasn't really that big of a deal. But it was a scary experience none the less, and from that point on when ever we took the metro, I made sure we used the elevators, when our stop was underground. Having a stroller, worked in my favor this way.
Well in the area we now live their is a business, that is filled with large inflatable toys. You know the kind you see at fairs, and carnivals. Well today I took my kids there for the second time. One of the things they have is a giant slide. It is probably 15-20 tall. Once again this could be exaggerated because of my fear. But if you have ever seen the giant blowup slides you know what I am talking about. Well this was one of my children's favorites. And Guy is still too little to climb up on his own, which means Mama has to come too.
Now the climb up is a steep one. Made steeper, by the fact that each step you take pushes down a little because it is just filled with air. Each time I would climb I would feel like I was about to fall backward, and it didn't help that I was trying to carry Guy at the same time. But we did it! And every time we would get to the top, Guy would say "reay (ready) et (set) doe (go)" and we would head down the slide. As soon as we would get to the bottom, he would scoot all the way off, and run back to the area where you climb up. We probably went down that thing somewhere between 10-20 times. But it was fun.
I'm glad I have my kids to talk me into doing things that I would never have any desire to do on my own. It helps me to get more enjoyment out of life.
Well in the area we now live their is a business, that is filled with large inflatable toys. You know the kind you see at fairs, and carnivals. Well today I took my kids there for the second time. One of the things they have is a giant slide. It is probably 15-20 tall. Once again this could be exaggerated because of my fear. But if you have ever seen the giant blowup slides you know what I am talking about. Well this was one of my children's favorites. And Guy is still too little to climb up on his own, which means Mama has to come too.
Now the climb up is a steep one. Made steeper, by the fact that each step you take pushes down a little because it is just filled with air. Each time I would climb I would feel like I was about to fall backward, and it didn't help that I was trying to carry Guy at the same time. But we did it! And every time we would get to the top, Guy would say "reay (ready) et (set) doe (go)" and we would head down the slide. As soon as we would get to the bottom, he would scoot all the way off, and run back to the area where you climb up. We probably went down that thing somewhere between 10-20 times. But it was fun.
I'm glad I have my kids to talk me into doing things that I would never have any desire to do on my own. It helps me to get more enjoyment out of life.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
It's that $5 in your pocket kind of feeling.
So you may or may not know, but I hate to spend money. And I hate to shop. I know I'm not a typical girl.
Lately I've been finding all kinds of things that I need to buy. I go in fazes. I don't buy anything for a long time, and then suddenly there is a ton I need to get.
Last week I learned that I need some more maternity clothes. I have been feeling really uncomfortable in my maternity clothes and wondered why. Then last Saturday, I put on a pair of maternity jeans I hadn't worn yet in this pregnancy. I had put off wearing them, because the last time I was pregnant they were really big, and didn't really fit until later in my pregnancy. But they were the only maternity pants I had clean, so I put them on. And guess what? They fit! It suddenly made sense to me, why nothing esle was comfortable. It was all too small. And if they are too small at 4 months, I can only imagine how they will fit at 9 months. And let me tell you, on average, maternity clothes are not cheap.
Cinderella has out grown her tennis shoes. She has been wearing crock type shoes all summer. But it is getting a bit cold and wet for those kind of shoes to be practical anymore.
My children have outgrown or lost their winter accessories. So we need new gloves and hats.
And last but not least. Guy. He is almost 21 months old, and is still small enough to wear size 12 month clothes. However, I know he has got to be on the verge of needing the next size up.
When we visited my family in August, my parents neighbor was getting rid of a bunch of little boy clothes, and so I came home with a box full of 18 month size clothes. I took them and I washed them, along with the clothing from a box in the closet that was labeled 18 month boy clothes. After they were washed and I was sorting through them, I had a large pile of shirts, and a large pile of pants.
Then I noticed that all of the stuff that had come out of the box in the closet wasn't 18 month size. It was 24 month or 2T size. So I gathered all the 2T and 24 month stuff, and put it back in the closet. Then I didn't have a lot of time or energy for a while, so the piles of 18 month clothes, that were not needed right away, stayed in piles on top of the kids dresser.
Well, time went by, and I had a friend request 9-12 month size boy clothes. So I pulled those out of the closet, and made some piles of those, on a different spot, on the top of the dresser. However I never remembered to get them to her. So they stayed there. Also I started to get lazy, and stopped hanging Guy's clothes in the closet. Most of them made it into the drawer, but a good portion of them ended up (you guessed it) on top of the dresser. So by this time, the top of the dresser was a big mess of clothes, and none of it was really organized anymore.
One day I kind of looked through it, and realized I only had 2 shirts that were 18 month size there. "What happened to all of those shirts I had?" I wondered. I wasn't sure if they had been misplaced in all of the time it took me to get back to the clothes, or if they had all been the larger size that had been put back in the closet.
Also since that time, Guy has started showing interest in potty training. We aren't seriously doing anything about it right now, but I am wanting to get it so that he is not wearing so many shirts that snap over the diaper. So I felt like I also needed to buy a bunch of 18 month shirts for Guy. And I knew that could cost a fortune.
Well yesterday we were getting ready to go shopping for some of these things that we needed, and I decided I should take an inventory of what colors and styles of pants we have for Guy in the 18 month size so that I can get shirts to match. To do so, I decided I needed to clean up the whole mess on top of the dresser. So I started putting things away. When I got to the 9-12 month size clothes, I decided it has probably been long enough that my friend has probably already gotten clothes that size and doesn't need these ones. So I needed to put them away.
But before I could put them away, I needed to find a place to put them. So I started pulling boxes out of the closet, to see if I had any that had clothing too small for Guy, and room in the box for more. Well while I was cleaning out, I discovered a treasure. I opened a large Rubbermaid type tote, and found it half full of 18 month boy clothes. Pants, shirts, PJ's. Some of it was even brand new stuff, that I had received for baby shower presents and forgotten about.
It was a wonderful feeling to discover this box. It was like putting on a pair of pants you haven't worn for a while, and when you reach your hand in the pocket, you discover a $5 bill that you put there forever ago and forgot about. It was so nice to realize that I didn't need to buy those clothes. I still had a lot I did need to get, and we got that taken care of. But I didn't need to buy any 18 month size clothes, and that is great!
Now we just have to see how long it takes him to actually fit into that size.
Lately I've been finding all kinds of things that I need to buy. I go in fazes. I don't buy anything for a long time, and then suddenly there is a ton I need to get.
Last week I learned that I need some more maternity clothes. I have been feeling really uncomfortable in my maternity clothes and wondered why. Then last Saturday, I put on a pair of maternity jeans I hadn't worn yet in this pregnancy. I had put off wearing them, because the last time I was pregnant they were really big, and didn't really fit until later in my pregnancy. But they were the only maternity pants I had clean, so I put them on. And guess what? They fit! It suddenly made sense to me, why nothing esle was comfortable. It was all too small. And if they are too small at 4 months, I can only imagine how they will fit at 9 months. And let me tell you, on average, maternity clothes are not cheap.
Cinderella has out grown her tennis shoes. She has been wearing crock type shoes all summer. But it is getting a bit cold and wet for those kind of shoes to be practical anymore.
My children have outgrown or lost their winter accessories. So we need new gloves and hats.
And last but not least. Guy. He is almost 21 months old, and is still small enough to wear size 12 month clothes. However, I know he has got to be on the verge of needing the next size up.
When we visited my family in August, my parents neighbor was getting rid of a bunch of little boy clothes, and so I came home with a box full of 18 month size clothes. I took them and I washed them, along with the clothing from a box in the closet that was labeled 18 month boy clothes. After they were washed and I was sorting through them, I had a large pile of shirts, and a large pile of pants.
Then I noticed that all of the stuff that had come out of the box in the closet wasn't 18 month size. It was 24 month or 2T size. So I gathered all the 2T and 24 month stuff, and put it back in the closet. Then I didn't have a lot of time or energy for a while, so the piles of 18 month clothes, that were not needed right away, stayed in piles on top of the kids dresser.
Well, time went by, and I had a friend request 9-12 month size boy clothes. So I pulled those out of the closet, and made some piles of those, on a different spot, on the top of the dresser. However I never remembered to get them to her. So they stayed there. Also I started to get lazy, and stopped hanging Guy's clothes in the closet. Most of them made it into the drawer, but a good portion of them ended up (you guessed it) on top of the dresser. So by this time, the top of the dresser was a big mess of clothes, and none of it was really organized anymore.
One day I kind of looked through it, and realized I only had 2 shirts that were 18 month size there. "What happened to all of those shirts I had?" I wondered. I wasn't sure if they had been misplaced in all of the time it took me to get back to the clothes, or if they had all been the larger size that had been put back in the closet.
Also since that time, Guy has started showing interest in potty training. We aren't seriously doing anything about it right now, but I am wanting to get it so that he is not wearing so many shirts that snap over the diaper. So I felt like I also needed to buy a bunch of 18 month shirts for Guy. And I knew that could cost a fortune.
Well yesterday we were getting ready to go shopping for some of these things that we needed, and I decided I should take an inventory of what colors and styles of pants we have for Guy in the 18 month size so that I can get shirts to match. To do so, I decided I needed to clean up the whole mess on top of the dresser. So I started putting things away. When I got to the 9-12 month size clothes, I decided it has probably been long enough that my friend has probably already gotten clothes that size and doesn't need these ones. So I needed to put them away.
But before I could put them away, I needed to find a place to put them. So I started pulling boxes out of the closet, to see if I had any that had clothing too small for Guy, and room in the box for more. Well while I was cleaning out, I discovered a treasure. I opened a large Rubbermaid type tote, and found it half full of 18 month boy clothes. Pants, shirts, PJ's. Some of it was even brand new stuff, that I had received for baby shower presents and forgotten about.
It was a wonderful feeling to discover this box. It was like putting on a pair of pants you haven't worn for a while, and when you reach your hand in the pocket, you discover a $5 bill that you put there forever ago and forgot about. It was so nice to realize that I didn't need to buy those clothes. I still had a lot I did need to get, and we got that taken care of. But I didn't need to buy any 18 month size clothes, and that is great!
Now we just have to see how long it takes him to actually fit into that size.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Cars, Trains, Boats, and Planes
Plus any other kind of vehicle you can imagine. This has become a major focus in my life lately, and all because of one little boy.
I don't know if all little boys are this way. My brothers are too close in age for me to remember what they were like when they were little. But this kid loves things that go.
I also used to wonder, before becoming a parent of both genders, if part of gender differences in young children come from parent expectations, and what toys parents give the kids to play with. Well that might be part of it, but not entirely. At least in our case.
Guy loves the Little People bus and plane, which belong to Cinderella. He also loves the Little People digger, which belongs to him. He takes the three of them all over the house. He drives them along the floor, along the window sills, along me, along the couch, and if he can get away with it, along the table. He also likes to fill the plane and bus with other various vehicle type toys. A bike, smaller cars, etc. We don't really have a lot of vehicle toys, but those that we do have, are usually being played with by Guy.
One of Guy's favorite things to do, is to look out the windows of our apartment that face our parking lot, and point to all of the cars, and say "ar" (car), or "tru" (truck) and sometimes even "bu" (bus). When we are out walking or driving down the road his dialog is usually the same.
I never knew the difference between different types of tractors. And to tell you the truth, I never really cared. Well now I am learning. We have found library board books all about different tractors. (Those have been some of his favorites). By name right now I can only identify a standard tractor, and a digger. But I've heard the names of many more, and am sure I will know them before too much longer.
It is definitely fun to have a kid whose interests are so different from what mine have ever been. It is a great opportunity to learn more about what is out there.
I don't know if all little boys are this way. My brothers are too close in age for me to remember what they were like when they were little. But this kid loves things that go.
I also used to wonder, before becoming a parent of both genders, if part of gender differences in young children come from parent expectations, and what toys parents give the kids to play with. Well that might be part of it, but not entirely. At least in our case.
Guy loves the Little People bus and plane, which belong to Cinderella. He also loves the Little People digger, which belongs to him. He takes the three of them all over the house. He drives them along the floor, along the window sills, along me, along the couch, and if he can get away with it, along the table. He also likes to fill the plane and bus with other various vehicle type toys. A bike, smaller cars, etc. We don't really have a lot of vehicle toys, but those that we do have, are usually being played with by Guy.
One of Guy's favorite things to do, is to look out the windows of our apartment that face our parking lot, and point to all of the cars, and say "ar" (car), or "tru" (truck) and sometimes even "bu" (bus). When we are out walking or driving down the road his dialog is usually the same.
I never knew the difference between different types of tractors. And to tell you the truth, I never really cared. Well now I am learning. We have found library board books all about different tractors. (Those have been some of his favorites). By name right now I can only identify a standard tractor, and a digger. But I've heard the names of many more, and am sure I will know them before too much longer.
It is definitely fun to have a kid whose interests are so different from what mine have ever been. It is a great opportunity to learn more about what is out there.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
When We're Helping We're Happy
The is a children's song, that is taught in our church that goes, "When we're helping we're happy, and we sing as we go. For we love to help Mother for we all love her so." It has a series of tra la la's, and then repeats the verse only inserting Father instead of Mother.
Anyway, Cinderella has taken to singing this song lately. She will see her father or I doing a task, such as the dishes, or cooking dinner decide she is going to help, get her stool out and come sing the song.
I have to admit, that even though some times are not he most convenient to have a 3 year old help with, it is kind of hard to turn her down when she is singing a song such as that.
I am learning, that there is value to allowing her to help instead of shooing her away and doing it myself.
For example, yesterday at the grocery store. When we go grocery shopping we use two carts. Daddy takes one, with one child and I take another with the other child. Yesterday, Cinderella insisted on being my shopping buddy, and that she wanted to walk. This is an OK step, because when JR. arrives, we will need the space in the cart for him/her.
Well because she was walking, she felt like it was her responsibility to help pick out all of the items that we purchased. We started with bell peppers. Last week she "helped" her daddy pick one out, and insisted on one that had a large bad spot. He couldn't think of anyway to convince her to get another one, so we took it home, and used it as quickly as we could. Anyway, I was a little hesitant to let her pick it out this time, until I had the thought. "Teach her the way to tell if a pepper is good." So I let her pick a pepper, then we looked it over, and I pointed out the bad spots. I told her, "it is OK if the pepper is green, yellow, red, or orange. But we don't really want to see any other colors. What color is this?" She responded with brown. So I told her we should probably look for another one. We continued this process until we found a pepper that was in pretty good shape.
Anyway, she and I continued through the store, with me allowing her to pick up items off of low shelves. I then taught her about dented cans. And we reselected when we needed to. It took me a lot longer to get our groceries, but Cinderella felt like she helped, and it was a learning process for both her and me. So I would say it is worth it.
Anyway, Cinderella has taken to singing this song lately. She will see her father or I doing a task, such as the dishes, or cooking dinner decide she is going to help, get her stool out and come sing the song.
I have to admit, that even though some times are not he most convenient to have a 3 year old help with, it is kind of hard to turn her down when she is singing a song such as that.
I am learning, that there is value to allowing her to help instead of shooing her away and doing it myself.
For example, yesterday at the grocery store. When we go grocery shopping we use two carts. Daddy takes one, with one child and I take another with the other child. Yesterday, Cinderella insisted on being my shopping buddy, and that she wanted to walk. This is an OK step, because when JR. arrives, we will need the space in the cart for him/her.
Well because she was walking, she felt like it was her responsibility to help pick out all of the items that we purchased. We started with bell peppers. Last week she "helped" her daddy pick one out, and insisted on one that had a large bad spot. He couldn't think of anyway to convince her to get another one, so we took it home, and used it as quickly as we could. Anyway, I was a little hesitant to let her pick it out this time, until I had the thought. "Teach her the way to tell if a pepper is good." So I let her pick a pepper, then we looked it over, and I pointed out the bad spots. I told her, "it is OK if the pepper is green, yellow, red, or orange. But we don't really want to see any other colors. What color is this?" She responded with brown. So I told her we should probably look for another one. We continued this process until we found a pepper that was in pretty good shape.
Anyway, she and I continued through the store, with me allowing her to pick up items off of low shelves. I then taught her about dented cans. And we reselected when we needed to. It took me a lot longer to get our groceries, but Cinderella felt like she helped, and it was a learning process for both her and me. So I would say it is worth it.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Cranberries
I remember as I was growing up, Thanksgiving time was the only time that I ever really saw cranberries other than the dried kind or juice kind. And I never really gave cranberry sauce a chance.
In my mind jellied cranberry sauce that had been dumped out of a can, and sliced (how it was served at our dinner), seemed awfully similar to pickled beets. Now I never gave the beets a try either. But pickled beets, were one of those foods that I just figured from the way my cousins would talk about them, that they had to be nasty.
Well last year, my husband wanted to bring sweet potatoes to the Thanksgiving feast we were attending. Well I've never been a big fan of sweet potatoes either. I have a hard time with something that looks like it should taste like a dessert, but doesn't. Anyway I told him I wanted to try a different sweet potato recipe and see how I liked it. We found a recipe that was a crock pot recipe, that had orange juice, cranberries and brown sugar in it. I think it might have had apples too. Well I like cranberry juice, and I like dried cranberries, so I decided I would give the recipe a chance. It turned out pretty good. But only used a small part of the bag of cranberries I bought. Then I noticed a recipe on the bag. Cranberry Orange Bread.
That sounded pretty good, so I decided I would make it. It was yummy. However it called for a cup and a half of chopped cranberries. I started out with the cutting board, and decided that wasn't practical, so I put the in the blender. That did a much better job, except it reached a point that it would just push everything to the outside, and not chop any more. Which left me with some whole berries. I've decided that I need to get a chopper to more effectively make this dish. Then I forgot about the hard part of making it, and just remembered how good it tasted. So when I saw cranberries on sale at Costco, I bought a 3 pound bad, and made my bread yesterday. It still tasted yummy, but was definitely a lot of work. So I'm writing this post to let you know, 1 1/2 cups of chopped cranberries without the right kind of equipment, is a crazy task. It is possible, but quite time consuming. Now that I've written it, maybe I'll remember that little fact myself.
In my mind jellied cranberry sauce that had been dumped out of a can, and sliced (how it was served at our dinner), seemed awfully similar to pickled beets. Now I never gave the beets a try either. But pickled beets, were one of those foods that I just figured from the way my cousins would talk about them, that they had to be nasty.
Well last year, my husband wanted to bring sweet potatoes to the Thanksgiving feast we were attending. Well I've never been a big fan of sweet potatoes either. I have a hard time with something that looks like it should taste like a dessert, but doesn't. Anyway I told him I wanted to try a different sweet potato recipe and see how I liked it. We found a recipe that was a crock pot recipe, that had orange juice, cranberries and brown sugar in it. I think it might have had apples too. Well I like cranberry juice, and I like dried cranberries, so I decided I would give the recipe a chance. It turned out pretty good. But only used a small part of the bag of cranberries I bought. Then I noticed a recipe on the bag. Cranberry Orange Bread.
That sounded pretty good, so I decided I would make it. It was yummy. However it called for a cup and a half of chopped cranberries. I started out with the cutting board, and decided that wasn't practical, so I put the in the blender. That did a much better job, except it reached a point that it would just push everything to the outside, and not chop any more. Which left me with some whole berries. I've decided that I need to get a chopper to more effectively make this dish. Then I forgot about the hard part of making it, and just remembered how good it tasted. So when I saw cranberries on sale at Costco, I bought a 3 pound bad, and made my bread yesterday. It still tasted yummy, but was definitely a lot of work. So I'm writing this post to let you know, 1 1/2 cups of chopped cranberries without the right kind of equipment, is a crazy task. It is possible, but quite time consuming. Now that I've written it, maybe I'll remember that little fact myself.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Preschool F is for fish
So I taught my second lesson in preschool today. I was assigned the letter F, and the number 4. Last time I kind of neglected the number and I didn't want that to happen today too. So ever since my last lesson I've been trying to figure out just how to teach today's lesson.
When I taught my first lesson, I discovered this really cool series that our library carries, called "The Sound Box Library" by Jane Belk Moncure. There are books for most of the letters in the alphabet, plus some other sounds that come into play with reading. Anyway I highly recommend them. Ever since I discovered them, I have been checking out the letter of the week, to read over with Cinderella to reinforce what she learned in preschool that week. And I plan to use them in my lessons.
Well when I checked the library system, a week an a half ago, for the F book, there was only one copy and it was checked out. I figured the chances of me having it for today were slim, so I looked for an alternative. I came across a book called "Four Fish, the Sound of F" by Alice K. Flanagan. That gave me an idea, because I was still wondering what to do, to teach the number 4. I hoped the book would all tie it in, so I reserved it. When it came, I noticed it didn't really talk much about the number four. It just concentrated on the F sound. But that was fine. And it gave me an idea.
I would do my preschool lesson, about fish. As soon as I decided that, I remembered a time when I was in college. I was taking a preschool class, where we taught preschool. The teachers were divided up into teaching two separate classes. One day afterwards, I noticed the children in the other class going home with little clear plastic cups with blue jello, and gummy fish in them. When I recalled this, I thought it might be a fun activity, and could add to our snack.
So I did some research trying to find the instructions on this activity. I found instructions from the Kraft Foods Jello website. I also found a lot of blog posts and other Internet listings of people messing this idea up. I was kind of concerned, about weather or not it would work. One of the tips someone gave, was not to use Swedish Fish, because they "melt". Well, I was looking for ingredients on Monday, and didn't want to rush to a million stores looking for gummy fish that aren't Swedish Fish. I ran over to Albertson's because it is our closest grocery store, and I needed to get some groceries for dinner that night any way. Well Albertson's had two choices. Swedish Fish, and their name brand "gummy fish." I decided to take my chances with the Albertson's brand that looked suspiciously an awful lot like Swedish Fish. But I got enough supplies to do a trial run for our Family Night treat that night.
It took about a half an hour to make up the jello and get it to the right consistency. I left out the fruit on the bottom, so it was just jello with fish in it. It seemed to turn out OK. The fish were starting to dissolve on the outside, which made for, in my opinion, an unfavorable texture. But the kids didn't seem to mind. So I decided that for this time, what I had would work.
The girls were supposed to show up about 9:30. And I didn't want to waste time making the jello while they were here. But I wanted the girls to be able to put their own fish in their jello. This jello ended up being the trickiest part of today. And it was all on timing. After I made the jello, I only needed to refrigerate it about 5 min for it to be the right consistency. So I started the jello, so that it would be ready, about 9:30, maybe a little after. Thankfully it ended up being a little after, because the girls weren't here at 9:30 on the dot. So we were able to get it to work. The girls stuck their fish in, then we put it back in the fridge to set up the rest of the way.
Then we talked about the Letter F, and what sound it makes. Then I had a tracing paper, with upper and lower case F, and some fish on it, for the girls to trace. When they were done tracing, we read the book "Four Fish".
Then we "went fishing." I had printed some fish onto card stock from my computer yesterday, and had them all cut out. I made a "fishing pole" for each girl, with a bamboo skewer (I cut the pointed end off), some yarn, and a clothes pin. Then I had them stand behind the couch and put their strings over the couch. I then sat on the couch and had a fish "swim along, and bite" a hook. Then I would have the girl pull her pull up, and add the fish to her collection. Each girl caught 4 fish.
At this point I knew the girls needed a change of pace. The jello wasn't quite all the way set up yet, but it was soft set. So we had snack. We had gold fish crackers, and our jello fish bowls. Guy enjoyed his just as much as the girls did.
I still had one more activity for the girls, but I got the feeling that the needed a little less structure for a while, so I let them have their play time.
When there was about 15 min. left I had the girls clean up the toys, and then they came and made fish bowls. This was an activity that I printed up off the Internet. It had 5 fish that were numbered for children to paste onto a picture of a fish bowl. Because I was focusing on the number 4, I got rid of the 5th fish, and let them have 4 fish to put in their bowls. They colored the bowls, and fish, and then glued the fish on the bowls.
Over all I think it turned out pretty good. It was a bit of work, but I made sure I was all ready last night before I went to bed, so I didn't have to worry about it, and not sleep. :)
When I taught my first lesson, I discovered this really cool series that our library carries, called "The Sound Box Library" by Jane Belk Moncure. There are books for most of the letters in the alphabet, plus some other sounds that come into play with reading. Anyway I highly recommend them. Ever since I discovered them, I have been checking out the letter of the week, to read over with Cinderella to reinforce what she learned in preschool that week. And I plan to use them in my lessons.
Well when I checked the library system, a week an a half ago, for the F book, there was only one copy and it was checked out. I figured the chances of me having it for today were slim, so I looked for an alternative. I came across a book called "Four Fish, the Sound of F" by Alice K. Flanagan. That gave me an idea, because I was still wondering what to do, to teach the number 4. I hoped the book would all tie it in, so I reserved it. When it came, I noticed it didn't really talk much about the number four. It just concentrated on the F sound. But that was fine. And it gave me an idea.
I would do my preschool lesson, about fish. As soon as I decided that, I remembered a time when I was in college. I was taking a preschool class, where we taught preschool. The teachers were divided up into teaching two separate classes. One day afterwards, I noticed the children in the other class going home with little clear plastic cups with blue jello, and gummy fish in them. When I recalled this, I thought it might be a fun activity, and could add to our snack.
So I did some research trying to find the instructions on this activity. I found instructions from the Kraft Foods Jello website. I also found a lot of blog posts and other Internet listings of people messing this idea up. I was kind of concerned, about weather or not it would work. One of the tips someone gave, was not to use Swedish Fish, because they "melt". Well, I was looking for ingredients on Monday, and didn't want to rush to a million stores looking for gummy fish that aren't Swedish Fish. I ran over to Albertson's because it is our closest grocery store, and I needed to get some groceries for dinner that night any way. Well Albertson's had two choices. Swedish Fish, and their name brand "gummy fish." I decided to take my chances with the Albertson's brand that looked suspiciously an awful lot like Swedish Fish. But I got enough supplies to do a trial run for our Family Night treat that night.
It took about a half an hour to make up the jello and get it to the right consistency. I left out the fruit on the bottom, so it was just jello with fish in it. It seemed to turn out OK. The fish were starting to dissolve on the outside, which made for, in my opinion, an unfavorable texture. But the kids didn't seem to mind. So I decided that for this time, what I had would work.
The girls were supposed to show up about 9:30. And I didn't want to waste time making the jello while they were here. But I wanted the girls to be able to put their own fish in their jello. This jello ended up being the trickiest part of today. And it was all on timing. After I made the jello, I only needed to refrigerate it about 5 min for it to be the right consistency. So I started the jello, so that it would be ready, about 9:30, maybe a little after. Thankfully it ended up being a little after, because the girls weren't here at 9:30 on the dot. So we were able to get it to work. The girls stuck their fish in, then we put it back in the fridge to set up the rest of the way.
Then we talked about the Letter F, and what sound it makes. Then I had a tracing paper, with upper and lower case F, and some fish on it, for the girls to trace. When they were done tracing, we read the book "Four Fish".
Then we "went fishing." I had printed some fish onto card stock from my computer yesterday, and had them all cut out. I made a "fishing pole" for each girl, with a bamboo skewer (I cut the pointed end off), some yarn, and a clothes pin. Then I had them stand behind the couch and put their strings over the couch. I then sat on the couch and had a fish "swim along, and bite" a hook. Then I would have the girl pull her pull up, and add the fish to her collection. Each girl caught 4 fish.
At this point I knew the girls needed a change of pace. The jello wasn't quite all the way set up yet, but it was soft set. So we had snack. We had gold fish crackers, and our jello fish bowls. Guy enjoyed his just as much as the girls did.
I still had one more activity for the girls, but I got the feeling that the needed a little less structure for a while, so I let them have their play time.
When there was about 15 min. left I had the girls clean up the toys, and then they came and made fish bowls. This was an activity that I printed up off the Internet. It had 5 fish that were numbered for children to paste onto a picture of a fish bowl. Because I was focusing on the number 4, I got rid of the 5th fish, and let them have 4 fish to put in their bowls. They colored the bowls, and fish, and then glued the fish on the bowls.
Over all I think it turned out pretty good. It was a bit of work, but I made sure I was all ready last night before I went to bed, so I didn't have to worry about it, and not sleep. :)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Do you care?
OK so I know I am totally having one of those moments that Satan is taking advantage of me, and my pregnancy hormones. But right now I am feeling a bit insignificant. I haven't had a lot of time to post things on my blog lately. And I am kind of curious as to weather or not people even read it.
So this is a call to all of you lurkers. (If there are any. And for those of you who don't know what that term means it means reading and not commenting). I don't mind if you lurk. But right now I want to know if anyone actually reads this. So if you could just take a minuet to let me know if you actually take the time to read my blog, and would appreciate it if I continue it, I would appreciate it. Lurkers and non-lurkers alike.
Thanks.
Oh and you don't need a Google account to leave a comment. If you don't have one, if you could click on the name/URL link and at least enter your name so I know who you are. You don't have to enter a URL. Then it will let you post a comment.
So this is a call to all of you lurkers. (If there are any. And for those of you who don't know what that term means it means reading and not commenting). I don't mind if you lurk. But right now I want to know if anyone actually reads this. So if you could just take a minuet to let me know if you actually take the time to read my blog, and would appreciate it if I continue it, I would appreciate it. Lurkers and non-lurkers alike.
Thanks.
Oh and you don't need a Google account to leave a comment. If you don't have one, if you could click on the name/URL link and at least enter your name so I know who you are. You don't have to enter a URL. Then it will let you post a comment.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Frustrating
So does anyone have any tips on potty training a child who doesn't seem to care if she wet her pants and doesn't seem to mind wearing wet pants. And won't even own up to having wet her pants? I just don't know what to do with this child.
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