Football

The family I grew up in seems to live off of football once fall rolls around.  My brothers are some of the most avid fans for the local college team that I have ever met.
Today was the first game of the season, and so almost eveyone was gathered at my parents house to watch the game.

For some reason football has never really stuck with me as it did my brothers,  and the hubs is one who would rather play sports than watch them.  Therefore,  we have never really gotten into the football thing.  However,  the hubs sister was moving today, and lives closer to my parents than we do.  So we decided to pay a visit to my parents while we were in that area.

I felt like we stuck out like sore thumbs.   Everyone else was wearing clothes to support their team.  We weren't.   I don't think we even have clothing for all of us with that teams logo.   I was able to visit with a few people who didn't get sucked into the game, and a few others when the game wasn't on.

However,  I am not sure if game day is the best day to visit.  Unless you like football.   (Unfortunately that kind of rules out all of fall.  :(  )

Guy's shirts

Guy has a bad habit.   We have tried to break it several times, however it just keeps coming back.
His habit is chewing on the neck of his shirt.   I think often he does it because the shirt gets wet and is irritating his skin.   However,  I think it is a nervous habit as well.   He tends to chew on more than just his shirts,  but his shirts are the most noticiable.

I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions to help him stop?  I am all ears.

Reading

This morning I took Spike and Scooter to the library.  Spike had a lot of fun going around getting books for his siblings, and then having me read some books to him.  However his favorite part was him "reading" books to Scooter.

The kids really enjoyed reading the books that I got, once they got home from school.  Cinderella was a bit disappointed in my selection for her, but that didn't keep her from delving into "The Fairy Rebel".

Tea Party

Today Aurora and I had a tea party.  Actually we had one yesterday too.  We had made up names, and had imaginary applesauce tea, with mashed up carrots and cream (Aurora's invention).  We also had cakes made from Duplo blocks.

Yesterday while we were playing I was trying to come up with conversation, and without thinking too hard, I started to talk, and then I realized that the kind of conversation that was about to come out of my mouth, was gossip type conversation.   All be it about imaginary people, but gossip none the less.    I quickly changed my train of thought and talked about purple grass and cows.

I found myself wondering why that type of conversation was what my instincts would pull up.  I realized that in books or movies, that is the kind of conversation that often goes on at tea parties.  And with my lifestyle, I haven't really participated in an actual tea party.  I try to not be someone who gossips, and I don't want to teach my children that such is acceptable.

So today while we were having our "tea party" I found the opportunity to talk about a book that I had read, making up a story about a princess who barely escapes being eaten by a dragon, but then finds that if she kisses the dragon's tail, he turns into a prince.   Aurora then favored me with a rendition of Goldilocks and the 3 bears.

Pretend play

I often have my kids tell me they are BORED!  or ask to play the computer and when I tell them no, they say they have nothing to do.

I was remember this morning, when I was teaching a preschool class in collage, that we had different areas set up, and we would rotate the toys weekly.

Sometimes we would have a theme, and pick the toys that went with that theme.  Other times we would just have different toys that stood out to us, and we would put those out.

Right now I am trying to brainstorm ideas of themes or play ideas to build off of.

For example; they could play farm.  I could stock the toy bins with little people tractor, farm animals, the little people barn, and farmer, I could put out other toys with farm animals, maybe some dress up farmer or cowboy clothes, a hobby horse, blocks, some books on farm animals, etc.

What ideas do you have?  How do your kids play?

Screen Time

Today I discovered what it is really is that is making my life a bit more stressful lately.  It isn't the absence of my older children.  It is the fact that I am trying to not let the kids be babysat by screen time as much.

I need to set up some guidelines of when screen time is acceptable and stick with it.   For the younger children I think it will be acceptable during quiet time.  I haven't figured out what I am going to do for the older ones yet.  Right now I just make them have their homework and chores done before they play or watch.

Introducing Scooter

So it is official.  Baby now has a blog name!  Scooter.

Scooter has figured out how to get around.  If he is in his bed he gets on his hands and knees puts his forehead down against the mattress and pushes off with his feet.   However if he is on the floor he either rolls or lays on his back,  arches his back up into a back bend position, except his head and neck support the upper half of his body.  He then checks out his path and scoots to where he wants to go.