Don't Be Fooled

~The Simple Woman's Daybook~

For Today: October 26, 2009

Outside my window....it's cold and the sun isn't up completely, yet. It's not raining, but it's quite cloudy.

I am thinking... that I wish Evan would be quieter in the mornings, so as to not wake his dad. But little boys and quiet do not go together.

I am thankful for... Taylor's co-op classes. She especially enjoys the drawing class. And she's very good at it.

I am wearing... comfortable jeans, socks, a long sleeved red T shirt and a hairband around my wrist. My hair is down at the moment. When it's up, I get too chilly.

I am remembering...the time we spent with my dad and his wife recently. It was a nice trip, always is, but my dad wasn't feeling well, so I'm hoping he's feeling better now. We had a nice time visiting my grandmother, too. And as a bonus, I got to see my rather comical uncle. :-)

I am going... to take Taylor to co-op Science and Art classes....then to Target. Later this week, a few karate classes, dance class, stop by the church and possibly shopping for shoes for all my kids. I'm sure there is more I'm forgetting, but that's enough to think about for now, anyway.

I am reading...the Catholic paper that we get through our church, and Women's Day and Good Housekeeping Fall editions. I love FALL!

I am hoping...that this is a productive week, especially with school, but that our house doesn't become a shambles in the process.

On my mind... lots of things...too many things.....I'm a bit overwhelmed right now. Need a new van, many meetings and planning for Taylor's Confirmation and Alexa's First Holy Communion, planning for Disney, school planning(I'm behind for the week), another trip to PA soon (?) and these are the big things. The house needs red up and a good cleaning. Ugh. Oh, and laundry...always laundry.

From the learning rooms....we are keeping up with the basics. I won't allow us to fall behind there for many reasons. But we are a bit behind (according to myself) in the Africa studies. And the girls are missing this part of their studies. I've been pretty good with Evan, though and his Tot Schooling. He requests school every day!

Noticing that...Taylor seems much happier this school year.

Pondering these words.......found here. They are just what I needed to hear right now.

From the kitchen... tonight Taylor made Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry (with loads of yummy veggies) and it was served over rice. Later this week we'll have burgers and homemade fries (Taylor again), Green Pepper Casserole, Bruschetta Chicken and possibly homemade mac-n-cheese. I'll attempt to find the time to bake an apple pie, too. I bought the crust in hopes of getting to the orchard for fresh apples, but it wasn't in the cards. So I bought some apples at the store to make the pie.

Around the house....need to clean a bit and go through Alexa's clothes to see what hand-me-downs fit, and what we'll need to purchase. I should probably do the same for Skylar.

One of my favorite things........cinnamon bears. And the smell of cinnamon, too.

From my picture journal......

Taylor took this on our way to visit my dad and his wife. Love it. For more daybook entries, visit Peggy's.

TTFN

~Tina

~Tot School Time~

Evan is 39 months old.
This week at Tot School, we did a variety of things with no particular theme and, as always, it was very much led by Evan. Here's a sampling of what he's been up to for the past week or so (in addition to a trip to see my dad and his wife for a few days).

Evan sorted pom poms into matching colored cups.

Then he used tweezers to put the pom poms into the egg carton. He likes using the tweezers.
I'm trying to teach Evan to recognize his name. So I traced some puzzle piece letters and he did it like a puzzle. I named each letter for him and had him repeat it. I set out a plastic dish with some sudsy water for Evan to play in. I also gave him some plastic spoons and cups, too. This usually occupies him for a while.

He always enjoys this! Sometimes he'll add dinosaurs or cars to it to give them a "bath".

Evan got out the Candyland game.

I didn't think he was ready, but I'm glad I followed his lead and gave it a shot. He did really well and we had fun! And this will help teach him about following rules and taking turns.

We got out these number discs. Evan had to match the right number of clothespins to the right number disc. There were little squares to help him. This helps number recognition, one to one correspondence (because one clothespin to one square), counting and fine motor skills. These are very simple to make, too.

He worked hard on this.

All done!
Evan's sister Alexa, was using our Upwards game to practice her spelling words. So I had Evan use the same Upwords letter tiles to match to his alphabet flashcards.

Then he enjoyed stacking them to make tall towers.
Hope you enjoyed a wonderful week with your little tot! Thanks for stopping by! For more Tot School posts, check out
1plus1plus1equals1

Have a great week!

TTFN

~Tina

Felt Pizza Promise

Last Christmas *ahem* I promised Alexa I'd make her a felt pizza. Well, I did make her a bunch of other felt food but didn't get her pizza done in time for Christmas. So I told her I'd work on it after the new year and get it to her as soon as possible.
It took a little longer than I thought it would. But it's FINISHED!

Finally!
So sorry Alexa! Thanks for your patience. She really is happy with it. And has been playing with it a lot.

I'm only about 10 months past when I was supposed to have it done for her. At least I got it done before this Christmas. Which, by the way, is only 65 days, 2 hours and 16 minutes away. Eek! I gotta get crackin' on this year's Christmas gifts!

TTFN

~Tina

The Simple Woman's Daybook~September 19, 2009

Outside my window....it is dark and chilly, but not raining anymore, thank goodness! It had rained for five straight days until today. So great to see the sun again.

I am thinking.....about how I should get off of the computer and straighten up a bit. Then I need to call my dad and finish planning school for the week. Yes, it's Monday night, and school isn't completely planned for this week yet. This just happens sometimes and I can't stress over it too much.

I am thankful for.....cooperative children. It makes it so much easier to accomplish things on a busy day when they aren't giving me a hard time. Sometimes they know what needs to be done, and they just do it, even if it isn't "fun" for them.

I am wearing.......blue jammie pants and a burgundy long sleeved cotton tee. Warm socks and my favorite cozy, white robe. I have my hairband around my wrist, waiting to be put back in my long hair as soon as I get off here and get back to work.

I am remembering......how much fun we had the last time we visited my dad and his wife, this past May. The kids love it up there in the mountains of PA. Hoping to make the trip again later this week.

I am going....to Skylar's belt ceremony for her Karate class this Wednesday. She's moving up again! She is really sticking with it and loves it!

I am reading....other blogs to get ideas for "schooling" Evan. So many inspiring women out there sharing their plans.

I am hoping......that everyone is well enough for us to make the trip to see my dad and his wife. Skylar, Alexa and Evan have all had colds recently, and still have them a little. Also hoping Taylor and I stay healthy.

On my mind.....I need to get another patch on Skylar's new karate uniform AND iron it before Wednesday. Eek. And Alexa really wanted to have a little "Halloween Party". We are rolling with this. It will just be family, but she is so excited and trying to have something for everyone!

From the learning rooms.....still following the Serendipity plans for the middle girls. They are enjoying themselves with this. We fell a little behind, but are finishing up Ancient Egypt. I love that the plans can be adapted to suit each family and that nothing is set in stone. Africa was laid out as a 6 week program, but we will probably take 8 weeks considering we are leaving town this week and just got over being sick last week. Love the flexibility with this! Evan's having "Pumpkin Week" (or possibly 2 weeks, due to the trip out of town).

Noticing that.....my Evan is getting a bit of a temper. I need to nip that in the bud.

Pondering these words........"Only this I want, but to know the Lord, and to bear His cross, so to wear the crown He wore." These words were in a song at Mass this weekend. Very nice melody. It was the first time I've noticed Alexa actually be able to follow along in the book to a song at Mass. She has a very sweet voice and I enjoyed sharing a book with her, so I was close enough to hear her. The words are powerful, and extra touching when coming from a child.

From the kitchen.....pumpkin bread some day this week. I want to surprise the kids with it. Evan is having "Pumpkin Week" for his school theme, so I thought the bread would be a nice touch. I REALLY need to make pumpkin chip cookies that my mom used to make! They are awesome!

Around the house....should clean up the house before we leave town. I don't like coming back to a messy house. It's not too bad, but things need straightened up and put away. And perhaps the bathrooms need a cleaning.

One of my favorite things......watching as the children make each other laugh. I know they all have friends outside of this house, but I love seeing them enjoy each other. Siblings are so important.

From my picture journal......

Stop by
Peggy's

to check out more daybook entries.
TTFN

~Tina

Tot School Time

Evan is 39 months old.

Transportation Time

I saw these cards online and printed them out. I found them here.. We used the car cards to play a matching game and review colors.

I've seen many people feature dot markers on their blogs for their tots. I don't have any, but wanted to try to get Evan to do some sort of dot painting, so I bought these stencil sponge-tipped brushes. I found them at the craft section of Joann Fabrics and they were very inexpensive. They would have worked fine, but Evan just has his own way of doing things. I can't seem to find the link to this page. I'll post it later if I do.
Evan loves to play in the beans. So this week we got out the bulldozer and some cars to tie into our theme and make the beans even more interesting. Alexa couldn't resist joining him for a bit.

I made Evan some boat shapes (canoe, rowboat and raft) along with two "people" for him to paint and play with. They were made out of Model Magic. He loved them so much, he didn't want to paint them at first. Eventually he painted the rowboat........black of course. :-)

I set up a "rails, road, water and air scene" (it's hard to see) on construction paper. Evan picked up foam transportation pieces and we discussed where each vehicle would go. I did have to create for him (by cutting and piecing together) a Diesel 10 for his railroad.....with his "crushing, crushing claw", as Evan says. I would have made this more visible, but Evan chose black paper....of course.I found a set of 3 part automobile puzzle cards that I purchased a while ago. He enjoyed these. I'm pretty sure I bought these at the dollar section of Target. It was either there or the Dollar Store.

These are actual photographs, so that's another bonus.
We discussed the "job" of each vehicle.

And this is a magnetic transportation set we bought Evan at the beach. It's fun, but the pieces are small. And he was only interested in it for a short time.
I'm trying to get him familiar with the alphabet, just basically working on letter recognition for now. So I try to incorporate that in some way each week. This week I made a large black B out of construction paper, then he glued vehicles that start with B to it (boat, bicycle, bus). I found the images on this site.He loves to glue, but sometimes gets carried away with it. Oh, yeah, and he still is "Batman" sometimes during school. Although most of the time he opts for Bruce Wayne. ;-)There are many other ideas for doing a Transportation theme with your child at this awesome site.

We did a few things this week that were not Transportation themed. Such as.....playing with the magnetic animals and letters,

doing some simple foam color and number puzzles....
and working on a story together as we built a scene using a Fairy Tale sticker set I purchased at Oriental Trading. I actually had this left over from my daughter's birthday party a few years ago.At first he wasn't too thrilled, but then he saw the knight. That sparked his interest and so we began a story. Each time he added a sticker/character to the scene, we added another part to the story. It ended up being really cute. The end went something like this...

Everyone tried, but the knight was the only one who could defeat the dragon, by putting flowers in his face and making him sneeze until he ran far away. The knight saved the princess!

I think I'm going to get more of these sticker scenes, so we can make more creative stories together. We even acted out this story with his dressup clothes, after we finished the sticker/paper version. So fun! (No pics of that, though, I was too busy being a dragon. LOL)

Hope your week was wonderful! For more fun ideas on spending time with your tot, stop by
1+1+1=1.

TTFN

~Tina

Some Days Are Just Like This

The 3 youngest kids have been sick. Nothing major, just bad colds. And so we haven't been able to do the activities that we usually do that get us out of the house. I had planned apple picking for earlier this week, but that obviously didn't happen either. And it's been raining since yesterday and is expected to rain, and be cold for the next couple of days. Yuck. We are a little stir crazy. And the past few nights, I've been getting less sleep because Evan hasn't been sleeping well due to his cold.

So today I was a crab. Really. I wasn't yelling like crazy, just irritated...... a lot. My poor kids put up with me so well today. They were agreeable, even when I was griping at them. They saw the "signs" that this was not the day to give mommy a hard time. Looking back, I feel for them. But all I can do is say I'm sorry and try to be a better mommy tomorrow. And I will be.

They are the most important people in my life and deserve better from me. I love them all so much.

TTFN
~Tina

Little Joys of This Day....

Evan said, "Mama, you're my best mommy ever!" He's told me this before, but it's been awhile, and it sounded especially cute with his stuffy nose.

Watching Taylor work hard on her sisters' Halloween costumes. They especially enjoy it when she wants their input. She's the oldest, so her asking their opinion is a big deal to them, even if it is their costumes.

Listening to Alexa as she told me about a dream she had last night. She cracks me up, but it's even funnier when she cracks herself up!

Skylar says, "I think somebody needs a hug!" everytime someone is angry or upset. It's not always a welcome hug, unfortunately, just due to her "timing". But it is just so sweet of her to always want to make people feel better.

Despite a long day at work and tons of traffic, John came home in a good mood. He even played a game of cards with Taylor after the other kids went to bed.

It is quiet at the moment. So that means that, at least for now, some sick children are getting much needed rest. I'm not actually minding this myself. ;-)

~The Simple Woman's Daybook~

October 12, 2009

Outside my window.......cold and dark. There was a real chill in the air today. The leaves are really changing now. It's so beautiful. And the evening skies have just been awesome! I LOVE this time of year.

I am thinking.......about how we haven't done a Teatime in a long time! Ugh. So hard to do it all. The kids really love those, though, so I need to get on it ASAP.

I am thankful for......Taylor's math program. She's using Teaching Textbooks and she is loving it. Well, she's loving it as much as she could possibly ever "love" math, which isn't very much. But it's the best we've used, probably ever.

I am wearing.....pj pants and a long sleeved cotton shirt, white socks and my most favorite comfy robe in the world! I've had it for years, but it's so warm. And brrrr it's chilly in here.

I am remembering.....my big brother, Jack. We are coming up on the 10 year anniversary of his death on November 1st. Can't believe it's been that long. We miss him so much.

I am going....on a trip to see my dad and his wife, in the near future. My siblings and their families are meeting us up there, so we are still working out schedules and trying to pick a good time. I'm looking forward to it!

I am reading.....many wonderful stories about Africa with Sky and Alexa. We are working along with the Serendipity lesson plans and are really enjoying it. I'm not reading a book just for myself right now, though. *sighs*

I am hoping....that Evan sleeps well tonight. He has a cold. He's fine during the day, his usual spunky, superhero self. But at night he has trouble sleeping and really gets fussy.

On my mind.....just trying to figure out how to be the best "me" I can be for those that need me most. I have spent far too much time comparing myself to other Catholic, homeschooling families we know. And in doing so I am doing a disservice to myself, my husband and my children. My parenting, my actions and my life are for no one but God to judge.

Noticing that....Evan speaks so well and comprehends so much. He's got a great sense of humor, too. Alexa is so compassionate and sensitive to the needs of others. She's a real peacemaker. Skylar is growing up right before my eyes. She's becoming a young lady, but very much still Skylar. I sort of wish I could slow her down a bit. Taylor has so much talent. She really does. Her drawing class is going well. You should see some of her drawings! Amazing! And she's sewing Alexa's Halloween costume, too. It's looking so cute, already. And lately she's been cooking some really great dinners! She's so helpful to me!

Pondering these words.....Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss (might not be "deep", but it's what I need right now).

From the kitchen....meals planned for every day! Yay! I've been sticking to a menu with lots of yummy, nutritious foods that the kids love! Well, they don't all love everything, but the menu has something for everyone. Each child looks forward to a different day. Although they ALL seem to love the Stuffed Pepper Casserole.

Around the house.....the laundry is almost caught up, thanks to the help of Taylor. And Alexa and Sky help by folding towels, too. Evan even likes to fold washcloths! We're starting him young! The house is really in decent shape, considering how much schooling has been staying on track. Usually it is so tough to balance. The kids' helping out makes all the difference.

One of my favorite things.....coffee in the mornings...with my french vanilla creamer. Love it.

From my picture journal....

the pure joy of childhood...and I am holding on to hers as long as I can.

Stop by Peggy's for more daybook entries.

TTFN

~Tina

Maybe This Explains It.....

I hope so. Because otherwise, I just don't get what Obama has done to deserve it.

HT: Creative Minority Report

Tot School Time

Evan is 39 months old.

This week at Tot School, we played with the
Magnetic Mighty Mind Set. This set starts at a very simple "shape matching" level and goes up to a level that puts my 7 year old to the test.

Evan wanted to get out the marble run game. Putting this together is tricky. So Evan always "assists" me. But we both have a blast watching the marbles fly down their tracks.
We made a shapes angel. We did this as a little lesson on shapes, but also to celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels.

Concentrating.....

Beautiful job, Evan.
We used these cards to match upper and lower case letters. These are so cute and fun because they also make a picture, when matched up correctly.
The weather has been so nice lately. We love to be outside in the cool Autumn air. And Evan loves to play with his sisters on the swingset!
I really wish I could remember where I found this idea. I think it was
at Childcareland. I don't have time right now to weed through the immense amount of wonderful printables and videos that are at her sight. But once you check out childcareland.com, I don't think you'll mind looking all through the many, many fun ideas she has. You print out the template for the strips onto cardstock. Then fill in each square with a circle sticky in different patterns. Next, you provide your child with colored clothespins that match the circles. This activity really works the little muscles in their hands.
Next it was.......Apple Time! Evan made a paper bag apple. He loves to paint, so this was really fun for him.

Then he cut out (with help) and glued some apples to an apple tree. I let him use markers for this. I find that if I mix up the mediums for coloring activities, it helps hold his interest. Lately he is loving markers.

I used
this template

to make some "felt" apples that I colored and cut out for his felt apple tree.

He counted them and stacked them and put them on the tree, then we'd go "apple picking" together. We also did a few apple rhymes as we worked with the feltboard.

More painting...

I punched out some apple shapes for Evan to glue onto a letter A.
He used those shapes again to make apple patterns with me.

We also read some apple books and I'm still trying to get us to the orchard for some real apple picking. Maybe this week.

Head on over to 1plus1plus1equals1 to see many more ideas for enjoying time with your Tot. :-)

TTFN

~Tina