A Mom Living Life Deliberately

How to get through the H1N1 shots

2009-10-29T21:13:00.003-05:00

Today we went in for the H1N1 shot. As a mother of four, there are a couple techniques that I've learned to survive the shot process.
1. Don't bring daddy :) He doesn't like seeing the kids suffer or be in pain. He will be the one who stays up all night watching a sick kid to make sure they are breathing. However, getting shots is just very difficult for him.
2. Have a game-plan, don't talk too much about it... but inform as needed.
3. Bring treats for right after the shot to distract them. This works especially well for the 1-3 yr old range who will completely forget that they just were crying once that chocolate hits their tongue.
4. Get it over with!!!! No sense in spending time and energy delaying the process. It's all about the assembly line. Pick one... help hold them down, make them look away... give them a treat. Move on to the next. The older ones will already be freaking out once they've seen the others cry. So, the faster the process, the less time they have to dread it.
5. Bring a bucket for the one that always throws up when she has a shot. [I forgot this... now I'm bringing one!]

It was successful, we all survived.
When we were done, the nurse thanked me and told me that I was extremely helpful. She thanked me over and over because I made the whole process go so much easier. We were in and out in 5 minutes... 4 children... 5 minutes. Yes, that's what's called assembly line style! No wasting time. I can hold their hands and sympathize while we're walking into the elevator. However, when the next kid is waiting for their turn and every moment the dread is pushing down on their little minds, there is no time to waste. So, the candy works pretty well and I simply move on, knowing that I can attend to all their needs once we're all done.

Sophia told me that I need to get a flu shot too... I think it's sort of her way of asking that I feel her pain and/or some sort of pay-back. I agreed that I would as soon as they let me.

How to manage it all?

2009-10-25T22:01:00.003-05:00

I have to say, the last week has been crazy. Sickness flew through for a bit and then I became consumed with school. I've seriously got to get a feasible schedule worked out so that I can manage everything I have to do.
Sometimes I simply feel all tapped out... *sigh*

Little Girl's Secret Garden

2009-10-17T18:04:00.003-05:00

Today was one of those days where mother's brilliance somehow manifests itself in a small but excellent idea that catches on wonderfully. We are in the midst of reading The Secret Garden and the kids have been overjoyed with the excitement of gardening and a garden revealing its secrets over time. In addition, I have about 15 gardens and not enough time to tend to all of them properly. So... here is where the brilliant ideas comes in.
I told the girls that they could each have a garden. The rules were that they had to prepare it for winter, plant their flowers in the spring, water it, weed it, and maintain it however is necessary. My thought was not only would this take some responsibility off of my shoulders in the gardening department, but they also would learn responsibility and excellent life-science knowledge. As they watch their hard work bloom before their eyes, they can look up the plants, learn about tending each one, and watch the beauty that they've created. What a great way to learn!
In addition, I told them that if they wanted to, they could save up some money and buy whatever plants/flowers that they wanted for their little plot. So, soon the girls were discussing varieties of flowers that they'd like to plant and making plans for their gardens. They discussed how much money each had in her treasure box and how much they thought it would cost to purchase plants. After giving them their choices, Sophia and Jack ended up with a little 3 sq ft plot that is below the mailboxes. After much discussion, Cecelia and Bella decided that they wanted to work on the same plot together. They picked the sunniest garden on the lot and began to work. They raked and weeded... raked and weeded.... for hours upon hours.
They asked if they could purchase some spring bulbs and I agreed. So, I gave them some more raking work that I would pay them for... so that they could earn some money for the bulbs. They worked for possibly 5 hours today out in the yard. They are tired, sore... and completely overjoyed with their new project.
I'm blessed at their persistence and excited to see what their imaginations will come up with.

Child Insomniacs read Encyclopedias

2009-10-17T09:38:00.003-05:00

4:00 AM

*thump, thump, thump... giggle... laugh*
*thump, thump... giggle... giggle*

[my husband nudges me]

(sigh)

Pulling myself out of bed, I walk out of the bedroom and note that Sophia and Jack are playing in his room. Their eyes filled with excitement look at me innocently and Jack exclaims: "mom, we playin'"
"Guys it's the middle of the night. You need to be in bed!"
Sophia chimes in: "Mom, it's like the morning. I am wide awake, mom. It's just dark outside. I think it's the morning."
Jack's ever-so-helpful negotiation tactic: "Mom, I found my spiderman sunglasses. They was in my room. They cool. Look mom." *putting on his glasses*
(Note: he's good at the redirect and distract negotiations, and my husband informs me that I too use this. So, I can't blame Jack because if I use it, then it might be something he learned from me.)
I notice that not only do they have mounds of blankets in their room, but 3 huge encyclopedias (B, J-K, and the Index) that they must have been pouring over. Who does this! Who wakes up in the middle of the night to read encyclopedias and marvel at sunglasses?!
"No, Sophia and Jack it is 4am, you need to be in bed. This is not morning-time. This is the middle of the night and you need to be in bed."
Sophia looks at me with exasperation as if I certainly do not understand that it really is morning! Of course, she cannot read the clock, so she has no further argument.
"Sophia, you need to get in your bed and Jack you need to go to sleep."
Jack persists: "Mom, LOOK at these cool sunglasses. I found them in my room. I look like Spiderman. LOOK mom."
"Yes, Jack I am glad you found your sunglasses. Now go to sleep."
He frowns and grabs his blankie.
Sophia makes a show of how much I am putting her out and explains that she has her blankets and her babies in Jack's room. (This only means that she's been up for awhile because she had the time to bring all her blankets down and all 4 babydolls with their blankies and bedding.) She complains: "but MOM! I have to bring ALL my stuff back into my room!!!"
I grab her blankets and she starts bringing the baby parade back upstairs to her room. Her disappointment magnified in each trudging foot step. After several trips due to the volume of things she had brought down to Jack's room, she is finally tucked in bed and her light turned off.
As I stumble back to bed, I simply hope they fall asleep. This morning, I was informed that my husband had gotten up with me and stayed up to ensure that Sophia stayed in her room. So, he was up at 4am and I got to sleep in till 7am. lol oops!

Ahhh Life

2009-10-16T16:39:00.002-05:00

I've been in a particularily nostalgic mood lately. I'm not sure why this has come upon me now, but it might be because Jack is now potty trained. My mind springs to so many events in my life that have formed and shaped who I am today. Then, the thoughts turn toward the future. What a wonderful adventure life has become. I'm blessed to have children who are moving on from babyhood into childhood with ease. They all are learning and growing...
I'm excited to move into this new phase of life where I am no longer worrying about the necessaries of babyhood, but simply enjoying the excitement and passion of learning with each personality.
What a joy to embrace these moments and stand tall in my accomplishment. They all survived being babies and now we move into different challenges. I know their childhood will not last forever, but I'm blessed to hold their hand as they explore the world with active imaginations.

payback

2009-10-15T08:45:00.004-05:00

This morning, we had a comical conversation with our 4 year old, Sophia. She is wearing a bright pink fluffy dress and holding her baby Mia with a little toy phone.

My husband and I were sitting together drinking coffee...

"Mom, Dad.... be quiet, I'm going to make a phone call."
My husband and I smiled mischievously and said: "We will be as quiet as you are when we are on the phone." *smile*
She takes her phone and starts pounding on the keys, certainly dialing some 20+ numbers for good measure. She places the phone to her ear and says: "Hi, how are you today?"
My husband and I interrupt.
"SOPHIA!!! SOPHIA, SOPHIA, SOPHIA, SOPHIA...CAN I GET A DRINK. SOPHIA I NEED YOU. SOPHIA CAN I HAVE A TREAT. JACK TOUCHED ME SOPHIA, HE'S BOTHERIN' ME. SOPHIA.... SOOOOPHIIIIIIAAAAA!"
She frowned and said: "guys stop hollerin' I'm trying to make a phone call!"

lol
I don't think she got it, but it was funny :)

Team Drama

2009-10-11T20:55:00.003-05:00

I cringe as I think about what has happened this week... but I have to relate this story to simply get it off my chest.
This week in school we were assigned to learning teams. We are supposed to complete a final project together and this week our goals were to complete a form that outlined how we were going to attack the final paper. I signed up to lead the team this week. It was a little like jumping off a cliff... I struggled with the fact that we not only did not know each other, but also were expected to come together to form a cohesive plan.
I worked out a time-line for the team's assignment and posted this for everyone to see. Note: there are 5 people in our team. I heard back from 2 of my peers and we decided to meet on Wednesday evening. After not hearing from everyone, I sent out an e-mail to all 5 explaining where we were at and expressing our desire to have a meeting. One woman responded with her regrets and explained that her schedule at work prohibited her ability to come to a meeting. So, I immediately e-mailed her back and tried to tie her down to a portion of the project. She agreed to this and I proceeded to enter her into our time-line and assign her jobs.
We had the meeting and got a little accomplished.
On Thursday, I wrote out all the rest of the answers based off of the discussion and made a good portion of it up.
I had clearly indicated both online in our classroom and through e-mail correspondence that each team member was supposed to enter their portion of the assignment online by Thursday. Well, Thursday comes and goes and we have heard nothing from 2 team members and 3 of us have an almost complete assignment. I e-mailed the professor at this point and asked him what to do with one member of our team as he had not posted all week. My professor told me to simply leave him out as he thought classmate would be dropping the class. So, now we were down to 4.
I e-mailed the lady who said she had a horrendous week and reminded her of the portion of the charter that she was supposed to have given to the team by Thursday.
Saturday, the professor asked us to post a rough draft so that he could offer his feedback. I e-mailed and called the woman who had been missing. I told her that she had by 5pm to post her content. Then, 5 o'clock came and she had not posted anything.
I e-mailed the professor again asking him what to do. He told me to eliminate her from the time-line and simply assume that we only have 3 people. So, I redid the assignment and rearranged the responsibilities to reflect her absence.
Then, in the middle of the night on Saturday (5 hours after that 5pm deadline), both of the other team members show up. One posts: "hey... um... what am I supposed to do?" The other posts on an old thread her portion of the charter.
So, Sunday morning I'm saddled with a decision. Do I add her back in? Will this be a pattern for her? Will we always be trying to track her down? Do I play the bad guy and effectively eliminate her from the team?
After hours agonizing over this decision, I decide she is not worth our time. We tried, I communicated, I accommodated, and I did speak to the professor. We have 3 people who have actively participated...
Then, we have a team meeting on Sunday evening at 7:30pm. We start our meeting with the 3 people and begin to finalize everything. Then, this woman pops in... I was stunned. As I looked at her name on my screen, my heart started to pump out of my chest. I was the team leader. I had to say something. My fingers froze to the key-board. How do I professionally handle this?
After all, this is 30% of our grade!
I told her to contact the professor. *sigh*
It was so hard.
She kept posting in the other forums about how teams need to be clear with their expectations. How they need to give 24 hour notice. The fact is, I did give her more than 24 hour notice. I bent over backward to accommodate her schedule. I received nothing from her. So, at this point it's too late.
I hope the professor can back up our team's decision and let us simply move on without her.
What a rough week. What an awkward position I was put in!

I love socks

2009-10-08T19:35:00.002-05:00

There is nothing so enjoyable than pulling on new socks and running along hard-wood floors. My kids delighted in this little joy today. After the early-morning "I have no SOCKS" freak outs, I decided today I would buy everyone new socks.
So, today at Target, we made a bee-line for the socks. The kids each got a multi-pack of white socks and were excited as we payed for the socks and went home.
As soon as we were home, the kids ripped open their packages and tried them on. Soon, they were sliding across the floors "trying them out".
What fun!
Seriously, is there anything so wonderful as fresh new socks?

Do I not play well with others?

2009-10-07T17:55:00.003-05:00

I have learned so much about myself this week. I re-entered college at the University of Phoenix and again am straddling papers and discussion questions, however what has really thrown me for a loop is a group project that is going to be a regular fixture in all my classes.
It's not that I don't "play well with others" or even that I can't collaborate. It's that I am very disciplined, I am a major communicator, and I like to see progress.
Our teams were assigned on Sunday evening and we were all supposed to check in and leave our contact information. This took about 2 days for everyone to do...
We are supposed to create a game-plan for our final project and outline each individuals duties. So, as I waited and waited for someone to take the lead, my anxiety increased. Finally, I decided to take the role of team-leader this week and force the issue. After hearing about people's availability, I scheduled a team meeting this evening and have not heard from everyone. I still have 2 people who have not so much as acknowledged that we are having a meeting.
*sigh*
I swear, I'm not trying to be controlling or pushy, but seriously- I CARE about my grades. I don't want to sacrifice my excellent record because others are not checking into class often enough.
To be fair, I have heard from 2 classmates and one of which I have spoken on the phone with a number of times. So at least I feel like I'm not alone.
Alas, here I sit... after spending about 3 hours creating a game plan for the final project.. wondering if anyone will sign up for duties. I offered to write the rough draft (as I know that I can create quality work on a time-table and it might not even need that much editing). Another classmate mentioned they are good at editing and I simply assigned them the final week as team leader and told them that they could edit the paper.
Unfortunately, we have lots of research to do and right now I am wondering if there will be enough classmates available to pitch in.
I'm trying really hard not to be controlling, but I seriously can't handle the stress. Once I get into my marketing courses (the next 5 courses), I am going to be proactive in finding people who are excellent at school. This might seem completely weird, but we can request team-mates and we can try to get each other in subsequent classes. So, I'm determined to find a group of people who will take the bull by the horns and communicate to an excess.
I need to relax... it's totally stressful this week. If I can figure out how to handle these team assignments, I will do well in school. It's just the fact that I have to rely on others and trust that they too want this as bad as I do.
So... my question: do I not play well with others?

Art Teacher???

2009-10-05T22:12:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I had about 45 minutes to spare while I waited for my daughters to get out of girl scouts, so I figured Walmart was my best bet. After all, I needed to purchase coffee and it was blocks from the school. As I rounded the corner of the Walmart, another shop caught my attention.
It said something about coffee and art... and I figured since I had time, I might as well check it out.
As I walked into the store with Jack and Sophia, I was greeted by a fully-stocked coffee bar. Then, as I looked around, there was an eclectic mix of artwork ranging from wall art to ceramics to jewelry... etc. It was beautiful. I started talking to the owner and asking her questions about the store. Meanwhile, Jack and Sophia started looking at everything which was a little unnerving. We started talking about artwork and how hard it is to sell in this economy. I told her I was an artist and she said: "like, you are a working artist?" I smiled and thought about that statement. Although I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a working artist per-se. I have made money at it and have been featured at local coffee shops. So, does that make me working? I doubt that many artists can claim to be paying the bills solely on their art. The money in art is firmly planted in movies, advertising, marketing, and a small line of commercially available art pieces like Kinkaide (things that people want to put on their walls). Although I would venture that my artwork would also do well on many people's walls, I don't make a lot of money at my craft.
I answered her by telling her about my previous art shows and explaining that I do commissions, so yes I make money... sorta... sometimes...
She inquired about what type of art I did and I told her "watercolor and paper mache". I explained how my paper mache is a little different and suddenly she was quite interested. She asked if I had a website and I told her that I didn't, but everything was posted on facebook. So, she brought me over to her computer and I dialed in my account so that she could see my photo albums.
She asked if I could teach a class. They do art classes for the general public and she would pay me half the fee + materials (I have to figure out how much they cost). I explained my process and we figured that 2, 2 hour classes would do fine on different weeks. So, the class itself would be about $48 + materials. She told me to figure out how many people need to be signed up in order to make it worth my time.
I left the little shop with a post-it filled with details I need to figure out and information I need to gather.
*sigh*
It was a big boost, but now the work begins. It's so hard to figure out exactly how much my materials per person will cost. Sometime in November I will do this class, but I have so much work to do prior to actually committing to this project.
I'm all unsure of myself today and feeling inadequate.
I need to get a handle on this! Confidence in the midst of an ego boost seems to be my most difficult thing. I tend to fly high and then fall down to the "I'm not good enoughs" without much time to enjoy it. *sigh*

Teaching a first child

2009-10-03T23:46:00.004-05:00

My eldest daughter is definitely the type "A"/leader personality. As the eldest of two parents whose placement was the same, we assumed that Cecelia would tend toward this personality. After all, she is our daughter, right?
Well one problem with first children is the fact that they often assume responsibilities that are not ours to worry about. I remember tattling to my mother about something my brother had done wrong. Mom would tell me that she could be the mom and I could let her catch my brother doing something wrong without my vigilance. In my head, I responded to her: "but you DON'T catch him doing something wrong. There are times where you miss something. I am just trying to help."
Alas, it is with this logic that many first children attempt to be their parent's little spy.
Of course, the logic is all wrong and the fact is that mothers don't need spys. There is a wisdom that mothers have about how often they need to attend to a specific problem. In addition, there are only so many rules that should be vigilantly held.
So... back to Cecelia...
She began coming home from school with a very familiar problem.
At first, it was within a couple days of beginning school. She slumped into the car and said: "I had a horrible day." Upon further inquiry, she indicated that someone had called her a liar. Of course, any parent would be upset and disturbed by this revelation. She told me that some kids were exchanging snacks and the teacher had a rule about how that was not ok. She told this group to stop because it was against the rule and they said "you are a liar".
So, the fact was, she was sticking her nose into another person's business. She felt it was her duty to right the wrongs and thus was seen as a rule thumber.
Then, another instance happened when a kid pushed her in line. She told the teacher and she was certain that the teacher did not address the issue to the kid.
Soon, I started seeing the pattern. She felt that her teacher was not catching every issue and wasn't responding when she tattled. Although I'm certain that the teacher did address every issue and that my daughter simply had not seen it, there are so many issues a teacher has to deal with.
So, we sat Cecelia down one morning to give her a new perspective. My husband explained how he struggled with the same feelings that she is now. He gave her a new idea. She was only supposed to be responsible for herself. She didn't need to worry about what other kids were doing or whether or not they followed the rules perfectly. She was not to tattle to the teacher unless there was blood or if someone was asking her to cheat. Her responsibility was to only focus on herself and how she followed the rules. We told her that there will be people who break rules. There will be times when a teacher cannot see it and/or when a teacher doesn't address things as we think they should. However, she has to not try to find those instances and when she does see them, she needs to not worry about it. She only needs to ensure that she is following the rules.
That day, she hopped into the car with a smile. I asked how her day went and instead of the typical gripe-list, she said: "great!!!!" I asked her how the new perspective was and she smiled at me. She said: "It's great mom. I only worried about myself and I didn't even see anyone do anything wrong. I didn't tattle all day." She immediately told me of all the fun things she did and all the new things she's learning. Instead of the long list of infractions that others were doing, she simply was happy.
I was so thrilled to see our idea work on her. Hopefully this will help her retain the friends that she has and help her to be happier.

Andrenaline Rush!

2009-09-30T21:12:00.001-05:00

I am completely energized by school. I don't know how adding hours of work and mental strain on my day can somehow give me the andrenaline rush that propels me through the day, but it somehow does. These last 2 days have been amazing. I feel alive.
What energizes you???

My new logo

2009-09-29T21:10:00.002-05:00

Here is what I've been working on for the last several evenings. This is now our new logo. What do you think?
It was so much fun to create something like this and pushed my creativity beyond the norm. I'm feeling particularily accomplished right now.
I don't have many days like this, but I not only finished the logo work... but
cleaned the entire house, did all the laundry, got all my assignments done for the entire week of school (this was the first day of classes), did homeschooling, baked a pumpkin pie with REAL pumpkins (never done that), roasted pumpkin seeds, and successfully got some extremely hard to get medication for my hubby.
I know, tomorrow I will get nothing done and my life will fall apart at the most random moment. However, today was a good day. I must enjoy it while it lasts because these days don't happen very often.
*cheers*

Creating a Logo

2009-09-28T19:13:00.003-05:00

I'm in the midst of creating a logo for our company. It is turning out pretty good, but I need to rework it tonight in order to make it perfect. We want it to be ready for printing and I heard from a family member that for Christmas she'd like to create t-shirts with the logo for my husband. So, I want it to be easy to transfer to that application as well.
As I've worked on this art project, it's pushed me out of my comfort zone by using colored pencils. In addition, I'm not used to cartoon drawing, but it's been a fun adventure.
Hopefully it will all fall together and I will post a picture of it once it's all done.
Maybe I can major in Marketing and make a career of it. After all, with logo creations, marketing plans, marketing materials, brochures... etc, I will have many things to put into my portfolio. This excites me to see things falling into place.
Logos are especially difficult because this is what will brand a company. This picture will be what people associate with the business and ultimately it will bring in customers. Although there is pressure associated with it, I'm proud to say that it will be done with an attention to detail. What a blessing to have this opportunity.
*cheers* to new adventures

Note:

2009-09-27T10:05:00.002-05:00

I figured out how to add an e-mail subscription to this blog. So, feel free to be an e-mail subscriber and receive each post.
Thanks all!

Excited for College

2009-09-27T09:56:00.003-05:00

Tuesday I get back into the swing of college. It's been a fun summer off and I'm blessed to have had it. For the next two years, I will always have assignments and presentations to complete. The workload will increase and the mental stimulation might exhaust me. Alas, it is incredibly enjoyable to be in that environment. Of course, I also do love the excuse to sit down by the fire with a cup of coffee or a latte and read and write academically everyday. I guess that is simply one perk to going to college online.
I checked into my student website this morning to discover that my professor has finally been posted as well as the roster of students. I will be one of 17 people in my class and that seems somehow wonderful. The previous classes were between 25 and 30 people and this seems much more intimate.
Excited, expectant, joyous, scared, and jumbled... these are the emotions that fling through my mind with rapid-fire. It's like stepping off a precipice into the unknown, but having the faith that there will be someone to catch you. It will be a fun ride. I will learn so much.
Learning how to schedule myself an appropriate amount of time to complete excellent work (and thus receive excellent grades) was a challenge last time around. However, I worked it out and managed to do just that. After all, when you are paying so much to go to college, it seems stupid to squander the opportunity by doing everything sub-par.
*cheers* to new beginnings and new adventures

The Man

2009-09-26T18:54:00.001-05:00

Jack found a little action figure of the Hulk. I'm not sure exactly where it came from, but it might have been some long-forgotten McDonalds toy. He has been carrying it around everywhere and calls it his "man".
Today at naptime, he started the negotiations:

"Mom, can my man take a nap with me too?"
"Sure"
"Just make sure that your man takes a nap. It's naptime"
*looking at his man and then grinning*
"He is not closing his eyes!"
"Silly man"
"He is naughty because he won't take a nap"

lol

Defense of Superior Projects

2009-09-25T19:26:00.007-05:00

You slip into your child's classroom for the science or history presentation with all the other parents. As you sit in the back of the classroom on the folding chair, you note the children whose projects are far superior to your little joy. Instead of enjoying the presentation, those thoughts of "her parents did that" or "it's not fair- my child's doesn't look that good" or "what a crock" run through your head as you try to justify your involvement in the project. As your child stands at the front of the room with a little bit of trepidation and a quivering piece of paper, your heart goes out to the apple of your eye. The presentation is stalled when the words on the piece of paper don't come together into a sentence. The distraction of a classroom full of onlookers will cause them to studder and blush as they simply try to read through the couple sentences on their paper. The construction paper and glued project stands beside them and they too feel inadequate as they survey the offerings of their peers.
[This senario has been conveyed to me by many parents and I've heard this complaint on the radio and elsewhere, so I know that there are those out there that feel like this.]

I've heard so many parents complain about the over-involved helicopter parents that do everything for their child. I've heard of the architect families that construct a monstrous contraption that serves as their child's projects.
Yet, we are one of those families. This is in defense of how we do things.

First, we do not write or construct our child's project. Second, we try to teach our children to love learning and thus to find passion in what they do. Third, we give them time to prepare for the oral presentation so that they will easily read it aloud without any problems. Fourth, we firmly believe that if a child is proud of their work and proud of their presentation, this confidence will be conveyed. Fifth, the whole point of an at-home project is to allow the student to delve into learning with an on-hands approach.

Here is our approach:
As soon as my eldest comes home with a project (note this has more to do with her left-brained, list-making, first born personality than anything else), she is excited to delve in. She often walks off the bus with an idea already in mind and several follow up brainstorms for the assignment. That evening, I make her pull out the encyclopedias and she copies into her notepad the details she feels are important (she is only in 2nd grade now- so copying is as good as researching for her). As she reads, she might ask me about the details and/or seek clarification. Often, if I read it to her (off of the Internet), I will make her explain to me what each sentence means. This way, when she is gathering her information, I'm certain she has understood the content.
Then, the creative-portion of the project begins. Often we spend a couple days brainstorming and talking about materials she might use, elements she might include, and a whole host of hands-on research. For example, when she had an astronomy project last year, she came home with an idea in her head to create a paper mache moon. Daddy and her sat down and looked up paper mache and found a new way to do it. [Thus spurring on my recent artwork that are crafted from these paper mache ideas.]
Once she has a clear picture in her mind of what she wants, the next several days will be spent getting the materials and making it happen. Often she will do most of this herself. For example, for her latest dinosaur diorama (that we were informed of this afternoon), she has decided to make playdoh and use it as the base of her diorama. She will paint it and put foot prints in it from the dinosaur that she's chosen.
We will help her with anything that might be dangerous or simply need adult supervision, but for the most part- constructing her creation will take several days or weeks (depending on the length of time she has to create it).
Once it is completed, she will begin writing her paper/presentation. Often after weeks of talking about it, reading new things... and simply working with her hands on the project, she will have enough knowledge to sit down and write out what she wants to say. We will correct it for spelling errors and ask her to include sentences about any of the concepts that are necessary for her assignment. Often she will rewrite the project a couple times until it is neat and includes everything she needs. So, by this time she is solid on what she's written.
Then, for about 3-4 days before the presentation, she will practice it in front of us. She will stand tall, project and read her writings. She may present it to anyone else that might come to our house and this will give her a firm grasp on the concepts and the presentation portion of the project.

In summary, I'm defending our involvement. The next time you bemoan the fact that there is a child in your kid's class that has a superior project and as you assume has not actually done any of it. Consider the few of us that do care. We work for weeks to ensure that she will be proud of her project and have a firm grasp on the concepts. She thinks, brainstorms, writes, practices, and manages to pull off a great presentation. Remember that there are those of us that don't necessarily hand our kids a completed project and hope that they might glean some knowledge. We simply give them the tools to succeed.
Yes, I am an artist so I might have materials and/or ideas that others might not. However, giving her these tools is not necessarily bad.... it just helps her to think outside of the box and connect with her work in a different way.

I wonder if teachers see this... maybe not... maybe they too simply think that we do our kids' projects. *sigh*
Maybe it doesn't matter... our child has learned and will not soon forget all she's learned. That's the point. However, I've heard so many times the grumblings of other parents and I would like to set the record straight- for us at least.
Am I wrong to expect my child to put her best foot forward and strive for excellence?

Edit: upon further reflection, I want to state: we all do what's best for our children with the skills and time that we have. I have more time than money to enroll my children in extracurriculars. I tend to thrive in the learning environment and seek to pull the best out of my children. Consequently, I might defend the time we spend. In addition, I can appreciate parents that don't have the time that I might have to dedicate to these projects, so in no way am I stating there is a superior parenting at work in our home. However, I'm sick of hearing the complaints from parents who are simply frustrated that my kid worked hard and created a great presentation, without realizing the work that went into it. It's easy to judge others, but not so easy to see how the seemingly impossible can indeed become possible with time.

Classic Books

2009-09-25T12:47:00.002-05:00

Over the last two years, I recommitted myself to reading for pleasure. I joined a book club and tried to keep on top of all the books as well as my schoolwork. Part of my determination came from the fact that my husband reads constantly. Not only is he somehow able to finish and entire book in one sitting, but he has the ability to discuss and relate details about it. His enjoyment spurred me on to partake in the joys of reading. I didn't want to be the mom that my children never saw reading unless it was a grocery list, blog, or e-mail. Books have such value in so many ways. There are excellent classics that I've never dipped into and I feel that it is my duty to educate myself.
Over the last year, I've tackled many classics and found myself in worlds and centuries that have both captured my imagination and taught me so much. This experience has given me a new appreciation for reading, even if my pace is much slower than my husband.
Yesterday, on Facebook, an old acquaintance from my high school posted a list of 100 books that the BBC thought was important. Their conjecture was that most people have only read 6 of these classics. As I went through the list, I kept counting... and counting. I had 35!!!!! How is that even possible! They expected 6 out of 100 and I had 35.
My husband and I discussed this and other great-books lists last night. I do hope to be a woman who is well-read and thoughtful in everything that I do read. My base-knowledge is fairly expansive due to an excellent high-school education at one of the top schools in my state. However, once I got to college, got married, and began popping out kids, I ceased to read. How could I have gotten this out of practice?
There were several books on the list that my husband had read that he believed I might enjoy. There were others that I had read and I encouraged him to read.
It got me thinking about what type of person I want to be. Books open a window into eras, lives, and thought processes that we might not normally think about. It is within these experiences that we learn and grow in a gentile way. Granted, I've learned many lessons through hard work, challenges, and pain. However, I wonder if I too can learn and grow through expanding my mind.
What a gift... to read... to devour... to enjoy a book. In addition, I see the fluff that sometimes are the only books that people read, it's sad to see beautiful works of literature take second string to books that hold little value.
So, as college classes start for me next week, I am saddened that I will not have nearly as many opportunities to read. However, I will continue to try to read continuously. In addition, I'm back in the habit of reading to the kids before bed. We've read so many good chapter books over the last two years, but the summer got away from us.
So... The Secret Garden is our next project.
What a joy to embrace the writings of authors that are considered brilliant and who have contributed to the list of what we consider classics.

Broken Fridge

2009-09-24T09:11:00.003-05:00

A couple days ago, the fridge began complaining rather loudly. My husband knew that this was the beginning of the end for our fridge and each day we celebrated that it still was cold.
However, yesterday evening, I discovered that it was no longer cold. *sigh*
We immediately began the relay of food. We moved everything to a fridge in the basement that kinda-sorta works. We have been using this fridge for our stash of homemade soda. As I was pushing possibly 10 gallons of bottled soda aside to fit my yogurt, milk, and eggs, my thoughts turned to the positive. With a fridge in the basement, I might get more exercise. After all, I will have to run downstairs to get everything we need and then run back downstairs to put it back. The kids filled up laundry bins with food and I carried it down and squeezed the syrup, jam, and pork loin in with the soda. When we finally got everything from the fridge into the basement, I opened the upstairs freezer to discover that the ice was not even melted. huh... So, our freezer downstairs has some stuff, our freezer upstairs has some stuff... and the fridge downstairs is packed solid.
Anyone want some soda?
This morning as I was getting cereal for everyone, I walked up and down the stairs 7 times. Yes... 7.
I choose to think about this positively. Maybe I will simply lose some weight from all the running up and down the stairs. In addition, I deep-cleaned my laundry room yesterday (where the fridge is) and deep cleaned my oven and the upstairs fridge- so I don't have to clean a smelly fridge because I already did it. [I'm in deep-cleaning mode because my school starts again next week and I know that for another 1.5 - 2 years, I will be more worried about power points and projects than deep-cleaning.]
Honestly, I could use some good luck right now. Nothing else can break... we've had too many things break on us recently. Jobs need to start coming our way. We need to sell the boat.
That's just where I am today. A little frustrated and muddled, but remembering that I need to stay positive. Maybe I can lose 5 lbs before the fridge is fixed?

Couponing

2009-09-23T10:47:00.004-05:00

I'm not normally a couponer. I tend to grocery shop with my list in hand that's filled with necessary ingredients for a week+ worth of meals. Consequently, on Sunday when I get the paper, I will go through it and figure out which meats are on sale. Then, I flip over to foodnetwork.com and find recipes that correspond to what I have in the house and what I intend to purchase. Once I have my recipes printed out or figured out, I will start compiling a list of groceries. Then, after I look in the pantry and determine which staples are running low, I have a completed shopping list.
Coupons are sometimes a part of the list, but more than likely... coupons are an afterthought.
I will try to print out coupons on coupons.com and sometimes I will clip the coupons that I know we will use. Then, they often are left on the counter and I'm couponless.
Yesterday, I saw a woman who has a blog called http://www.pocketyourdollars.com/ on Twin Cities Live. She was inspiring. There was a deal for General Mills Cereal that with coupons from online and in circulars plus the sales, she was getting everything for free. So, I went to her website and printed out coupons from coupons.com. Then, as I was compiling my shopping list and adding ingredients for Pad Thai, Mexican Pizza, Meatloaf, and Maple Glazed Pork Chops, I realized that Wednesday is double coupon day.
So, I decided to try it. I went through all the work of clipping, printing, and compiling my coupons. Then, this morning, I dropped off Cecelia at the bus stop and headed to Rainbow. Of course, once we were in the parking lot for Rainbow, I realized that I had forgotten my list [very necessary]. So, I went into Rainbow and used 5 coupons (because they only double 5 coupons), then headed home to get my list. After putting away my first batch of groceries, I had already saved over 25$.
We went back to Rainbow and I knew the kids were almost at the end of their allotted good grocery shopping behavior. As we finished with the list and handed over another 10 coupons (3 of which I found as we went on top of the products I was purchasing), the savings was $32. So, I feel pretty good... I saved over 57$ and managed to do it all with three children. As I was checking out for the second time, Jack was climbing on the car portion of the cart. He was definitely done. *sigh*
At least it's done. Now, I have more than a weeks worth of groceries and several meals ready to be prepared. I feel accomplished :) I don't know if I will become a couponer, but it was a fun experiment.

Potty Training

2009-09-22T10:19:00.003-05:00

Washing pee soaked floors + extra laundry loads + stinky underware + lots of bathroom time = potty training

Yes, indeed we are potty training our youngest. After four children, you would think this would be a breeze, but of course these days are filled with the same amount of messes and challenges as with each child. On a positive note: Jack is doing wonderfully. He has been the easiest to potty train thus-far and I'm grateful that he is the last one in the line. When we are completely done with potty training I believe a cake or party is in order. After all, this will be the end of the diapering era for me. I'm excited!

Potty training a boy is different from the girls in so many ways, but the most significant is the fact that the penis tends to stand up or out instead of into the toilet. Consequently, a mother's chief worry beyond getting them on the toilet in time, is to ensure that the penis is pointed the proper direction. Just because you made it to the toilet doesn't mean that you won't have a pee soaked bathroom.
Jack has finally got the handle of holding his penis down, but still asks on occasion that I "point his peanuts". Sometimes we are without the extra padded chair and I need to hold him on the toilet and point his penis. Yesterday, I was pointing it down and then I was startled as my hand was not in the proper position and the pee was flowing through my fingers. Lovely! lol
Jack and I giggled as he finished peeing and I washed my hands. At least it got into the toilet :)
This morning, he woke up and said he had to go potty and I immediately took him to the bathroom. It was then that I discovered that he was dry!!!! He made it through the entire night without an accident! What a joy :) We celebrated this morning with pancakes (Jack's choice).
He is making such great strides. I'm so proud. We've had our share of accidents and mishaps, but he's been doing awesome. Within these 3 short weeks he's managed to have several days without an accident and now one night. In addition, I've stopped putting the diaper on him when we go out. We've gone hiking, grocery shopping, errand running, and to the park with only underware. He's done perfectly. I can see the finish line. We are almost done! Celebrate with me :)

Teacher Appreciation

2009-09-22T08:46:00.003-05:00

I've always had respect for teachers, but now I appreciate them all the more. Yesterday, as Bella and I were doing our homeschool work for Math, we hit a snag. The concepts might seem easy to me, but for her they just weren't clicking. We lined up the chairs in the kitchen to make a train. We were working on the terms: "First, Last, in Between, First, Second, Third, etc." Now, if I would ask her which was first, last, between... she had it right. Unfortunately, switching terms on her seemed to mess her up. We would add more chairs and when I'd ask where the third one was, she would forget that this term asked her to count the cars in the train and would immediately go for the last one. In addition, when we had a very long train the numbered terms would get lost in the "between" section.
After working for quite awhile in the kitchen, I started to wonder how exactly I could help her to understand that the terms were different and thus she needed to be alert in order to figure out what I was asking of her. Finally, as I was making my bed and thinking about how to get the concepts across, she wandered into the room. I told her to lay all my pillows out on the ground and she began jumping from pillow to pillow. Soon, it clicked and she suddenly had it. Then, when we were picking up Cecelia from school I had her work on the steps. I made her explain to me her process and soon she had a handle on it.
I have to admit, homeschooling is rewarding, but sometimes I am puzzled as to how to get a concept across. Sometimes going over and over the same concept doesn't seem to help, so I have to switch it up and change the venue.
It makes me wonder how many teachers find themselves against that same wall. How many stand there in front of their class and think: "they are not getting this! What to do now!" Possibly with so many children, the hope is to get it across to most and then they have to move on. I am certain that if Bella had been in a classroom situation yesterday, she would have been overlooked. She guessed the proper answer several times without realizing it. She didn't get the process and when the train was expanded beyond 3 or 4, she would get confused. It would have been easy to overlook her inability to grasp the concept. I suppose this is one blessing to trying out this homeschooling thing. I can see when she gets it and make sure that she truly understands everything before moving on.
God Bless those Teachers!

Vacuum Rant

2009-09-21T07:41:00.004-05:00

Two weeks ago my vacuum decided to die on me. Consequently, this mom of four has gone without for 2 weeks. I cannot even express properly how much I love vacuuming. It's not that the task itself is all that fun, but the result is fabulous. Whenever I clean a room, it is not clean unless it is vacuumed... so I'm going NUTS. Yesterday, I had the brilliant idea to use our wet/dry vacuum to get the carpets vacuumed. So, today I'm trying this experiment. The brilliance of my idea has somewhat faded as my back is protesting. I vacuumed 3 bedrooms and the hallway this morning. The hunchback stance is not comfortable, but the result is well-worth the pain.
There has got to be some way around all this, but short of having a windfall of money... I will be without a vacuum for awhile.
I need to figure out which vacuum to buy when the money does come, but I'm torn. I've heard excellent reviews from Dyson owners, but I worry that these two have a limited amount of run-time because the casing in plastic.
For some reason, vacuums only tend to last me a year. Granted, I do vacuum ALOT. Yet, it's frustrating to spend about $130 every year on a vacuum that will poop out at the most inopportune time. This is what first makes me wonder if it would be worth it to wait till I can afford a Dyson. Maybe someone will buy one of my paintings before my art show closes. Then, I can buy a vacuum.
In addition, I've found used Dysons on craigslist, but I worry if vacuums only really have a shortened life-span, if this will simply be another headache.
My mil told me to call a vacuum store and ask what they recommended for me. I will do this once we have the funds because right now it would be futile to shop around without having anything to show for my work.
So, I sit here with the knowledge that my living room, 2 more bedrooms, and playroom must be vacuumed and my back is trying to argue that it's too painful.
GRRRR!!!!!!
At least I will be able to claim that my home is clean once I get this task done. This might seem odd, but I do seriously only consider a room clean if I have finished the job with a vacuuming.
*sigh*

Graduation Rant

2009-09-20T20:01:00.003-05:00

To the lady sitting behind the keynote speaker at my graduation ceremony:

This was a ceremony for the families of students/graduates who have worked hard for their degrees. If you disagree with the politics of the keynote speaker of a graduation, suck it up! Seriously, the eye-rolling was obnoxious! I cannot believe you would have the gall to roll your eyes and make faces as a professor of a college. How professional does that make you? Are you that petty?
The speaker did not have anything political to say as this was not a place for politics. He kept his words within the bounds of a normal commencement speech, why couldn't you keep your juvenile eye-rolling to yourself? Do you think that the audience that is forced to watch you on the stage will suddenly disagree with the keynote's politics because you chose to act like a 4 year old? What did you accomplish by your actions?
I hope that there is more respect for the office of our elected officials in a professional and academic setting. I hope I never get you for a professor in my upcoming classes for my next degree. I have lost all respect for you by watching the 5 minute eye-rolling and face-making session. Get over yourself... get over your politics... this was not the appropriate time.