Mom's Lessons from the Boys

Dolls for boys???

2012-01-03T07:57:00.001-08:00

Santa brought Alligator a doll for Christmas. I would have previously thought this was not a good idea, but I am changing my ways. I read somewhere, can’t remember where, that how can we expect boys to grow up to be good dads if we never let them practice. It is supposedly bad for them as kids, but as an adult we expect them to jump right in???

My blog isn’t about big statements, and I am not trying to make one…really :)

All I can say is, he loved the dolls at his preschool, so he got a doll for Christmas and loves it. Monkey would have thrown it across the room, but Alligator enjoys it. So, to each his own…I guess.

Title 1

2011-12-29T19:37:00.001-08:00

I am testing out a new app, to see how it works. I received an iPad for Christmas, and I am trying to see if I can blog on it.

So this a test!

Weighted Vest- Sensory seeker

2011-12-23T00:04:00.000-08:00

Alligator has some sensory issues. One of which, is that they think he is a sensory seeker. Meaning, from my understanding, that is brain doesn’t get enough input about where he is in space, so he seeks out input by being constantly in motion, running into things…

One of the new things we are trying is a weighted vest. He is to wear it for about 20-30 minutes at a time when he I am trying to get him to do a seated activity. He loves puzzles, so I brought him to the table and got him seated. He was much less mobile during this time. I won’t say that it worked perfectly, but he definitely was more still than he normally is.

Here is some information from a company called In Your Pocket: (note our vest is not from this company, nor do I know anything about their specific vests, but I was looking for some information on the vest.

Deep pressure is often used to assist the child to self-calm and relax so that sensory stimulus can be processed. The use of a weighted vest provides the child with unconscious information from the muscles and joints.

I will keep you updated as to how the vest works for him.

Finger painting with yogurt, Sensory Activity

2011-12-22T11:59:00.001-08:00

My darling Alligator has some aversions to different textures. One texture that he really dislikes is creamy things like yogurt, ice-cream, and paint (not that paint is creamy, but it has the same sort of messy texture).

We are working with an Occupational Therapist to try to work on some of his issues. One of the things she suggested was working with yogurt. I thought I would try to make this a Christmas themed activity, but using the yogurt to decorate a laminated Christmas tree.

I gave him some squeegees to play with in the yogurt, but he wouldn’t dare touch anything but the squeegee. So we moved on…

Alligator is still obsessed with the alphabet. So I spread some yogurt out on the table, and wrote a letter in it. When he asked for the next letter, I told him he had to erase the other letter first. As you can see he was really into the activity. He disliked getting his hand dirty, but he was getting through it.

It is funny really, he liked smearing it, but it was the after he smeared and he realized that his hand was dirty that he wasn’t too happy.

But we got through M in the alphabet, so that was a success.

You can try this activity with pudding too, or cool whip. I find it helps to include his interests into the activity (like the alphabet).

P for penguin craft

2011-11-28T15:46:00.001-08:00

Alligator and I are working on a penguin unit this week.

Today we decorated a capital and lowercase P with penguin foot prints. Alligator is a little intimidated with paint. He is so worried he will get messy. So it takes a lot of coaxing. Near the end of the exercise I added a clip to the foot print so he would be more interested in touching it.

I cut the foot print stamp out of a sponge.

Then we used the number penguins from 1+1+1=1 (Alligator loves letters and numbers so it is so much easier to get him to participate if things have letters or numbers. Also they have to be in order, so that meant he had to put all 10 on, which was probably the longest he has ever worked on a craft.

The P’s came from a Time for Tots Kit.

There they are proudly displayed.

Alphabet Christmas Tree

2011-11-25T02:07:00.000-08:00

Alligator is obsessed with letters. So we decided to decorate his personal Christmas tree with the alphabet.

We have tons of letters from different things hanging around, so we found one of each letter and tied them on with string.

It really turned out cute!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T22:54:00.000-08:00

Hope you have a relaxing holiday!

Turkey feather painting

2011-11-23T14:05:00.001-08:00

I know it is a bit late, but if you are still looking for a turkey craft, that is a little more on the open-ended side, then check this one out.

I gave the boys a printout of feathers ( I got my copy from The Mailbox, but you could draw your own),with paints on a plate, and each a feather.

They painted the turkey feathers with a feather. I was amazed that Alligator was semi-interested in this. He actually painted a bit.

Monkey chose to fill in each of his feathers with a different color.

Here are Alligator and Monkey’s finished paintings

Then once the dried we cut them out and glued them to a turkey cut out (again from The Mailbox, and you could draw your own).

Here is Alligators. Monkey is still working on his!

Turkey craft

2011-11-23T03:24:00.000-08:00

Monkey is home from school today with a stomach virus. So he and I got the chance to make this turkey craft. This craft is inspired by someone’s post, but I can’t remember where. If you do, please let me know!

The coolest thing about this craft, is that you cut a triangle out of the paper plate before you start, for the nose. I love this idea!!!! (if only I could remember whose idea it was?!?!?!)

Then we painted the nose the face, and around the sides.

We cut a gobbler out of craft foam, and used pom-poms for eyes (with a dot of paint, for the iris). Then we glued on some feathers.

I love monkey’s turkey, it turned out so cool and crazy looking! Reminds me of one of our favorite books:

I hope you enjoy!

Favorite post of the week

2011-11-22T03:30:00.000-08:00

This week my favorite post come from Praises of a Wife and Mommy. It is a cooking post, with a thanksgiving theme. She made pilgram hats out of marshmellos and cookies. They are dipped in chocolate and so cute and delicious.

Check it out!

Read and enjoy!

Find the feathers – gross motor thanksgiving game

2011-11-21T01:36:00.000-08:00

These turkey’s have lost there feathers:

Can you help them find them?

YAY!!!! We got the turkey’s feather’s back!

We played the game sort of like an Easter egg hunt. Someone hid the feathers, then the boys were sent off to find them. You can declare a winner, and that person hides them the next time, or if you are playing with little kids you can have the older kids help the little kids find their feathers.

Even my husband and I had a good time playing… This would be fun with lots of kids on Thanksgiving, a way to get some energy out. Even the adults will enjoy it

You could also play outside.

You could put the feathers in a bowl and have the kids go through an obstacle course to get each feather. They start again to collect the next one.

Tot School

2011-11-20T09:43:00.001-08:00

I haven’t done a tot school post in a while, so here is what we have been up to since our last post.
We made Turkey Soup (see the post here). Both of my boys loved this activity. It was all pretend, it wasn’t exactly edible, but fun!

We match fall themed items (this is from a Time For Tots Kit).

We also played with a sensory tub, working on spooning (items came from TFT kit).

We are just getting back into a good schedule with our tot school activities. Come back to see more. I will be featuring a sensory activity, a gross motor activity, an art activity, and a feature toy each week. So come back and check us out! I’d love it if you’d follow us. Leave a comment and I’ll follow you back!
Check out what others are doing for TOT SCHOOL this week.

Turkey Soup… Sensory Activity

2011-11-18T06:57:00.001-08:00

It is really good for toddlers and preschoolers (really all children) to be exposed to different sensory activities. I put a theme to it (since it is close to Thanksgiving) and told the boys we’d be making Turkey Soup.

Here is what I used:

Muffin tins with different materials in them. We used: green stones, foam beads, cut up plastic lacing string, foam leafs, some beans, pom-poms, and a feather….(it is Turkey soup after all…so 1 big “turkey” feather.

I used a big pot of warm water (not hot, but warm, again for the sensory sensation. They have all played in cool water in pools and stuff, but warm water was a newer sensation.
I also had a small plastic bowl, in case they wanted to ladle out some soup for “tasting”

I also set out a variety of spoons, measuring cups.
Also I used an old shaker, and put flour in it for the boys to shake in their soup, as well as a little bottle of blue water (extra flavoring)
You’ll notice I had 2 of everything set out. I thought for this activity it would be best that they made their own, and didn’t have to share, we’ll work on that another time.

Once I had all the materials out I let Alligator go at it. I have never seen him play with something this long. He really enjoyed it!

Some items floated while others sank, he seemed to like testing to see what would happen.

There was a lot of spooning, which is great for fine motor.

He also loved the shaker!

Here is a close up of his Turkey Soup.

Both boys really enjoyed this activity. It is definitely something we will do again!

Nero Kwik Media Review

2011-11-17T12:22:00.001-08:00

Here is a screen shot of the cover of my book. Look at my Darling Alligator!

I recently had the opportunity to review some software from Nero Kwik Media. This software allows you to create a photo book, and then order them.

Here are some of the things I loved about this product:

1. You install the FREE software on your computer. In doing so, it uploads your photos to it automatically. Previously I used an online photo book provider and you had to pick out the pictures and then upload them and then select. This was so much easier with Nero Kwik Media. Plus, your pictures are not stored on the web somewhere.

2. I always make a yearly photo book for each of my boys. This software will automatically place the pictures in your book in date order. WOW…what a time saver that is!

3. They have some great templates to choose from, including soft cover books to leather. Great choices.

4. Once your photos are put in the book, then you can go through and add text, or change the photos around. It is so easy to do.

5. I love how you can drag a photo to your workspace, if you still want to use it, but you want to find a better place for it.

6. The book is really high quality, and a wonderful keepsake for years to come

My only negative is that I wish the search help menu was a bit less specific. You have to be very specific with your key words. I found this slightly hard to maneuver. I did, however figure it out in the end.

I really enjoyed making this book. It was quick and easy. I can’t tell you how much time it saved me that you can automatically place the pictures in the book—Such a time Saver!

Disclosure: This post is part of a SocialMoms product evaluation, for which I’ve been selected. One free photo book was made available to me for review purposes. I’ve been compensated for my time with a $100 PayPal payment. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Nero.

Spread Some Holiday Cheer

2011-11-17T07:46:00.001-08:00

Can you believe Christmas is right around the corner. Didn’t school just start? Nope, Thanksgiving is next week…NEXT WEEK! Once Thanksgiving comes the radio starts with the Christmas Carols, and people start decorating trees.

One of our family traditions, is that each night of advent, an elf visits our house. He is pretty sneaky, but if you can find him when you wake, you’ll find a surprise that he left for you. In our house the elf might leave a piece of candy for both Alligator and Monkey, or he might leave a small toy, or a book, or an art activity for us to do together.

Another tradition is our countdown calendar. Normally it is just a piece of paper with a Christmas tree on it. The kids take turns marking down the days till Christmas.

We live to give back as well. I think it is good to show the kids how important it is to give to others. So on our eating out night, instead of going to our favorite restaurant. We eat a pbj, and then take the kids to Wal-Mart, where we spend the money we would have spent on eating out, and we buy toys for those who are less fortunate than us.

One of the other favorite things to do around Christmas is to visit the stores, and see what is new this year. Hasbro has a product called KRE-O and they are building sets.

Hear are my top 3 reasons why the Kre-o would be a great gift for someone on your Christmas List.

1. Transformers!!! Do you have a transformer fan in your family…Ugh…YES! Well they have several sets some that are basic (and therefore easier for the younger child, around six) to complex.

This is one of the easier sets, and Monkey will flip when this is under our tree.

2. These blocks will work with other leading block sets that are out there. So you don’t have to keep them separate, and you don’t have to worry that your little builder will get frustrated when he/she tries to make additions to Bumble-bee with blocks he/she already has.

3.The cost! The sets run from $7.99 and up. So this isn’t a huge investment. I mean really, who doesn’t need to manage their budget these days. And this will fit right in!

You can check out Kre-o at http://www.hasbro.com/kre-o/en_US/, while your letting your turkey settle this week. Then get ready for Christmas with some new, and some favorite holiday traditions!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hasbro blogging program, for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points and a KRE-O gift. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Hasbro. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Virtual Makeover

2011-11-15T09:27:00.001-08:00

I love a makeover. Since I am stuck at home today with a sick little guy, I thought I’d play around with a virtual one.

Here is how I normally look…

and here are some makeover options

I think they definitely make me look young. Not sure that is a good thing though, I don’t want to look like I am in high school.

Go to WWW.Elle.COM and try it out.

Alligator or Lion?

2011-11-14T11:09:00.001-08:00

Alligator was a lion for Halloween this year. Just had to share some pictures.

Visual schedule

2011-10-24T01:40:00.000-07:00

One of the things we are working on with Alligator is transitions. They are just really hard for him. So it was suggested that a visual schedule may help.

Wow, what a lot of work.

I found 2 great sights that had some cards premade.

http://printable.tipjunkie.com/daily-schedule-pictures/

http://www.communication4all.co.uk/Early%20Years%20Themes%202/DAily%20Routine%20Cards.pdf

I also made some of my own, like the ones with our pictures on them.

So the idea is that I will have the schedule up in the morning. Then Alligator and I can talk about it, and what our day looks like. As we complete items, he gets to take the cards down, and place them in a basket.

Some that need some explanation.

Mommy Time- This will be time that Alligator will spend with me, we might to a gross motor activity, we might do a game, or a printable. But it will be time specifically that I have devoted with him.

Room Time- This will be about 15 minutes (for now) that Alex will play in his room. I will bring up an activity bin, or he can read. But it is time for him to play by himself in his room. I will check on him occasionally, but mainly he will be playing independently.

Home Work- This is time both Alligator and Monkey will work on activities at the table. I will help them both but it is table work time.

Bucket Time- This is a time when I will set out 3 different buckets of toys. We have so many toys, and so few of them are played with. So he will have the option of playing with these toys. Things that he might not choose himself, but will enjoy being re-introduced to. This is a little more independent time. I will get him started, then do a bit of housework, then check on him here and there to help guide play.

So far this is really helping. We have a lot less tantrums, since he knows what is coming next.

We’ll see, how next week goes.

TotSchool- Halloween themed

2011-10-23T13:15:00.001-07:00

Alligator is now 2 years and 9 months old. So hard to believe. He is still in love with anything ABC’s it boggles my mind what he can do!

Here he is working on a Time For Tots Activity. Where you place a button on the letters in the alphabet. He wanted to go in alphabetical order. This activity was a great fine motor activity too, because he had to pick up the small buttons and place them on the right spot. Look how proud he is when he accomplished it. He did both sides lowercase, and capital.

Here he is working on spooning the pompoms out of the pumpkin tray. I had to use m&ms to bribe him to try not to use his hands, (also a time for tots activity)

I created a Pumpkin do-a-dot printable. You can see my post and download it free here.

Here he is using some of the printables from 1+1+1=1’s monster pack.

Our last activity that I have pictures for is when Alligator and I were trying to make a painted pumpkin. I was trying to get him to paint. I offered him a plate with paint on it and a brush. But he wouldn’t touch it. So then I got myself a fork and a spoon and tried to show him how you don’t have to touch the paint. He enjoyed watching, but would not try it himself.

So in the end he ended up coloring his plate with a marker and a crayon. We will keep trying though.

Thanks for reading. There should be more to come next week!

Linking up to TotSchool

At home car racing game

2011-10-14T17:34:00.001-07:00

The other night, Monkey and I were trying to think of something fun to do. He said he had an idea for a game. This game was completely his idea, and I thought it was really fun, so I decided to share.

The first thing you need is a starting point and ending point. Ours was fairly long, it went from our entry way, down our hall, and around the corner to our living room. I would say (just estimating) a good 15-20 feet.

Then you need a car (like a matchbox car) for each player.

You also need a dice.

Basic play is you roll the dice.

Whatever number it lands on that is how many little pushed you give your car; with the goal being to be the first to the finish line.

Monkey decided that one of the numbers (in our case 4) should be a pirate. If you roll the pirate, then you crash your car into another car, and that car has to start back from wherever you hit him, but your car goes back to where it was at the beginning of you turn.

First one to the finish wins!!!!!

It was really fun, and very creative!

Scissors sticking, quick tip

2011-10-11T06:59:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to pass on a quick tip, that I just discovered.

Have you ever had a pair of scissors that started sticking, making it very difficult to open and close them while cutting?

Spray a little WD-40 on the hinge, then open and close them a few times, and they will get so much better. Make sure to dry them real well before using them, otherwise your next project might be covered in WD-40. You don’t want that!

Home Routine App

2011-10-10T03:48:00.000-07:00

This post is completely my own, I was not compensated in any way!
I am totally in love with an App for my new i-phone. I totally love it.
You can check it out here! http://www.homeroutines.com/
There are many different sections, as you can see from the picture below. This really helps me remember things to do, and also to really get my home in order. I am totally loving it.
This is the main screen.

MORNING ROUTINE
Here is my morning routine. After taking Monkey to school, I come home and do this before we do anything else. The only thing I might put off till later is the 15 minutes in a focus zone.

EVENING ROUTINE
It has a setting for evening routines. Again you can easily adapt it to fit your lifestyle!
Here is mine.

TO DO LIST
You can add things to your to do list for today, this week, and later. Again you earn stars as you do them. You can add things quite easily or move or delete them.

ZONES
One of the sections it has is zones. If you have ever read anything by Flylady, zones will be familiar to you. Originally I used the app to break my house down into weekly zones. But then I realized you can work on one zone each day. You can choose to take the weekends off, or use the option for 7 zones, for me the weekends are spent between cleaning out my car, and yard work.
If you were to click on a zone you would see a list of things to do in that area. As you complete them, you earn a gold star…LOVE IT!

Favorite Post of the Week

2011-10-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

My favorite post for this week come from 2 Teaching Mommies. They have created a wonderful and timely monster unit. I will be sure to print it and use it with my boys. Pictures to come!
You can find it here.

Read and Enjoy!

Do-a-Dot Pumpkin Printable

2011-10-08T08:58:00.001-07:00

I have created another Do-a Dot printable, these are otherwise known as Bingo Marker pages.
I thought I would create some Halloween pages.
I created 2 versions of this same page. One is for students to create their own face on the pumpkin, the other has a face already marked in. This one would probably be good for the younger kids.
You can download the pages below, for FREE!

If you download, please leave me a comment. I would love to hear that they are being used!

De-cluttering the play room

2011-09-28T07:37:00.001-07:00

Having 2 boys about three years apart makes toy storage and organization a challenge. Having 2 boys that have very different interests makes it nearly impossible!
Here are some tips for trying to organize/de-clutter your play space.
1. Don’t do it with your children.
Seriously, are you really going to get anything actually thrown out or donated if you enlist there help. Suddenly, the toy that has not been played with for 2 years will become something they can’t part with. DON’T DO IT! Wait till there at school or napping and try to do it then. You’ll get so much more accomplished!
2. Set a timer!

I am a big proponent of using a timer. Set it for 15 minutes and then get to work. When the timer goes off, you can stop and have a break. You are much more likely to begin a task it you know you don’t have to do it all day. But, as Flylady says, you can do anything for 15 minutes.
3. Have 3 bins, okay maybe 4, ready to go.
You need to have your materials with you, so you don’t inadvertently mess up your whole house while trying to complete this project. You will need a trash bag, a box for donations, and a box for items that you want to sell. I also like to have a box for things that belong somewhere else (more about that on number 4). This way you don’t end up with a tidied playroom, and piles of stuff everywhere else!
4. Don’t get sidetracked.
If you have to leave the playroom, you are going to find something else that needs doing. And if you are anything like me, you will end up completely forgetting what you are supposed to be working on. So instead, have a box for things that belong in another place (like your son’s underwear that you find in the car bin…don’t ask…just put it in the bin, and when your timer goes off, you can take these items and put them away).
5. If it is broke, nobody wants it.
Seriously, GoodWill does not want a toy that no longer works or doesn’t have all the pieces. Throw it out, don’t waste their time! And don’t keep things that don’t have the pieces, you can not play checkers without the red pieces!
6. Playrooms need storage!

You can’t store stuff and keep it organized without storage (think about it, that is why we have cabinets in the kitchen). We bought ours from Target, and we love it!
7. Sort like things together.
This is probably a given, but it is important. Put all things that are alike together. Animals, cars, trains. Sort them and put them in a bin, or a box or a shelf, together. Farm sets, or matchbox car sets should be stored together, so when the kids want to play with it, all the pieces are right there. If they pieces are lost or broken refer to number 5 :)
8.Label Label Label
The kids are never going to find something, or keep the room semi-straight if they don’t know where things go. So you have to label. Use pictures, or words or both…this is a must do! So do it!
9.Hide it
Now that you think you know what you are going to donate, or sell. Put those items in your garage or attic for at least a month. If the kids never mention an item go ahead and get rid of it. If you have inadvertently gotten rid of a favorite toy, you can pull it out and no harm has been done!
10. Spend 5 minutes a day keeping it up.
Here is a trick find a cool song (we like “Who let the dogs out”) and play it. Then have the kids help tidy until the song is over. You will probably do most of the work, but at least your trying to get them involved.

Now that it is all organized, sit back and enjoy. Aren't you glad you started this project!?!?!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hot Wheels® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”