the children were motivated to practice their literacy when it came to write to santa this year.
here are their letters.
Dear Santa,
I have been good.
I would like a computer game, a robot, and simple machines.
Love,
R
Dear santa,
I want a puzzle, a truck, a camera, and a phone.
I love r.
Hugs,
K
Both state that they have been good. both state that their desired objects.
Those of you out there in the world who would like to support santa or provide dream presents, here is your opportunity.
R: the computer game that r is referring to is headsprout (we are contemplating getting it. our hesitation is that it is on-line and we have to pay again for k to use it.) And I have no idea what he means by robots.
K: i got her a used sesame street puzzle this morning. i have no idea what she means by a truck. and she has already received an old cell phone for play. (i think she can use ro's camera!)
for those interested in other items. here is a list of suggestions
Uno (r and k)
qwirkle (r and k)
stepper (r and k)
animalogic (r and k)
analogy book (r)
mousetrap the game (r)
bead kit (k)
tea set (k)
scooter (r and k)
other things that look cool but i have no idea if they are junk or if we really "need" them
night goggles
more marble parts from haba
intro to engineering (r)
GEARS GEARS GEARS
the kids really do not "need" anything. but perhaps this is helpful.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
wonderosity
sometimes, i find that it is hard for dad and i to be the kind of parents we want to be.
friday night i stayed up too late working and in the morning, i experienced what i tell my children all the time: too little sleep makes you grumpy. dad was also grumpy (though he fell asleep earlier; i might have been contagious). the kids woke up happy but r started testing us and not listening while playing on the stairs. since it was a safety issue and we pointed this out to him right away, we ended up raising our voices. it led to me lifting him off the stairs as he, at his snail's pace, kept doing what he wanted. this led to crying. i comforted him while trying to explain why it is important that he listen. nevertheless both parents were less patient after this.
what i forget to do when such things happen is look to how much growth there has been and what that growth means. he was clearly testing our boundaries and also wanting to do what he wants. the latter is something that seems to get harder to curtail as he gets older because we have increased our expectations of both kids. of course we have; they continue to grow. but we are not always able to remark on or appreciate the growth as our expectations continue to increase.
on halloween, we went trick or treating. both kids wanted to dress up and wanted to walk around in the neighborhood showing off their costumes to the neighbors. r was chatty as usual and demonstrated his flashing lights to everyone. what dad and i did not do is to sit back and wonder at the growth over the last year. 1) we went trick or treating for 20 minutes, unlike the previous year where we went to 2-3 houses. both children wanted to participate in the social ritual. (and it was interesting to note that r clearly did not know the protocol of how many pieces, choosing which ones, etc.) 2) both were excited about candy. while there are certainly preferred candies for both, that they (especially r) are interested in eating them is pretty amazing. we forget that this desire is new. we already take it for granted. 3) our children know how to negotiate. trading their undesirable candy and learning the rules of which candy they get, not to mention counting the individual pieces of candy was all part of the follow-up the next morning.
halloween is not necessarily a great holiday, but what i value is in watching the children learn its pleasures, pleasures that were unavailable to them last year. what i have to remember, is to "measure" or note the changes in how they achieve their pleasures. instead, for whatever reasons, both dad and i are likely to pay attention to the difficulties posed by my first anecdote instead. what we are sometimes missing is what parents of children with disabilities may do more explicitly -- note and celebrate the wonders. our inability to do this is precisely because we worry, we worry about ability to cope, listen, manage. our concerns are valid and important. but i am certain that we also miss out on some of the joy when we don' focus on the wonder and joy.
we can deduce a few things from the examples above. the first is that they are children; they will frustrate and delight us. we should try to focus on the latter. the second is about our expectations. sometimes, they, like all human beings, will exceed our expectations when we least expect them to, and other times, not meet them. we do need to keep them safe; but more importantly, we may need to (help them) recognize and nurture their abilities.
friday night i stayed up too late working and in the morning, i experienced what i tell my children all the time: too little sleep makes you grumpy. dad was also grumpy (though he fell asleep earlier; i might have been contagious). the kids woke up happy but r started testing us and not listening while playing on the stairs. since it was a safety issue and we pointed this out to him right away, we ended up raising our voices. it led to me lifting him off the stairs as he, at his snail's pace, kept doing what he wanted. this led to crying. i comforted him while trying to explain why it is important that he listen. nevertheless both parents were less patient after this.
what i forget to do when such things happen is look to how much growth there has been and what that growth means. he was clearly testing our boundaries and also wanting to do what he wants. the latter is something that seems to get harder to curtail as he gets older because we have increased our expectations of both kids. of course we have; they continue to grow. but we are not always able to remark on or appreciate the growth as our expectations continue to increase.
on halloween, we went trick or treating. both kids wanted to dress up and wanted to walk around in the neighborhood showing off their costumes to the neighbors. r was chatty as usual and demonstrated his flashing lights to everyone. what dad and i did not do is to sit back and wonder at the growth over the last year. 1) we went trick or treating for 20 minutes, unlike the previous year where we went to 2-3 houses. both children wanted to participate in the social ritual. (and it was interesting to note that r clearly did not know the protocol of how many pieces, choosing which ones, etc.) 2) both were excited about candy. while there are certainly preferred candies for both, that they (especially r) are interested in eating them is pretty amazing. we forget that this desire is new. we already take it for granted. 3) our children know how to negotiate. trading their undesirable candy and learning the rules of which candy they get, not to mention counting the individual pieces of candy was all part of the follow-up the next morning.
halloween is not necessarily a great holiday, but what i value is in watching the children learn its pleasures, pleasures that were unavailable to them last year. what i have to remember, is to "measure" or note the changes in how they achieve their pleasures. instead, for whatever reasons, both dad and i are likely to pay attention to the difficulties posed by my first anecdote instead. what we are sometimes missing is what parents of children with disabilities may do more explicitly -- note and celebrate the wonders. our inability to do this is precisely because we worry, we worry about ability to cope, listen, manage. our concerns are valid and important. but i am certain that we also miss out on some of the joy when we don' focus on the wonder and joy.
we can deduce a few things from the examples above. the first is that they are children; they will frustrate and delight us. we should try to focus on the latter. the second is about our expectations. sometimes, they, like all human beings, will exceed our expectations when we least expect them to, and other times, not meet them. we do need to keep them safe; but more importantly, we may need to (help them) recognize and nurture their abilities.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
k's nightly conversations
while lying in bed tonight, k said "mom i want to take RING of FIRE to school and dance to it with my friends and teachers while wearing my robot costume. my friends will like it"
my response: "great idea, kiddo; who doesn't want to dance to johnny cash in a homemade robot costume."
my response: "great idea, kiddo; who doesn't want to dance to johnny cash in a homemade robot costume."
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
just another tuesday night
things seem to be returning to the non-flu around here.
dad still had a fever last night but was substantially better this morning.
i had a sinus migraine all yesterday evening, last night, and this morning.
k and r are a little groggy and crabby but recovering well. their appetites seem to recovering too.
k ate 5 long sausages for breakfast and also tasted my toast with honey. she proclaimed "i love honey."
r has been eating steadily for the last few days. slowly but steadily. hopefully no weight was lost by either that cannot be recovered.
we are now gearing up for a busy month.
both kids have parent-teacher conferences in the next week or so.
halloween costumes need to be completed.
mom has her surgeon appointment.
dad works a whole bunch.
and then two conferences out of town.
then we take a break for thanksgiving and the end of the semester hits us like a pile of bricks.
everyone take a deep breath.
dad still had a fever last night but was substantially better this morning.
i had a sinus migraine all yesterday evening, last night, and this morning.
k and r are a little groggy and crabby but recovering well. their appetites seem to recovering too.
k ate 5 long sausages for breakfast and also tasted my toast with honey. she proclaimed "i love honey."
r has been eating steadily for the last few days. slowly but steadily. hopefully no weight was lost by either that cannot be recovered.
we are now gearing up for a busy month.
both kids have parent-teacher conferences in the next week or so.
halloween costumes need to be completed.
mom has her surgeon appointment.
dad works a whole bunch.
and then two conferences out of town.
then we take a break for thanksgiving and the end of the semester hits us like a pile of bricks.
everyone take a deep breath.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
swine-y, how i love you, how i love you, my dear old swine-y
so an update
r: day 8 -- perky and nose dripping, some coughing. playing in the basement and a few pouts. affect getting back to normal. was asleep by 6:45
k: day 4 -- coughing, no fever, testing parents, tired and not as hungry, asleep by 7. still coughing at night
dad: day 2 -- bad day, aches, fever, can't move, needs to lie down, does amazing out of laundry and cleaning despite being sick.
mom: day 4: runny nose, achey, low fever, enough energy to manage the kids, mops kitchen floor on one semi-good knee, feeds dinner to kids in 10 minutes.
we made it through. kids were good. parents were drained. we tried to be productive while house-bound. kids crashed super-early. k is still coughing. tomorrow, grocery shopping, baths, working on robot costumes, and trying to get ready for school for monday.
r: day 8 -- perky and nose dripping, some coughing. playing in the basement and a few pouts. affect getting back to normal. was asleep by 6:45
k: day 4 -- coughing, no fever, testing parents, tired and not as hungry, asleep by 7. still coughing at night
dad: day 2 -- bad day, aches, fever, can't move, needs to lie down, does amazing out of laundry and cleaning despite being sick.
mom: day 4: runny nose, achey, low fever, enough energy to manage the kids, mops kitchen floor on one semi-good knee, feeds dinner to kids in 10 minutes.
we made it through. kids were good. parents were drained. we tried to be productive while house-bound. kids crashed super-early. k is still coughing. tomorrow, grocery shopping, baths, working on robot costumes, and trying to get ready for school for monday.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
when the virus comes a knocking
R: day 5 -- fever subsided, almost finished an entire box of tissues with a runny nose, perky, no appetite, coughing like a seal, done with vomiting
dad: day 2 -- some mucous
K: day 2 -- fever subsiding, extreme lethargy, cough subsiding, slept 6-8 hours today, no food in 2 days, perky at bed time
mom -- cough, cough
kids home for 7 days in a row. cabin fever. childcare provider has H1N1.
tomorrow another day
dad: day 2 -- some mucous
K: day 2 -- fever subsiding, extreme lethargy, cough subsiding, slept 6-8 hours today, no food in 2 days, perky at bed time
mom -- cough, cough
kids home for 7 days in a row. cabin fever. childcare provider has H1N1.
tomorrow another day
Sunday, October 18, 2009
some kind of tired
our house battened down the hatches for sick-child-sunday.
this involved making pots of soup that he will not eat. watching and playing pbs kids.
reading some fun books and one adventure out which allowed children to play with drills, saws, and hot glue guns while family worked on halloween costumes. so both children were exhausted upon the return trip home. they received some version of keep-it-down-dinner, and then had hot baths to bed. both were asleep by 7:30.
we do not have the flu but r always gets it worst and has had a rough two days. k was showing signs of a fever and a runny nose. dad took a 3 hour nap on saturday to recover from his achey exhaustion. and mom just stayed achey and tired while trying to help everyone else out.
so we are all exhausted for our monday!
yikes
this involved making pots of soup that he will not eat. watching and playing pbs kids.
reading some fun books and one adventure out which allowed children to play with drills, saws, and hot glue guns while family worked on halloween costumes. so both children were exhausted upon the return trip home. they received some version of keep-it-down-dinner, and then had hot baths to bed. both were asleep by 7:30.
we do not have the flu but r always gets it worst and has had a rough two days. k was showing signs of a fever and a runny nose. dad took a 3 hour nap on saturday to recover from his achey exhaustion. and mom just stayed achey and tired while trying to help everyone else out.
so we are all exhausted for our monday!
yikes
first of theseason
well it is inevitable. germs go in. colds emerge.
r has his first big virus for the season: runny nose, nasal drip to the stomach, nausea, and slight fever.
so things will be slow for the rest of the weekend. lots of cooking of farm veggies, pbs kids, books, leapster, and liquids.
k IS HeLPINg with the tYPIng
ccxxxxxc xc xxxxxxccccxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
we made jack o lanterns, went to the ZOO, hung OUT in mOM's ofFICE, pLAYED WITH OUR DIwali present, went to A BIRTHday party, and had a playdate in the past 3 days. mom is a little tired from non-stop, no break childcare.
a little time off would be good...
more from K:
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
r has his first big virus for the season: runny nose, nasal drip to the stomach, nausea, and slight fever.
so things will be slow for the rest of the weekend. lots of cooking of farm veggies, pbs kids, books, leapster, and liquids.
k IS HeLPINg with the tYPIng
ccxxxxxc xc xxxxxxccccxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
we made jack o lanterns, went to the ZOO, hung OUT in mOM's ofFICE, pLAYED WITH OUR DIwali present, went to A BIRTHday party, and had a playdate in the past 3 days. mom is a little tired from non-stop, no break childcare.
a little time off would be good...
more from K:
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
catching up
so uncle tom was SIX to finish the marathon and FIRST in his age range! wow!
that was an exciting race. it was also bizarre as there was snow on the ground.
we were cold standing around and watching. but the runners had it tough.
it was beautiful up in wisconsin.
and then it snowed in the twin cities...
yesterday was a hard evening with r. tonight much better. hard to say why our spirited child just throws himself on the floor or refuses to eat unless distracted. i have gotten subscriptions to popular mechanics and popular science to facilitate meal time eating and reading. k and i had a nice time after dinner playing with a lacing toy both evenings. she is absolutely giddy when we pick her up after school. a real joy just bursting with exuberance and glee.
tonight was better. we did an "OT" activity. we played tug of war in the living room sitting on the floor with a sheet. mom with her bum knees and dad with corduroy pants on a wood floor. the kids enjoyed it though they did not seem to get the concept as they tried to straddle, lie on, and balance on the "rope."
everyone read afterwards which was quieter and nice. k is really enjoying stories now. she pretended to be a kitten while r was a cricket.
they have TWO days off this week. so there will be much figuring out what to do. perhaps we will skype on thursday or friday.
david and i are going to take all the kids to the zoo on friday. thursday is a hodge podge of events.
r was rhyming today while eating his muck (saag paneer): i believe the unintentional sing song rhyme was something along the lines of "eat the muck, little f*ck." how ironic.
that was an exciting race. it was also bizarre as there was snow on the ground.
we were cold standing around and watching. but the runners had it tough.
it was beautiful up in wisconsin.
and then it snowed in the twin cities...
yesterday was a hard evening with r. tonight much better. hard to say why our spirited child just throws himself on the floor or refuses to eat unless distracted. i have gotten subscriptions to popular mechanics and popular science to facilitate meal time eating and reading. k and i had a nice time after dinner playing with a lacing toy both evenings. she is absolutely giddy when we pick her up after school. a real joy just bursting with exuberance and glee.
tonight was better. we did an "OT" activity. we played tug of war in the living room sitting on the floor with a sheet. mom with her bum knees and dad with corduroy pants on a wood floor. the kids enjoyed it though they did not seem to get the concept as they tried to straddle, lie on, and balance on the "rope."
everyone read afterwards which was quieter and nice. k is really enjoying stories now. she pretended to be a kitten while r was a cricket.
they have TWO days off this week. so there will be much figuring out what to do. perhaps we will skype on thursday or friday.
david and i are going to take all the kids to the zoo on friday. thursday is a hodge podge of events.
r was rhyming today while eating his muck (saag paneer): i believe the unintentional sing song rhyme was something along the lines of "eat the muck, little f*ck." how ironic.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
some photos
i think that you will need to have facebook to view these photos!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=56819960&id=13950206#/photo.php?pid=56819960&id=13950206
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=56819960&id=13950206#/photo.php?pid=56819960&id=13950206
family dinner
sometimes during the week, not every day, but some times, we watch some "peep and the big wide world" during dinner time in order to keep r in his seat. as many of you know, we are ALWAYS strategizing on how to get him to eat enough to maintain caloric intake. it is hard for him to sit still. today his KG had gone apple picking. a great activity to be sure. but for our kid who does not usually even touch apples, this mean being outside in the sunshine and eating even less lunch than usual. he proudly told us "twist, pull, and pluck" and brought home 3 squishy bruised apples. thanks sweetie! so offered masee pockets, pizza, and ham for dinner. k still has a cold too and was a little finicky about her food. she too was in good spirits, especially on the ride home from school. anyway, at dinner, we watched peep, chirp, and quack do their scientific-birdy things. one of the episodes we focused on quack trying to hatch an egg. at one point, a raccoon gives quack a baseball to sit on. and quack dutifully sits on the white leather egg. this cracked r up to no end. he started laughing immediately after having a drink. and of course, the result was that milk came gushing out of his nose. you would think that this deter him from wanting to take another sip. but no! r tried to take another sip to induce another eruption. the rest of dinner included much hilarity and eating.
the night before, we had a little rougher time sitting still. in my silliness, i started singing about r's rice "a ring of salt." the kids thought it was silly so they asked for the whole tune. well mom's rendition couldn't do the original song justice. so we had to put on johnny cash. of course, this did not make r sit still. k immediately started wiggling in her seat. she loves music. this time, r enjoyed it also. his favorites were "ring of fire" and "walk the line." good taste that kid. he also was a little taken aback by the lines "i killed a man just to watch him die." when i told him that "walk the line" was an expression, after listening the second time to the song, he said, "that it means follow the rules." yes son, it does.
both have been alternatively delightful and little manipulators. r especially wants to challenge us, practices passive resistance, and is mischievous. k usually listens and has been not feeling well for the last couple of days but is fine spirits. we have great banter. today she said that she is mom's daughter and dad's daughter. she and her dad are getting along better these days. they went bike riding yesterday while it was nice.
we are looking forward to watching uncle tom run a race saturday!
our favorite cheer:
run faster uncle tom!
the night before, we had a little rougher time sitting still. in my silliness, i started singing about r's rice "a ring of salt." the kids thought it was silly so they asked for the whole tune. well mom's rendition couldn't do the original song justice. so we had to put on johnny cash. of course, this did not make r sit still. k immediately started wiggling in her seat. she loves music. this time, r enjoyed it also. his favorites were "ring of fire" and "walk the line." good taste that kid. he also was a little taken aback by the lines "i killed a man just to watch him die." when i told him that "walk the line" was an expression, after listening the second time to the song, he said, "that it means follow the rules." yes son, it does.
both have been alternatively delightful and little manipulators. r especially wants to challenge us, practices passive resistance, and is mischievous. k usually listens and has been not feeling well for the last couple of days but is fine spirits. we have great banter. today she said that she is mom's daughter and dad's daughter. she and her dad are getting along better these days. they went bike riding yesterday while it was nice.
we are looking forward to watching uncle tom run a race saturday!
our favorite cheer:
run faster uncle tom!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
too early
the kids woke up WAAAYY to early today -- 6:30 and did not go back to sleep.
dad and i were tired and frayed for the rest of the day. luckily we traded back and forth on being patient.
it was cold and gray. so no outdoor activities. the first 5-6 hours were fine. but then it got less pleasant.
they were tired and whiny, bored from being indoors, and wanting some movement.
but we managed them fairly well and we made it to the end of the day.
things were a little chaotic when our friends arrived at the same time the phone rang. it was our doctor saying that it was a torn ligament that required surgery. ACL reconstructive surgery to be exact. google away.
tomorrow we go to the farm if it is not rainy and cold.
dad and i were tired and frayed for the rest of the day. luckily we traded back and forth on being patient.
it was cold and gray. so no outdoor activities. the first 5-6 hours were fine. but then it got less pleasant.
they were tired and whiny, bored from being indoors, and wanting some movement.
but we managed them fairly well and we made it to the end of the day.
things were a little chaotic when our friends arrived at the same time the phone rang. it was our doctor saying that it was a torn ligament that required surgery. ACL reconstructive surgery to be exact. google away.
tomorrow we go to the farm if it is not rainy and cold.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
good sunday
SATURDAY:
dad stayed up til 3 am making soups.
k had a bloody nose for 20 minutes and then had a bit of a hard time at night.
SUNDAY
both kids woke with runny noses and sniffles.
a great breakfast included eggs benedict and coffee for parents (high cholesterol for me!)
r ate 2 eggs and bacon. pretty darn good.
k ate hash browns and milk.
dad went to work.
the rest of us went to look at the house for sale on our block. r decided he was ready to move.
i pointed out that it only had 2 bedrooms. he offered to sleep in a big bed with k. i pointed out that it had no play room in the basement and no finished attic for guests. that did not deter him from wanting to move in! we said that we were looking for nani and nana.
we then headed out for an adventure. both kids were great! they rode on rides. both loved spinning fast. (mom did not -- uncle tom and rocky mama, you can take them to valleyfair. i no longer enjoy it. mom prefers roller coasters she thinks.)
both drove cars, put out fires, and ate donuts. they were terrific. no whining, no crying, no tantrums. and they were so happy.
r was really proud of himself for being able to follow the rules and needing no reminders. he is so sensitive. i hope we can continue to strengthen his self esteem.
an important lesson in parenthood that i am getting is that it is much more important to model gentleness, forgiveness, and compassion then it is to model and enforce rules. (well both probably are important). they will learn and follow the rules. lessons are always learned. people figure things out. understanding and compassion are hard to model for those who are perfectionists (or stubborn).
we then went to the park. k fell asleep. we did great on the climbing equipment but it was definitely challenging for both. r has improved so much in a year. it is so heartening to see. he still is not confident but he is getting strong and learning. k enjoyed climbing too but was on the short side for the structure. it stressed my knee to help them both so it was time to come home.
dad was still making soup. the kids ate lasagna and watched pee wee's playhouse. i had never seen it. it was a little odd for those of you who remember pee wee herman. he apparently had a saturday morning tv show. after that ice cream and cookies for the kids and bath time. they had a great time after dinner chasing each all over the house naked trying to tickle each other. despite it being dangerous and counter-productive to bed time, it was really sweet to see.
no there are two sleeping children. both of whom will probably not want to get up and go to school in the morning.
but another week begins and we must all return back to work. but another weekend with the quickly growing monkeys.
when did they stop being babies and toddlers? and can we all just slow down a little.
2 photos:
1) k loves colors
2) r on ferris whee
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
dad at work
kids and i played tonight: we saved the 3 eyed aliens from devastation by sharing our seeds and teaching them agriculture, repaired the damage to our spaceship by asteroids, "mean comets," and space debris, soaked in the decontamination chamber to get rid of space dust and alien viruses, and protected mom (the cow) from meat-eaters. just an average night on cow planet!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
1st day of kindergarten
r is a big kid now. he had his first day of KG today.
the whole family went to drop him off. we managed to get everybody out of the house on time.
he was a little scared but also brave and excited. he appeared very confident and curious in the classroom.
we said hi to his teacher, visited his locker, put on his name tag, and looked at a book before we said good-bye.
k is also ready for KG, she says!
thanks to all who helped him get prepared this week.
we will report later about the big first day!
how many of you remember your first day of school?
care to share any memories?
r's report about kg: it was fun and tiring.
(the best part of KG is the serrano ham apparently)
the semester has started for all of us.
i now remember how exhausted we are during the school year.
how can there be so few hours for actually getting things done?
Thursday, July 30, 2009
report from the childcare:
** What We Did Today **
Date: July 30th, 2009
This morning we spent our breakfast time eating French toast and applesauce, combined with lots of “Why did the chicken cross the road?” jokes. We had a lot of creative and silly answers – ask your child for a sample! Jokes have been very prevalent in everyday conversation and add a fun element to our classroom.
During free play we enjoyed coloring pictures with markers and crayons, along with trying out our fine motor skills with hole punchers and scissors. The group also built very detailed and elaborate block structures which evolved into a runway/stage for a rock band. This sparked ideas of a dance party, so after cleaning up we popped in some Wiggles and had a crazy time moving to “Hot Potato”, “Fruit Salad” “D-O-R-O-T-H-Y” and “Rock-a-Bye-Your-Bear”. A good time was had by all.
Outside the children all stayed busy pumping gasoline into friend’s tricycles, digging under the rock climber, flying paper airplanes and reading books on the porch. It was exciting to be on our playground in the morning after two days without!
This afternoon we are looking forward to enjoying chocolate milk with our snack. It was an exciting topic of conversation throughout the day, and the children all have plans as to how they are going to mix the syrup in with their milk. ☺
** What We Did Today **
Date: July 30th, 2009
This morning we spent our breakfast time eating French toast and applesauce, combined with lots of “Why did the chicken cross the road?” jokes. We had a lot of creative and silly answers – ask your child for a sample! Jokes have been very prevalent in everyday conversation and add a fun element to our classroom.
During free play we enjoyed coloring pictures with markers and crayons, along with trying out our fine motor skills with hole punchers and scissors. The group also built very detailed and elaborate block structures which evolved into a runway/stage for a rock band. This sparked ideas of a dance party, so after cleaning up we popped in some Wiggles and had a crazy time moving to “Hot Potato”, “Fruit Salad” “D-O-R-O-T-H-Y” and “Rock-a-Bye-Your-Bear”. A good time was had by all.
Outside the children all stayed busy pumping gasoline into friend’s tricycles, digging under the rock climber, flying paper airplanes and reading books on the porch. It was exciting to be on our playground in the morning after two days without!
This afternoon we are looking forward to enjoying chocolate milk with our snack. It was an exciting topic of conversation throughout the day, and the children all have plans as to how they are going to mix the syrup in with their milk. ☺
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
on our own
sometimes they surprise you.
r has been working through a new emotional and social development stage. when he is disappointed. he no longer rolls on the ground. instead he either says "nobody likes me," "you are not my mommy/friend anymore," or "i never get to XX." those are preferable to the claw hands and hitting he was doing last week. it is clearly a stage that kids go through. i have seen it on the playground. i somehow probably thought that he was not going to go through this stage. i tried to point out to him, that it is great when he uses his words (rather than hitting) to express how he feels. but that also when his friends act like this, he does not like their moodiness. so he might want to think about that. so far we have tried reassuring him that we love him. but i think what he wants is not to reassured but to get what he wants. don't we all. still this week has been better than last week. so i am grateful.
at pick-up, we took it nice and slow. r was grumpy right away with some thing i did that apparently rubbed him the wrong way. but i ignored it and stayed chipper which worked well. they ran around, played on the buttons, and listened to a book. and then both complied with getting their shoes de-sanded, using the bathroom, and washing up. but k had the biggest tantrum i have ever seen when i did not permit her to put the cap on her own water bottle. but r held it together and waited patiently. he was just terrific. since he had started with his own grousing, this was a wonderful display of calm and coolness.
k whimpered all the way to the parking lot while holding her friend's hand. r explored with his friend and we all managed to get to the car. after a few unexpected phone calls and assurances that there would only be cooperation from now on, we headed out to the noodle restaurant. both kids were great and ate their food with minimal difficulty. in fact, we had a nice time talking and eating. they both ate well. r did not fidget. being in a different place allows him to sit and eat, unlike at home where he can't hold it together at dinner. afterwards we went on our adventures: getting gas. swimming class, and cookies with milk on the back porch. i did not get to watch r's swimming class much as both kids had bms right after the other. but he did well enough to move on to level 3 according to the observer. so we will celebrate that soon. we saw our friend moon in the parking lot.
both kids were getting snarky on the way home from class but managed to hold it together for just a little longer. we made it home. each kid picked a book. we read and then everyone got tucked in. the last 15 minutes before dad got home were rough as they were exhausted. but i am proud of them -- they were great!
r has been working through a new emotional and social development stage. when he is disappointed. he no longer rolls on the ground. instead he either says "nobody likes me," "you are not my mommy/friend anymore," or "i never get to XX." those are preferable to the claw hands and hitting he was doing last week. it is clearly a stage that kids go through. i have seen it on the playground. i somehow probably thought that he was not going to go through this stage. i tried to point out to him, that it is great when he uses his words (rather than hitting) to express how he feels. but that also when his friends act like this, he does not like their moodiness. so he might want to think about that. so far we have tried reassuring him that we love him. but i think what he wants is not to reassured but to get what he wants. don't we all. still this week has been better than last week. so i am grateful.
at pick-up, we took it nice and slow. r was grumpy right away with some thing i did that apparently rubbed him the wrong way. but i ignored it and stayed chipper which worked well. they ran around, played on the buttons, and listened to a book. and then both complied with getting their shoes de-sanded, using the bathroom, and washing up. but k had the biggest tantrum i have ever seen when i did not permit her to put the cap on her own water bottle. but r held it together and waited patiently. he was just terrific. since he had started with his own grousing, this was a wonderful display of calm and coolness.
k whimpered all the way to the parking lot while holding her friend's hand. r explored with his friend and we all managed to get to the car. after a few unexpected phone calls and assurances that there would only be cooperation from now on, we headed out to the noodle restaurant. both kids were great and ate their food with minimal difficulty. in fact, we had a nice time talking and eating. they both ate well. r did not fidget. being in a different place allows him to sit and eat, unlike at home where he can't hold it together at dinner. afterwards we went on our adventures: getting gas. swimming class, and cookies with milk on the back porch. i did not get to watch r's swimming class much as both kids had bms right after the other. but he did well enough to move on to level 3 according to the observer. so we will celebrate that soon. we saw our friend moon in the parking lot.
both kids were getting snarky on the way home from class but managed to hold it together for just a little longer. we made it home. each kid picked a book. we read and then everyone got tucked in. the last 15 minutes before dad got home were rough as they were exhausted. but i am proud of them -- they were great!
Monday, July 20, 2009
more photos
as the evening consisted of high melodrama by r and wilting by k, there is little to report. luckily, there was some bike riding. but most of the time, r was just plain out of sorts. and it was barely tolerable.
so in lieu of more fun stories to share, here are some more photos.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
relaxed saturday
dad worked this morning so the kids and i slept in. we woke up, hung out, and made pancakes. after breakfast was consumed and messes cleaned up, the kids decided to stay inside for a little while and play. we looked at photographs they have have been taking and played with them on the computer (removing red eye and wrinkles!). r said that i looked the same age as he did once we retouched one of my photos. that was kind of funny and disturbing.
we then went outside to ride bikes. and by then dad came home. we went for a 2 block bike ride. by the end, both kids were tired of riding and wanted to come home. it was a pleasant walk and it would be nice if we could do it nightly. we hit a rough moment transitioning to our next event. but finally managed to hit the road. with a picnic in hand, we drove around the parks and then settled on going to the sculpture garden. it was good fun. everyone ate cheese, bread, and chips and then ran around the sculptures avoiding wedding parties. r was a little manic without his nap, while k settled into the stroller more contentedly. on our final errand, we picked up our veggies and headed home.
the kids and i watched chicken run while dad made dinner. everyone had a pleasant dinner while dad read a story out loud. we did some coloring and then headed upstairs for reading and bed. both kids were quite tired. k was asleep immediately.
it was a pleasant day. cold but nice.
now i am up late working while i can. but i did get some things organized.
i am also including part 1 of the photographs from our fourth of july adventure at masee and tom's.
more pictures to follow!
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