Family Photo...I think not...

Here's my explanation about why we don't do more family pictures...

Sneaking in Some Fun

So, as you can imagine, homeschooling a 4 year old with a 2 year old running around can be a challenge.  Some days we have to sneak out during nap time to have our fun.  It's a special time for just Hayden and I to be silly without worrying about what Corbin is up to!

Yesterday, we worked on sequencing and drawing out the days events on his very own "crown".

He ran over to the mirror and wanted to see his crown!

Which, of course, turned into - take my picture!!

And, make silly faces Mama!

And then, make a mad faces Mama!

How could I resist that?

At The Farm

I mentioned last week that we are homeschooling the boys.  I've been looking forward to getting all our materials for a couple months.  At last they are here!  So I guess this is our first "official" week. I took a bit of time and made a wall sized mural for the background of our farm.  As we learn about each part of the farm, we'll add it to our mural:

Of course, instead of opting for a true mural, I decided butcher paper would be just as good (and easier to change).  Hayden will get to make the barn, silo, equipment, and animals to add to it.

We also put up a new calendar that Hayden has been loving so far.  It's all Velcro-affixed.  Each day he gets to change the date, weather, day of the week (he picks out today, yesterday, tomorrow), and once a month he gets to set the whole thing up for the next month.  We've had a lot of fun with it each day.  He especially looks forward to "forecasting" the weather.

Friday we worked on spelling his name and he picked it up in about 2 minutes.  We "quizzed" him out of the blue on Sunday and he nailed it again.  Makes me glad I didn't try to force this "knowledge" on him earlier - clearly he's was ready to learn it now and it showed.  From an early age, Hayden has shown me that he doesn't "do tricks" and learning neat little pieces of knowledge to impress the grandparents has not been an interest of his, haha.  I have learned to embrace that willingly and let him go at his pace.  Just one of a million reasons we've chosen this path.

A Day of Yes

Inspired by this post, I decided to try a little experiment she called "A Day of Yes".  My rules were simple, whatever the kids asked of me, I would say yes.  The only exceptions being decisions that would affect their safety or lead them into disobedience.  This day was not about ER visits or creating spoiled brats - so let's just get those comments/reactions off the table.

I learned a lot about myself in this experiment.  First, I learned that I often say no out of convenience.

When Hayden asked to go to the park (which we were driving right by), my first reaction was no.  Not because we didn't have time, but because it was overcast and looked like rain.  I didn't "feel" like hauling the kids out and then chancing that we might all get wet and I'd have to wrestle them back into the car.

When Hayden asked to eat inside the restaurant instead of running through the drive-thru, my first reaction was no.  I didn't want to deal with waiting in line and handling trays with two small kids.

In both cases, I corrected my "instant no" to a "yes" and we had quite an enjoyable afternoon that would have been missed because of my own laziness.

How many other opportunities am I missing out on because of my resistance to the unknown?  Sure, it could have rained - but it only sprinkled.  Eating in the restaurant could have been a nightmare, but it wasn't.  Am I willing to take the risk or do I choose to do nothing because of the difficulties that might arise?

Second, I learned that I often say no without really thinking over the decision.  My first reaction is always no.  I'm not sure I like that.  I caught myself saying no without hesitation all day.  Most conversations that day went like this:

Hayden: Can we do X?
Me: No.  I mean, umm, yes.

Before I even realized I'd said no, it was already out of my mouth!  I think I am passing up great opportunities left and right because I have been a "No" person.

I don't want to be a "No" person.  So this week I've been a Yes person - and that has made all the difference.

Yes, we can play at the park.

Yes, I will have a lunch date out with a friend.

Yes, I will learn to hoop.

Yes, I will learn to quilt.

Yes, we will plant a garden.

Yes, I will live my life!!

Oh Christmas Toothbrush

Something you never want to see when you walk into the bathroom....

Hayden banging my toothbrush around the toilet while singing Oh Christmas Tree.

First thoughts that come to my mind:

1. Is this a new "game" or has he been doing this before today?
2. Do I have another toothbrush in the house?
3. Why is he singing "Oh Christmas Tree"?

Notice how Mark wisely put his toothbrush out of reach...mine, clearly, is in enemy territory.

Kid Lunch Ideas?

I'm really interested to get some discussion started on kid lunch ideas.  Specifically, peanut-free, kid lunch ideas.  As most of you know, Hayden is severely allergic to peanuts, so that really nixes a lot of foods/menus for us and totally rocked my world.  I grew up on PB&J! 

And as much as I appreciate how the "chicken nugget" has become a staple of our diets - I'd really like to branch out into less processed territory.  I have no problem with side items - my kids have a love for fruit!  And Corbin is truly an oddball with his love for veggies - especially raw spinach.  Cracks me up.

But, when it comes to the "main course", I come up short!    I have a few menus to alternate, but I'd love to mix things up with some new offerings. 

As you post in the comments, I'll update this post with your ideas so we all can share!


**Here's what we came up with! Thanks ladies.  I'll update as we get more comments.**

I'll go first.  I saw this one in Parenting Magazine and tried it out last week - the kids loved it.

Banana and strawberry (or your kids favorite fruit) sandwich.  
Basically just puree or mash banana and spread it like peanut butter - same for the strawberry (or you could use jelly, but I think the less sugar route is just as good).  Throw it on some bread of your choice and Tada!  It's almost like PB&J!


Breakfast for Lunch!
Several of you have mentioned serving Breakfast for lunch!  An idea I think will get rave reviews from my kiddos.  They love breakfast foods, and apparently a lot of other kids do too.  Guess I just needed to start thinking outside of the box.


Serve up some Hummus
Laura gave me a great idea on FB to get in some extra protein with hummus and pita bread.  A great finger food that I will enjoy too.  Yum!


Baked Potatoes, Pasta Salad, and English Muffin pizza!!
Katie sent me some awesome ideas including pasta salad, baked potatoes (I can't believe I've never tried that one - I love baked potatoes), some great ideas for English muffins, and a ton more!!


Homemade "Lunchables"
Robyn's idea of making my own lunchables was a hit today!  The kids loved making a "sandwich" out of their crackers, cheese, and chicken.


Leftovers
Gail likes to serve up leftovers from dinner - a great idea.  Of course, this assumes that I A.) cooked dinner and B.) they liked it.  Hehe.  


Get out the crockpot
Yes, I need to pull my crock pot out more often.  It's been neglected this month and I know my kids could appreciate some yumminess from it.

Winter Picnics!

So in Texas, when the thermometer dips below 40 degrees, 

we all hunker down and await the apocalypse of "winter".

Luckily, this only happens once or twice a year, so we can all function relatively normal most of the year.

Of course, extra indoor time for two boys that are used to being outside a lot, means that I have to get creative on those "blizzard" days.

This time, we did an indoor picnic - which was a huge hit with both boys.  I already mentioned that my boys love picnics in any form.  But having one inside was definitely something new.

It was the perfect way to get them to stop running around and SIT DOWN in one spot for more than 30 seconds.

I then topped it all off with a nice long "nap" time.

Obligatory Snow Post

And here is my obligatory snow post!  

Since it snows typically once (if at all) a year in Austin - we all get very excited about it.



Hayden told me that since it had snowed that Santa would be here soon...hehe.



Of course we had a good old fashioned snow "fluff" fight - making balls was a bit of a stretch with this sprinkling of snow.



And being official "Texans" we braved the snow with rain boots, haha.  Poor Corbin had socks for mittens and cowboy boots (I could only find one of his rain boots)



I couldn't resist adding a little love to the experience.



And Mark made a Texas-sized snowman:



Hayden, of course, thought he was in a winter wonderland.  One day we'll have to show him some real snow.



All my boys had fun this morning!



Except for Corbin - He spent the whole time mad that he had socks on his hands - The Indignity!






And after our 15 minutes of "snow" play...



We all ran back into the house to thaw out!



Of course, now the snow is melting and Hayden is watching it slowly drip away in horror!  Every five minutes I hear him "Momma!!! The snow is melting."

But it was fun while it lasted.

Now I must go pack for GIRLFRIENDS 2011!!!!

It's About Survival

And no, I'm not talking about the "cold" Texas weather that my Kentucky friends would laugh about.  Although, I have to say, when you've acclimated yourself to living in 100+ degree weather, 20s feel pretty darn cold.

No, I'm talking about surviving the cold season with 2 preschoolers! (I was about to type toddlers when I realized that neither boy qualifies for that statement anymore...whoa - where did that time go?)  It seems like we have colds every other week around here.  My theory is that the minute you plan any type of activity in the winter you've just reserved your family a vacation in Virus-ville.  It never fails that whenever Mark and I have a date, or a friend is coming over, or there's a dinner to go to - the kids get sick!

And you guess it - they're sick again!  Although, I think I am becoming a bit of a professional when it comes to these colds.  In the past, this would have been a "crazy week" or some other kind of drama - but lately, I've been able to just handle it as part of life!  We pull out the nebulizer and the medicines, fill up the humidifier, Vicks the feet, and wipe little noses - all without the stress that used to accompany the dreaded Cold.  I even took Corbin's walking pneumonia diagnosis (only 2 short weeks ago - and he's already sick again!) in stride with honestly, very little freak-out factor.  Whoa!

Could it be that I'm starting to get the hang of something?!! It feels good not to fall into meltdown mode over every cold that comes our way and to leave those stresses behind.  Sure, it means we're "home-bound" and "quarantined" for a few days - but those days are so much more peaceful than they used to be.  Is it because they are older and handle it better?  Maybe so.  But I think it also has something to do with having more experience and perspective that this too will pass.

Oh and being OK with letting them do this to the house (whatever keeps 'em happy!):

Beautiful Day Out There

One of the "perks" of living in central Texas are days like this - 64 degrees in January?  I'll take it!  The kids were driving me bonkers this morning - their usual mode of "play" inside usually involves someone being chased all over the house with Mom being "home base".

I finally decided to throw them both outside when they had stepped on my foot for the hundredth time while knocking whatever I was carrying out of my hands.  At the time, I didn't realize how nice it was outside - I was prepared to shuffle them out in snowsuits if I had to - but delightfully, God gave us a beautiful day here!  The next 2 hours were spent outside.  We even ate lunch outside.

Benefits of an outdoor lunch:

1. No mess to clean up

2. No dirt tracked in for lunch after playing outside

3. Kids will sit still and eat just because they have their own special picnic bench that is their size.  They love it.

4. If a carrot should fall on the porch and Corbin picks it up and continues to eat it, I just look away and pretend I didn't see it.  He's already managed to sample sand, leaves and mud within the last 2 hours - a little porch dirt isn't going to make a dent at this point.

Really, you should try it!  I love doing lunch outside.  And you don't have to have a fancy picnic bench to do it.  Previously, they used a cute little kid's table set I got off Craig's List for $10 bucks.  There are plenty of deals out there if you just keep your browser open for a few days scoping them out.  I actually have to NOT look because I'm always finding ridiculous deals for things that we don't really need, but are just so cool!

In fact, I outfitted our entire backyard off of Craig's List.  Now we've got a great place for them to play and explore, and it really didn't cost much at all.  Originally, I had researched playscapes but the price and difficulty of assembling them was just too much.  So, instead, I found really neat toys to throw outside that I didn't mind getting water and sun damaged.  I paid about $5 a piece for most of their ride on toys or sand table.  Throw in some $1 beach toys from Target and the Dollar store with a few packages of army men and you're set.  At least for my boys anyway.

And no, they don't originally want to spend hours outside.  Especially if they haven't spent a lot of time outside previously.  You kind of have to work up to it and show them how to play - because playing outside is different than playing inside.  Eventually, they'll be making up their own games and play, but I think you kind of need to start them somewhere or they'll get bored quick.

I also have a lot of random things out there that they've had a blast with.  Bricks, pieces of wood, pots, buckets, small shovels - you name it!  Today Hayden took some mesh shelving and some bricks to make his own ramps/roads for his car.  It was amazing to see what he was building out there.  Corbin used my little shovel to pour water and sand from one pot to another in his own little game.  I think the best toys I have out there are the ones that weren't originally meant to be toys!

Seems like they are always inventing, building, and discovering out there!

What kind of outdoor activities do you do in your backyard? And this goes for adults too!  We've got a rocking yard for the kids right now, but we could use some ideas for us "Big Kids" too.

Fun with Four

Four is fast becoming my favorite year with Hayden.  Of course, it is not without its challenges - I mean, he is FOUR, but it is also a great time of exploration, curiosity, and wonder at the world.  I love seeing him discover and learn new things.  The world through his eyes is a very cool place and I am enjoying showing it all to him.

Now that he is so interested in everything around him, I thought it was a good time to start preschool.  We chose to do this at home instead of sending him to a school, so I set about deciding on education approaches and curriculum.  I found an approach I connected with and some amazing curriculum which should be coming soon!  I'm so excited to get started.  In fact, we really started last week with my own materials and lesson plans that I made on my own or found online.  It's been fun pulling it all together each day, although it will be nice to have a curriculum to work with once it comes in.  Starting from scratch can be a little overwhelming - it's nice to have a starting point and then go from there.

I found a great phonics website (Progressive Phonics) that has FREE books you can print out that I will be using this week - they are really cute and I think Hayden will like them.  It's amazing how much free material is out there.  You really could educate your child for practically nothing - as long as you had a printer, internet access, and a library card - but it would take a little more time and planning than I have right now.  Thank goodness for curriculum!

Last week was so much fun and even though with the holiday we only had 2 days, I still felt like he learned a lot. He mastered the concepts of light and dark and which colors were "light" or "dark" colors, he colored inside the lines for the first time ever, haha, matched letters and words that started with the letter in a memory game, used the computer and manipulated the mouse perfectly to play a matching game,  answered all discussion questions correctly about a book we had read for the first time, got introduced to the concept of rhyming, and put together every jigsaw puzzle we owned (looks like I'll need to get some harder ones).

It just amazes me how much he learns and it's so fun being able to teach him all these things.  I can't wait for tomorrow!

I'd love to hear about any resources you've used and liked - even though we purchased a curriculum, there is always room for improvements or alternate activities!

Toys!

It's been interesting to see my selections in toys evolve as I change as a parent and continue learning through the developmental challenges we are currently working through with Corbin.

No longer do I look for the "flashy" or latest toy, but really evaluate it's potential as both an object of play and therapy.

I've found some really great ones that we love and since Christmas is coming up I thought I might share a few with you!  I'd also love to hear any of your recommendations as well.  I'm always on the lookout for quality toys to add to our play!

These are in no particular order, by the way.  Mommy fog prevents me from doing any real prioritizing in that regard, haha - they are ordered in the manner they popped up in my brain while writing this post.

1. Melissa & Doug Deluxe 10-Piece Alphabet Nesting and Stacking Blocks

Corbin uses these a lot in therapy play and just playing in general.  The stack and nest so you get two activities in one, plus they store well.  They all nest so they stay compact.  The outside also have animals and letters on them, so it's also a great starting point for learning letters and animals.  We have several nesting/stacking toys and this is by far our favorite.

2. Alex Toys Learn to Dress Monkey

I have spent a LONG time looking for a toy to teach self-help and fine motor skills that is NOT a pink baby doll.  Also, many baby dolls don't come with the various zippers, velcro, buttons, and snaps all on one outfit.  This monkey has snaps, zippers, shoelaces, socks, buttons (with two styles of closures), overalls, and a velcro shirt!  If you are looking for a dressing toy, this is definitely it.

3. Melissa & Doug Grill Set

Lacing cards and activities are definitely fine motor skills that are on our list to achieve.  However, for a 2 year old, and especially one who is delayed in motor ability, lacing with string can be a very difficult activity.  As a precursor to lacing with string, I have found this grill set to be awesome!  Instead of "lacing", he is placing the meat and vegetables on the skewers - which incorporates the same skills as lacing, but in a more controlled and easier to manipulate form.  The skewers are easy to hold on to and don't flop over like lacing string does.  There are also tongs (a precursor to scissor skills) and a knife for cutting.  The vegetables form together with velcro for easy cutting.  We love this toy and it's a hit with both Hayden and Corbin.  It's also a great pretend play activity.

4. 50 Counting Bears with 5 Cups

Oh the counting bears...I don't think I can really express how much we play with these.  Corbin can color sort very well, and I think these bears really helped with that.  Also, you can buy pattern matching games that go with the bears that are fun to add to.  Corbin loves pouring the bears from one cup to another (another great motor therapy) and also plays with the bears in all sorts of other ways.  Hayden loves to line them up like army men and Corbin likes catapulting them or having them go down his Little People slides.  Besides colors and matching, they are also great for counting and working on numbers.  This is the kind of toy that develops and changes as they get older.  It starts with simple pouring, works into sorting, then pattern matching, and finally simple math.  It's one of my favorites.

5. Shure - Chunky World - Magnetic Fishing

This game is played with almost every day - by both boys.  Again, another great therapy toy, but also has endless possibilities for pretend play.  My boys have made a boat out of a cardboard box to go fishing.  They've used the fishing pole to "catch" other metal things around the house.  They've pretend to "eat" the fish.  You name it, they've played it.

Okay, so there are five of our favorites.  As we get closer to Christmas, maybe I'll post some more if you're interested.  Some of these toys are a bit pricier than others.  We didn't get them all at once, but gradually added them to our household over the past few years.  But, I will say that each one has been worth it's money!  They have held up really well and I haven't had a single complaint with any of them.

So what are your "must have" toys?

Just Getting Away

There are some days you just need to get away.  Away from laundry and dishes and two boys fighting over the last goldfish and cleaning up the cracker crumbs AGAIN and well...just everything related to your house.

And no, a walk around the neighborhood just won't do.

You need a heavy dose of something beautiful.  And my something beautiful is about 90 minutes away at Bastrop State Park.  They have trees - real ones.  Not the bushes that dot our Austin landscape.  

So at 10am this morning I decided to pack everyone into the car for a day at the park.  

There is nothing better for two rambunctious boys than to run around the forest throwing rocks and collecting pine cones (for throwing too of course).

And because my son is Hayden, we had to have a picnic.  This boy is a picnic LOVER.  I think he would prefer all our meals served outdoor on a blanket.

And of course, no trip to the park would be complete without a long hike on the trails. The boys did great - Hayden walked the whole way and Corbin about half.

Overall the trip was just what I needed.  I got to soak in some "green" and let the boys run wild.  Hayden even got to practice his big brother responsibilities by corralling Corbin and bringing him back to the picnic area when he strayed too far.  Definitely a skill I'm going to be enjoying more of in the future!  

I just might have to add this outing to our schedule every week, as we all came home quite happy!