Memorial Day

Children will color the flag using red and blue crayons appropriately.

Living room with a BUILT in...

BASEMENT to do

Your ONLY a Stay-At-Home-Mom???

1. I am blessed enough to be financial stable while being home with my children. It is FANTASTIC! When they go to school, I will get a TRADITIONAL job! In the meantime, I will hold them, nurture them clothe them and educate them. I will continue to provide them with educational activities and healthy treats; I will continue to explore the world from the comfort of our home and the wilderness outside. I am calling it my JOB to be home, and I take it seriously. It is WORK and it should be WORK, NOT a vacation!

2. June Cleaver, THANK YOU. She enjoyed the WORK, and embraced the dedication that came along with being a STAY AT HOME MOM.

3. I am home and taking it seriously, I am tired and SHOULD be tired… I should be well,... WORKED!

4. A couple dozen brownies, will take maybe an hour, so I’ll just do it. And write it down, that’s a favor I'll can cash in later. While I'm baking I will be teaching my children the importance of friendships, and being dependable. They can assist me in the preparation and learn how to measure, count and cook.

5. All day with my kids, no you cannot imagine! I am so blessed for the opportunity to be the sole provider of care, education, health and nutrition. THANK YOU for reminding me.

6. I would be lying if I said it were easy. We all make sacrifices for the greater good of our families and our children. I pick up part-time jobs whenever I can just so we can grocery shop, vacation and send the kids to private organizations and activities.

7. I wake, make my children a REAL breakfast, clean the kitchen, spread out an activity I pre-organized for the children to complete so I can work-out without tripping over them the WHOLE time, discuss the schedule for the day with the children, complete a reading activity, complete a mathematical activity, prepare lunch while the children play with a ‘daily special’ (musical instrument, physical movement activity, computer, library book, art project), serve lunch to the family, shower while they eat, put the little one down for a nap, set up an independent activity for the older child, wash – dry – fold – put away several loads of laundry while cleaning each room one at a time and playing a board game with the older child, prepare a nutritional snack, wake the little one, serve the snack, read a themed book to the children for either science or history and perform the associated task or activity, play outdoors or indoors WITH the children, prepare dinner while the children continue to play, serve dinner, while the children are eating – run a bath for the smallest child, bathe the child while the older child completes an independent activity, read a story to the children, put the small child in bed, bathe the older child, read another story, place the older child in bed. When the house is quiet, I wash the floors, surfaces and remaining laundry while MAYBE watching a few moments of television… Why? What do YOU do all day?

8. I have several degrees, I utilize them every day. My degree in education assists me in creating curriculum for the shoreline school districts, BUT even if I didn’t do that, I create, plan, and implement educational learning experiences for my children SEVEN, yes SEVEN days a week. My degree in child development has enabled me to land a FOURTH part-time job in creating, recruiting and impending physical activities for kindergarteners --- and even if I didn’t have THAT job, I use my degree daily in confirming my children are at or above level in ALL the tasks they will need to perform at the age and ability levels.

9. My children do NOT cling, they understand that I, their MOTHER am ALWAYS here and available for them to love, nurture and care, to listen, guide and support.

10. My house is lived in, loved and utilized, anytime anyone enters it is a safe, organized, germ-free, clutter-free environment, but by the time our children are done... it is lived in once again.

MAKE-your-OWN crayons

Homemade Bath Time Soap Crayons 1 cup grated Ivory Soap 1/4 cup warm water Food Coloring Plastic Cookie cutters Mix water, soap & food coloring together in med. size bowl. Stir the crayon mixture until it begins to stiffen. Remove the mixture from the bowl and knead until it is the consistency of a very thick dough. Spoon Crayon Mixture into plastic cookie cutters or other plastic molds (playdough molds work great too!). Press down firmly. Place the plastic cookie cutters in your freezer for 10 mins or in your refrigerator for 30 mins. When firm, Pop the bath crayons out of the cookie cutters (or other molds) and allow them to air dry overnight or until hard. Homemade Bath Crayons Add food coloring and warm water, a few tablespoons at a time, to the soap shavings and mix until it forms a thick dough. You can add more water or soap shavings to get the right consistency. Once the dough is firm, you can shape it into crayons by hand or press it into candy molds. We pre-heated an oven (gasp!) to 300 degrees F., turned it off and popped in our tray. (We should have just topped with aluminum foil and sat it on our front steps). Things got goopy very slowly, so I relit the fire for a few minutes. And then things got very liquid. We scribbled them to make sure they worked, and then packaged them up for gifts for friends. We made another batch the next day and they came out even better. Here are a few tips if you want to try this yourself: Use only one brand/kind of crayon. The batch we made of only regular Crayolas melted more evenly. When you throw in the washable ones (very hard to melt) and all the freebies from dining establishments, differential melting becomes a problem as some melt to water-like consistency while other are rock hard. Also, some are more brittle (the washable ones?) and didn't make very strong Cookies for the over-active scribbler. Don't refire the oven if you are too impatient. Just wait and get over it. It'll be a character-modeling lesson for the kids. Right, the kids. 2-3 highly contrasting colors gave the best scribble. The all-shades-of-blue Cookie looked great, but was a little underwhelming when it came to performance testing. 3 full crayons are about all that you'll want in a mini-muffin tin. It looks like it will hold more, but you don't want them coming over the edge and spilling in your oven. Use a pan underneath while the Cookies are in the oven. Last hint: Hit the back-to-school sales now for supplies for Christmas crafts.

Yogurt covered Pretzels

10 dozen small pretzels

2 cups vanilla yogurt or 2 cups strawberry yogurt

5 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250°F.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the confectioners sugar into the yogurt, one cup at a time with a hand blender. >/br>
Using tongs or chopsticks, dip the pretzels, one at a time, into the frosting and place them on a wire cooling rack (place a cookie sheet under the wire rack to catch the excess frosting that will drip from the pretzels).

Once all pretzels are coated, turn your oven off and place the wire rack and cookie sheet in, leaving the oven door slightly open. The excess heat will help the frosting dry without leaving the pretzels soggy.

Allow frosting to harden for 3-4 hours, remove from oven, and store pretzels in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Measurement

When teaching measurement to young children provide lots of opportunities for the students to order objects by size. Use everyday activities and real objects to help children understand measurement concepts.

The terms non-standard and standard are often used when describing prescribed learning outcomes for measurement.

Measuring with non-standard units means measuring things with blocks, pencils, hands, feet, etc. As long as the items used to measure with are all the same size, e.g. identical blocks or brand new pencils, they are suitable to use.

When you have a daugther...

In honor of the birthday of my little girl. I began to ponder the blessings that she has brought into our lives. When you world is blessed with a baby girl, you experience sunshine and a love like no other. Her voice is the first I hear every morning as I wake, and her smile the first I see. There has never been a sweeter baby girl that I have met, never a more caring little one I've known and I pray that she continues at this rate when she is all grown. I love the way she picks out her clothes and puts them on herself. I watch her dance and add every accessory on the shelf. The world has found a beauty in her, unlike any other. And yet I seem to love the same parts in her, as do I in her brother.

....And on the day that you were born.

--------------------------Tuesday, May 18, 2010------------------------------------ All About You… Time of birth: 9:37 am Weight: 7 pounds, 14.5 ounces Length: 21 inches Hospital: Yale City: New Haven About the Day You Were Born…. It was 30 years ago today that Mount Saint Helens in Washington State erupted causing massive damage to the landscape and killing 57 people, as well thousands of animals and damaging or destroying more than 4 billion board feet of timber, mainly by the lateral blast. You share a birthday with: Country singer, George Strait - 18-May-1952 Actress, Tina Fey - 18-May-1970 Athlete, Reggie Jackson - 18-May-1946

Circus

Children will gain experience in handling a brush and paint and by repeating simple shapes, students will create pattern. Students will demonstrate awareness of emotion by creating "sad" and "happy" faces.

# back construction paper
# White crayon
# Colored glitter

On the black paper students will draw circles (to eventually become happy/sad faces of clowns) using a white crayon.
Once the face is complete the child will add details using glue, finally finishing by sprinkling glitter.

Bathroom built-in

I am SO ready for this one!

The GREAT friendCYCLE

No more FRIENEMIES for me!

From time to time I seem to find myself SUCKED in to TOXIC friendships. I seem to be the magnet for moochers to gather, and users to loam....

I am currently undergoing a time of transition in my life, becoming more of an adult, more knowledgeable of life and relationships and generally more aware of reality. In doing so, I am learning to let go of the toxins in my life, toxins of all sorts.

• The Gossiper. We all know one! She thrives on gossip, scandal and drama. She bad mouth-es everyone . She is definitely treating you the same. I met quite a few in High school and some grown adults, who haven't quite, well... grown.
• The Victim. She only calls you when there is something wrong in her life. In fact, her life motto is ‘Woe is me.’ This friend takes you for granted and has appointed you as their personal therapist. I seem to have been over-loaded with these the last ten years or so, and despite the fact that I will forever struggle with trying not-to-be the fixer of all people, I need to focus on my family and myself...
• The Envious One. Let’s be very honest – girls are very catty, and most of it steams from insecurity. This is the friend that very subtly criticizes you, makes everything a competition, and even sounds happy when you are having a bad day.. In my opinion the most toxic, if you let them get to you.
• The User. A person who has identified that you have/know something that they want. Whether it is for them to further their career, or as simple as you have a hot brother and she wants to get with him! Either way, this person is just using you for their own benefit and provide absolutely nothing to your life.

Obviously there are many more but I wrote these ones as these are the friends I have been dealing with! Basically, to identify a toxic friend, it is how you feel about them. Here are a few ideas. You:

• don’t feel comfortable with this person.
• feel ‘down’ about yourself after talking or seeing this person.
• feel anxious/afraid when you see an e-mail/text message from them.
• have a nagging feeling that this person wants something from you and is not genuine.
• feel tired, drained, exhausted, defeated, stressed out and generally bad about yourself with this person.

I have been silently identifying these toxic friends for just over a year now, preparing myself for the great friend-cycle.

I never want to have enemies or cause conflict with people, so trying to end it with them has been the hardest for me. I am a schedule-oriented, planning person. So everything for me requires steps, and is especially drawn our when I have concerns for others feelings.

1. Set boundaries - When you are helping a friend but they are hurting you in the process, you are not feeling good and nothing productive is happening – this is what happened to me. In general though, you can simply learn to start saying ‘no’. No to 20 phone calls a day about her ex. No to insulting anyone in your family. No to calling you last minute and expecting you to drop everything for her. It is hard, because at the same time you want to be there for a friend but you have to set boundaries or it will eat you alive.

I can’t just ignore someone in trouble because I feel bad and I have to help somehow. I cannot be everyone’s savior! … For these people, their issues have been going on for years, yet they are not doing anything about it. At the end of the day, you cannot help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves.,/br>

2.Speak to them - This is probably the hardest … If you would like to give this friendship another go, there is no other way to change it then to honestly speak to them about how you are feeling. Stand up for yourself and tell them you won’t take their nonsense anymore. If they do not treat you with respect - cut this friendship off. In this case, it is best to say as little as possible. A sentence like ‘I do not wish to be your friend anymore’ is pretty to-the-point.There is always the option to just never speak to them again, but at least give the person the respect of any decent human being and offer some closure.

In the process of removing negativity from my life, I have to remain positive as well. I definitely am guilty of pouring out my sorrows to a friend a little too often and I am the worse at replying calls. Life is a learning process!

If you know yourself better, you will have better, more meaningful relationships. The fact is, people who aren't sure who they are, what they want in life, are the people who can't seem to get relationships right.

The friends you hang out with will influence the choices that you make. Often bad friends lead to bad choices.

Sometimes you grow so comfortable in your life and with your friend group that you do not put yourself out there and make new friends. Then, your life changes or your friend's lives change, and you drift apart, leaving you feeling like you don't have friends.

Sometimes friendships just go bad. There occasionally comes a point when it seems like a friendship is more work then it is worth. When a friendship starts going bad, you basically have to decide if you want to fix it or let it go. Sometimes it can't be fixed...

Any friendship that you might have is going to need to be maintained if we expect it to last a lifetime. All too often what happens is we become friends with people and we neglect to maintain our friendship, so people think that you no longer want to be friends.

One of the best things that you can do to help improve your friendships is to tell your friends thank you and I appreciate you. It always feels good to hear thank you. You need to let your friends know that you love and appreciate them. All too often people take advantage of their closest friends and just assume that their friends are always going to be around for them. You need to make sure that your friends know that you need them. Many people think that regardless of what happens their friends are always going to be there for them, and this means that they fail to tell their friends that they need them around and want them around. Make sure that you take the time to do things for your friends.

Friendships can end for a variety of reasons: one friend moves away; lifestyle changes like marriage or divorce or having a baby can shift the focus of a woman's life and some of her friends may fall away; interests change and the basis of the friendship can disappear; health or lifestyle changes can result in friendship changes as well; and many other reasons. There is nothing wrong with these changes in our friendship patterns -- but they certainly can be painful, especially if one person wants to continue the friendship and the other person doesn't.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

* 3/4 cup butter flavored shortening
* 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
* 2 tbsp milk
* 1 tbsp vanilla
* 1 egg
* 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 3/4 tsp baking soda
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


Directions:
Heat oven to 375. Combine butter flavored shortening, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat egg into creamed mixture.

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix into creamed mixture just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecan pieces.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake one baking sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 3 minutes for crisp cookies.

* Gift Ideas
Use these treats as gifts! Using plastic wrap, place 2-3 treats in the center and gather the ends at the top. Finish it by securing each bundle with a ribbon. Line a cookie tin with tissue paper, flare out the edges for a decorative look. Then carefully place the goodies into the cookie tins, fold the edges of the tissue paper carefully over the top of the treats and secure with cookie tin lid. Adorn the top with a colorful bow.

House rules by preschoolers...

If I like it then it's mine. If I saw it first then it's mine. If you show it to me then it's the same as giving it to me; it's mine. If I can take it from you then it's mine. If I had it a little while ago then it's mine. If it looks like mine then it is mine. If I'm doing or building something then all the pieces are mine. If it was yours but you put it down or let go of it or stopped looking at it then it automatically becomes mine. If there are no parents in the room then everything in it is mine. If it's broken then it's yours.

What every child NEEDS to know to enter Kindergarten.

Have you ever wondered what exactly your child needs to know before kindergarten? Please keep in mind as you look over this list that kids learn best with hands-on experiences, not memorization or drill practice! These early years with our children should be about fostering a love to play, explore, and learn! Also, it is important to note that our children are all different and gifted in unique ways. Obviously, if your child has special needs, exceptionalities, or is delayed in a particular area, this won’t necessarily be relevant to your child. This is simply a guide…not something to stress about! Finally, all areas of development are of equal importance to young children! Gross motor and social development tasks are just as important as cognitive and pre-reading tasks at this age. Have fun learning together through games and various experiences while still encouraging your child’s natural creativity! Personal and Social Development Approach to learning • Shows eagerness and curiosity as a learner • Persists in task and seeks help when encountering a problem • Is generally pleasant and cooperative Self-Control • Follows rules and routines • Manages transitions (going from one activity to the next) • Demonstrates normal activity level Interactions with Others • Interacts easily with one or more children • Interacts easily with familiar adults • Participates in group activities • Plays well with others • Takes turns and shares • Cleans up after play Conflict Resolution • Seeks adult help when needed to resolve conflicts • Uses words to resolve conflicts Language and Literacy Listening • Listens with understanding to directions and conversations • Follows one-step directions • Follows two-step directions Speaking • Speaks clearly enough to be understood without contextual clues • Relates experiences with some understanding of sequences of events Literature and Reading • Listens with interest to stories read aloud • Shows interest in reading-related activities • Retells information from a story • Sequences three pictures to tell a logical story Writing • Uses pictures to communicate ideas • Uses scribbles, shapes, and letter-like symbols to write words or ideas Alphabet Knowledge • Recites/sings alphabet • Matches upper-case letters • Matches lower-case letters • Identifies upper-case letters • Identifies lower-case letters Mathematical Thinking Patterns and Relationships • Sorts by color, shape, and size • Orders or separates several objects on the basis of one attribute • Recognizes simple patterns and duplicates them Number concept and operations • Rote counts to 20 • Counts objects with meaning to 10 • Matches numerals • Identifies by naming, numerals 0-10 Geometry and spatial relations • Identifies 4 shapes- circle, square, rectangle, triangle • Demonstrates concepts of positional/directional concepts (up/down, over/under, in/out, behind/in front of, beside/between, top/bottom, inside/outside, above/below, high/low, right/left, off/on, first/last, far/near, go/stop). Measurement • Shows understanding of and uses comparative words (big/little, large/small, short/long, tall/short, slow/fast, few/many, empty/full, less/more. Physical Development Gross-Motor Skills • Pedals and steers a tricycle • Jumps in place, landing on two feet • Jumps consecutively- 7 jumps • Balances on one foot for 5 seconds • Hops on one foot 2-3 hops • Hops on one foot- 6 ft. • Throws a ball with direction- 5 ft. • Catches a thrown ball with arms and body • Climbs a playground ladder • Skips smoothly for 20 feet Fine-Motor Skills • Stacks 10, one-inch blocks • Strings 4 1/2″ beads in two minutes • Completes a seven piece interlocking puzzle • Makes a pancake, snake, and ball from playdough • Grasps pencil correctly • Copies: vertical line, horizontal line, circle, cross, square, V, triangle • Copies first name • Prints first name without a model • Grasps scissors correctly • Cuts within 1/4″ of a 6″ straight line on construction paper • Cuts out a 3″ square on construction paper • Cuts out a 3″ triangle on construction paper • Cuts out a 3″ circle on construction paper • Uses a glue stick appropriately • Uses appropriate amount of glue for tasks The Arts Creative Arts • Identifies 10 colors: red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, black, white, brown, pink • Uses a variety of art materials for tactile experience and exploration Music/Movement • Participates in group music experiences • Participates in creative movement/dance Creative Dramatics • Makes believe with objects • Takes on pretend roles and situations

ALMOST anytime activities

Easy things to do, to keep the little ones busy and develop skills! 40 activities for homeschoolers or educationally minded parents.

1. Rice/bean bins. All you need is a bin, some rice or beans, and some scoops or cups.

2. Water bins/tables. These require a nice day and a deck...smile... but are great. Again, fill up a tub with water and provide scoops, bowls, and a few fun trinkets (some that float and some that sink) and let kids play 'til their heart's content. Add a few drops of food coloring for extra fun!

3. Paint with water books. Still a great way to get some exploration going with less than half the mess of the full-fledged version.

4. Puzzles. Use the manufactured variety or try making your own by cutting up pictures your child (or a sibling) has drawn.

5. Special Play Boxes. The idea is that you only take these special boxes of toys out when you are with another child. These are special treats. Change them up every few weeks or so depending upon your younger child’s interests. Here, my youngest daughter is playing with matchbox cars as I work with her brother.

6. Stickers. On paper, on clothes, on favorite bears...

7. Number Wheels. Print a color wheel and ask kids to place the corresponding clothes pin on the wheel. If your child isn't ready for numbers yet, try putting colors onto the wheel and colored dots on the clothes pins for kids to match. If your child is really young, try just giving them clothes pins with a variety of things/materials to attach them to.

8. Legos and blocks. These are great all by themselves, but can also be used in conjunction with props like dolls, cars, shoe-boxes and paper towel rolls.

9. Tweezers and pom poms. Provide some multi-colored craft pom poms and ask kids to sort by size or color. If the child is still very young, take away the tweezers and give them a yogurt container with a small hole cut in the top to stuff pom poms through. When they are done, open the container and start again.

10. Toddler sewing basket. Activities like re-wrapping yarn, lacing, etc.

11. Pipe cleaners in containers. This is a variation of the pom pom suggestion: cut several small holes in a yogurt or coffee container and ask the child to stick pipe cleaners into them. For added challenge, color hole-reinforcers (like you use in three-hole-punched documents) and ask the child to match the pipe cleaner color to the hole reinforcer color.

12. Magazine scavenger hunts. Really young kids can just rip up the pages, but slightly older toddlers can search through pages to find items you ask for, like pictures of smiles, flowers, a Mommy, etc.

13. Alphabet or picture tracing sheets. This is as easy as laminating an alphabet practice sheet and providing dry erase markers. Wipe and start again.

14. Egg cartons filled with plastic colored eggs. Fill these eggs with little trinkets that will make noise in the eggs. This is enough for young kids. For slightly older kids you can ask them what they hear in the eggs, then have them open the eggs on their own to see if they were correct.

15. Play-Doh filled balloons. You never know what a child is going to create with these, but the sensory experience is the major boon.

16. Pool Noodle Stringing. Cut up pool noodles and provide yarn for little kids to string together.

17. Magnetic Magazine Face-Making. Cut out eyes, ears, mouths, noses, etc. from magazines, laminate, and adhere to magnets. Then, provide your toddler with a magnetic surface to rearrange faces.

18. Lacing boards. These can be made with leftover cereal boxes, or can be purchased. You punch several holes along the outline of a shape, and ask your toddler to weave shoestring in and out of the holes. Don't expect perfection unless you are giving instructions- just let them do it on their own.

19. Felt Face-Making. This idea can be adjusted to fit any theme you're working on with just a little forethought. Just create one large, major shape and provide lots of smaller shapes to adorn the large one.

20. Soda bottle filled with glitter, oil, and water. Grab a two-liter and fill it with these ingredients for fun. Roll them, shake them and put them into containers. Remember to glue the cap on before you give this to your child!

21. Button Snake. Tie or sew a button onto a piece of ribbon and provide felt scraps to thread onto the "snake."

22. Clothesline Play. String up a pretend clothesline and provide a few socks, some felt clothes cut-outs, a few scarves, etc. plus a few clothespins and let younger kids have fun hanging up the wash.

23. Bathtub painting. Let a squirmy toddler paint in the bathtub with washable paint. Just strip them down and let them go to town, then use the shower head to rinse it all down the drain.

24. Ziplock bag painting. Fill a bag with paint and tape it up to a glass surface.

25. Giving babydolls a bath. This isn't so gender-specific as you may think. You might be surprised at how many boys enjoy a small tub of water, plastic baby doll, towels and soap.

26. Stamping. Ink pad, paper and a variety of stamps.

27. Color scavenger hunt. Give your child a paper bag with a color scribbled on the front, or a colored bag, and ask them to run around the house until they find items of that color to put in the bag.

28. Bottles and cap matching. Take a bunch of used bottles and let children match the caps to the bottles. Added bonus? This is a self-correcting activity, so when they get to the end and all the caps don't match, they know they've made a mistake and can go back to find it.

29. Rubberband/shoebox guitars. These are fun to play, and fun to make. Just a couple of shoeboxes with rubber bands around them create music (but not too loud) and lots of opportunity for exploration.

30. Give them "work." Give your younger child the same worksheet you give your older child and see what they do with it! The more authentic and identical the worksheet, the better.

31. Pudding/Yogurt finger-painting. Tools like spoons and paintbrushes only add to the fun.

32. Cutting practice. While themed printables are fun, you don't need anything that fancy. Just draw some wiggly lines across a page and ask your older toddler to cut the marks you've made.

33. PlayDoh prints. My kids will play with Play Doh but they're especially intrigued by anything that makes a print in the soft dough (think Legos, sporks, beaded necklaces, cookie cutters and little truck wheels).

34. Sorting. Colored pasta, old keys, nuts and bolts.

35. Balloons. They don't even need helium- just blow them up and provide a pool noodle for hitting, or tie them up with a bunch of ribbon and let your kids try to keep them in the air. Try giving kids a straw and having them blow their balloons around the room.

36. Water transfer. This can be done with pipettes and small bowls of water, or with small pitchers. The key here is small amounts of water. Colored water is extra exciting.

37. Chalk. It's versatile- if you have a chalkboard that's great, but chalk can be used on black construction paper, on driveways and sidewalks if you're outside, on rocks, on felt...

38. Masking tape obstacle course. You can tailor this to meet your child's needs- put down a straight line and ask your child to walk/hop/skip along it. Create squares they must use to jump between, even adhere tape to the walls in a hallway and tell your child to try to go below the lines you've put up.

39. Pattern Blocks. The idea is to use a set of blocks and ask your child to create the same patterns with the blocks that appear on a form.

40. Shadow dancing. Can be done in the dark with flashlights or just by mimicking each others movements.

Menu & Message boards -COMPLETED!

On the left is the menu board, days of the week labeled with stamps and laminated to create a dry-erase-board-esque area for hand-printing the meal of the day and ribbon and colored clothes pins are handy to attach recipe cards for meals as well.

On the right is the important message board, equipped with a dry-erase area, ribbon for clothes-pinning and sticky notes...making it easier to keep track of the essential tasks of them week.

My little sunshines!

When-ever I have a yucky feeling day, my little balls of sunshine make me smile! They sat and watched me wash the dishes, while they enjoyed the rainbow jello I made for them.

Then they were just chilling with me sitting on the counter and dancing in the kitchen and listening to music. TOO GOOD KIDS!

You know you are a successful parent when you see your children positive and just enjoying the simple things.

It took several hours to make the rainbow jello the day before, because each layer or color had to set before a new color could be added. To mix it up, I added something a bit different to ever-other layer, such as cool whip, fizz water or sherbert.

Soon to be MUD room...

Now, once the master bedroom is completed AND the educational toys and books are returned to the office/playroom.... then we shall have a three-season porch or mud room. 1.

Simple bench RIGHT by the door. 2.

Slight variation of the traditional bench with more of an open center and hanging directly to hooks on the wall.

What's in a Name?

Am I in this battle alone? I am NOT in love with my name, but I do find it irritating when people spell it incorrectly, especially when it is RIGHT THERE to copy. I have a love hate relationship with my name, sometimes I feel like it suits me and other times I do not feel like a Jamie at all... But I can tell you something... I am a Jamie, not a Jaimie or a Jaime or a Jayme . I am certain it may mean more if I were given a straight response from my parents - when I asked where it came from.

• When I get the response "We named you after your grandfather" - I feel valued and important, and honored... Yet angry that I feel masculated (yes, today that IS a word) with a grandfather' name.
• The response "We named you after Jamie Lee Curtis" - I feel my parents put in the littlest amount of energy possible in naming me... and feel it is meaningless.
• When my father boasts "your name comes from the song, Jamie's Crying" - I feel like BOTH my parents were FAR too young to have children, but at least they like good music and were with the times.

Whether I am feeling like a Jamie or not for the day, I am certain I do not care for people spelling it wrong. I very carefully named my children so that their names would not be misspelled... BUT alas... they are.

Healthy fasting?

So, I found this so-called SAFE Fast and I wanted to share it.

• During the first seven days you must abstain from all alcohol You must drink 10 glasses of water each day.
• Day One All fruits except bananas. It is strongly suggested that you consume lots of melons the first day. If you limit your fruit consumption to melons, your chances of losing three lbs. on first day are very good.

Sounds okay? A day of pure water and ALL the fruit you can eat? YUM! But, losing 3 lbs? Wouldn't you be REALLY bloated from all the water intake and constantly in the bathroom?

• Day Two All vegetables. You are encouraged to eat until you are stuffed with all the raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. There is no limit on the amount or type. For your complex carbohydrate, you will start day two with a large baked potato for breakfast. You may top the potato with one pat of butter.
• Day Three A mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice. Any amount, any quantity. No bananas yet. No potatoes today.
Sounds easy enough right? Drinking a ton and eating fruits and vegetables? I think I would be full. Do you think the lack of calcium, protein or potassium would be dangerous or exhausting? Do you think You could incorporate a vitamin to 'level off'?
• Day Four Bananas and milk. Today you will eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. This will be combined with the special soup which may be eaten in limited quantities.
• Day Five Today is feast day. You will eat beef and tomatoes. Eat two 10 oz. portions of lean beef. Hamburger is OK. Combine this with six whole tomatoes. On day five you must increase your water intake by one quart. This is to cleanse your system of the uric acid you will be producing.
Sounds like all the bases are being covered. It doesn't seem more extreme than any regular diet or intake modification. There is not a single day that sounds like you would be starving or eating anything unhealthy. I worry though, after going several days without meat, how would your body adjust to the recent intake?
• Day Six Beef and vegetables. Today you may eat an unlimited amount of beef and vegetables. Eat to your hearts content.
• Day Seven Today your food intake will consist of brown rice, fruit juices and all the vegetables you care to consume.
I seem to sense a trend... this JUST MIGHT be the HEALTHIEST FAST I have ever found...Who's with me?? Tomorrow morning you will be 10-17 lbs. lighter than one week ago. If you desire further weight loss, repeat the program again. You may repeat this program as often as you like, however, it is suggested that you are allowed two glasses of white wine in addition to the instructions on the program. You may substitute champagne for white wine. Under no circumstances are you to drink any other alcoholic beverages with the exception of beer which is allowed. Any liquor (bourbon,vodka, rum) is forbidden. Cream drinks are especially forbidden. You may have an occasional cordial such as creme de menthe or schnapps, but you must always limit yourself to two drinks. If you wine, drink only wine that day. If you have beer, drink only beer that day, etc. Alcohol adds empty calories to your diet. However, after the first week it will help your digestion and settle your stomach. I would definitely SKIP the alcohol,... SO NOT NECESSARY. G.M.’S Wonder Soup The following soup is intended as a supplement to your diet. It can be eaten any time of the day in virtually unlimited quantities. You are encouraged to consume large quantities of this soup. 28 oz, Water, 6 Large Onions, 2 Green Peppers, Whole Tomatoes (fresh or canned), 1 Head Cabbage, 1 Bunch Celery, 4 Envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix, Herbs and Flavoring as desired. Additional Comments Vegetables as may be taken in the form of a salad if desired. No dressing except malt, white or wine vinegar, squeezed lemon, garlic, herbs. No more than one tea spoon of oil. WONDER SOUP can be eaten in unlimited quantities. This soup is a supplement while you are on the program and it should be a pleasure to eat. Not everyone likes cabbage, green peppers, etc. This recipe is not inflexible. You may substitute OR ADD vegetables according to your taste. Beverages you may consume while on the program : 1. Water (flavoured with lemon/lime if desired). 2. Club Soda is OK. 3. Black Coffee. No cream or cream substitute. No sugar or sweetness. 4. Black Tea = Herb or Leaf. 5. Absolutely nothing else except the fruit juices which are part of day seven. No fruit juices before day seven. How and Why It Works
• Day One Preparing your system for the upcoming program. Your only source of nutrition is fresh or canned fruits. Fruits are nature’s perfect food.
• Day Two starts with a fix of complex carbo-hydrates coupled with an oil dose. This is taken in the morning for energy and balance. The rest of day two consists of vegetables which are virtually calorie free and provide essential nutrients and fiber.
• Day Three eliminates the potato (carbohydrates from the fruits). You system is now prepared to start burning excess pounds. You will still have cravings which should start to diminish by day four.
• Day Four bananas, milk and soup sound the strangest and least desirable. You probably will not eat all the bananas allowed. But they are there for the potassium and the sodium you may have missed. You will notice a definite loss of desire for sweets.
• Day Five The beef is for iron and proteins, the tomatoes are for digestion and fiber. Lots and lots of water purifies your system. You should notice colorless urine today. Do not feel you have to eat all this beef. You must eat the six tomatoes.
• Day Six Similar to day five, Iron and proteins from beef, Vitamins and fiber from vegetables. By now your system is in a total weight loss inclination. There should be a noticeable difference in the way you look today, compared to day one.
• Day Seven Completion of the program! You have your system under control and it should thank you for the flushing and cleaning you just gave it.

Is it safe to fly?

So it seems to me that everyone and their mom is pregnant RIGHT now... and in the height of the vacationing season upon us, it causes me to wonder: When is it safe to fly IF you ARE pregnant? Let's face it sometimes flying is unavoidable and sometimes pregnancies are a surprise. Right now with gas and oil costs rising people USUALLY lock in on airline low prices, and honestly WHO REALLY BUYS THE INSURANCE? So, I started scouring the Internet to discover NOT many are aware of flying pregnant. It is remotely safe..... unless you get motion sick or are HIGH-RISK....up to around 34/36 weeks. What a lot of people might NOT know is that some airlines have policies restricting flight for pregnant women. AND some insurance companies will have ISSUES with giving birth during a flight SHOULD that happen. Domestically ALL airlines are on the HONOR SYSTEM: the most stringent being... American Airlines:

• Doctor's letter required if traveling within four weeks of delivery date.
• Travel within seven days before due date or after delivery requires doctor's letter plus clearance by AA special-assistance coordinator.

and Spirit Airlines:

• In last month of pregnancy, you need a doctor's letter signed within 72 hours of travel, indicating that, based on a medical examination, travel on specified date doesn't pose a health risk.
• Travel prohibited if signs of labor exist.

To school or not to school?

I have been researching like crazy to determine what will occur this fall for Jack. Obviously, like any parents, Matt and I want to make the absolute best decision for him regarding his education, much like anything else. The thing is, we NEVER planned on homeschooling, we just sort of FELL into it. Mainly because being a teacher is in my blood, and I just couldn't give up this part of me if I tried! (Not that I wanted too... I like it). In any event, the district in which we currently reside is going through a serious transition, (budget cuts, schools closing, programs ending and GOOD teacher's being laid off) not something we think would be the best for our children's education. I scoured the internet doing all the research I could on local school districts that are established, with no signs of immediate, devastating change in the near future with homes for sale at reasonable prices... I was ASTONISHED to see which districts made the "grade" and which did not... Needless-to-say, no longer an option. With two option gone: (a) local public school (b) moving to receive a public education elsewhere We were left to explore other options: (a) local private schools (b) continuing to home-school To me, there are clear benefits to both of these options, and I needed to sit with each one and really own it. I took Jack's to look at one school, VERY close to home... Unfortunately - It too is currently undergoing a transitional period... (recent merger with another school 3rd principal in 3 years and staff and parent upheaval). So I looked a bit further away and nearly ALL the private schools within a FIFTEEN mile radius were booked solid WITH waiting lists!!! Except ONE school...so I scheduled a visit for the three of us to go and look... Part of me is glad we did, and part of me is terrified. The school is fantastic... I like the combination of Faith in Education - I AM thrilled the private schools system are freed from the public schools’ restriction regarding the separation of church and state—both private. It allows for the opportunities for prayer and worship are incorporated into the school day. I AM thrilled that holidays, traditions, and rituals are practiced, discussed, and included with other school activities and functions, just like we were at home.... Class Size Another area in which homeschoolers may find themselves with a similar view to private schools is in ideas about class size. Private schools may choose to operate with a small class size as one of their distinguishing features, separating them from the too often overcrowded classrooms of public schools. In either case, the child has both socialization opportunities, but also the benefits of a great deal of teacher attention. And of course, the opportunity for the teacher to get to know each student is increased when there are fewer students in the class. Special Curriculum Private schools and homeschools take advantage of some of the same curriculum products and services. The differences between home-schooling & private schooling. Instructors in private schools more often have professional teacher training than home-schoolers, EXCEPT, when the mom (like me), is a certified teacher, with several years of experience...AND licensing requirements for faculty at private schools are different and less stringent than the requirements for public schools. The private schools generally have more extensive resources—including buildings, supplies, books, materials, and equipment—than we, like most home-schools can afford. Other Areas Private schools with small class sizes may be able to have extremely flexible schedules, and more flexibility about location (because of smaller costs and less planning required) than public schools, but homeschools—when funding is not an issue—are still likely to have more flexibility in both areas. And private schools are likely to offer more opportunities for large group activities (even if the large group is smaller than what you would find in a public school) than homeschools can, due to larger enrollment. Looked at a different way, homeschools may be able to offer many of the benefits of private school without what are in some cases tuition charges. Private school tuition can run up to $40,000, and for far less than that, one could have an absolutely fabulous homeschool experience, provided one has the commitment and ability to do so. In fact, by taking advantage of free or low-cost resources, both those available for the community at large and specialized resources, supplemented (if desired/necessary/affordable) by private tutoring, lessons, and activities, one can create an exceptional homeschooling experience for far less than $40,000 per year. Of course, if a parent is forgoing work in order to homeschool, that is an important cost to factor in. And in the end, the choice between private school and homeschool is a very personal one, that will depend on the factors mentioned here, and others that are particular to your family situation and your particular child’s needs. So.... we decided.... HE is enrolled. We plan to home-school through this summer, and most likely all the summers in the future... Take vacations at will, and pick up ANY slack left in the school educational system. We also plan on sending him to Sunday School and some other programs offered in the area to maximize the ease of transition and allow him to make more friendships.

Stairwell MUST do

I am thinking floor to ceiling with an opening for a "window"... perhaps a little bench ... although it might be too narrow, as I am thinking only 6-8 inches or so.

What's Happening in May...

1. Tuba Day /Lei Day /Mother Goose Day /Space Day
2. Ukulele Day /Laughter Day /Bread Pudding Week /Be Kind to Animals
3. World Press Day
4. Teacher Day/ Chickens Day
5. Cartoonist Day/Cinco de Mayo /Grump-out Day
6. No Housework Day /No Diet Day / Nurses Day
7. No Pants Day
8. No Socks Day /Mini Golf Day /Train Day
9. Mother’s Day /Police Week /Reading is Fun Week
10. Windmill Day
11. 
    
12. Nutty Fudge Day
13. Frog Jumping Day
14. Chicken Dance Day
15. Family Day
    
16. Sea Monkey Day / Backyard-games Week
17. Relative’s Day
18. 
    
19. 
    
20. Weights & Measures Day
21. Bike Day
22. Maritime Day
23. Taffy Day /Turtle Day /Safe boating Week
24. Brother’s Day/Morse Code Day
25. Cookie Monster’s Day /Geek Day
26. Missing Children’s Day
27. 
    
28. 
    
29. Peacekeeper’s Day
30. 
    
31. Memorial Day

• Clean Air Month
• Family Wellness Month
• Vision Month
• Barbeque Month
  
• Egg Month
• Personal History month
• Tennis Month
  

Duckling Month

Children will understand the mother-child relationship transcends the human "world", and be able to pair animal mothers and babies.