Just Ideas

Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday week, and that 2012 is starting off well for you! 
We spent most of the week after the holidays at home - I took advantage of this time to not rush the kids (to "get ready so we can go!"), to slow down and spend one-on-one time with them in child-led play, and to get back into thinking of games/activities that stimulate. I truly enjoyed and appreciated the time to regroup and get back into a bit of a routine. Neven, on the other hand, kept asking me "Whose house are we going to today?" 
Did you find something to entertain you and/or your kiddos today? 


1. QUICK ACTIVITIES, from Preschool Express's January Preschool Calendar
> Glue confetti on paper to make a colorful paper collage (Art)
> Have your child make up a story by looking at a picture from an old calendar (Language)
> Turn out the light and write on a wall with a flashlight (Beginning Writing)
> Make hot chocolate with your child (Cooking)
> Wash your hands (we brushed our teeth) while singing the ABC's (Health, Music, Letters)
> Pick up cotton balls with tweezers or kitchen tongs (Fine Motor Skills)
>Ask your child to sing his favorite song (Neven sang Hickory Dickory Dock) (Music, Making Choices)


2. BLOCK PLAY (more ideas from Preschool Express!)
> PATTERNS: Use blocks to make a simple pattern, such as; one red block, one blue block, one red blocks, etc. Ask your child to tell you what color of block would go next in your pattern. Then encourage your child to make a matching set of blocks under your set.  

> SORTING: Set out a pile of assorted blocks. Have your child sort them by color, shape, and/or size. 
> BLOCK MATCH-UPS: Increase your child’s observation skills with this simple matching game.  Choose four or five blocks with different shapes. Trace around the shape of the blocks onto a heavy piece of paper.  Remove the blocks from the paper and give the paper and the blocks to your child. Have your child match up the drawn shapes with the blocks.
> LOOK AND SEE: Place three blocks of different colors on a table between you and your child. Have her touch each block and name each blocks color (help if necessary). Next, have your child close her eyes while you remove one of the blocks. When you say, “Look and See”, have your child open her eyes and tell you which block is now missing. Continue with the game, increasing the number of blocks as your child’s skill increases. Take turns with your child. You close your eyes, while she removes a colored block.

3. KALIEDOSCOPE RICE 
Materials: white rice, vinegar, food coloring, ziploc baggies
How to: Mix 1/2 cup rice with 1 T. vinegar and food coloring (more or less depending on how bold you want the color to be); we put this in a ziploc baggie and squeezed to mix (which was very fun for Neven to help with!). Pour each color of rice onto a sheet of wax paper, and let dry. 
Ideas for Play: Fill baby food jars in different-colored layers. Use a spoon to transfer rice back and forth between containers. Mix different colors together. Run a car through the rice. Glue onto a piece of paper. 

4. Preschool PHOTOGRAPHY
Neven has recently started taking pictures with the digital camera. So today, we played a new game. I'd suggest a mission for him - "Can you take a picture of... a castle (a Christmas tree, something green, a foot, an elephant, a computer, a Santa, yellow boots, a fish, a frog)?" Some things I suggested were in the room, others weren't. I really enjoy seeing things from his perspective, a welcome change sometimes.  

5. TOY CAMERA
You can easily make a play camera using an empty soap box, some fun colored paper, a few milk lids, and a sharpie. This was definitely a hit with Neven! He very carefully pushed every button necessary to take a picture -- power on, took the picture, then reviewed his taken pictures to see how it came out. 

Photo from: www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2010/09/toy-camera.html

6. ORIGAMI
For Neven's birthday party, Matt and I made a few dozen origami dragons and hung them from the ceiling. Although these are probably more a project for the parents, there are a lot of kid-level origami projects on the site, too. A lot of work, but so worth it in the end! We all had a great day. As Matt and I were putting Neven to bed that night, he said "Thanks for the party. It was so, so fun!" 

Neven's 3rd Birthday

December 18 -- Neven's Birthday. The anniversary of my first BIRTH day. 


So many thoughts in my head I'd love to reflect on, but I don't have the focus to completely do so. Why not? Well... life gets in the way again. ;) We had a fabulous birthday party for Neven today, complete with friends, family, a dragon cupcake cake, balloons, ladybug fruity snacks, yummy soup and food! 


At the front of my mind I'm remembering and feeling grateful for my amazing midwives (I almost feel guilty calling them "amazing" because in my mind, they are SO much more than that!):  
    Bobbie, her reassuring and comfortable presence
    Marva, beside me every step of the way, chatting, comforting (both physically and emotionally!)
    Nicole, encouraging, patting my forehead with a cool washcloth between contractions
    Kiersten, sitting quietly on a stool toward the sidelines, knitting, making me feel like no one in the world was waiting for me
    Dorothy, sitting in the corner with her clipboard to keep track of my/Mango's stats during labor
    Joan's reassuring face appearing in the last few minutes of pushing before Neven's birth


NEVEN'S BIRTH STORY, December 18, 2008
10:00 pm (Dec 17) – We went to bed at our normal time. I couldn't fall asleep, and around 11:00 I started having contractions about 12 minutes apart. These contractions were different than the BH contractions I had been having – these were much more uncomfortable. I couldn't sleep through them, and lying down was pretty uncomfortable. Around 12:00, I woke Matt up and he started a fire so we could hang out in the living room. We dozed on the couch throughout the night. Whenever I'd have a contraction, I'd mumble to Matt "Another one..." and he'd half wake up and mark down the time. 

Me, in early labor.

6:00 am – We called the midwife on call, and let her know that my contractions were five minutes apart. We finished getting our things together (no doubt in my mind, getting ready and being so mobile at this point in labor helped things progress significantly!) and drove the 15-minute drive to the birth center. On the way, I remember being stopped at a red light. As if that wasn't bad enough, we had some guy trying to sell us a paper or something, very forcefully. In hindsight... ha! 
7:00 am – Arrived at the birth center. Bobbie and Marva were there. They checked me, and I was 7 cm dilated! I later heard that Bobbie had expected to send us home, as she wasn't convinced I was far enough along because of my calmness through contractions when we arrived. I spent some time in the bathtub, chatting casually with Marva, making it through the contractions by closing my eyes and turning inward, and breathing through them with a low hum when they hurt. 

Marva rubbing my back during a contraction. 

At Marva's suggestion, we took a short walk outside. Snow was falling, and the coldness felt amazing! I remember these contractions being the first that I didn't feel in control of. After some time (no clue how much time passed), I wanted to go back inside. I remember walking through the room of midwives and apprentices, wishing I was invisible. I wanted to retreat into a private space. Back inside and on the birthing ball, I began having involuntary contractions of my stomach. During these few contractions I had the "I don't know if I can do this!" thought, as I couldn't find any way to relax through the contractions like I had been able to so far. In hindsight, I'm pretty sure this was transition for me. 
9:30 am – 9 cm dilated! Bobbie told me that I could start pushing whenever I was ready. I had this grand idea that the birthing stool would work wonders for me, so that's where I started. No luck. On to squatting, with Matt supporting me from behind (in between squats, I'd stand up and roll my pelvis, which kept the contractions coming on and helped baby move down). By this point, we could see the tip-top of Mango's head and his dark hair, but he still wasn't moving down. Then came pushing on the bed, both on my side then on my hands and knees. (Pushing for me lasted 2.5 hours, during which I became thoroughly exhausted but lost ALL sense of time!) At one point after a long pushing contraction, I remember the words "I can't!" slipping out of my mouth. They were greeted with a chorus of "Yes you can, you're doing great!" and loving support from the room of loving midwives, a moment that I will never forget! After 2.5 hours of pushing, Mango's heart rate was just beginning to drop ever so slightly, and there became an urgency to get him out. After a few long, hard pushes, the midwives had be lunge on the side of the bed. I think it was two pushes later that Mango's entire body slid out and into the world. 
12:06 pm – Mango was born! 9 pounds, 21.5 inches. 

Minutes after birth!

What a proud dad!!

Dressed and ready to go home, just 6 hours after birth. 

...and I've been falling in love ever since! 

Schedule? What schedule?!

I know a few posts ago, I promised a school schedule that was working out for us. 


Ideally...
7:00 - Kids wake up, at the same time
7:30 - Neven works on his preschool workbook with Dad
8:00 - Breakfast, then get dressed for the day
9:30 - Daria takes a morning nap, and Neven and I do some sort of focused activity or art project
11:00 - Free play together, or maybe time for a quick walk
12:00 - Lunchtime
1:00 - Maybe an afternoon outing, like a trip to the library
3:00 - Daria takes an afternoon nap, and Neven and I head outside to play and explore
5:00 - Dinner, complimented by learning a few signs (sign language) 
5:30 - Neven works on a lesson from ABCmouse.com while I clean up from dinner and Daria plays happily by herself
6:30 - Bathtime and books
7:15 - Bedtime


But LIFE HAPPENS. 
Neven and Daria take turns waking up at 5:30, and so one is inevitably woken up by the other (before they are ready to wake up). Daria has been taking 20 minute naps, and waking up tired (fussy!). The past few weeks, we've been on countless playdates, nurturing new relationships, to meetings, on walks, and visiting with family. Oh, and then our 13.5 year old dog escaped last weekend (for the first time ever in the 7+ years we've had him), and was gone for 3 days and 3 nights (with lows in the 20s!). Talk about life grinding to a halt for everything except searching for our lost dog! We ended up finding him, thanks to an amazing community and a tip from a neighbor who saw him. 
And because LIFE is more important than sticking to a schedule (something I need to remind myself sometimes!), we haven't been doing much home-preschooling lately... but we're HAPPY. 

>> Here are some of the activities we have fit in the past few weeks. As always, I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts! <<


WATER BALLOON in the BATHTUB
Do they sink or float? Use cold water to fill up the balloons, and another sensory dimension is added - which is colder, the balloon or the bathwater? If you're feeling brave (I wasn't!), add a few drop of food coloring and let them cut or pop them open into the bathwater. Neven decided there was a baby fish in his balloon, and insisted on rocking it to sleep before he could get out of the tub. Another idea from Play-at-Home-Mom... 


FILLED BALLOONS
Simple idea: Fill balloons with different materials - I filled one with (dry) beans, another with flour, and a third with sugar. I don't have a funnel, so I cut the top of a milk jog off and used that! Neven had fun talking about how the balloons felt (he compared the flour-filled balloon to a cloud) and guessing what exactly was inside. 

PAINTING with MARBLES
What we did: Taped a large sheet of paper onto a wooden serving tray (or cookie sheet). We added a few drops of fingerpaint, then rolled a glass marble around trying to roll it through the paint. Next a plastic monkey walked through the paint and left behind him footprints, and then we used a car to drive through paint and make tire-tracks.

Our YES Day

*** PLEASE comment!! I need support on this one... ***


Neven had a rough day yesterday - he was easily upset by the small things, being rough with Daria, testing limits. I often think these days area result of me being distracted, in this case a non-napping Daria. I actually ended up on the floor of the kitchen in tears for a few minutes, frustrated with myself that I couldn't summon an endless supply of patience for my kids in need of just that. 
I decided a "YES" day was in order. I heard about this idea about a year or so ago when a blog I was following (maybe Peaceful Parenting?) suggested seeing how many requests of your child's you can answer "yes" to (of course, dangerous requests don't count!). I expanded this idea to include me not saying "no" any more than I absolutely had to. In other words, if they aren't doing something that really needs not be done, let them be! Hopefully it will break Neven out of whatever phase he's in (or at least, was in yesterday) and remind me about priorities in life. 


Our Day
Neven started out his day with a snack of Goldfish crackers, while watching Finding Nemo. Then he requested a bagel with mustard for breakfast. Of course, he stayed in his PJ's all day. We built forts out of a cardboard box and the couch cushions, jumped from pillow to pillow on the floor, made handprint turkeys with fingerpaint, baked cupcakes (a test run for his 3rd birthday party) and licked the bowl. We ate lunch in a tent in the middle of the living room, and had a cupcake for an appetizer. After lunch, Neven wore his snowsuit to get the mail. While Daria napped, he and I read books and played at ABCmouse.com. The afternoon was filled with a bit of bed-jumping, kid-led independent play (which gave me some time to write this post!), some whining about me not letting him sit on Daria to "play", and some time curled up on the couch under a blanket watching some more TV (oy...). Neven ate dinner on the couch, then chose to do bathtime and bedtime normally. After the kids were asleep, I spent some time cleaning up, since I didn't enforce putting toys away all day. It wasn't nearly as bad as it sounds, and really only took me a few minutes. 


What did I learn from this? 
1. SURRENDER. To the idea that I AM a mom, and this is what I do. Unfortunate as it may be, my interests and to-do list needs to be on the backburner now - I'll get to it eventually (in 3 years?). I need to surrender not because I have to, but because that is the kind of mom I want to be. I want to take advantage of these years, soak up as much of my kids' childhood as I can, so I don't have any regrets! 
2. He'll eat, eventually. Neven will usually sit at the table for literally an hour and hasn't yet finished his meal. No complaints to get down or that he doesn't like the food, he's just that SLOW. Today, I left his mostly-eaten bagel on the table after breakfast. A few hours later and after taking a few licks of the cupcake bowl, he decided to sit down and finish his bagel. 
3. As a friend of mine once said: CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES. Wise words, indeed. I need to learn to let the little stuff go. 

There's a Baby in the House?

Just in the past week or so, Neven has really taken to one of his baby dolls - the same one we got before he was born to introduce our dogs to the idea that a baby was going to be joining our family. Neven's "Baby" gets to go for most car rides with us, sleeps with Neven every night, and is with him first thing in the morning. She takes multiple naps a day (Neven has to nurse her to put her to sleep), she gets hot and cold (sleeper off, sleeper off...), and she likes to have books read to her. It's like Neven just realized there's a baby in the house, and is copying all that I do with Daria. I'm loving seeing this sweet side of him! 


It just so happened the same week, a good friend of mine asked me to make a baby carrier for her 2.5 year old daughter. Lucky for Neven, I got the design wrong on the first try, and so he ended up getting one for Baby. 

Do-It-Yourself Baby (doll) Carrier
For those of you that might be interested, here's how I made the carrier. REALLY simple to do! If you're not a sewer or a do-it-yourselfer, but know someone who might like a baby doll carrier for the holidays, let me know! ;) 

1. Cut fabric. You'll need two pieces that are 13x19 inches that will make the body of the carrier, and four pieces that are 3x36 inches (the length is pretty approximate!) that will be the waist and shoulder straps. 
2. With wrong side facing up, fold in the fabric about 1/2-inch on all sides and iron. Do this for both body pieces. 

 3. Place one body piece with wrong side facing up. Position the two waist straps at the bottom corners and the two shoulder straps on the sides about 1/3 of the way down as shown and pin in place. 

4. Place the second body piece on top of the first, wrong sides together. Pin into place. 

5. Sew around the edge, about 1/8-inch from the edge. For this carrier, my sewing machine was broken and so I did the sewing by hand. Although it took a lot longer, I prefer the look of the result! 

Finished!