what's on the shelf?

I added a separate page to the blog about the Montessori-Reggio inspired activities rather than posting here everyday.  I did this mainly because I change so much in our "classroom" every week that I don't want to burden my many readers with random updates and education jargon.  So be sure to check that for ideas, I will be adding more stuff often.

Creating a home "classroom" is a slow and ever-changing process.  When I was teaching, I was always making changes based on my observations of kids in their environment.  Some days, plants would change shelves, other days I moved big furniture around.  It's all about adaptation.  So in my "classroom" at home, it is only natural I do the same thing based on how I see my own kids using the environment and because of the small space they get bored or frustrated easily.  The last few weeks I have focused on my vision and really making my living room kid-friendly by adding small shelves, baskets, and natural items.  (Read about it here....) This week I focused on the actual shelves and how the kids responded to their prepared environment.

 Foam & Picks

The kids loved this activity immediately. 

 Kannon screamed "I did it, I did it" after he pulled the last pick out.  

He was so proud, as was I.

Clark loved this as well and spent a good thirty minutes with it.  

He even got mad when I tried to participate. 

 The puff ball pusher.  

I don't know where my kids learned to use their teeth to open things.

 Kannon counted, sorted, and was very picky about which holes the colors went in.  

Again, with the teeth!!!  Brothers learn so much from each other. 

Clark loved this activity as well, especially opening and closing the lid.

Kannon practiced lacing.  He did a pretty good job too.

 It was way past bedtime but Kannon demanded his "object bag".  

He was very meticulous about putting all the objects out.

He did a little clap for himself after he found the last object.  

There is so much to say about teaching your kids I can't express it all.  My favorite thing of all, learning how to teach them has made me a better and more involved mom.  Instead of just handing them a plastic truck I can engage with them on a deeper level and share proud moments when they accomplish something.  I encourage all parents to research and plan just a few simple activities that encourage the same.  Also, in the same tune with my organic, waste-free, no plastic lifestyle I vented with yesterday, almost all of these activities are recycled, free, and mostly plastic free. 

And we still have lots of PLAY in between.......

 Our poor dog....

 I love these boys...

Yes, a sink bath sounds mighty fine.

health

I mentioned a few weeks ago that in my decision to become a working mom, I sacrificed a lot at the sake of my family.  I struggled to maintain my values as a "green"-organic-cloth diapering-cooking from scratch family.  I found myself slowly changing our lifestyle because I simply didn't have time.  Before I knew it we were buying disposables diapers, eating out more, and making more shortcuts that affected our family.

I didn't like the lifestyle we were living.  Kannon got pneumonia and now Clark has it too.  I can't help but wonder how those short-cuts, changes, and modifications impaired their tiny little bodies.

In a moment of desperation, I went to Whole Foods searching for supplemental vitamins.  I found myself having an informative conversation with an employee and questioning all my choices.  He told me the best way to stay healthy is "to eat organic, low-sugar, low dairy, good protein, avoid chemicals" blah, blah, blah and that "it will take a couple of weeks for your body to see new changes".  Those were exactly the things I gave up when I was working.  Sometimes, I am so angry with myself.  Now, things are starting to change, go back to normal.  Hopefully, the kids will all become stronger, healthier, happier now that we are back to our old routine.

That helpful employee pointed me in the direction of probiotics, Floridix (our doctor's recommendation for Kannon's anemia), and some B-6 complex for stress and energy.  I like the idea that all this will help us recover from illness and support our immune system but man, its expensive!  For those of you have more naturopathic roots, please be so kind to give me any advice you have!!!

In the meantime, we are back to our beginnings.  I am so glad to be back to cooking healthy and organic food.  I smile walking by our fridge knowing what's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Our white board is filled with a balanced menu plan.  We are back to cloth diapers, using our homemade laundry detergent, being "green".  We actually had time to walk the whole 2.8 miles around Green Lake as a family.  The air is fresher and our bodies are slowly getting healthy.  So cheers to health!

I am grateful that we can make it work while I stay at home and "lead" our household.  It had me wondering about the rest of Americans who don't have that option, how do their families stay healthy and well-balanced in the midst of full-time jobs, extra-curriculars, etc?

cloud dough

Spring is finally here and the warm weather has left us enjoying a lot time outdoors-- gardening, riding bikes, walking to the park.  The boys have very much enjoyed all the beautiful weather! 

Today, we took a little bit a different turn and spent the morning indoors because Clark was feeling a bit sick.  After sharing my bed last night with a feverish and coughing baby I was also feeling a bit groggy.  After a few cups of coffee and a look through Pinterest, I decided to make the boys "Cloud Dough" for their sensory tub.  

Cloud dough is made from flour and baby oil and has an almost sand like texture. I actually used coconut oil because I don't keep baby oil on hand and it worked just as great and smelled fantastic! It clumps together easily to build little creations and crumbles when you touch it.  Watching the boys play with the dough, burying their fingers into the cool texture made for a fun morning.  

Kannon was very excited to make little balls with the measuring spoon.  He created a little system where he carefully poured flour from one container to the next before stopping to make a tiny little ball.  Once he made the ball he immediately crushed it in a moment of pure joy and wonder.  We talked a lot about the texture, using different vocabulary words to describe the flour: smooth, soft, fluid etc.  We also identified all the teaspoons from 1/4 tsp to 1 tbls.  Kannon was very attracted to the smallest teaspoon and kept burying it under the cloud dough.  After he buried it, he asked "where did the little spoon" go?  Immediately, he found it and exclaimed, "yay, little spoon!"  For Kannon, this was the perfect sensory experience because he could construct something, have the sensation of tearing it down, he could smell and taste the dough, feel it crumble between his fingers, identify objects, and invented his own game.  To the casual observer, he might look like he is just playing, but clearly, there was a lot of learning going on.  

Clark on the other hand had a different experience with the cloud dough.  I have always noticed that Clark loves the sensory experience.  He loves to swish his fingers in water, cover his hands in fingerpaint, tug at Emma's (dog) hair.  I knew he would enjoy playing with the cloud dough and has expected, he loved it! Clark actually tried diving into the sensory tub, seriously.  He jumped off his chair and dug his hands deep into the dough laughing at the sensation.  I had hidden a few bottle caps in the dough and asked him to find them and he smiled with joy after every found cap.  Then Clark used the little bottle cap to scoop the dough one by one into a small bowl where he then pretended it was soup and offered me to try some.  Shortly after, Clark started to get cranky and tired and began throwing the dough onto the floor so his turn was naturally over.  The next time we play in the sensory tub, I want to try using some paper dixie cups to scoop the dough and also encourage Clark to build something with.  

Overall, cloud dough was a big hit.  From a mother's and teacher's perspective, I loved that it was somewhat easy to clean-up, smelled great, tasted great, and provided an enriching learning experience.  Here is the recipe as well as some vocabulary words we explored during our play.  (**Remember vocabulary is the BIGGEST contributor to literacy and academic success! Try using three different words for every word you would normally use!)

Cloud Dough

8 cups of flour

1 cup of oil (most oils will do: coconut oil, baby oil, grapeseed oil, mineral oil NOT veggie/canola oil) (Obviously, dont let your child taste the baby oil versions) 

Mix together for 3-5 minutes until all the oil is incorporated and clumps together easily. You can make this even more entertaining by hiding objects in the dough, adding cars, measuring spoons. 

Vocabulary

Measure

Stack

Count

Quantify

Add

Build 

Create

Construct

Smooth

Soft

Soothing

Lush

Hide

Embed

Submerge

Find

Recover

productivity....

Okay, so I added some 'pages' to the blog.  I figured now that I have all this time on my hands it would be an easy way for me to keep track of our meal plans, schedule, and teaching strategies.  Of course, these nifty pages also double as a resource for you!  Feel free to check them out! I am especially proud of the the sensory page...because I love sharing with the world about just how messy Kannon and Clark get :)

I am back to life as a stay at home mom.  There is a piece of me that is thinking "what the hell did I just do" but for the most part it was the best decision ever.  I have accomplished things that have been on my to-do list for over a year.  Yes, one whole year.  The kids are getting much better about bedtime and naptime, knowing that I will in fact still be here when they wake up.  In general, our house has felt more relaxed, cleaner, and purposeful.

I made a meal plan this week.  I started cleaning up our yard, finally preparing for the garden I wanted so badly last year.  I painted a table.  I fixed our computer.  Dale got to sleep in three days in a row (huge to a man who works till 1 am everyday).  We went on walks.  I watched Kannon muster some strength to pedal his tricycle for the first time.  All in all, its been a great week.

We had family in town and it was wonderful relaxing with them.  We talked over good food, walked around downtown, and listened to Kannon and Clark share rolling belly laughs.  It was wonderful being able to spend time with them!

More to come but in the meantime, check out the "pages" on the blog for some fun stuff!

balance...

Clark enjoying the park.

We are all in search of balance.  Balancing life, work, friends, family, etc.  My search for balance has been never ending and never achieved.  Before children and marriage, I made all the decisions that best suited, well, me. Add a few kids, a husband, a dog, and two cats and I realized I make the decisions for our whole family.  What a tough job it is.  I struggle to always find the best balance in our life; the life that yields happiness and stress-free living.  We all make decisions in life and sometimes we take risks that don't work out.  I remember stressing over Kannon's sleep schedule as a newborn, overthinking his sleep routine making adjustments that proved nothing.  Eventually, we found a balance that worked.  It is all about discovering what works best for you and your loved ones.  

We went to the Burke Museum!

So, balance.  The last few months, I have felt like I was treading water to keep everyone happy.  I was trying to be a great teacher, a great mom, a great wife.  I was working tirelessly to acheive some kind of balance that left everyone happy and didn't break the bank.  Preschool was expensive, nannies were too.  The commute was rough.  The kids got sick.  I got sick.  After months of trying to make things work, I did some math.  I was paying to work.  After health insurance, childcare, gas, meals, classroom materials, I lost money working. I was sitting on this data, wondering what to do.  I decided to go part-time.  

Waiting at the hospital, this poor kid was delirious at 105.

In the meantime, Kannon caught pneumonia.  I thought his illness was over when out of the blue, he started throwing up with a 105 degree fever.  I took him the the doctor where they were stumped.  We went to Children's hospital for what seemed like an eternity to determine pneumonia.  It was a scarring experience as no parent should ever see their child in pain.  Kannon didn't move, talk, drink, or eat.  He just held on, face nuzzled in my chest, burning up.  The whole time I held Kannon waiting for nurses and doctors, I felt guilty that I left my classroom with a sub.  Then, I felt guilty for not being totally focused on Kannon.  

After a few rounds of really strong antibiotics we were sent on our merry way and ordered to do 10-days of antibiotics at home.  We went to the pharmacy where I found out that Kannon had been terminated from his insurance without my knowledge.  His medicine was going to be $1000 out-of-pocket.  What?  How? Why?  Surely, this had to be a mistake.  But in that moment, I found myself dropping to tears unsure of what to do.  I didn't have $1000.  I didn't have $100.  We have full-time jobs, we both work hard, we sacrifice so much and this is what happens?  There was an angel looking over us that day, because the pharmacist handed me the medicine and told me to go home and take care of Kannon.  She told me it would all work itself out and to be strong.  

Kannon is doing much better but still weak and tired.  He is anemic and will need some iron supplements as well as some time away from other kids until his immune system is totally recovered.  We are so blessed that he recovered so well.  The whole time he was ill, I knew I needed to make a decision about my job.  I need to find balance.  I was so conflicted, I love my classroom but I am not being fair to them right now.  How can I be a great teacher and a great mother when I miss every other week for illness or have a nanny care for my sick kids?  Something just needed to give.  I waited for an answer.

A look back, St. Patty's day, boy these kids are cute.

I rode the bus to work, excited to see my class and my co-workers.  I did everything as usual, got coffee, walked the two blocks to my building.  As soon as I saw my supervisor, my heart sank and like a baby, I started crying.  I knew the answer.  I resigned from my job.  I needed to step back from teaching for a while and focus on my family.  As soon as I said those words, I felt relief.  I felt balance.   

Everyone was very understanding and by no means is this good-bye.  I have already made plans to return as a volunteer and eventually join the substitute list known as the "Relief Squad".  I am happy with this decision.  Dale is happy with this decision.  Most of all, the kids are more than ecstatic to have their mother back at home.  

This means I have more time for all those things I mentioned in last week's blog:  living joyously, following my passions, etc.  I hope to blog more, write more, cook more.  I also officially re-launched my photography business, Happy Mama Photography, and have already begun scheduling shoots for the coming months.  We may struggle to balance our checkbook over the next couple months but I will gladly deal with that than struggle to balance motherhood and teaching and my family's happiness.

PS:  Also, I found my new blogging inspiration: teaching your children.  As I sit here and plan out our week's activities I realized that I should share my home "classroom" with you.  Obviously, children are my passion and I marvel at their wonder and accomplishments.  I often write learning stories for my children and I will start sharing those stories here in addition to our favorite activities, schedule, recipes, and more.  More to come!