Social Influence

Last night during dinner, Reese perked up and shared some big news in a very matter-of-fact voice.

"The Razorbacks lost the Sugar Bowl last night. The other team was cheating. It's pretty sad."


Isn't she just a little Bob Costas?! ( Well, minus the fake hair and botox)
Question[s]:
Since when does my kid speak in Sports Center?
Does she hang around on the playground talking about the big game with her gal pals?
Does she even know who the Razorbacks are?
What kindergartener was allowed to stay up unil 11pm on a school night to watch the Sugar Bowl?

My head is so full of queries, it might explode soon.
Aaron is beaming.

Orderly Conduct

When Reese was struggling with the adjustment to Kindergarten and having to be ready to leave the house at 6:40am (yup. School starts so early here. Cruel, isn't it?), fully loaded tantrums were blowing up in our house on a daily basis. It was rough. Even when we picked out clothes the night before, we still ended up with a problem in the morning, when Reese would change her mind and not want to wear the outfit she'd selected and demand her share (and a half) of our attention while we helped her pick something else out. I know that the problem was not actually the clothes, but getting dressed always seemed to be the thing that pushed Reese's morning anxiety into panic attacks and ugly temper tantrums. Reese was also always wanting to wear the same thing every day. Once she'd get over the discomfort of an outfit, she didn't want to change and readjust to something else. Call me uptight, but I'm not going to let my kid wear the same outfit to school, every day, for a week.
My sister, HolleeAnn (hollah!) gave me this fantastic idea that was the perfect solution to abolish morning outfit drama.



A closet shoe hanger!

There are two shown, here, because the solution worked so well, we went out and got one for Quincy. (and for those who know how bad my OCD is, YES. It totally drives me crazy that they are different sizes. The product changed in the 3 weeks between when we bought the first and when we bought the 2nd. Oh well. Aren't you proud of me for just letting it go? You'll also notice that I didn't go through and fold all the little outfits before taking this picture just so it would appear that I live a June Cleaver lifestyle. I did pick the apple core up off the carpet before I snapped the picture. Keepin' it real, folks.)

Anyway, On Sunday Night, Reese and I select her outfits for the week, and put one in each "cubby" of the shoe holder. Everything. Socks, underwear, jacket, hairbows, sometimes even shoes. In the morning, she can choose which outfit she would like to wear that day. We've had a few problems come up, usually on Fridays, when there was only one option left, or on a PE day when Reese's selected outfit didn't include PE friendly shoes. Also, Quincy still manages to work in at least one costume change every day. But, for the most part, our routine morning clothing drama is gone!

And now, there is a lot more room in the dressers, so we can actually see what is in them.
Works for us.
Thanks, HolleeAnn!

Happy New Year, Friendly Frogs!

Shape: Circle
Color: White
Number: 12
Letter: W



Book: Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
Book: Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak




Chicken Soup With Rice is one of my favorites because it's written in sweet poetic verses. A silly boy loves Chicken Soup With Rice so much that he eats it every month of the year, and there is a verse about each month. The children love the silly poems, and I like that the lyrics written in each verse incorporate something associated with the month. "In August it will be so hot/I will be a cooking pot/cooking Chicken Soup, why not/cooking once/cooking twice/cooking chicken soup with rice" The children love the repetition, and the funny pictures. Then, we could talk about how it is hot in august, or how October is Halloween month (the boy serves chicken soup with rice to witches ghouls and ghosts, that month). It is simple, beautifully written, and silly.

Books: A Year of Birds and A Year of Beasts by Ashley Wolff

These books are about a little girl that notices the wildlife outside her window throughout the months of the year. In the winter months, there is snow and cardinals out her window, flowers and robins in the spring months, etc. I also like how the illustrations show her pregnant mother getting bigger each month. It makes the concept of calendar time a little more comprehendable for preschoolers. The other book shows baby grow into a toddler in the illustrations. Perfect for ages 3-6.

Sensory: Tasting Chicken "Stone Soup" with rice! (aka Campbells. We keep it classy around here.)


The children enjoyed a sensory experience while I read Stone Soup to them at the table.


Halfway through the story, I realized that none of them understood what a "stone" is. I explained that stones are rocks, and Jacob said, "You can't eat Rock Soup! That's gross!" then he panicked momentarily. He looked skeptically at his bowl for a minute, then accused, "Hmmm, there rocks in THIS soup, isn't there, Mrs. Meg!"

Not unless Campbells put them there, Jacob!

Share: Bring something that begins with letter W

Language: W Words!

Dramatic Play: Ring in the New Year with a countdown to “midnight”.

Art: W collage with stamps and foam stickers

Music: Sing Through the Year, 12 Months in a Year

Math: Numbering the month pages with corresponding month numbers 1-12

Handwriting: Letter W on the magnet board

***See videos at end of post***

Game: Calendar Cake Walk
Place 12 month pages to a calendar on the floor and play music (Sing Through the Year) while the children walk around in a circle. When the music stops, call out the name of one of the months. The child that is on the month wins a cake!
Just look at the concentrated looks on their faces. Serious stuff! Little Debbi snack cakes are on the line, here! We played until everyone had won a cake.


Gross Motor: I got out the play tunnels and tent that I scored for <$3 on clearance when I was in Ca, this summer. The kids had a lot of fun with them.

Throw Me a Freaking Bone, Here!

This morning, I went to NWACC, registered, got my book, and paid for my LAST class.
That felt good.

When I got home, I logged onto my BoiseState student account to register for a 1 credit class, the only thing that stands between me and a degree.

You are not authorised for enrollment at this time.
What? Why not?!

My graduation application has been denied, and my account suspended.
What the-!?! Why? Why!? WHYYYYYYYYYYY!!!???????!!!

Evidently, when I re-applied to BSU there was a mistake in the registrars office and when I was re-enrolled as a student there, my status was re-activated as "non-degree-seeking" so I could enroll in the 1 credit online course I need in order to graduate. She thought she was doing me a favor by accelerating my re-enrollment process, but unfortunately, I can't freaking graduate if my enrollment status is NON-degree seeking! And now, the deadline has passed for me to re-enroll as degree seeking for this semester. I don't blame the woman who helped me. It is my fault for not paying closer attention to the re-enrollment process. But it still sucks.

My options:
1) I can file an appeal to allow my status to be changed, then if it is accepted, I'll have to file an appeal for late graduation because by then the deadline will have lapsed for that, then if that is accepted, reapply for graduation.
OR
2) I can just wait until May, and re-apply to BSU AGAIN (yup for the third time) as degree seeking, and apply for graduation in December.
That's like a year from now. Another YEAR because of ONE freaking credit that I have to re-apply to the university to take. And I'm not taking it because I need the credit (I've got plenty to spare), I need the one credit from BSU so I can reestablish a catalog year to graduate under, because my catalog year expired in Spring of 2009.

I've cried a lot today.

At this point, all I know is that when I DO get that degree, (whenever that may be) I'm going to frame it. Yeah, I know most people don't frame their "useless" Associate's Degrees, but I'm going to. I'm going to frame the crap out of it, and then I'm going to hang it on the wall next to Aaron's Bachelor's Degree as a shrine to his hard work and my scrappy determination.

Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?

Aaron: Hey girls, who locked this door? Was it you, Reese?
Reese: Me? Noooooo, [laughs] I think Quincy did it.
Aaron: I think it was you.
Reese: [smiling] nope.
Aaron: Reese, tell me the trutth
Reese: What? I a-am.
Aaron: If you're telling the truth, then why are you smiling so big?
Reese: Uhhhh...."I just like smiling. Smiling's my favorite".

I'm starting to think Aaron's gift of perfectly coined movie quotes is hereditary

Reminder

Dear kids,
We love you a lot.

Love,
Mom and Dad

"Oooooooh In Ma House"

This is the home I grew up in
Isn't it beautiful?
Houses have been on my mind for weeks.

My parents moved into a new home last week. I am so excited that they are happy and that they are getting settled someplace that they love.

Today on the phone, my mom said, "oh Meg, I can't wait for you to see my house. It's really cute and it has a craft room. You'll love it."

Of course I will love it, my mom is the queen hostess. It will be no surprise to anyone who's met her that her new place is just darling.

I lived in the same home (shown above) from birth until I left for college when I was 18. My parents did an excellent job of creating a home where everyone felt welcome, safe, and loved.

Since then, they have lived in large homes, small homes, rentals, and their RV. Even in stages of transition, their homes have all housed a Spirit that can be felt by anyone who enters.

I'm striving to develop this same feeling in my home.

The talk, Building Your Eternal Home by the Prophet, Thomas S Monson was just what I needed to read, today. It is right in tune with many of the recent thoughts I've been having about my home and what my aspirations as a wife, mother, and homemaker are for this new year, and forever.

Here's an excerpt from the intro
"the Master counseled, 'Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.'

Where could any of us locate a more suitable blueprint whereby we could wisely and properly build a house to personally occupy throughout eternity? Such a house would meet the building code outlined in Matthew—even a house built “upon a rock,” a house capable of withstanding the rains of adversity, the floods of opposition, and the winds of doubt everywhere present in our challenging world."

Just what I need for my little family.
My goal is to create an environment that both envelopes and projects love.
I want my children to grow up feeling the same comforts of security, acceptance, affection, and safety, that Aaron and I were both blessed to be raised with. I found inspiration in the words from our Prophet and the scriptures he cited. The entire talk is wonderful.

"Organize". "Prepare". "Faith". "Learning". "Order". "Build".

These words are literary nuggets of chocolate to me, right now, and I cannot wait to begin my feast.

Happy New Year!