Jake the fourth grade walk.wmv

On the last day of school everyone(teachers, staff, students, parents) lines the hallways and the fourth graders leave the building to applause and high fives. It was very sweet. I'm a little sad to see my Jake growing up so quickly!

Hutchinson, KS: Community being revitalized by green jobs.

Hubby was browsing you tube tonight and found this video. The couple pictured are Justin and Jake's great Aunt and great Uncle...great in both senses of the word!!! How often does that happen.

This is my husband with his Mom and Dad his brother and his sisters...he's the handsome one in blue on the right:)

We got up at the crack of dawn to have breakfast on the day that my in laws moved to Texas.It was a sad morning for us though I know they are happy to be moving.

Jake is ten today!

My second son is ten today.  I am full of emotion.  We looked up his time of birth(I knew it was supper time but not the exact minute) 7:24 pm.  So he's nine for a little longer:)  Ten seems so grown up to me. I'm proud of the young man he is becoming.  He prayed the prayer of salvation on Sunday night...praise the Lord.  I made him a chocolate chip cookie cake and I'll decorate it before he gets home from school.  We'll have it as an afternoon snack as he is with his Dad this weekend.  Then we'll have my Dad, step Mom and Grandpa over on Sunday night for cake and icecream.  What does one get a nine year old?  An i tunes gift card and a docking station thingy for his iPod.  He's not so much into toys anymore...just another sign that's he's growing up.

Have a blessed day!

Samaritan's Purse | Sudan | Evangelism | Three Staff Abducted in Sudan

Please pray for these people that were abducted...Samaritan's Purse is close to my heart because we make the shoeboxes every Christmas...

Samaritan's Purse |

Sudan |

Evangelism |
Three Staff Abducted in Sudan: "THREE STAFF ABDUCTED IN SUDAN
Samaritan’s Purse president Franklin Graham asks for prayer for safety and a quick return"

Just because

Today is Sunday.  We had a great service at church. We had a guest speaker named Parker Daily.  He gave a good sermon.  Then we came home for ham and Veggie fried rice.  Yummy.  It was a new recipe I tried last night for the first time and they liked it so much that they requested it again today.  We are looking forward to an ice cream social tonight at church.  Today is going to be one of those days where I feel as though all I did was eat! I hope your day is blessed with family and friends today!

Shelley's Swag: Free Nasaflo Neti Pot

These really help and it was easy to sign up for.

Shelley's Swag: Free Nasaflo Neti Pot: "Free Nasaflo Neti Pot
'Like' NeilMed Neti Pot on Facebook and sign up to receive a FREE Nasaflo Neti Pot with two packets~
Posted by ~Shelley~ at 12:14 PM"

Chicken Pasta Italiano

Supper tonight...served with a salad...very yummy....I substituted 2 cans of diced tomatoes, drained for the whole tomatoes, regular bacon instead of turkey bacon and gluten free pasta instead of whole wheat pasta.  I also used only 8oz of pasta and added a chopped zucchini(gluten free pasta is sort of expensive)

Chicken Pasta Italiano
 Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 pound turkey bacon
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 cloves garlic, pressed
4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons sherry (or additional low sodium chicken broth)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over high heat until crisp; drain and crumble. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings and reduce skillet heat to medium-high; add garlic and chicken to pan drippings and cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, sherry (or additional broth), Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes to the pan; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return chicken to the pan and heat through. To serve, spoon chicken/tomato mixture over cooked and drained pasta; top with bacon and Parmesan cheese.

Potty training a princess update

I am AMAZED at how quickly Caitlin is catching on.  She is doing so well.  I had to update and let you know...she made a bm in the toilet again today...no accidents thank goodness.  That was the worst part of training the two older boys and I know that will be the worst part of training JR.  I am so thankful that its easy for her because that makes it easy for me.

My hubby has a job!!

After two years of unemployment and no luck re-entering the managerial field my husband went back to school and got his CDL license.  Today he got a job driving a regional run for Werner Enterprises.  He will leave on the 23rd for an eight week training session in Des Moines.  That's gonna stink.  Then he'll be assigned a regional run where he should be home most weekends.  I am proud of him for being willing to bend with the economy and not let it get him down!!!

My famous Missourian

.

Jake is in fourth grade this year and the big project for them is doing a famous Missourian project.  They have to do a written report, oral report, poster and they have to take part in the "living history" museum.  Jake loved every minute of it.  We went to school this morning for the finale and found him posed against the gym wall(lovely red color for my picture huh?).  I wish I would have taken a picture of that...it was cute.  He had a green dot sticker on his hand and when we pushed his "button" he came to life, presented his report, and sank back into his "pose".  I'm proud of how well he did.  He was Wild Bill Hickok, by the way.  Interesting character.

Preschool is back in session!

I am finally feeling well enough that I went downstairs to our school area and got a lesson ready for c and j tomorrow.  I almost had what my mom used to call a "conniption fit".  The kids have totally demolished my nice clean basement.  I know what we will be doing this weekend.  I cleaned up enough to make room for our activities and we are going to learn about the letter d and the number 2 tomorrow.  A simple plan but one that I could put together quickly and that they will enjoy.  When I asked if they were ready to start preschool again tonight they both cheered and danced around so I know how important it is quickly becoming for them to have that dedicated learning time.

Asthma kiddo take two and a rundown of a busy day!

I started the day off at the allergy doc for JR.  He has been on oral steroids for his asthma three times already this year so it was time for an action plan and something to curb the craziness(craziness referring to a four year old on steroids....talk about climbing the wall).  The visit went well.  She ended up putting him on flovent, a drug that asthma kiddo take one(oldest son) takes during the spring and fall months, so I am well acquainted with it.  The bad thing is that we had his two therapy appointments after that so we were at the hospital from 8 am until 12:30 pm.  By time we got home we were all three frazzled(did I mention I had to take the two year old too because Jim had a job interview) so we went through the drive thru at Burger King and went straight down for a nap.

A note about Burger King...mostly to myself....if you are on a gluten free diet and you decide to eat at burger king............do NOT eat breaded chicken and onion rings just because you are worn out and hungry beyond belief.  I sank into a "gluten" coma...the fog descended, the joints are achy, I bloated up like a balloon..yuck.  Next time I think I'll go to wendy's and have a baked potato!!!  Not worth it.  I'm wondering how long its going to take the "glutenated" feeling to go away???  We shall see.

I got an appointment with the developmental pediatrician!!!  August 9, so the clock is ticking.  That's not as bad as I was thinking it could be.  They said to expect three hours..argh.  Ah well.

On the illness front...I feel like I am at about 80% recovered.  It feels so good not to be coughing all the time. I haven't had an asthma flare up like that in quite awhile.

I hope your day was blessed in some way and I look forward to hopping around and reading everyone's blogs.  This definitely becomes habit forming!

Bobbi

ps.....Caitlin only had 1 accident today and that included all the time at the hospital waiting on JR's appointments!!!  Potty dance anyone??

Potty training a princess--warning...contains "potty talk"

Today I started the down and dirty process of potty training my princess.  We have had the basics down for awhile and just haven't done the "cold turkey, no more diapers" part yet.  So when she woke up this morning I told her that she was too big for her princess pullups and mommy had gotten her some "princess panties".  The first words out of her mouth?  "I don't like a princess panties, I don't like a princess panties.  I want my princess pullup I not want a princess panties"  Sigh.  she definitely has a mind of her own.  She was dry though so I just proceeded to carry her to the bathroom and sit her on the toilet.  Way to go...success on our first try of the day. Fast forward an hour.  We are sitting at the dining room table and she announces that she has to go potty(yay for her), but not in time.....flood on my dining room chair...straight through the cushion.  She was NOT HAPPY.  There were many tears and lots of very fast talking about not liking princess panties.  I dried her tears and we picked out another pair of the dreaded princess panties.  She did so good the rest of the afternoon.  I reminded her about every 45 minutes or so. She went on the potty all day.  I did put her in a pullup for nap and she was wet when she woke up, but right back to the panties we went.

Fast forward again...to after supper...Mommy has to go to the store.  I hurried...I really did. When I got back she had pooed in her underwear.  I was just thrilled to be greeted that way.  Ugh.  I cleaned her up with much talk about how we put the poo in the pot.  She was all tears and "I'm sorries"(that's her big thing....great big crocodile tears and I'm sorry over and over).  I had her all cleaned up and was going to deal with the mess and get more offensive princess panties when she FELL IN THE TOILET.  She never forgets to put her little adapter up, but she sure did this time.  A wail that rose the hairs on my neck came from the bathroom and I raced back just in time to see her pulling herself out of the "poopy water"  Can we say early bathtime? and another round of awful princess panties?  LOL....she's doing really good and I'm proud but the next few days are going to be interesting.

Fun Saving Money: Menu Plan Monday!

There are some really good recipes on this blog. Yummy...makes me want to go and cook....I mean eat...lol...

Fun Saving Money: Menu Plan Monday!

Crockpot Brisket — your homebased mom

Crockpot Brisket — your homebased mom: "I have said before I am not a huge fan of meat cooked in a crock-pot but I was pleasantly surprised with this recipe.

This�dish is so simple you really don’t need a recipe!

So here it goes:

Place your brisket in the crock-pot – mine was probably 3-4 lbs.� Actually I don’t really remember….

Squirt mustard over the top – I used a Spicy Brown Mustard but�Cindy used just regular old yellow mustard.� I just squiggled it over the top

Mix one package of Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix with one cup of water and pour over brisket

Cook on low for 8 hours!

It is great served with mashed potatoes (or so my family tells me as I don’t eat them – texture issues!)"

Motherless Mother's Day...but filled with joy anyway!

Today was a good day in spite of my missing my Momma so much.  I think that I did very well.  I focused on loving my kids and my husband and just went about as if it were any other day.  I do miss her, but I am so very thankful to know that she was saved and is in heaven waiting for us to join her.

I think my cough is slightly better though its really irritating just how long it is taking to resolve itself.  By time I finish the twelve days of prednisone, I'll be as big as a house.  It is making me so HUNGRY.  I could eat a horse.

I hope that your Mother's Day was blessed in its own way.  My dear husband and oldest son reworked our playground area, added a slide to our swingset, mulched the whole area and filled the sandbox with fresh clean sand.  What a mother's day blessing to be able to take the little ones outside and have a nicer place to play in!

Laptop worries

I guess its sad to say that it worried me but it did.  I came in and hit the power button and.......nothing....then an error message which took me in a loop of never ending nothingness.  I called my brother and he tried to help, but this time it was bad.  So I got on the geeksquad free help board and searched how to restore factory defaults.  Sigh....I wonder what I am missing.  The good news is that my laptop is functioning again.  The bad news is that I am starting from scratch.  I hope that I didn't lose anything important.

Our riding lawn mower played the same trick today.  It either needs a new carb. or clutch...hmmm...and hubby is going to be gone for 8 weeks.  He is going to by ds1 a push mower.  That's probably safer anyway.  I wonder if it will take him all day to get the yard mowed that way though.  We shall see.

Tomorrow is mother's day.  I am happy and sad.  I have four wonderful children to celebrate and one wee babe in heaven.  My Momma is in heaven too though and therein is the sad part.  I miss her so and mother's day was always more between she and I than between me and my kids.  I guess its time for some new traditions.  I hope that not too many people call me tomorrow...I think I'm hoping for a quiet mother's day.

My Asthma is still flared.  Day 4 of oral steroids.  I did much better today but I overdid it.  Now I'm coughing something terrible again and breathing through straws.  I took some cough syrup with codeine in it and I'm waiting for that to start working.  I did take my inhaler too, but the codeine helps at night.

Well, this has been a negative post so maybe I should think of a couple of good things to add in.

I took the babies to Lowe's Build and Grow workshop this morning.  We built a planter with a trellis to put a flower in for mom.  They LOVE the Lowe's workshop and ask each time we pass by there if they can go and  hammer something.   The planters turned out really cute.

The boys and Jim helped my brother pack up some more things from their house(they are moving from across the street from us to another state).  What a sweet thing to see my big guys banding together in work and serving another family.

I think that's all for now.  I hope you have a blessed mother's day.  I'm going to focus on soaking in the hugs and kisses and enjoying my family.

Friday Follow is FUN

I love to read what other folks are saying.  I'm pretty new to blogging so have some troubles with the technical aspects of it, but I have had FUN this friday reading things on new blogs.  Join in the fun:)

A poem dedicated to my Mom

In loving memory of Paula Sue Boggs

October 16, 1954-December 9, 2008

THE MILITARY SPOUSE

When the good Lord was creating military spouses, He was into His sixth day of overtime.

An Angel appeared and said, "You're having a lot of trouble on this one. What's wrong with the standard model?"

The Lord replied, "Have you ever seen the regulations? It has to be completely independent, must be sponsored to get on base, have the qualities of both mother and father during deployments; Be a perfect hostess to four or 40, handle emergencies without military orders, cope with the flu and move around the world, have a kiss that cures anything from a child's torn valentine to a soldier's weary day, have the patience of a saint when waiting for the unit to return stateside, and have six pairs of soft hands."

The Angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pair of hands? No way!"

And the Lord answered, "Don't worry. We'll make other military spouses to help. Besides, it's not the hands that are causing the problem - it's the heart. It must swell with pride, sustain the ache of separation, beat soundly when it's too tired to do so, be large enough to say 'I understand' when it doesn't, and say 'I love you,' regardless."

"Lord," said the Angel, touching his sleeve gently, "go to bed. You can finish that tomorrow."

"I can't," said the Lord. "I'm too close to creating something unique. Already I have one who can heal itself when sick, feed unexpected guests who are stuck in the area due to bad weather, and wave goodbye to its spouse from a pier or runway and understand it's important to the country that the spouse leave."

The Angel circled the model of the military spouse very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed.
"But tough," the Lord said excitedly. "You cannot imagine what this being can do or endure!"

"Can it think?" the Angel asked.

"Can it think? It can convert 1400 to 2 p.m.!" the Lord said.

Finally, the Angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"It's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear."

"What's it for?" asked the Angel.

"It's for joy, sadness, pain, loneliness and pride," the Lord said.
"You're a genius," said the Angel.

The Lord looked somber and said, "I didn't put it there."

Friday again...

Yippee...its Friday!  We got no preschool done this week because I was very sick with asthma.  I can't wait until dh has a good job(should be starting in a week or so) so that we can once again have health insurance.  I finally broke down and went to the doctor on Wednesday and I'm finally starting to feel better.  She put me on 12 days of prednisone.  Our school stuff is downstairs and I simply didn't have the air to get their.  The laundry is also downstairs so.....I have Mount Washmore to tackle as I feel better.  I did have to make the big guys do a load of whites and a load of jeans.  Have you ever noticed that everyone seems to take clean clothes for granted?  They are just always there when you need them.  Both of the big boys acted like they were in shock when they ran out.  Good thing I left a written tutorial on the washing machine.  They did good with both loads.  They even delivered it to me so I could fold it.

Answered Prayers

Jim passed his CDL test today!!!  I'm so proud of him.  He has two job offers waiting now so I am very excited to see where the road takes us from here.

I got the paperwork for making the developmental ped appointment. Now to tax my brain on what he does and doesn't do.

Finally some preschool

We did it!!!  Finally made it downstairs to preschool.  We had quite the mess to clean up as the little ones have of course been into everything!!!  We made a weather dial using printouts from www.sparklebox.com and the kids were so excited to spin the dial to rainy!  We made caterpillar craft sticks(glued pom poms on craft sticks)...we'll add some pipe cleaner antennae and google eyes later on after the glue dries.  We practiced our cutting and gluing.  We worked on kicking and catching a ball.  We read "Marvin K. Mooney will you please Go now!".  They loved it.  I remember it being Justin's very favorite book when he was four so I'm pleased to be able to read it again.  We did a few fine motor activities also and now they are watching wow wow wubzy while I clean up and post this to the blog.  All in all the morning is shaping up to be better than I thought it would so that is a good thing.  Now to tackle the laundry monster and the dishes from this morning.  Happy schooling to you all.

no school yet....

I have so enjoyed looking at all the great ideas on everyone's blogs...here's the thing.  I find all these great ideas and I am having a hard time getting them from my jump drive to my kids work table.  Hmmm...wonder if that means I need to stop looking and start doing?  To be fair we have had revival at church this week which was WONDERFUL, but each day of our week felt really short.  I even forgot to call and get the results of  JR's mri from the doctor.  Today I woke up with a chest cold...its been brewing all week.  I know that Satan did his very best to keep us from the revival and now he's gonna try to keep us from church this week but it will not work.  So, I guess I need to finish this post and do a little preschool, homeschool style with the kiddos.

Whew!

We are dealing with Jake having an almost paralyzing fear of storms and going to bed.  I've been praying for guidance so I can help him.  Today I had him visit the counselor at school(she's pretty good with the kids and I thought it might be easier for him to talk to someone else) and prayed some more.  I decided that I would:
1. look up fear in my concordance and go through some verses with him...we prayed together before we did this
2. check out a book about weather at the library
3. explore our local news stations weather dept on the internet

I still think he's afraid.  I think that he did a little better tonight than last night, but I have a suspicion that he and JR are in bed together.  I plan to continue on this path tomorrow.  I think we will write some of the verses down so he can put them on the wall by his bunk bed. Maybe if he can use a pen light to read them if he becomes afraid it will help?  Its so hard when my babies are hurting and I just want to help them through the bad times.  I am so very thankful that he has Jesus in his heart and a passion for the word.

We have started to read with them from the King James as this is what our new church uses....I'll just be honest with you...I am having a hard time with the transition.  Not sure I'll make it.  Of course, it doesn't help that I decided to use my Grandma's old Bible(she passed away in '77) from 1949 and my allergies immediately flared up.  My face is still burning and my throat is all funny feeling.  Ah well....at least I have my iphone app.  It can't get mildewy smelling!

What have you done for your kiddos when they are having fear of this nature?  Any suggestions are welcome!

Revival

We are having a revival at church this week.  Very cool.  I have never been to one, but the first service was great.  Two people accepted Christ!  We missed the service this evening but I hope to go tomorrow night.  Today's sermon was about where you are on the path.  There are three places you can be:  you can be the "natural man" or lost man and on your way to hell...you can be "carnal man" a saved person who is not growing...listless, lethargic Christianity...or you can be "spiritual man"....learning, growing and doing God's will....hmmmm which one are you?  Thank God I know that I am going to heaven but am I really the best Christian that I can be?  I can't wait to hear tomorrow's service.

Homemade Laundry Detergent � Kesner Family

Hmmm....I wonder....have you made your own detergent ever? I am really tired of the high priced store stuff, but I wonder....

Homemade Laundry Detergent � Kesner Family

Pictures of the kids

J.R. had his MRI today.  We had thunderstorms all night so two of the four were up at 3:30...and of course I was up with them:/  The alarm went off at 5:30, we rushed to get everyone ready and out the door by 6:30, dropped Caitlin by my Dad's and off to Mercy to.......wait for 2 1/2 hours....ARGH!!!  He did great through the iv and went off with "that nice lady" for his MRI.  The let us take him home shortly after and he was so drowsy still.  He slept until 4:30.  Wonder what that means for tonight?  Here's a pic I snapped of him asleep on the couch:

and some pictures I took of the kids this morning while we were waiting to leave:

I love this little purple fuzzy hairbow with the flower on it.

J.R. with poor fluff and snowball...they are in need of yet another "bath", but they still made the trip to the hospital with us and stayed by his side even when Mommy and Daddy couldn't.

He loves to have his picture taken...and has to see the picture immediately after it is snapped!

It is SO hard to get a picture of all four of them...I love even the goofy tries though.

this one is a tad bit better.

Jake is sporting his new "buzz" cut.  The boys love when Dad cuts their hair like this because it eliminates the need for a comb!

No school for the big kids today!

I LOVE it when school is out for my older sons.  Just to have them home is wonderful even if we don't do anything special.  Today probably qualifies for a "nothing special" day because of JR's fever but we'll enjoy it anyway.  I was hoping to take them to a place called Deana Rose Farmstead.  It is a FREE place in our area that is sort of like a barnyard zoo.  They have all of the barnyard type animals plus for an extra amount(not too much) you can fish, take a pony ride or go on a hay ride....I think that's all...even if you don't do the extras the kids have a blast.  Another day maybe.

I cleaned out our larger fish tank this morning and dumped the old water on our flower garden out front.  Jaker got to learn about one natural way to get rid of slugs in your flowerbed.....he salted it.  He thought that was crazy, but was pretty amazed when it worked.  I remember when we lived in Germany the rain would bring the slugs out in droves....they would cover the sidewalk and I hated to have to go out when they were out.  I think they are so gross...ewwww!!!!

Worried on Wednesday

JR is supposed to have an MRI on Friday.  Jim changed his class schedule to make sure he could be there.  Tonight JR started running a 102 degree fever.  hmmmmm....I don't know, but I suspect that they don't sedate little boys with fevers.  I will call in the morning but I suspect that we will be rescheduling the MRI.  

Home Grown Hearts: Shape Beginnings: Shape Viewers

I have seen these used on many blogs...I think this is right up JR's alley so I'm hoping to try them soon. I was amazed at how much he liked his little triangle stick puppet. He would like this even more!

Home Grown Hearts: Shape Beginnings: Shape Viewers

Magnificent Monday

On Mondays J.R. goes to preschool so Caitlin and I have Tot School without him(and then we repeat many of the activities later because he feels left out!)  So here is what I have lined up for tomorrow:

This book talks about big and little and has great pictures.

All of our caterpillar activities are downloaded from "Confessions of a Homeschooler"  She has a great letter of the week curriculum which you can buy for a very reasonable price.  She also has so many adorable free printables....here is her link to the C activities.

http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2009/10/prek-letter-c.html

I only downloaded the page without the numbers because Caitlin isn't recognizing numbers by sight yet.  I am using small foam bead for the markers and a square lacing bead that I wrote on for a dice that only rolls 1, 2, or 3.  I have to find a dice like this or a plain cube to make my own because this one rolls funny.  I don't think that Caitlin will care though.  I am trying to teach her how to play a game...taking turns, moving in order...etc.

Then it is music time...her favorite.  We have been dancing to Hap Palmer songs....I LOVE THEM...

http://www.happalmer.com/

Today we will dance to "How big is baby".  It asks questions like "is she bigger than the sea?" then no, no, no....so very cute.  We'll also dance to his version of the "five little monkeys"....just because we can:)

Next time for some edible fun with our Cheerios play book

gonna try this one with her...another caterpillar goody from Confessions of a Homeschooler...you clip the right number of clothespins onto the laminated caterpillars.

more big and little practice....throwing some medium in there too.  If its too much then I plan to cut the page apart and just do Small and Large.  Thanks again Confessions of a Homeschooler.

Workboxes for tomorrow all lined up.  I love this system and I keep the trays stacked right next to the boxes so activities that need trays will have them in a flash.  I can't believe how easy it is for the kiddos to remember not to make a mess with an activity when they have that visual and physical reminder.  What a great idea.  I just use one set of workboxes even when JR is home because I have them doing the very same thing.  

Well, that is our plan for in the morning....if miss Caitlin cooperates with it all that is.  She loves "Preschool" though so I bet we get most of it in!

Goodnight and God Bless!!

a Blessing

We just started going to a church close by our home.  Its such a blessing after spending almost a year without a church home.  Today was the first day that I got to take the older boys with me as they were with their Dad last weekend.  They seemed to enjoy their classes(I was a little worried because they were in the same sunday school class).  Tonight before bedtime Jake brought me his Bible and his Sunday school papers and asked me if I would do his daily study with him. YES!!!  Absolutely.  I love that the curriculum they use is not only fun and engaging but has a daily Bible study included.  And I am so thankful and blessed that my son who accepted Christ at the tender age of four is still so eager to learn about God's word.  Thank you Jesus!

Reading Is Fundamental | Parents | Tips

I like this. It gives helpful tips on making the most of reading with your preschooler.

Reading Is Fundamental | Parents | Tips

Ramblings of a Crazy Woman: Two Caterpillar Crafts

I love these crafts. I am going to have the Gator tots make these popsicle stick caterpillars, glue magnets on the back, and give them to Grandma's and Sunday School teachers as Mom's day gifts.

Ramblings of a Crazy Woman: Two Caterpillar Crafts

Giving Credit to others

So many of the things that I do with the kids I find on other people's blogs.  I have to find a way of remembering which ones so that I can link to them when I use them....hmmmm....I am sorry if I didn't give you credit for a great idea I borrowed, as I come across them again I will be sure to link you:)  I am so thankful that so many mom's share their journeys!

Weekly Wrap UP

I love this idea.  A weekly summary of what we have done.  This week the biggest time consumer was J.R.'s possible diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder.  It sent me on a phone journey to find an appt with a developmental pediatrician that lasted for hours upon hours.  We did have some very good times though.  Just look below to see my posts on lacing felt flowers, crayola white board crayons and more.  We had a blast at our preschool at home.  I tried to think of a name for it this week.  No luck.  I tried calling the kiddos Gator Tots(Daddy's nickname is Gator) NO GO....JR said...I am not a gator tot,I am JR...lol so I guess we'll just keep calling it preschool at home.

See my last post for my whole review, but I give them three thumbs up!

I thought I would post a picture of the crayola white board crayons on this post as well as the review post I just finished....that's how much I love them.

Follow this link to see more people's weekly wrap up posts!
http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/search/label/Weekly%20Wrap-up

Review: Crayola Dry Erase Crayons

I was looking for some new art supplies at walmart when I noticed this box.  I did a happy dance right there in the aisle.  My kids love their white board but the markers are always drying out.  They came with the 8 crayons, a mit to wipe the white board off and a sharpener built into the box.  We have been using them for a couple of weeks now and my zealous two year old has not broken any.  I LOVE them.  I think they were about 4.50.  I don't care for the mit because I prefer to use a baby wipe followed by an old t shirt.  It does work though, just requires more rubbing.  

Lowe's build and grow

We took the kids to the Lowe's Build and Grow workshop again today and made earth day planters.  They even got tote bags with their projects today.  As soon as lunch was over they wanted to paint them.

J.R.

Jake

Justin

Caitlin worked on hers for awhile(with a little help) but she was more interested in painting her plate:)

Now we just have to get potting soil and seeds to put them to good use.  I tried to explain to them in advance that they really didn't need to paint the inside, but I guess it was too fun not to paint the inside.  The flower box comes with a little plexiglass plate that slides in the front so the kids can watch the action.  I'm curious to see if that will work or not!

I really like the way Justin did the back of his...he painted blue in between the tree trunks(didn't get a pic of that yet)....

I just now realized that it probably looks silly to have penguins on my table in April.  I have mostly bought my vinyl tablecloths at wal mart....last winter I got one at target and set it aside for this year.  It WON'T tear...I keep waiting for it to be worn out and it just won't....so now I have to fold it up and stick it away when I change it.  I'm having a hard time wanting to buy a new one when this one is still perfectly functional.  Ah well....such is life.

Our Felt Flower experience

First I would like to say that this is not my own idea....and I can't remember whose blog I saw it on.  If you know then please comment, otherwise I will link it when I find it again...and I certainly hope I do.  How do you keep track of where all these great ideas come from????

The pieces for our felt flower activity....got all the shapes cut out(please don't judge my shapes...sort of brain dead that morning, and I was just going for graduated sizes) then I realized I didn't have any pipecleaners.  Hmmm....I was sure I had some.  In my quest for pipe cleaners I did find some knitting needles in a learn to knit kit(I plan to learn someday....maybe) so I let them use those instead...

She was very proud of her flower.

I couldn't get him to hold it like a flower for anything...he was making it into a space ship or something:)

J.R.'s shape house from school

The house is the shape activity that he did at school.  I really like it....I wonder how much guidance she gave?? She seems to be really good with the kiddos. You can also see our Timmy Triangle stick puppet.  Our curriculum has you make a stick puppet for each shape and the kids loved him so much that they wanted one of their own to play with. So now we have triplet timmy triangles!!

Sissy had to have her picture taken too.  

A close up of the house.  This is how I memorialize my kiddos artwork.  I decided a long time ago to keep a few really special things and take pictures of any art or papers that I want to remember.  Four kiddos create A LOT of papers in one school year!

cutting triangles...scary stuff

Posting this so I have a record of how we're doing with our skills.  He scared me senseless trying to cut these out...he wanted his scissors to be an alligator and he was NOT paying attention....we quit with these two.  He didn't seem to have much motor control today with the scissors.

The perfect picture? I don't think so Mommy!!!

Did you ever see the potential for a really great picture and become faced with a preschooler who just wants to make goofy faces???  Sigh...never did get that picture, but I love these anyway because they show his personality.

A beautiful spring day!

I love this picture of princess Caitlin...of course she's heading directly for the street which is what I am yelling at her not to do as I snap the shot:)  Lucky we live on a cul de sac!

I took this one because I am going to work on our address with them.  I also took pictures of the mailbox up close and the street sign at the end of our lane.  I am going to make a matching game and we're gonna do all sorts of fun stuff.  We'll even sing the silly 911 song that the police woman taught my preschoolers in Blue Springs.

J.R. prefers his scooter over his bike.  Its much easier for him to handle.

Caitlin actually does better on her trike...though I ended up carrying both scooter and trike about halfway up our street!!

Our little slice of heaven...We live on a pretty long street which ends in a cul de sac so we have very little traffic.  I absolutely fell in love with it  the first time I looked at it...at least once I saw the inside of the house too:)

Our Lab(standing on her doghouse) and our schnauzer(the little black spot under her) were waiting for us to come back from our walk.

pictures of our little school area

These are actually the pictures I took to put on their picture schedule...which works wonderfully!

This is my Dollar Tree calendar.  I'm using velcro to attach the numbers

I got this table at a thrift store.  I think its supposed to be a college dorm type coffee table maybe??  It works great with these little stools that I got at Target, though they like the little wooden chair now too.  I put their names at their "spot" and also a bucket for each with supplies and an abacus that I made(our preschool curriculum recommends one for each kiddo and they actually love them)

Our Easel...bought at a garage sale and even though I wish it were magnetic I do love it...its very sturdy.

Aven's Corner

This is a great site with lots of simple games for kids.  Can't wait to try it out with my kiddos who are blissfully napping:)

note about pdd vs aspergers and what is our next step

This is a response to an email I sent a friend who counsels families with pdd, autism, aspergers and various other disorders/syndromes...he was so helpful...I'm mostly posting it here so it doesn't get lost but maybe it will help someone else too.


first I asked him if he could help me understand what it was.


PDD is an autistic disorder. In all categories in mental health there is a NOS diagnosis. Meaning Not Otherwise Specified. It basically means that in the professionals opinion that the diagnosis is in the Pervasive Development Disorder family (like Mood Disorder or Anxiety disorder is a family) but it doesn't fit any of the specific criteria of the other diagnoses. There are 4 main autistic disorders that vary in severity of functioning: Pure Autism, High Functioning Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and PDD NOS. Aspergers Syndrome and PDD are very similar. With A.S. there can never be a speech delay which usually kicks kids out of that diagnosis entirely but still have very similar symptoms. Having said all that, I would wait til a developmental pediatrician saw him before you get too worried. This is not a neurologists area of specialty.
Nevertheless, a PDD diagnosis is not a death sentence just a package of looking at the delays. Social, language, and OCD/repetitive behaviors. These are the main areas the disorder affects.


Here I asked him if a neurologist is the right doc to diagnose this, and if JR's current level of treatment is appropriate.
The neurologist is not generally specialized in developmental delays. The treatment at this time is not different. The only time that matters is when he is enrolled in public school (which I hear is up in the air) after he turns 6 years old his diagnosis can not be "Child with Developmental Delay" for them to provide services. Even if you home school you will want them to be providing the services that you just described so you don't have to pay for it. He can have an IEP at school with a PDD diagnosis and they can pay for it and you can still home school if you want to. Children's Mercy does a great job but that is a long time to wait. Dr. Lyn Hoffman (male) does a very good job and is a bit cheaper as well. His wait list is probably more like 3-4 months.


Sometimes God puts people in your life for very specific reasons...my friend....I'll call him M....also helped me when I was struggling with the oldest son's add. 

Pervasive Developmental Disorder?

This is what the pediatric neurologist at Children's Mercy Says that JR has.  I have no clue.  He said that it is on the scale with autism.  JR doesn't have severe enough symptoms to be autistic, plus he interacts well with us...but he does have enough symptoms to have this.  Now I guess is my quest to figure out what this is.  Doc says the answer is therapy therapy and more therapy.  So we took him to the lab where they drew some blood and he got to pee in a cup(he thought that was cool)...and we scheduled him for an mri.  So we'll see.

Miss Caitlin and her jingle bells

Caitlin and I are on our own on Monday and Thursday mornings.  This is sometimes a hard time for her.."she wants her bubbies".  I have been reading quite a few Montessori blogs and decided to try one of the activities with her.  I got out a cookie sheet, put a small bowl with 12 jingle bells on it, an empty baby food jar and a toddler spoon.  She spent 40 minutes scooping the bells into the baby food jar and then pouring the bells back into the bowl.  Wow...I cleaned up the kitchen in peace and she learned...no fussing involved.

Our home made pedal adapters for J.R.'s trike

$8.00 pair of tennis shoes from Wal-mart

removed the inserts

Jim drilled two holes in the bottom of the shoes and bolted them to the pedals...pics to follow

two bolts...recessed to be flat with the surface of the shoe bed

replace the insert

He put rubber tubing over the protuding bolts that way if we have to put bigger shoes on he can use the same bolt.

Wa La...pedal adapters for $8.00.  They work great.