Seven

I'm a little late on the download but I like to capture the kids photos around their birthdays.  Tonight was a gorgeous summer night and I'd seen some perfect light the night before on my walk.  So at 6:30 on the dot we walked down to the boardwalk by our house to photograph my perfect little seven year old.

The only problem is that she wants to do her own poses and isn't up to my suggestions these days.  I have to remind myself I only really need a few cute photos of her for her seventh year.  She is so much fun and just as happy as these photos might lead you to believe!!

Strawberry Picking

Our family loves to pick fruit during the summer months.  Our regular haunt was a place called "Apple Jack Orchards" in Delano. This year they discontinued their strawberry production so we hiked to Berry Hill Farm in Anoka to pick berries. 

My mom, Big C, Little c and I went this year.  The best part was when Big C decided she needed to go to the bathroom so I walked about 1/2 mile to the portable potty.  By the time I returned, Little c needed to go too.  I walked about 2 miles just back and forth to the bathroom that day.  And I barely even got to pick strawberries!  I guess it's just part of the life of a mom. Actually, now that I think about, I sent both girls over together but it was taking so long that I decided I should walk over and check on them.  So I walked over to check on them, walked back with them, picked about five berries, and then heard Little c say she needed to go to the bathroom. 

Here are some photos from our day at the berry patch/my day at the portable potty!

Hives Help

Little c has horrible hives.  They call it chronic uticaria.   Doctors are unable to find the cause of chronic hives in 85% of patients.  Most people just grow out of it.  When you are in the thick of it, it's really horrible though.  The worst part is we can't find any common themes for when she develops these bouts.  We've tried a bunch of different medications and they seem to work for period of time and then Little c will have another flare.  Currently she is taking Zyrtec daily and has been doing well. 

If you need a good allergist or asthma doctor, you should see Dr. Wexler at Advancements in Allergy and Asthma Care.  Even though he was not technically able to help us, he took so much time with us and actually talks to me on the phone when I call.  He's fantastic! 

Here are some photos of the worst flare I've seen in Little c

 Those are her legs!

 And her arm. 

 And her lower leg! 


Doesn't it look terrible?  The doctor said you get worried if they start to develop hives on their faces and especially inside their mouths.  Fortunately, I guess, Little c's are limited to her arms, legs, and trunk. 

Summer Highlight

Have you ever seen a concert at the MN Zoo?

I hadn't until my friend Gretchen invited me to join her this summer to see Marc Cohn and Mary Chapin Carpenter.  It was so AWESOME!  The musicians were entertaining and amazing but I was most impressed with the intimate setting.  I can't fathom going to a concert anywhere else.

Here's a really awful photo of Gretchen and me with Marc Cohn, taken with my iPhone in the dark.

It got me thinking about musicians, more specifically musicians who write their own music.  Writing is more quiet and introverted.  Getting up on stage in front of a crowd doesn't seem to fit well with a writer type.  When we met Marc he was sort of shy and uncomfortable.  On stage he was a completely different person; charismatic, funny, gregarious.

Email me if you want to see any concerts at the zoo next summer!  I am happy to be anyone's date!! 

Canterbury Downs

B-reals and I's alma mater sponsors a day at the races for families.  Someone told us it was the 16th year an alumna has paid for families to visit Canterbury Downs to watch the races and eat dinner.  Sadly, we'd never been until my college friend suggested we make it a family affair this year.  

I am so glad we did.  It was much more fun than I imagined and the girls did not want to leave.  Big C almost had a fit when we missed part of the first race.  There were 13 or so races so believe me, there was plenty to see, and she was not missing out.  

Canterbury has a big play structure for kids outside plus you can meet some of the horses before and after the races.  The girls really got into trying to guess which horse would win and cheering.  The fact that it was a beautiful evening didn't hurt! 

Mr. Schroeder bet on and won a horse race (after borrowing 1/2 of his bet from B-Real because all he had was were big bills),  I suggested he use his race earnings to buy us all ice cream. Being the nice guy that he is, he obliged.   Fortunately for his wallet our girls wanted cotton candy so B-Real bought their treats! 

ECHAT!!

The girls started a co-op today called eCHAT.  It's the first year the co-op is offering classes for elementary aged home-schooled students.  They have a very established junior high and high school group with amazing classes. 

eCHAT


It appeared to be a huge success.  Both girls are taking science, gym, and art.  Big C is taking a music class as well.  The kids we met today all seemed kind and polite and I am excited to be a part of this new community.

On the drive to 'school' today the girls asked if it was just one day a week? I imagined they would be hoping it was only one day.  When I said "yes" they acted all disappointed! 

Little c said she made a comment in her science class.  I guess they were talking about bones and she told the teacher that your teeth are the only bones you can see without an x-ray.  Proud mom moment. 

It was also fun to reconnect with a homeschooling mom, who teaches Big C's science class.  We worked together a few jobs out of college at Marshall Field's corporate office.  Our lives came full circle.  Fun to see our girls paling around together in their classes!  And neat to run into other familiar faces from gifted education circles and dance class. 

Sarah Saves: Warby Parker

Are you looking for a new pair of glasses?  Look no further than Warby Parker! 

Warby Parker 

They offer on trend glasses for just $95!  Yes, I said $95 which includes both frames and lenses.  

My one hang up with buying glasses online is that I could not try them on before buying.  Warby Parker has it it figured out!  They will ship you, free of charge, up to five frames to try on at home.  After five days you ship the frames back to Warby Parker, no shipping charges.

If you would like to order one of the frames you simply include your prescription and they will manufacture your new glasses for you. 

Not only do they have super cute options for frames but they have the right prices!

These are my current favorites...

Ainsworth

Ballard

Life of Fred

Have you heard of the Life of Fred math books?  They are perfect for the child who might ask "How will I ever use these math skills?"  The Fred series incorporates math into a story about a five year old university professor and his friends.  Yes, I said five year old university professor.  The books are silly!

In one book Fred drops a knife (that he had purchased for a friend's birthday -- a 20 year old friend) on his foot and begins to lose blood.  His friends take him to the emergency room and he goes to triage (the girls learned about triage)  and the staff has to figure out how quickly Fred is losing blood and how much time they can leave him in the waiting room.  I've never seen Big C do her multiplication so quickly.  I explained to her math can save lives!  If she mixed up her multiplication Fred might have died!!

The series incorporates other topics into the math curriculum.  Little c and I are doing the Cats book and she learned about what the Pacific Ocean was named as so.  She learned about Magellan and about how he sailed all the way around the world, starting in Spain, and lost four of his five ships during the expedition.

The girls beg me to read more chapters.  Math has gone from a total bore in our house to something they look forward to completing.  I was ruining math for Big C because it was just black and white problem after black and white problem.  For a while we were using the ixL math program online.  I felt like it was a good mastery program, however, if Big C made one small error it sent her back a considerable amount of problems.  She found that frustrating, which resulted in her dislike of math.

This works for our family! I am supplementing a bit with a geometry program for Big C.  She is really into geometry and claims it's the only kind of math she likes right now.

One thing I've learned with home-schooling is you don't have to go in the same progression as the schools.  You can do what your kids like and support their interests.  I like child-led learning versus teacher led learning.  At this point, I just want our girls to like math.  I want it to be a positive experience and for them to know that math can be fun!  Life of Fred is helping me accomplish this in our home.

The series can take kids through high school math!

 

The Director of Fun

During our time at Lake Owen, we hung out dockside daily.  Unfortunately we did not have any comfortable chairs, or really any chairs, for that matter, in which to sit so we sat on our towels.  One beautiful afternoon B-Real took the girls to the beach and suggested I read and take a nap.  Did I say he's the best husband?  

When I had woken from my nap, I found him on the beach, sitting like this...

Yes, that's him, sitting in a director's chair he took from the cabin, using a cement foundation block as a footstool.  I lovingly began calling him "The Director of Fun". 

Here's his footstool 

Of course he was reading a book called 

The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play

So maybe he's not quite "The Director of Fun"!!! 

Simple Summer Fun

I crave simple summer fun.  The sort of activities I remember doing as a child.  We have some pools in the metro area and they are super cool - multiple slides, rope swings, surfing experiences.  With that cool factor comes cost though and simple to me means cheap!

Now that we live a little further 'out' simple summer fun is closer to our doorstep.  The girls and I drove to Lester Prairie and spent $12 total for an afternoon of swimming and sunning.  And they even had a slide and a diving board.  The slide was like a giant tube slide from a park, nothing fancy, but the girls had a blast on it! I only had to spend $2 and got them a yummy little treat to break up our afternoon too.

Yeah for small towns!
Yeah for simple!
Yeah for summer!

And fortunately it was nothing like the community pool scene in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days movie!  Have you seen it?

I could relate after spending a day at the Edina Pool and then a day at the Minneapolis Golf Club pool!

What to do?

Here's a tricky one.

You have two children.

One is an introvert, thoughtful, deep, more quiet and reserved.  She isn't going to ask or demand your attention but secretly still desires it. 

One is outgoing, social, enthusiastic, talkative, outwardly fun.  She needs to be the center of attention and will demand you pay attention to her.  She has a way of charming people into doing what she wants.  

It's easy to see how one of your children might seem more attractive to be around than the other, just on the outside. She's constantly happy and excited but that sweet first child needs love and one-on-one time too.  You have to look for opportunities to engage with the first child because she's too polite to request it.   

What if one of your relatives feeds into that second child and gives her much more attention than the other?  What if she chooses to sleep each night in bed with the second child but not with the first child? The first child very much wants this relative to sleep with her too but won't flat out ask for fear of rejection. What if she says "I want to go tubing with the second child" but never mentions wanting to tube with the first child?  What if when she comes to spend time at your house she chooses to go home once the second child has a commitment rather than spending time with the first child? 

And your first child is smarter than a whip and gets it, she sees it, she wonders why the relative doesn't seem to care as much about her.  It has to hurt.  What if you mention it to your relative but nothing seems to change?

What to do?  What to do? 

Pooo

You heard it here first....

Carnivore poo is like a dog's poo.
Herbivore poo is little round pellets. 

Big C told us this at lunch today. 

B-Real asked "Where did you learn that?" and of course she said "In a book!"

This is Homeschooling

SCIENCE

Forming hypotheses

Data collection

Microwaved Ivory soap

ART

Drawing subject

Posing for portrait

Real watercolor painting

WRITING

Subject that interests child

Homemade book

Writing the guide

Drawing step by step instructions

READING

Anywhere

Everywhere

Anything of interest to the child.

Book Review: Rules

Autism has become much more prevalent these days.  A new book called "Rules" does a wonderful job of showing the blessings and challenges of having a sibling with autism.  I just realized it has a fancy seal too! 

Big C's Joke

We visited the Arboretum with friends this week.  As we were walking we came upon something that appeared to be the tail of some sort of furry animal.   Big C said "If the animal lost its tail, it will have to go to the re-tail store".

Isn't she witty?

I sure do love her! 

Home

We are home from a restful week in the Wisconsin north woods!   I fear telling people about the lake we visit because it's so private and quiet; I'd hate to ruin it. O.K., I'll tell.  The great thing about Lake Owen is that the Johnson family (SC Johnson) owns most of the property around the lake.   There are also very few actual resorts  Both aspects make it a quiet lake without much boat traffic.  We've gone to the lake for nine years now and it's a summer tradition that we plan to continue for years to come.  The girls have grown up with memories from this area.  Little c did shed some tears when it was time to go home. 

We just relax a lot!  There is a small beach, tennis courts, turtle pond, campfire, raspberries to pick, kayaks to use, and new friends to be made.  We met a family from North Carolina who spends the whole month of August at the lake and they just so happened to have children around the age of the girls.  

Big C had expressed interest in learning to waterski and since neither B-real nor I know how we thought we'd buy a knee-board first.   B-real had such a busy week at work that resulted in his not having time to make it to buy one so we stopped at The Fleet Farm on the way up.  The conversation between him and the kids was pretty funny.  Historically speaking, Big C has been quick to give up when the going gets tough.  We had heard it takes a lot of effort to make it up on the board and B-real did not want to spend $100 to have her quit after her first go of it.  She assured him she would give it some good effort and sure enough, she did, he managed to get up on the first try, from shore.  After falling in the middle of the lake, she got up again.  Little c had a similar experience, total success after the first time!  Then the big dogs tried to do it -- meaning the two adults.  Holy cow it was hard to get up, required a ton of upper body strength.  I gave up (sorry B-real) and B-real managed to hook the rope around the front of the board and pull himself up.  His arms were really sore afterwards, which made me feel a little less like a quitter. 

The other great thing that happened at "The Farm" was I found a bike I would like to purchase.  It is a tricycle!  Yes, I want a trike!  It was a three-wheeled Schwinn with a big old basket on the back.  As Brent debated whether to buy the knee-board, I pedaled around the outdoor garden center on this awesome bike.  Charlotte fit in the back basket too!  I felt a bit like the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz.  Brent assured me he would not be embarrassed to ride bikes with me.   

The highlight of the week for me was our last night at the lake.  We went to dinner, just the four of us, at a local pizza place.  We ordered personalized pizzas and sat outside in the grass.  The tables were garnished with phlox in jelly jars.  I will never forget that night.  The girls were playing tether ball and B-Real and I decided to get in on the action.  We had the best, all out war on the tether ball court.  His height is quite the advantage and completely not fair  I wondered if some of the other customers questioned the state of our marriage because we were both so competitive and yelling "no" as we whacked the ball.  It may be the first of many occasions when the girls were flat out embarrassed by their parents' antics.  But it was so much fun and now I want a tether ball in the backyard. 

Another highlight, at least from my perspective, was that Claire took out a kayak on her own and paddled around the lake.  It was so cool to witness that sense of pride and accomplishment on her face.   Last year she sat with us in the kayak and this year she's doing it on her own!  She did tell me one time on this trip that she was too old to hold my hand anymore.  I get it.  She is growing up and I understand she is valuing her independence more and more.  Later in the week she took my hand on her own and when I mentioned her earlier comment about being too old to hold hands, she said "Yeah, sorry about that". 

The driving is quite stressful for B-Real seeing as he has to pull a big old boat behind our car.  We came into Cumberland, Wisconsin, which appeared to have an unusual amount of action for a Saturday.  Charlotte saw the sign above the sign advertising "Rutabaga Days".  She begged B-Real to stop, probably seeing all of the street vendors, pedestrian traffic, and giant slide, but B-Real would have had quite the channel finding a spot to park.   I love that about little c, she doesn't want to miss out on any fun and is curious about so many things.  She mentioned wanting to see the MN State Fair and I asked "why?" (hoping to find another way to satisfy her without having to go to the great MN get together) and she said "Well I've never been there and would like to see what it's all about".  

We're glad to be back home and to some of the simple pleasures of our life -- like good coffee, our king sized bed, wireless Internet, and our gas stove.  I am grateful for the chance to slow down and just 'be' for a week with the people who matter to me most.

I also feel for the moms who are having to send their kids to school tomorrow or the following week, the summer went by way too fast!  They are only young for such a short period of time, please don't be the mom I saw at Target bragging to her friend about her app that gave the countdown until the kids went back to school.  If you are that strapped by your kids and enjoy them that little, please institute some boundaries and rules so you get your needs met.  Remember you are the boss and you should enjoy being a mom, make sure it happens in your house!  

Sarah Saves -- Dress Shirts

B-real's dress shirts come from Costco! 

They are only $17.88 and there is a huge selection of different prints and sizes.    The shirts are also no-iron and they have a great return policy! 

Did I tell you about the roll-aboard suitcase B-real has that traveled some 150,000 miles on an airplane and got a squeaky wheel?  It  came from Costco and was a few years old.  B-real returned it and they gave him a brand new suitcase, no questions asked.

The generous return policy makes Costco a business we like to patronize!  In fact we chose to buy our patio table from Costco versus another retailer because we knew they would take it back if it did not hold up.  Costco stands behind the products they sell!   

Math Mats

How cool is this? 

Math Mat

I think it could work especially well for boys who have a hard time sitting still in school.

Speaking of math, I have seen math taught in some pretty creative ways.  Addition and subtraction can be taught with chalk on the driveway.  Think hopscotch (2 hops plus 2 hops equals how many hops?).  Another physical way to teach counting by five and tens is to get kids up and have them do jumping jacks while they count 5, 10, 15, 20.

I like when teachers think outside the box and recognize that most kids minds work best when their little bodies are moving!

Big C's old school had two recesses per day for the younger grades and I thought they were spot on with that decision.  One was between their math and reading periods and the other was at a more traditional lunch time!  

What Kids Need to Be Happy

This is a re-post from an article my dad sent me.  The things kids need to be happy are so simple!


Read on...

Happy Children

Need your eyes checked?

I stumbled upon The Eye Doctors at Walmart in Eden Prairie and won't go anywhere else to have my eyes or the girls eyes examined.  I know it's Walmart and many of you might not like Wal-mart.  The eye practice is independently owned by Dr. Viker.  The store where the frames are sold is Wal-mart but you can take your prescription to another eyeglasses store, if you so choose.   

Five Things I Like About the Eye Doctors:

1.  The price!  It's less than $80 to have your eyes examined.

2.  Dr. Viker is good!  She worked for years alongside a M.D. and has experience with a variety of eye problems.  Furthermore, she is not afraid to refer you a specialist if she feels it is beyond her ability.  I witnessed her doing that just yesterday.

3.  Time!  Dr. Viker takes time with her patients.  She is so good with the girls, really engages them and sincerely seems to care about them, remembering them and their interests.  While little c had her examine, she taught the girls about astigmatism, near sightedness and far sightedness, and how you become an optometrist. She's not in a rush to get done with you.

4.  Right!  She does things right.  When I ordered my contacts most recently deposits quickly adhered to my lenses.  Dr. Viker reordered them twice for me, thinking it was just a bad batch and eventually went with a different manufacturer. 

5.  Kind!   Yesterday I witnessed Dr. Viker giving one of her patients her cell phone number because she was not going to be working the following day.  She told her patient she'd just be out and about doing errands and not to hesitate to call her on her vacation day.

Dr. Viker is a little secret.  Maybe I should have put her under my Sarah Saves heading!  Normally finding something affordable means I have to compromise on quality.  This is definitely not the case when seeing Dr. Viker, she's a steal!   

Go visit her; you won't be disappointed!! 

Teaching Reading

Neither of our girls learned how to read the traditional way, the way we all probably learned, through phonics.  At first I thought it was an anomaly and that Big C was just very smart and didn't learn the 'regular' way.  It was interesting to see little c have the same experience.  I've never taught the girls phonics, they just started reading, and have progressed without any instruction. 

There are two main ways to teach a child how to read.  Phonics is the most common way children learn to read at school.  The problem I have with phonics is all of the exceptions to the rules.  The second way children are taught to read is through sight word identification, the Dolch method. There is a list of 220 service words and 95 common nouns that compromise 50-75% of all words in children's books.  The thought is if children learn these words they will be able to read most children's books.  Many of the Dolch words cannot be sounded out and must be set to memory.   Often times Dolch words are taught through the use of flashcards. 

Here are my suggestions for teaching a child how to read:

1.  Read often and at an early age to your children.  When you read, point to the words as they are coming out of your mouth.  Your child will begin to identify the words coming out of your mouth with a particular word.    If your child is learning to read Easy Readers, read the book out loud to your child first, slowly and while pointing to the words, and then have him/her read the book independently. 

2. Use your library.  Check out the c.d./book packets at your library.  Your child can sit and listen to the book on the c.d. as they follow the words in the book.  The c.d. will beep when the child needs to turn the page.  If you have a child who will not sit still to listen to a c.d. and follow along with a book, use this technique when they are in the car. 

3.  Introduce Bob books.  Check out the Bob book series from your library and begin using the series at a young age, again pointing to the words as you read the simple book.  I would suggest starting this around age 4. 

4.  Starfall.  Utilize technology, like www.starfall.com to help your children learn to read.  Starfall does essentially what I am recommending but on the computer.  It will read a story to your child while highlighting the words in the passage as they are read.  Again, your child will begin to see a word and remember what the word sounds like when being said. 

5.  Relax.  Make sure reading is a fun, non-stressful activity for your child.  They will learn to read!  Maybe not on the schedule you would like but it will happen.  Most importantly you want them to grow up with a love for reading.  Model reading at home so your children realize it's something to be enjoyed, not an agonizing, unpleasant task! 

One on One Time

It's pretty special when we manage to get some one-on-one time with each of the girls.  I was lucky enough to have some of that time in mid-July when little c and I went to Girl Scout camp with her Daisy troop.  Four moms and daughters went together and it was the start of an awesome tradition.  We had SO much fun together! 

Thankfully we were not tent camping but had a air conditioned bunk house for accommodations.  The bunks may have been the best part, in the eyes of the girls!  Often times they would suggest we head back to the bunk house rather than participate in the camp type activities.  It was little c's first time on the top bunk. 

We hiked, groomed horses, swam, did archery and went Geo-caching.  The girls participated in a skit and we made s'mores.

I am thankful for such a nice group of friends for little c and equally nice mom friends for me!

Bene-Babe

I'm a Bene-Babe. 

One of the employees at Sephora told me Bene-Babe is the name given to someone who loves Benefit makeup. 

If I were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one make-up item, I wouldn't think for a second, before grabbing my Benefit Erase Paste.  It's an under-eye concealer that not only hides dark circles but brightens up the area underneath my eyes. 

I also wear their Hello Flawless:  Oxygen Wow Foundation.  Oh, and Girl Meets Pearl which gives me a dewy, healthy look.  


See, I really am a Bene-Babe!  Now, if anyone has a suggestion for a good blush, send it my way! 

Some Summer Schools Rock

Ah summer school, it sounds like punishment, doesn't it?  Or at least that's how I remember it.  Well, not necessarily, not if done right.

Big C has attended West Suburban Summer School for four years and it's a highlight of her summer!  The program is an offering of District 287 and is open to children who are part of the gifted and talented programs in the following school districts:  Brooklyn Center, Edina, Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Osseo, Orono, Richfield, Robbinsdale, St. Louis Park, Wayzata, and Westonka. 

West Suburban Summer School has fun week long summer schools that cover a variety of interests.  Think art, diving, animals, music, inventing and presenting, writing to get published, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, problem puzzlers, zoology.

Take a look:

West Suburban Summer School Classes

Contact your gifted and talented teacher for a card allowing you to register for the classes.  Registration begins in February.  

The administration and teachers associated with this program really understand the gifted and talented population.  Big C's teacher this year told me she instituted a new reading policy in her classroom because she recognized these kids need a little time to themselves.  BINGO, perfect for my introverted child! 

Sarah Saves

I can't take credit for the idea but I made my own laundry detergent!  My friend Nicole told me it's much cheaper than buying the detergent at the store.  And it was kind of fun for the girls and I to do together.  Even little c's American Girl doll Molly got in on the action. 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

8 boxes of Baking Soda
1 box of Borax
2 bars of Fels Naptha soap (I bought mine at Walmart)
1 oz. Lavender essential oil (I bought mine on Amazon)

You will need to grate the Fels Naptha with a cheese grater.  Mix all ingredients in a glass jar or container of some sort.  I did not have a container large enough to house all of the detergent so I only made half and saved the other ingredients for a later batch. 

A full batch is supposed to wash something like 288 loads but I am not sure how much you would use for each load to make it last that long. I use about 1/4 cup of detergent per load and find it works very well.  The lavender doesn't make much of a difference so I am not sure I would buy that again.  It's the most expensive ingredient in the recipe. 

The Top Five Reasons We Homeschool

There are many reasons why we choose to home school our children but here's the top five:

1.  Targeted Education
We like that our girls can work at work that is appropriate for their abilities.  If they are doing beyond grade level math and below grade level spelling, that's o.k.  If they are really enjoying science, we can keep going, we aren't required to move on to the next subject.  They are able to really be curious and ask questions and we don't have to move on to something else because the state requires it. I believe true learning occurs when the child asks the question versus the teacher instructing the child. 

Friends mention gifted education programs for the girls.  Most programs I am familiar with offer limited opportunity for pull-out.  It may be one hour per week.  For children who are truly gifted (meaning they process information much more quickly than others), they aren't gifted for only one hour/week.  It's just who they are, all of the time. 

2.  Flexibility
We like to travel and we don't want a school schedule or school, for that matter, to tell us we can't take our kids out of school for multiple weeks.  As a result of B-real's current job, we have chances to show the girls different parts of the world and we want to take advantage of these opportunities.  We don't want our children to be penalized for missing school.   When I was a child, traveling was encouraged, in fact teachers pulled together packets for kids to do while they on their trips so they weren't behind when they returned. 

3.  Free-time
The girls have a lot of down time to play.  They aren't rushed from one activity to another like we would be if they were in school for seven hours per day.  Having only two students means we are able to get through material faster than a traditional school.  I believe unstructured play time is nearly as important as learning your addition and subtraction facts.  Creativity leads to entrepreneurship.  In my dream world the girls would own their own businesses one day and not have to work for someone else.  They need good ideas to make that happen and lots of free time allows for that creative spirit to develop.  I want our girls to be bored some days!  

4.   Individuality
Homeschooling permits the girls to be themselves and not conform to fit into a group at school.   Honestly, they don't even know what's cool or popular.  They know what they like and no one teases them for it.  I believe this age is crucial in the development of healthy self-esteem.  I remember Big C winning the spelling bee each week in first grade and the other kids complaining it wasn't fair that she got to participate.  What was she learning from that experience?  It wasn't o.k. to be her.  It wasn't o.k. to be a good speller.   We want them to fail and not be afraid to try something new because they might be ostracized by other kids.

5.  Values
We teach values.  It's more important to me that our girls grow up to be good people than have a 4.0 GPA.  We talk about values that could not be discussed at school.  I don't want seven hours of their day wasted without values interwoven into their education. 

It's not for everyone but for the time it's for us!  We are happier now that we ever were when the girls were in school.  We have a peaceful life!  

THINK

This is a cute acronym to use with your kids (I use it too).  Before saying something,

THINK

T  -   is it true?
H  - is it helfpul?
I   -  is it inspiring?
N  - is it necessary?
K -  is it kind?

I Love Lucy!

Have you been to the store Lucy?  Oh my, do I love it.  My mom and I went to look at dishes yesterday at Crate and Barrel and Macy's.  We made it to Crate and Barrel but then got a bit detoured into a jewelry store and then Lucy.  My mom is ADD, nothing to be ashamed of, she'll admit it!  See, sometimes your parents shortcomings really work in your favor, like when your mom's scatter brain leads you into a store you've never visited before AND it turns out it's adorable.

Lucy sells workout clothes, actually I believe the term these days is 'active wear'.  The best part is they sell yoga pants in petite sizes (for ladies under 5'3").  Yipee!   Tall friends, you need not feel short changed, as they sell tall sizes too.   It's very exciting for us girls who are abnormal in size.

They offer a nice variety of styles in their yoga pants and Lucy helps make yoga pants a bit more stylish.  My favorite are the Hatha style because of the way they hold in my tummy and the flare at the bottom of the leg.  They also have a special line down the sides of the pants that Tracy, my helpful salesperson, said are intended to make one appear taller.  I'll take that, for sure!

Hatha Pants

The little workout jackets fit perfectly too.  As I told Tracy the jackets hit right in the mid-bottom.  Oprah told me (over the TV) that your shirts should hit you mid-bottom because it cuts your bumpkin in half and makes it look smaller.  When you are wearing tight yoga pants, it's definitely good to have your bumpkin look as small as possible. This was a hard decision to make as there were multiple jackets I liked but this was the most universal looking. 


Vital Jacket

Now onto my FAVORITE thing.  Tracy found me a little tunic on the sales rack that she said everyone had loved and she thought would look cute on my body.  Well, she was right!  It's a sleeveless tunic in a beautiful shade of purple.  It hit me mid-thigh but wasn't too fitted.  The neck is a cowl and can be styled a variety of different ways.  Straight down, off one shoulder, pulled down off both shoulders.   I wore it yesterday and four strangers came up and told me how nice it looked and inquired as to where it was purchased.  My mom wanted to get one too but they were running low on their sizes. 

Body-Mind-Tunic

There are few things I try on that I feel I absolutely must buy,  This outfit at Lucy was one of those finds.  I turned to my mom and said "I have to have this".  The only other item in my wardrobe that fits that same bill is my navy blue, ruffled Tahari jacket.  My mom says you should only buys clothes that will cause you to cry when they are worn out. 

The clothes are pricey, don't get me wrong, but I am getting to the age where I would rather have less clothes.  My goal is to only add things to my closet that I absolutely love.   Plus, you can find things on sale that make Lucy clothes more affordable.  My tunic was $30 on sale. 

Tracy, at The Galleria location was helpful but not pushy.   I liked that she knew the product she was selling and was excited about it but was not trying to up-sell us into buying more items.  There is also a location at Roseville Mall.  

Happy shopping friends!

Fairies

You might think I am the creative parent in the family.  If you did, man, would you be wrong.  B-real has a pretty amazing imagination!  Who knew?  And yes, that's him wearing a beret while drawing with pastels!! The things he does to have fun with his girls. 

If you are the parent of a girl you are probably familiar with the Daisy Meadows fairy series of books; like the days of the week fairies, animal fairies, jewel fairies.  They really aren't my favorite books and I am glad neither girl has gotten too hooked on them.

 B-real, feeling a bit annoyed with the story lines, decided to amp it up a bit!  Instead of reading the books he volunteered to make up his own fairy stories.

His first series was entitled  "The Bad Smell Fairies" and included:
Patty the Port a Potty Fairy
Dolly the Diarrhea Fairy
Rita the Rotten Egg Fairy
Dani the Dog Poop fairy.

The girls adore his creations.

The most recent addition is "The Infectious Disease Fairy" series.  Included in this series are:
Hannah the H1N1 Fairy
Molly the MSRA Fairy
Susie the Swine Flu Fairy
Tammy the Typhoid Fairy
Emily the Ebola Fairy

Coming soon, the "Severe Injury Fairies"
Sally then Spinal Cord Injury Fairy
Brenda the blunt force trauma injury fairy
He still has a little work to do on this series....suggestions welcome.  


My mom told me to marry someone who makes you laugh and this guy keeps me laughing every day.  When I first met him I thought he was pretty darn serious but he's got a wicked sense of humor and he's witty to boot. 

B-real is available for birthday parties, just let me know what dates you need him and I'll check with his schedule!! 

Oh, and he does face painting too.  One year I suggested we hire a face painter and he said "How much will that cost? I'll do it instead".  The offerings were a bit limited, o.k. that's an understatement.  I was imagining butterflies painted across entire faces.  He told the boys he could do a football or soccer ball.  The girls got hearts or rainbows.  Amazingly, the kids still loved it and the line was long for the amazing face painter!

Mindfulness

Breathing is so simple, we actually don't even think about it, but I believe it's our bodies
most powerful tool.  Focusing on our breathing allows us to calm down, refocus, pause, lessen our nerves and reduce worries.  Mindfulness is beneficial for everyone but I want our girls to learn it at an earlier age than myself. 

My awesome dad, who practiced transcendental meditation in his twenties, took me to a doctor who taught me how to meditate.  Suffering from chronic headaches, which were probably stress related, this technique really changed my life. The power of my mind can make me feel separate from my physical body.  When I practice meditation I feel apart from my body; I feel as though I am floating above it.   My experience with mindfulness reaffirms my belief that we have a physical body and a soul, my physical body remains on the surface whereas my soul floats above it. 

My mind is just as powerful as a prescription headache medicine, if I have ample time to lay down and use the skills this doctor taught me.  Primarily I use a body scan technique that guides me through relaxing my body from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.

I think it's important for my girls to learn how to be still.  But how do you teach such a complex idea to two small children?

1.  The Candle Exercise

I light a candle and place it in the middle of our kitchen table.  Five, talk-free minutes are spent focusing on the candle and it's flame.

2.  The Be Still Exercise

I have the girls lay on the couches in the living room and be still for five minutes.  No talking is allowed.  I remind them at the beginning to focus on their breathing (in/out) and let any other thoughts float away (like clouds).



3.  The Body Scan Exercise

I have used this mostly with Big C.  She often has a hard time falling asleep at night so I lead her in a relaxation exercise.  I ask her to close her eyes and listen to my voice.  I begin with her feet and help he relax her body up to the top of her head.  Often she falls asleep before we finish.  A few times she has remained awake and told me that she feels like she is floating.  There are iTunes downloads you can use too. 

My favorite body scan offering is through this DVD.  One of the segments in the yoga DVD is a body scan. 

Body Scan DVD



4.  The Relaxation c.d.

 Indigo Dreams

Indigo Dreams is a guided c.d., told in story format, to help children calm down and prepare for sleep.   Unfortunately, it did not work very well for Big C but I have recommended it to friends who have found success using the c.d.