8 Baby Steps to Stealing Cake From the Top of the Fridge

     Having just had a birthday there was an abundance of sweets around the house.  So, in an effort to keep them away from my endlessly "hungry" 2 year old, I stashed all of the sweets on top of the fridge.  When a piece of chocolate went missing, I questioned my 7 year old, but she insisted it was the baby.  I was a bit dubious and she could tell. So the next time he went for it, she tiptoed to me and told me what he was doing. I grabbed my camera,  and hid behind the partition to watch. =)  It is true, the baby of the family gets away with more!

  So commences the story of how to steal the cake from the top of the fridge in 8 steps or less. 
Step 1 : Drag your rocking horse over to the counter. 
Step 2 : Climb on top of said rocking horse and proceed to climbing on to the counter. ( The stabilization techniques used for this maneuver are great for firming up your core!)
Step 3 : Behold with delight the wonder of what you are about to commandeer.

Step 5 : Survey your surroundings to ensure that you are not being watched.  Stealth is a necessity if you are to be able to consume your hard earned treasure.

Step 6 : Stand on those tippy toes and reach for the cake.

Step 7 : If your desired object cannot be fully reached go for higher ground.

Step 8 : If you mission is compromised remember the Penguin motto : "Cute and cuddly boys." 

When he stepped on top of the microwave I stepped out asked " What are you doing?!"  He just looks at me steps down and gives me this adorable grin. 

II Thess 3:10 If any should not work, neither should he eat.

So, would you give his a peice of cake for all of his efforts.  =)





Our First Unit Study

     The concept of unit studies has always fascinated me.  To take a single time, place, or experience, and  thoroughly explore all of it's complexities is a different and intriguing style of learning.  However, being new to homeschooling, I have clung tightly to our curriculum while adding experiments, art projects, and music along the way to infuse life and enthusiasm to our little classroom.  The result has been a joy filled and truly wonderful experience.  Still, the idea of a unit study (along with a multitude of various education ideas) has intrigued me for some time.
     Yesterday, a package from the children's grandparents arrived.  It contained three shirts with brightly colored turtles on them and the word Cozumel.  Questions poured out from the children ( this is a perpetual occurrence).   In general, I can quickly answer those barrage of questions with a substantial amount of answers.  With Cozumel, I could not. 
     Was this a moment of defeat?  I think not! This was a chance to grow our knowledge together, experience the thrill of acquiring new information ( Yes, I am a self professed and happy nerd.),  and spark my children's imagination.
      With a few clicks of the keys on my laptop, we were on to exploration.  First, we found Cozumel.
It is right off the Yukitan Peninsula.

This sparked a conversation about the difference between peninsulas and islands.

Then we learned about the first inhabitants (The Mayan Civilization), and their culture and architecture.

We learned that the temples the Mayan's built were much like the Egyptian pyramids and that they also covered the walls with heiroglyphs.
  A child friendly website about the Mayan culture is http://www.mayankids.com/mkarchaeology.htm

 Finally, we discussed the natural attractions of Cozumel.  ( What makes it special) With this, we discovered that there is a large chain of coral reefs in the waters surrounding Cozumel.  It is, in fact, the second largest chain of coral reefs in the world! 

Finally, we discovered that Cozumel has a large sea turtle population, and that these turtles hatch out of the shells that were buried in the sand by their mother's 53 days earlier.  They must then crawl to the ocean immediately after hatching.  We then watched an adorable video of this exact occurrence.

How cute is that!

We finished our unit study by printing out a picture of Cozumel for the kids to color which gave me enough time to make a ten question test.   One can only stray so far out of their box =)  The kids aced the test!

Upon completion of their test they were then presented with their Cozumel T-shirts to wear and called Grandma to tell her all about Cozumel, and of course to say thank you.  My two year old went around singing an adorable song.  Most of the words, I could not make out, but I did hear a distinct Cozumel in there every now and again.  

Conclusion?  I love unit studies! The process appealed to both my traditional learner and my unconventional learner as well as my two year old.  I enjoyed teaching.  ( Truth be told, I almost always love teaching) And the children retained the onslaught of information very well. 

This should be a picture of my children all adorned in their new t shirts with beautifully done hair and gleaming smiles, but since no such picture can be procured, I bequeath you with this one.  Why?  Because it is funny, and I like it.  =)

   

Emulating Woody

     Daddy has been in the hospital, and running back and forth from home to the hospital with all three children has been a challenge.  Today, however, my unconventional child gave us a moment of comic relief.  I was hustling all of the children out of the car and saying the normal things that accompany this inevitable transition: "Put your coat back on." , " Why must you always take off your socks and shoes?" , "I know you are stuck, unbuckle your seat belt and then you will be unstuck!",  "Please hurry, it is freezing out here."  and on and on.  Perhaps it is only me who gets to say such things over and over. 
      We all had made it out of the car, avoided running in to passing traffic, and we all walking moderately close together.  My middle child however was walking even more funny than normal.  If you have ever seen the way my son can walk backwards, sideways, and in circles while doing a sort of galloping hop motion, you would know what I am talking about.  
     When we made it inside, I turned to him and said " You are going to have to do a better job focusing on walking with mommy, and looking where you are going. He is forever running in to walls, trees, cars, siblings, and more.  Solemnly he nods, and then asks "Can I fix my boots first?"  I agree and can not help but notice how we have garnered the attention of the nurses as well as all of the families in the lobby.  So, he sits down, takes off his boots, and proceeds to dump several hot wheel cars out of his boots.  At this point, those observing can no longer contain their amusement and laughter fills the room. 
     His explanation was quite rational.  He wanted to have some new toys to play with in daddy's hospital room.  Good idea!  Unconventional methodology. :)  Once again " A merry heart doeth good like a medicine."

Noah's Ark Science Lessons : Beginning to Homeschool

     So, I have decided to home school the children this year.  The remarks I get after making that statement have varied from non committal "Ooooh's" to more colorful remarks such as " Are you crazy?!"   There have been a few moments in the last two weeks to which I would have answered the latter question with a resounding "YES."
      Today, however, I felt like a great teacher as my children beamed, raised their hands, asked questions, and engaged in intelligent conversation.  Keep in mind, that this is all qualified by the fact that they are only three and six.  So, we are not quite engaging in rocket science, yet. :) 
      While I was reading the story of Noah as a part of their Bible and Reading lessons, my three year old raised his hand and asked what pitch ( the substance that God told Noah to use to cover the Ark) was. Trying to think in little boy terms, I explained that pitch was like oil, but much thicker.  When I asked him why he thought that this would be good for a boat, he said " I don't know." 
      Seizing the opportunity, I brought a glass of water to show the children that water and oil stay separated, even when stirred vigorously. ( They loved the opportunity to try and defy science by forcing the molecules to combine!)  

     My six year old was fascinated by the fact that the oil continuously rose to the top, and asked if this was how the Ark floated on the water.  Consequently,we began to discuss the concept of water displacement, and why even very large objects can float. 
     Finally, we took Lincoln Logs and dipped one in oil while leaving the other alone  We then put the logs into the water to see how wood floats.  The children got to see that with or without oil both of the logs floated.  However, there was one major difference between the two.  After several minutes in the water, we retrieved and wiped off the Lincoln Logs.  The one that was covered in oil was smooth and the wood was undamaged, the other log, however, was compromised.  It's wood was already showing beginning signs of water damage.
     All it took was a simple question and two open minds to set us off on an hour of incredible discovery. The way their eyes lit up, and the way they readily absorbed the information was immensely gratifying.  Today I felt like a great teacher, and today my children were incredible students! 
      

Simon says " What are you doing?"

    Today we were playing Simon Says, and once again my hilarious son was showing his out of the box thinking. 
   When I said " Simon says touch your toes"  my older daughter and toddler son instantly touched their toes.  By the way, it is so cute watching a 16 month old play Simon Says.   My creative thinker however ran for his bat, reached over, picked it up , and then used it to touch his toes! 
   When I said " Simon says reach your arms as high as you can"  he took me literally.  While the other two were reaching their hands into the sky, he ran over, picked up his step stool, jumped on top of it and then started reaching.
    I am not sure if I should be impressed or bewildered. 
    Today he also decided to be Mr. Fix It.  Now I encourage and praise chores and any form of helping, but when he decides to "fix" things I am always more than a little anxious.  He helped me fix a wobbly chair with his power drill, and that went relatively well. 

                    Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. Ecc.9:10                                        

     Buoyed by his success and my praise, he wandered off to another room.  When I heard him yelling
" Mom, look what I did.  I helped you!"  I went running. 
     Somehow this child had managed with a narrow ended little race car, and a plastic hammer, to take off a large section of our decorative wood trim.  YIKES! 
    If nothing else, he is creative, resourceful, and determined.  At least that is what I keep saying to myself. :)  He makes me laugh and cry at the same time.  What a child!

Loving that hair

     My son is in the " I can do it by myself" phase.  This goes for everything!  There is nothing that he does not want to do, conquer, and be in control of.  While I know that this is good for  his development, it is most definitely not good for trying to get out of the door. 
     On Sunday I was trying to get everybody out of the door and my son wanted to do his own hair.  Grabbing the spray bottle and a brush he raced away to do his hair.  I decided to let him work at it while I got everything else ready. 
     Time was getting short and his hair needed to be done, so I corralled him and poised myself to tame the three different cowlicks and smooth down the mass of insanity that is his hair.  " But I already did it!" was his protest.  He had done something all right. It looked like a lion had moussed his mane and then jumped on the Millennium Force.  YIKES!  Still he persisted in insisting that it looked good. 
     I know I can hear the parenting "experts" saying to choose my battles and to just let it be, but they are not the ones who have to parade their child through church looking like that!  Striking upon a genius idea I took him over to the mirror to see his hair.  Unfortunately at that moment his male genes kicked in.  " Oh yes, I look gooood!"  Good grief! so much for that idea. 

Doesn't he look angelic. :)

      So, I resorted to the thing I probably should have done in the first place.  " Buddy, Mommy is going to do you hair, and that is all there is to it."   He quickly acquiesced and we finally got out of the door.  One of these days, I will have it all figured out.  Of course by then, I will be a Grandma.  :)

Moments of Quiet Bliss

     I am lying in bed this morning with my three year old holding my hair like a blanket and breathing it in.  Fading in and out of a dream land, I am washed over with flashes of my sweet baby son nuzzling into my skin and breathing in deeply as if he was a diver coming up for air or a humming bird inhaling draughts of sweet nectar.  The way my little baby melts into me is precious beyond words.
     This part of motherhood, I adore.  Last night I was rocking my youngest after he woke up crying.  Normally a sound sleeper, he was having troubled sleep because of a cold.  As soon as I sat down in our well loved green rocking chair and began to sing, his whole body melted, his eyes closed, and he was transformed. Changed from a tense, crying, uncomfortable child into my sweet baby.  Body heavy with sleep, head resting on my chest, so peaceful, so content, so secure.
    What an amazing power it is to be a mom.  What an amazing love.  The ability with a touch, a gentle sway, and a soft note to transform pain to comfort, crying to quiet, and tension to sweet heavy relaxation.

                                                                         Bliss