Meanwhile, here's a Birthday special of istormy. And Lana is sporting her new hair cut too. Aint she adorable?
Showing posts with label Lana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lana. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
I'm the worst (istormy)
I'm the world's worst blogger. I'm so full of good intentions. I have a million (rounded up slightly) posts floating around in my head, not sure if I'll ever get them down.
Meanwhile, here's a Birthday special of istormy. And Lana is sporting her new hair cut too. Aint she adorable?
Meanwhile, here's a Birthday special of istormy. And Lana is sporting her new hair cut too. Aint she adorable?
Friday, March 5, 2010
Zoe has an idea, Turtle's recovery and i-Stormy
i-Stormy
We recorded this the day before we ended up in hospital. Uncle Doug had the file for me the next day but I didn't have the chance to put it up. So here it is now, on a Friday. i-Stormy gets weirder and weirder with every episode. That's Lana for ya. I sure love her.
-----------
ZOE HAS AN IDEA
I am missing the whole Tot Talk Tuesday thing. I'm forgetting so many of the cute things they are saying. But I am such a rebel against routine...TTT was starting to feel too much like a chore. I'm so terrible it's shameful.
If you have never met me and are new to this blog then you may not know that Zoe is quite a handful. She's the perfect example of the euphemism, "spirited child". I swear she is like 99.8% choleric temperament type. The wiki describes Cholerics as such,
She's made for greatness. She's a born leader. And it's a heck of a lot of personality in one little body. I love her like crazy.
Zoe turned 3 last weekend. She had a great day. I didn't get many photos because my indoor lenses are broken, and I don't have photoshop on this computer yet, so here's an older photo.
Aw, she looks so harmless there. Which is certainly not the case.
Yes that's how far behind in photo editing I am, the most recent pics I have are from before Winter. I'm ashamed. The rest are stuck on a harddrive in my laptop that blew up, Rene thinks we'll be able to recover them so I'm not too worried. We just need to buy some bits and bobs first.
So one aspect of Zoe's personality that I have been surprised to see blossoming as she gained a year, has been a diplomatic one. Zoe the diplomat, who'd have thunk it? Her elder sisters can be...frank and blunt at the best of times. Downright brutal at others. For example, we were enjoying an innocent song of "Old MacDonald" on finishing up our lunch a couple of days ago. When it was Kaya's turn to name the animals that he had some of on that farm, she suggested, "Mummies". Not as in dead bodies all wrapped up, rather the British endearing title for the maternal figure. It was a very harsh reality check when I heard the noises a "Mummy" might make on the farm. With a "RENE! (with antagonistic intonation) here and a "ZOE, STOP THAT!" there, here a "Aw, poor Turtle" (did I sense some resentment), there a "Kaya, could you please get that for me".
Hmmm, I'm getting the impression that perhaps they might think I don't treat them each equally. Poor Lana, apparently I don't even give her a look in. They're probably right. Kaya and Lana continued with the mocking and Zoe was the only one to notice the gulp and the defeated look in my eyes while I smiled politely and tried to sing along and take a joke. So Zoe piped in, "Everywhere an 'I love you'".
Her recent new phrase is, "I have an idea!!"
And she uses it well. She is so good at coming up with compromises, even when it's mostly HER doing the compromising, she's happy so long as it was her "idea" in the first place. Of course, she uses it to her own advantage also,
"Can I have some water in here?"
"No honey"
"But, why?"
"Because I don't want it to spill everywhere, I just cleaned the floor"
"*gasps, face lights up and fingers point to the sky* I have an idea!!! *queue singsong tone* I pway wiff water in here, and DEN, I get a towel and cwean it UP!!!!"
"*sigh* OK, it's a good idea"
"Can I pwease have some ice cweam?"
"No, it's almost supper time"
"I have an IDEA!!!! You make the supper, I eat my supper all wup and DEN I can have some ice cweam!!!"
I've tried using it on her, but it just doesn't work unless it's HER idea. I suppose it's all part of the Choleric temperament. Still, I'm glad to see her personality being put to good use. She's making some big compromises. Like when her sister beat her to the computer, normally she would just stick her talons out and start expressing her distaste for the situation all over her sisters arms. This morning she gasped and said, "I have an IDEA!! Nana can pway the computer, and DEN when she is all done, she can get off da chair and I can sit in it and then I can pway da computer."
I see only good things coming of this.
-----------
TURTLE'S RECOVERY
He is doing really well. Still on antibiotics, which means we get about 5 hours sleep per night, because of the schedule they are on. Rene copes pretty well on 5 hours, I just plain don't. I'm falling about the place, grumpy and tired.
But Turtle's responding really well. He had an appointment with the Orthopedic Doc today. We were hoping to have the cast taken off, but he said it needs to stay on for one more week, he was really wobbly on his leg. They will x ray it again to check for bone damage, and then he needs another x ray in a year, to double check. The kid has had so many x-rays now, I am sooo not comfortable with that. I don't really know what other choice I have though...
We're still being brought meals every day. I feel so spoiled but it also helps sooo much. I don't know how we'd co-ordinate grocery shopping and cooking just now. We are so off our routine and kind of still just in survival mode. The meals have been yummy and soooooo helpful. We are so lucky and blessed to be so well taken care of.
-------------
TWILIGHT
Oh and I just wanted to say, I finally got round to reading the twilight series. I just finished eclipse. 1 more to go. I am LOVING them. I love the whole high school, vampire, romance thing anyway. So I guess it was inevitable that I would enjoy it. I watched the first movie a while back and wasn't overly taken, but I wanted to give the book a shot and I'm glad I did. I am sucked into the saga now. I want to watch the film again because I'm sure I'll have a new appreciation for it.
< /geekmode >
We recorded this the day before we ended up in hospital. Uncle Doug had the file for me the next day but I didn't have the chance to put it up. So here it is now, on a Friday. i-Stormy gets weirder and weirder with every episode. That's Lana for ya. I sure love her.
-----------
ZOE HAS AN IDEA
I am missing the whole Tot Talk Tuesday thing. I'm forgetting so many of the cute things they are saying. But I am such a rebel against routine...TTT was starting to feel too much like a chore. I'm so terrible it's shameful.
If you have never met me and are new to this blog then you may not know that Zoe is quite a handful. She's the perfect example of the euphemism, "spirited child". I swear she is like 99.8% choleric temperament type. The wiki describes Cholerics as such,
"A person who is choleric is a doer. They have a lot of ambition, energy, and passion, and try to instill it in others. They can dominate people of other temperaments, especially phlegmatic types. Many great charismatic military and political figures were cholerics."
She's made for greatness. She's a born leader. And it's a heck of a lot of personality in one little body. I love her like crazy.
Zoe turned 3 last weekend. She had a great day. I didn't get many photos because my indoor lenses are broken, and I don't have photoshop on this computer yet, so here's an older photo.
Aw, she looks so harmless there. Which is certainly not the case.
Yes that's how far behind in photo editing I am, the most recent pics I have are from before Winter. I'm ashamed. The rest are stuck on a harddrive in my laptop that blew up, Rene thinks we'll be able to recover them so I'm not too worried. We just need to buy some bits and bobs first.
So one aspect of Zoe's personality that I have been surprised to see blossoming as she gained a year, has been a diplomatic one. Zoe the diplomat, who'd have thunk it? Her elder sisters can be...frank and blunt at the best of times. Downright brutal at others. For example, we were enjoying an innocent song of "Old MacDonald" on finishing up our lunch a couple of days ago. When it was Kaya's turn to name the animals that he had some of on that farm, she suggested, "Mummies". Not as in dead bodies all wrapped up, rather the British endearing title for the maternal figure. It was a very harsh reality check when I heard the noises a "Mummy" might make on the farm. With a "RENE! (with antagonistic intonation) here and a "ZOE, STOP THAT!" there, here a "Aw, poor Turtle" (did I sense some resentment), there a "Kaya, could you please get that for me".
Hmmm, I'm getting the impression that perhaps they might think I don't treat them each equally. Poor Lana, apparently I don't even give her a look in. They're probably right. Kaya and Lana continued with the mocking and Zoe was the only one to notice the gulp and the defeated look in my eyes while I smiled politely and tried to sing along and take a joke. So Zoe piped in, "Everywhere an 'I love you'".
Her recent new phrase is, "I have an idea!!"
And she uses it well. She is so good at coming up with compromises, even when it's mostly HER doing the compromising, she's happy so long as it was her "idea" in the first place. Of course, she uses it to her own advantage also,
"Can I have some water in here?"
"No honey"
"But, why?"
"Because I don't want it to spill everywhere, I just cleaned the floor"
"*gasps, face lights up and fingers point to the sky* I have an idea!!! *queue singsong tone* I pway wiff water in here, and DEN, I get a towel and cwean it UP!!!!"
"*sigh* OK, it's a good idea"
"Can I pwease have some ice cweam?"
"No, it's almost supper time"
"I have an IDEA!!!! You make the supper, I eat my supper all wup and DEN I can have some ice cweam!!!"
I've tried using it on her, but it just doesn't work unless it's HER idea. I suppose it's all part of the Choleric temperament. Still, I'm glad to see her personality being put to good use. She's making some big compromises. Like when her sister beat her to the computer, normally she would just stick her talons out and start expressing her distaste for the situation all over her sisters arms. This morning she gasped and said, "I have an IDEA!! Nana can pway the computer, and DEN when she is all done, she can get off da chair and I can sit in it and then I can pway da computer."
I see only good things coming of this.
-----------
TURTLE'S RECOVERY
He is doing really well. Still on antibiotics, which means we get about 5 hours sleep per night, because of the schedule they are on. Rene copes pretty well on 5 hours, I just plain don't. I'm falling about the place, grumpy and tired.
But Turtle's responding really well. He had an appointment with the Orthopedic Doc today. We were hoping to have the cast taken off, but he said it needs to stay on for one more week, he was really wobbly on his leg. They will x ray it again to check for bone damage, and then he needs another x ray in a year, to double check. The kid has had so many x-rays now, I am sooo not comfortable with that. I don't really know what other choice I have though...
We're still being brought meals every day. I feel so spoiled but it also helps sooo much. I don't know how we'd co-ordinate grocery shopping and cooking just now. We are so off our routine and kind of still just in survival mode. The meals have been yummy and soooooo helpful. We are so lucky and blessed to be so well taken care of.
-------------
TWILIGHT
Oh and I just wanted to say, I finally got round to reading the twilight series. I just finished eclipse. 1 more to go. I am LOVING them. I love the whole high school, vampire, romance thing anyway. So I guess it was inevitable that I would enjoy it. I watched the first movie a while back and wasn't overly taken, but I wanted to give the book a shot and I'm glad I did. I am sucked into the saga now. I want to watch the film again because I'm sure I'll have a new appreciation for it.
< /geekmode >
Monday, January 18, 2010
Lana in the limelight
She was keen to have some of the fame and glory her sister has been enjoying recently with the web show thing. So she came up with istormy. Lana did all the writing by herself. She is an obscure kind of gal, with a very active imagination. So watching this may make you feel slightly trippy, kind of the way watching teletubbies used to (in the olden days).
I think she's awesome. Enjoy.
I think she's awesome. Enjoy.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tot Talk Tuesday
Labels:
Lana,
tot talk tuesdays,
Zoe
This time I wrote stuff down! woohoo.
First was just how Zoe call a light bulb a "white bald". Which it kind of looks like, so it makes sense.
Second, Zoe and Lana were playing a game where Lana was the baby and Zoe was the mommy.
Lana cries, "mommy, I want to go to bed"
Zoe tucks her in bed.
"Mommy, I need a kiss"
Zoe kisses her.
"Mommy, I want a story"
"Okay." She opens her hands out as a pretend book. "Once upon a time there was a wittle bug. Azzowitty a doo doo. Dudajiddy. Vee end."
Lana cries. "waa waaa. No, that was a short story. I want a long story".
"Okay. Once upon a time there was a wittle long. Azzowitty a doo doo. Dudajiddy. Vee end."
--------------
Read what a Tot Talk Tuesday is and how you can join in here, remember to include the following code in your blog
And please do join in! The more the merrier!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Tot Talk Tuesday - a little late in the day...
Labels:
Lana,
tot talk tuesdays,
Zoe
I've been busy today with La Leche League in the morning and then playing with 8 kids in our wading pool and slip 'n' slide in the afternoon. I didn't get the chance to get my Tot Talk Tuesday post up. I figured I'll do it now anyway - better late than never, right?
Lana gave me some TTT material on Sunday, when we were flying in first class. She was a couple rows in front, sitting beside Kaya. I was praying they'd be on their best behavior and they did pretty well. At one point though, Lana turned around and in a panic tone started calling, "MUMMY! DADDY!". Everyone looked. She continued, "I'M ALMOST PEEPEEING MY PANTS!!!"
Thankfully the steward was swift to attend them, remove her tray of food and help her to the bathroom before any accident. but it was a little embarrassing.
Zoe came to me with her dad's glove worn clumsily on her hand and says,
"Mummy, do you want to pway soccer?"
I'm guessing she thought it looked like a baseball glove, but thought that baseball was called soccer. It was very cute.
Anyway I know it's late in the day, but if any of ya are online while it's still Tuesday (or heck, I keep it open all week, so join in any day if you want! Call it Tot Talk Wednesday for all I care. :))it would be nice to hear what your tots have been saying this week.
--------------
Read what a Tot Talk Tuesday is and how you can join in here, remember to include the following code in your blog
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tot Talk Tuesday
Labels:
Lana,
tot talk tuesdays,
Zoe
Zoe has a best friend. He's the next door neighbor's kid, Gage, a few months younger than she is, and yes, he is a boy. So of course everyone thinks they'll be married one day, and if they do, she'd be doing well for herself. Because he's a very sweet and loving boy. He puts up with Zoe's unwillingness to share, he tolerates her fickle nature and bossiness and follows her from the car to the swing to the sandbox as she constantly changes her fancy. It's adorable to watch their faces light up when they see each other and they run to each other and immediately take back up from wherever they left things off last time.
This week I was out swinging Zoe and she could hear Gage crying inside his house. She looked concerned and told me,
"oh no, Gage cwying. Gage sad; He wants me. Gage wants me."
I asked her,
"Is Gage crying because he wants you?"
"Yes. And a baby chicken. Gage cwying - he wants me and a baby chicken".
Then later on that day he came out to play. While he was playing on the swing he started patting his lap and saying, "Zoe, come a sap. Come a sap, Zoe."
She frowned at him and put on a disgusted face and said, "No. I don't want a wap"
Which of course, he gracefully accepted and they went on to play something else. They are so cute together.
I've also gotta tell you about Lana singing a song she learned at Sunday school. On the way home from church, she was sitting in the back seat peltering out,
"God sent his son to Earth and Jesus was his name-o
Hmm hmmm esss yooo esss
hmmm hmmmm esss yooo esss
hmmm hmmm ess yooo esss
and Bingo was his name-o"
Then she looked a little confused. There were a couple seconds silence while she figured out the error, then corrected herself,
"And Jesus was his name-o"
--------------
Read what a Tot Talk Tuesday is and how you can join in here, remember to include the following code in your blog
Monday, June 29, 2009
Water fun, butt cracks (or lack thereof), birthdays and visitors
So we did coco keys on Saturday. We had a load of fun, but Lana did get overwhelmed after 5 hours and asked if we could go home.
Mr Butt Crack did in fact make an appearance again. His butt crack, however, did not this time. Should I actually admit that I was slightly disappointed? I mean, it would have made good blog material.
And now today is Lana's 5th birthday. She's excited and overwhelmed. I'm about to take off with them to grab breakfast somewhere and eat it at a park. As soon as I've cleaned up the wrapping paper. Because we're trying to keep the house clean for our guests coming later today. My mum, little brother and Step Father arrive from Scotland later today! Woooohooo! I am so excited. What a day.
Mr Butt Crack did in fact make an appearance again. His butt crack, however, did not this time. Should I actually admit that I was slightly disappointed? I mean, it would have made good blog material.
And now today is Lana's 5th birthday. She's excited and overwhelmed. I'm about to take off with them to grab breakfast somewhere and eat it at a park. As soon as I've cleaned up the wrapping paper. Because we're trying to keep the house clean for our guests coming later today. My mum, little brother and Step Father arrive from Scotland later today! Woooohooo! I am so excited. What a day.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Playful Parenting
Labels:
attachment parenting,
kaya,
Lana
I have a lot I want to say on this subject at some point in the future. But I'll make this one a quickie.
Sometimes we go into parenting situations full guns blazing, only to accidentally shoot ourselves in the foot with said fully blazing gun. Sometimes we expect conflict, so we start reacting as though there already is a conflict, and thus we bring one about.
I just did something similar. 2 minutes ago. And it could have ended in disaster. I went through to the livingroom to see that the kids had torn an egg carton into many pieces and spilled it on the floor (an "art project") and then emptied the contents of a box of penny pasta all over the floor and couch. And thrown in some pistachios to boot.
I handled it calmly, walked through and switched off the tv and informed the children they could watch a little bit more as soon as they've cleaned up the mess. Kaya went straight through and started cleaning. She's a rule sort of person. She likes to know where boundaries are and to stay inside them.
Lana, however, is more of a beat-of-your-own drum type and prefers to govern her own world. Fine, I'm the same was as her, I get that and love her for it. However, she does have to learn how to live in a society and get along with others and contribute equally.
I heard her switch the tv back on while Kaya was working her butt off cleaning up. So I loaded up my weapons and went in, "NO Lana, you can't watch tv! You'll be banned from tv for 2 days if you don't get in there and help your sister now. It's only fair, you helped make the mess!!" yell yell, bla bla. It only puts her off. I turned off the tv and sent her through. Her head was hanging low. She didn't seem like she had a lot of energy or ambition to start helping, and I anticipated she'd probably just flop herself down on the couch.
As Jasmine Star says - "because all posts are better with a pic"
But then Kaya piped in with, "Hey Lana, do you want to feed the hungry vacuum?"
Lana's face lit up. And she got to work picking up pieces and feeding them to the vacuum cleaner. And they're still both in there just now busy cleaning away and having a great time.
If only I had thought of that! So often if we just approach an issue from a playful point of view, we'll have a much easier time getting our kids to participate. Instead of saying, "put your shoes on NOW we're 5 minutes late!", why not try saying, "let's pretend our feet are 2 birds who have lost their feathers, and they're really cold. Let's pretend these shoes are the feathers, we'd better put them on really fast before the bird gets cold". Or instead of saying, "Brush. Teeth. Nowish" how about, "I found a magical toothbrush. If you rub it against your teeth 30 times on the top and bottom, a fairy comes out and grants a wish. Would you like to go try it!"
Kids really respond to it! I might think about making a challenge or something, because I certainly need to remember this more. Maybe if I had a graphic and an official challenge it would help me remember haha. Yelling at the kids less, and them contributing positively more can only be a good thing, right?
Sometimes we go into parenting situations full guns blazing, only to accidentally shoot ourselves in the foot with said fully blazing gun. Sometimes we expect conflict, so we start reacting as though there already is a conflict, and thus we bring one about.
I just did something similar. 2 minutes ago. And it could have ended in disaster. I went through to the livingroom to see that the kids had torn an egg carton into many pieces and spilled it on the floor (an "art project") and then emptied the contents of a box of penny pasta all over the floor and couch. And thrown in some pistachios to boot.
I handled it calmly, walked through and switched off the tv and informed the children they could watch a little bit more as soon as they've cleaned up the mess. Kaya went straight through and started cleaning. She's a rule sort of person. She likes to know where boundaries are and to stay inside them.
Lana, however, is more of a beat-of-your-own drum type and prefers to govern her own world. Fine, I'm the same was as her, I get that and love her for it. However, she does have to learn how to live in a society and get along with others and contribute equally.
I heard her switch the tv back on while Kaya was working her butt off cleaning up. So I loaded up my weapons and went in, "NO Lana, you can't watch tv! You'll be banned from tv for 2 days if you don't get in there and help your sister now. It's only fair, you helped make the mess!!" yell yell, bla bla. It only puts her off. I turned off the tv and sent her through. Her head was hanging low. She didn't seem like she had a lot of energy or ambition to start helping, and I anticipated she'd probably just flop herself down on the couch.
As Jasmine Star says - "because all posts are better with a pic"
But then Kaya piped in with, "Hey Lana, do you want to feed the hungry vacuum?"
Lana's face lit up. And she got to work picking up pieces and feeding them to the vacuum cleaner. And they're still both in there just now busy cleaning away and having a great time.
If only I had thought of that! So often if we just approach an issue from a playful point of view, we'll have a much easier time getting our kids to participate. Instead of saying, "put your shoes on NOW we're 5 minutes late!", why not try saying, "let's pretend our feet are 2 birds who have lost their feathers, and they're really cold. Let's pretend these shoes are the feathers, we'd better put them on really fast before the bird gets cold". Or instead of saying, "Brush. Teeth. Nowish" how about, "I found a magical toothbrush. If you rub it against your teeth 30 times on the top and bottom, a fairy comes out and grants a wish. Would you like to go try it!"
Kids really respond to it! I might think about making a challenge or something, because I certainly need to remember this more. Maybe if I had a graphic and an official challenge it would help me remember haha. Yelling at the kids less, and them contributing positively more can only be a good thing, right?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Way back When-sday
I stumbled across this meme, and I think it's a great idea. I *love* looking through old photos.
Check out twinfatuation blog and join in.
I looked out some old pics of Kaya, which were some of my favs. I used to do a photo shoot of the girls in Calendar Park,Falklirk (Scotland), every fall.
That park has significance for Rene and I. He sort of almost asked me out there (he had a conversation where he hinted at it, because he was too nervous, then started talking about "our relationship" and assumed us to be an item. And we have been ever since). We had our first kiss there (um...later that same day). We had many teenage-frustrated-hormone-driven fights there. We saw Hanson play there.
We took Heather there in fall 2001. And got this photo.
The following year, we were blessed to be able to bring Kaya there.
And also the year after that
But I'm not going to post those pics today (oops, I just did).
Because I loved these ones, from fall 2004. Kaya was 2, and Lana was about 3.5 months. Such pretty wee lassies. This was actually a difficult time in our marriage. We were having issues, and hadn't started counseling yet. We were very much in a rut, and spent a lot of time fighting or crying. But we'd sometimes just get out of the house, just forget about the stresses, the lack of money, the depression, the mess. We'd get out and just be a family. And have fun. And those moments sustained us.
I remember this day. It was a good day.
Check out Daddy's beard. hehe.
I don't miss tons about Scotland, other than the people and some food stuffs. Mostly, our lives have improved so much since coming here that I hardly stop to look back and miss the place. But I must admit, I feel a longing to stroll around Calendar park again, feed the ducks, watch the squirrels. Or in summer, watch the kids on the bouncy castle. A lot of memories in that place.
Check out twinfatuation blog and join in.
I looked out some old pics of Kaya, which were some of my favs. I used to do a photo shoot of the girls in Calendar Park,Falklirk (Scotland), every fall.
That park has significance for Rene and I. He sort of almost asked me out there (he had a conversation where he hinted at it, because he was too nervous, then started talking about "our relationship" and assumed us to be an item. And we have been ever since). We had our first kiss there (um...later that same day). We had many teenage-frustrated-hormone-driven fights there. We saw Hanson play there.
We took Heather there in fall 2001. And got this photo.
The following year, we were blessed to be able to bring Kaya there.
And also the year after that
But I'm not going to post those pics today (oops, I just did).
Because I loved these ones, from fall 2004. Kaya was 2, and Lana was about 3.5 months. Such pretty wee lassies. This was actually a difficult time in our marriage. We were having issues, and hadn't started counseling yet. We were very much in a rut, and spent a lot of time fighting or crying. But we'd sometimes just get out of the house, just forget about the stresses, the lack of money, the depression, the mess. We'd get out and just be a family. And have fun. And those moments sustained us.
I remember this day. It was a good day.
Check out Daddy's beard. hehe.
I don't miss tons about Scotland, other than the people and some food stuffs. Mostly, our lives have improved so much since coming here that I hardly stop to look back and miss the place. But I must admit, I feel a longing to stroll around Calendar park again, feed the ducks, watch the squirrels. Or in summer, watch the kids on the bouncy castle. A lot of memories in that place.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Companionship anywhere
Labels:
Lana
I walked into the bathroom this morning and was surprised to see Lana leaning over the toilet. I was worried she was sick, and saw my life pile of clean towels flash before my eyes.
But then she noticed me, straightened up and smiled sheepishly. And started explaining,
"I pretend those little screws on the toilet seat are actually tiny plungers, but they don't know my name and Unicorn likes to take pictures of me with them"
Ah, Lana. She's obscure, she's surreal, she's unique. She's frequently the odd one out, the last one picked, the first picked-on and the one left by herself. But she doesn't let that stop her. She finds companionship anywhere. Beauty in ugliness. Friends in inanimate objects. Her spirit is like a flame in a dark cave, and I pray it never burns out.
But then she noticed me, straightened up and smiled sheepishly. And started explaining,
"I pretend those little screws on the toilet seat are actually tiny plungers, but they don't know my name and Unicorn likes to take pictures of me with them"
Ah, Lana. She's obscure, she's surreal, she's unique. She's frequently the odd one out, the last one picked, the first picked-on and the one left by herself. But she doesn't let that stop her. She finds companionship anywhere. Beauty in ugliness. Friends in inanimate objects. Her spirit is like a flame in a dark cave, and I pray it never burns out.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Finding my homeschooling style
Labels:
homeschooling,
kaya,
Lana
I've encountered a variety of homeschooling styles in the groups I've gone along to. The first homeschooler we came in contact with back in Scotland was highly structured. Her whole house was a library and the walls were covered in educational posters and kids artwork. I felt overwhelmed and didn't know how I'd ever achieve that.
Kaya's typography art. It doesn't say anything in particular.
Then I met the unschoolers. And it appealed to me. It seemed simple and intuitive.
But I am an awkward sort of person. I need some structure in my life, to keep me accountable. I sort of like lists and organization. But at the sniff of over structure I completely rebel. When there are too many rules I start to just want to break them.
So we've been feeling our way through this and I think we're settling into something that works for us. Just the right balance for us.
We employ the unschooling approach for the most part. Which involves learning through play, spending time together, reading, going out and investigating flowers, reading stories, baking together, counting money, etc etc.
But I also take a couple hours between breakfast and lunch to do some structured school work. Even at that it's not very structured. I don't have a set curriculum to work through, I just make up a list of things I want to cover in the year, and we wing it. I have various work books which we make our way through, and it helps keep me accountable. I know we're learning enough to cover the material in the books. If something comes up which I haven't taught yet then I know what our next lesson will be.
Kaya's just finishing up her 1st grade year and Lana rekons she's done with preschool and ready to start kindergarten. She's finished the workbooks for sure, and is reading really quite well for a 4 year old. She reads the same books we get from the library for Kaya!
I think we're finally starting to settle into a routine - no that word smells too much like structure - a pattern that works for us. We have fun learning together. I learn so much too! Homeschooling has its pros and cons for sure, and I'm thinking I'll make a blog post about those at some point. I am just really enjoying getting to spend the day with my kids, from start to end, raising and teaching them and watching them grow and learn. It feels like such an accomplishment. And it's a privilege I am so grateful for.
Having said that...I am totally looking forward to the Summer break when we will take a much more laid back approach! Bring it on Summer. hehe.
Kaya's typography art. It doesn't say anything in particular.
Then I met the unschoolers. And it appealed to me. It seemed simple and intuitive.
But I am an awkward sort of person. I need some structure in my life, to keep me accountable. I sort of like lists and organization. But at the sniff of over structure I completely rebel. When there are too many rules I start to just want to break them.
So we've been feeling our way through this and I think we're settling into something that works for us. Just the right balance for us.
We employ the unschooling approach for the most part. Which involves learning through play, spending time together, reading, going out and investigating flowers, reading stories, baking together, counting money, etc etc.
But I also take a couple hours between breakfast and lunch to do some structured school work. Even at that it's not very structured. I don't have a set curriculum to work through, I just make up a list of things I want to cover in the year, and we wing it. I have various work books which we make our way through, and it helps keep me accountable. I know we're learning enough to cover the material in the books. If something comes up which I haven't taught yet then I know what our next lesson will be.
Kaya's just finishing up her 1st grade year and Lana rekons she's done with preschool and ready to start kindergarten. She's finished the workbooks for sure, and is reading really quite well for a 4 year old. She reads the same books we get from the library for Kaya!
I think we're finally starting to settle into a routine - no that word smells too much like structure - a pattern that works for us. We have fun learning together. I learn so much too! Homeschooling has its pros and cons for sure, and I'm thinking I'll make a blog post about those at some point. I am just really enjoying getting to spend the day with my kids, from start to end, raising and teaching them and watching them grow and learn. It feels like such an accomplishment. And it's a privilege I am so grateful for.
Having said that...I am totally looking forward to the Summer break when we will take a much more laid back approach! Bring it on Summer. hehe.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Let them be little
Labels:
attachment parenting,
gentle discipline,
Lana,
me
I'm totally planning on making a slideshow to that song. It's unfortunately a Country song, but the words are precious.
Please, let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give them hope, give them praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let 'em sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.
We were leaving the park on Thursday, and it was pretty late in the evening. We had been at a potluck and it was long over. We had stayed later because Kaya found some guy's cell phone and Rene called the guy who was traveling across town to come collect it. It seemed to take a long time so when we were finally heading home, it was getting dark. I was also seriously sleep deprived, I had had 2 nights in a row of 2 hours sleep and was very keen to get home early to get to bed.
We packed up and started shuffling the kids towards the car. Rene was buckling in Kaya and Zoe, but Lana was still at the swings, putting on her shoes verrrry slowly. I started to get frustrated. I started to nag, "Lana, come ON, we have to leave now!" Because she's just like me, this made her want to slow down even more. She played with the stones and the sand, looked up at the trees, then wiggled her foot in her shoe a little, then took her foot back out and played with the stones, then started on her shoe a little again. By now everyone else is buckled in their car seats, waiting. I wondered to myself why she was misbehaving and I started contemplating what I could threaten her with to make her comply.
Then I stopped myself. Which I should do more often. And thought - hold on for a sec - is she *really* misbehaving? She's 4 years old. She's had a fun day at the park. She isn't sure exactly where we are taking her next or how the rest of the night will pan out - she won't have much control over that. We *all* feel the need to have control over our lives. Lana gets very insecure and scared when she doesn't know what's happening to her and feels out of control. Right now, she was in the drivers seat, and it felt comforting to her. She could decide her own pace and feel that she had control as she headed to the car. She *was* going to the car, just extremely slowly.
So it might take an extra 5 minutes if I just stand and wait. If I get mad at her now and threaten her or ground her etc we'd have the following negative outcomes:
She'll cry (possibly all the way home)
I'll get more upset
I'll feel guilty
She'll feel like she doesn't have control over anything in life, like a puppet (I feel the same way, like institutionalized. She's just like me)
That insecurity will develop into bitterness and we'll probably have more acting out later in the evening which I'll also have to deal with
Her spirit will be a little crushed, her flame slightly less bright. Maybe not enough to notice, but it builds up over time.
And the positive outcomes?
I'll be home 5 minutes earlier.
I placed them on my imaginary scales and it just made more sense to stand patiently and let her take her sweet time to walk back to the car. And she did. She took her time, and she walked back to the car. And she was happy and content. And so was I.
Sometimes we make more problems for ourselves as parents, than we need to. I am guilty of it. Sometimes we need to just remember to let them be little. Run things through the "so what" test before we make a big deal about it. Is this really a battle I want to enter into? Will this actually benefit my child to "learn a lesson" that you're not allowed to walk slowly back to cars? I expect the family to wait for me often, while I take my time over something. Lana is a valid and important member of the family, and I don't see why we shouldn't wait for her, if it's important to her to go a little slowly while she gets some closure on her adventures that evening. I think she'll learn lessons about being a valued member of a team as well as lessons in patience (through modeling) by waiting and letting her be Lana. Little Lana.
Friday, April 24, 2009
When I grow up
Of course, I believe it is my job as a mother, to encourage my children in whatever their endeavors. Whatever career path or life path they choose to follow, I want to be there to encourage them to do their best and serve God through it all.
It is fun though to speculate, based on their personalities, what I can imagine they might choose to do for a living when they reach adulthood. I will do so now.
KAYA
Kaya is made for leadership. Whatever industry she will end up in, she will have to be the boss of it. That's for certain. Maybe she'll start a charity to help feed the hungry and poor (she has a heart for that), or maybe she'll be the president of a major corporation. Or perhaps she'll be a store manager. Whatever she's involved in, she'll be the boss. The leader. The big man.
She has organization skills. She likes to watch and make sure everyone is playing their part to perfection. She has been this way since she was a newborn, she'd hardly sleep because she was busy watching what was going on around her, judging it and making sure everything was going ok according to her plan.
She has the extrovert personality. She's not afraid to be pushy. She is extremely headstrong and determined. She quit sucking her fingers cold turkey at 4 years old when her grandmother offered her a trip to Disney if she's quit. She potty trained at 26 months, and has only ever had maybe 4 accidents ever in her life (and she had an infection at the time). She potty trained in one day. I don't think she's ever wet the bed. She decides something's right and she goes for it. And pity the fool who gets in her way.
LANA
Dear sweet Lana. My partner in crime. She's a peace lovin' tree hugger like her momma. She has a passion for helping the underdog. Lana has a unique perspective on the world. She sees things in ways that most of us could only hope to catch a passing glimpse of. She sees beauty in the ugliness.
She befriends a baby spider, because no one loves it, and she believes it has good intentions. She chooses a toy bat to be her favorite toy, and loves it all the more when it accidentally becomes deformed by being left on top of a lamp and getting melted. She finds one pod in amongst a whole park full of them, which stands out to her from amongst the rest. because it is rounder, or darker, or somehow it just connects with her spirit, and she takes it in and cares for it.
Lana is a story teller. She has imaginary friends galore; I can't keep track of them all. She knows them by name and knows their story and their idiosyncrasies, their families, their loves and hates. They are well developed characters and she is very attached to them. She takes time out to share her food with them, or hold the door open to make sure they all make it back inside before the storm starts.
Lana is fantastic at her school work. She doesn't require a lot of heavily structured learning, yet she's reading and writing and doing great with maths. She picks it up intuitively and without much coaching. She listens to how words sound and tells me how different combination of letters work together and help each other to make new sounds. She even has her own stories about why and how they work that way.
So Lana will be a writer. Not just any old writer. She'll be someone who changes lives with her writing. She'll reduce people to tears, make us see the world in a different light, and make us want to try harder to play our part.
And she'll probably donate all proceeds to a local cat rescue facility (a no kill one) while she stays home with her kids all day. She says she wants to be a mummy when she grows up.
ZOE
If there was such a thing as a Professional Trouble Maker, that's what I'd put her down for. In lieu, I'll choose the next best thing - Zoe's going to be a politician.
She has the determination and leadership skill of Kaya, although slightly toned down. She is ever so slightly more introverted, though next to Lana she still seems like a socializing maniac. She's a fantastic communicator. She's been speaking in clear sentences since before turning 2. She expresses herself more than adequately, in fact very impressively (but I would think so, I'm her mum), through language.
She enjoys the limelight. When she's around a group of people and catches their attention she steals the show and runs with it. She loves to entertain.
She loves to stir up trouble. Getting her hands dirty with things she's not supposed to be touching (like today, I repotted some strawberry plants, then she uprooted them, so I repotted them again...and she uprooted them again...so I repotted them AGAIN!). She loves to go against the advice of other people (like, Zoe don't touch that, it will fall. Or I don't think you should eat that before supper). Such qualities scream politician to me. I think she'd be a good fit for the job.
TURTLE
He makes people feel good. I've never met a person ever in my life who is as content and perfectly happy as this little guy. He never keeps a smile to himself, or holds back joy. He is a sheer delight to be around. And I hear it all the time. Whenever I take him out, I am guaranteed to have a handful of people say to me, "He is such a happy baby!".
He has been soooo easy to look after. Being around him is a privilege. I'm still watching his personality develop, but for now I'm going to guess that he'll be in some sort of position of making people feel good. Maybe a counselor or therapist, maybe a massage therapist or an entertainer. Maybe that teacher who every kid says was their favorite. Whatever he does, I know he'll be touching people as he does it, and his optimism will be rubbing off all around, and he'll help paint the world a more cheerful shade.
See more posts about the kids
It is fun though to speculate, based on their personalities, what I can imagine they might choose to do for a living when they reach adulthood. I will do so now.
KAYA
Kaya is made for leadership. Whatever industry she will end up in, she will have to be the boss of it. That's for certain. Maybe she'll start a charity to help feed the hungry and poor (she has a heart for that), or maybe she'll be the president of a major corporation. Or perhaps she'll be a store manager. Whatever she's involved in, she'll be the boss. The leader. The big man.
She has organization skills. She likes to watch and make sure everyone is playing their part to perfection. She has been this way since she was a newborn, she'd hardly sleep because she was busy watching what was going on around her, judging it and making sure everything was going ok according to her plan.
She has the extrovert personality. She's not afraid to be pushy. She is extremely headstrong and determined. She quit sucking her fingers cold turkey at 4 years old when her grandmother offered her a trip to Disney if she's quit. She potty trained at 26 months, and has only ever had maybe 4 accidents ever in her life (and she had an infection at the time). She potty trained in one day. I don't think she's ever wet the bed. She decides something's right and she goes for it. And pity the fool who gets in her way.
LANA
Dear sweet Lana. My partner in crime. She's a peace lovin' tree hugger like her momma. She has a passion for helping the underdog. Lana has a unique perspective on the world. She sees things in ways that most of us could only hope to catch a passing glimpse of. She sees beauty in the ugliness.
She befriends a baby spider, because no one loves it, and she believes it has good intentions. She chooses a toy bat to be her favorite toy, and loves it all the more when it accidentally becomes deformed by being left on top of a lamp and getting melted. She finds one pod in amongst a whole park full of them, which stands out to her from amongst the rest. because it is rounder, or darker, or somehow it just connects with her spirit, and she takes it in and cares for it.
Lana is a story teller. She has imaginary friends galore; I can't keep track of them all. She knows them by name and knows their story and their idiosyncrasies, their families, their loves and hates. They are well developed characters and she is very attached to them. She takes time out to share her food with them, or hold the door open to make sure they all make it back inside before the storm starts.
Lana is fantastic at her school work. She doesn't require a lot of heavily structured learning, yet she's reading and writing and doing great with maths. She picks it up intuitively and without much coaching. She listens to how words sound and tells me how different combination of letters work together and help each other to make new sounds. She even has her own stories about why and how they work that way.
So Lana will be a writer. Not just any old writer. She'll be someone who changes lives with her writing. She'll reduce people to tears, make us see the world in a different light, and make us want to try harder to play our part.
And she'll probably donate all proceeds to a local cat rescue facility (a no kill one) while she stays home with her kids all day. She says she wants to be a mummy when she grows up.
ZOE
If there was such a thing as a Professional Trouble Maker, that's what I'd put her down for. In lieu, I'll choose the next best thing - Zoe's going to be a politician.
She has the determination and leadership skill of Kaya, although slightly toned down. She is ever so slightly more introverted, though next to Lana she still seems like a socializing maniac. She's a fantastic communicator. She's been speaking in clear sentences since before turning 2. She expresses herself more than adequately, in fact very impressively (but I would think so, I'm her mum), through language.
She enjoys the limelight. When she's around a group of people and catches their attention she steals the show and runs with it. She loves to entertain.
She loves to stir up trouble. Getting her hands dirty with things she's not supposed to be touching (like today, I repotted some strawberry plants, then she uprooted them, so I repotted them again...and she uprooted them again...so I repotted them AGAIN!). She loves to go against the advice of other people (like, Zoe don't touch that, it will fall. Or I don't think you should eat that before supper). Such qualities scream politician to me. I think she'd be a good fit for the job.
TURTLE
He makes people feel good. I've never met a person ever in my life who is as content and perfectly happy as this little guy. He never keeps a smile to himself, or holds back joy. He is a sheer delight to be around. And I hear it all the time. Whenever I take him out, I am guaranteed to have a handful of people say to me, "He is such a happy baby!".
He has been soooo easy to look after. Being around him is a privilege. I'm still watching his personality develop, but for now I'm going to guess that he'll be in some sort of position of making people feel good. Maybe a counselor or therapist, maybe a massage therapist or an entertainer. Maybe that teacher who every kid says was their favorite. Whatever he does, I know he'll be touching people as he does it, and his optimism will be rubbing off all around, and he'll help paint the world a more cheerful shade.
See more posts about the kids
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sometimes, as a mother, I find myelf saying things..
Labels:
Lana,
photo,
vegetarian
..that I didn't expect to ever say. Sometimes it's something shocking, or so obvious it shouldn't need to be stated. Such as, "no Zoe, shoes are for our feet, not our mouths"
Other times it's something completely random and obscure. Like today, when I heard myself say, "no Kaya, let Lana choose it's name. It is her kiwi after all.
Yes, my vegetarian daughter names her fruit and vegetables (I think the kiwi was named, Henry). And yes, sometimes she refuses to eat it if she gets too attached to it. I never claimed she wasn't quirky.
Other times it's something completely random and obscure. Like today, when I heard myself say, "no Kaya, let Lana choose it's name. It is her kiwi after all.
Yes, my vegetarian daughter names her fruit and vegetables (I think the kiwi was named, Henry). And yes, sometimes she refuses to eat it if she gets too attached to it. I never claimed she wasn't quirky.
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