Spiders

If you haven't figured it out by now, THIS is the year of PRESCHOOL for Little Munchkin...

Now, let's face it...she has 2 older sisters who have played "school" with her since she was born...so to assume that we are starting in the academic realm of actual preschool would be silly.

I mean, she can repeat the show tune for "Goodluck Charlie", use words like "that's freakin' me out Mom" and will refer to herself as a BIG girl all the time...

So, starting out with just letters and cute little nursery rhymes would feel "beneath" her...(in her way of thinking)  Therefore, I have to be a bit more creative in my "presentation" of all things preschool...to make it "seem" like it's really something that Sisters would be studying:) 

Using "Sisters" as my dangling carrot...I've enticed her to try the same little science classes, once a month, that they offer at the  metro parks.  This past Wednesday the topic was Spiders...

Now, I will admit that I did close my eyes and shove my child foreward to "see the cute spider" whilst Mommy stood at the back and gave mean looks to the teacher that said, "If you even DARE get close to me with that thing I seriously will scream and chase your entire class out the door!!"

But, we don't want to impose those natural fears on our dear girls...so mom clamped her mouth shut and prayed that the teacher would keep a handle on the "non-insect".

Little Munchkin learned a few interesting facts and then I took the opportunity to start picture books on Charlotte's Web and the stand by nursery song "Itsy Bitsy Spider"...

As always though...it's good to introduce food...particularly CHOCOLATE when teaching...because, well...it makes you remember stuff...(at least that's my excuse)

So we made these today and shared them with Sisters when they got home from school:) 

It was a great day of School Today:)  Have a super weekend!

Bug bites and other stuff

I don't have a lot to update for today...

We had a great weekend..filled with a soccer game (where I think I screamed and carried on enough to irritate everyone within a 5 mile radius)...a sleepover (where we were informed the next afternoon that one of the girls at the party discovered she had lice)...Little Munchkin got bit by something on her face and now looks like the guy from Star Trek...too bad Halloween is too far away...we could have come up with some awesome make up and turned her into the Gruffalo in no time:) and she would have LOVED it!

And we've recently discovered that flies LOVE our house...it can't be because the girls (and me, if I care to admit it) tend to keep the door open for long periods of time during the day without the screen shut)

Other than that...we've just enjoyed hanging out around a fire or two...

I cried watching the 9/11 specials and selfishly was thankful that I had my family under one roof (regardless of the possibility of lice)

We'll see how Little Munchkin is doing in the morning...until then, we're washing everything in site, becoming quite adept at swatting flies and munching on marshmallows...

hope your day was great!

Remembering...

I didn't understand how my mom knew where she was JFK was killed. 

I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday.

But, after 911...I remember...

I was 7 months along with Sweetpea...I had said goodbye to my I.S. as he left for work and I set to folding clothes on the bed after I fed my Bailey dog. 

The Today show was on and I sat listening to Katie Couric and Matt Lauer tell me what new book was out or maybe it was whatever the latest pop star was up to during the past weekend...but, I set about putting things away, letting my dog outside...just going about the day...

I don't remember when I went back into the bedroom...because I wasn't in front of the TV as the planes hit...I just know that I was expecting to see some latest cooking tip and instead, the news desk was frantic. 

I sat sort of shell-shocked...not quite comprehending what was going on...My husband had been in those towers the month prior for a  business meeting...and within the half hour, they had crumbled to the ground. 

Ever the student...always the teacher...I grabbed my notebook and pen and just started flipping between CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News...and started writing...I wrote names, dates, times...

If only I could let it sink into my being more, if I could just grasp the reality of it...

and I couldn't...

The more I wrote and flipped through my notes and compared to the reporters...I became more and more confused...

I just wanted to do something...I had a child inside of me and I let the fear in...

I remember calling my husband at work to "update" him every half hour or so...I didn't have a "job"...I felt as though I had nothing to contribute...

and so I wrote...and I sang to my Sweetpea...and I prayed...

Our dog followed me around because she sensed that something was wrong...

Some family members that I called refused to turn on the TV...they didn't want to face the horror or the shock...

but, I'm a feeler...and I had nothing else to do but feel as I put myself in the shoes of those on the plane, of those in the buildings, of those in their kitchens hanging onto the phone saying goodbye...

Time passes of course...

It's amazing to me how time refuses to stop when we hurt...when we lose someone...I almost feel as though it should...like, they deserve for time to stand still for awhile...for time to "miss" them...

but it doesn't...

God makes it so...and we put one foot in front of the other...and we take one breath in and one breath out...and we birth more babies...and we move to new homes...and we graduate to the next grade...and we learn to ride bikes...and the sun keeps rising and setting...

I still, sometimes, let the fear take up residence...I struggle with breaths...I don't want to let go...I just want things to hold still for just a moment longer...

I don't have the answer to the why...but, I'm learning to give the fear to Him to who does...

I took time to remember today...and to pray...and to push my girls on the swing...and to cherish the times we are given...

It's Math Time

The celebration HAD to end at some point...

I mean, you can only have so many starbucks, Panera lunches, Olive Garden dinners, spa package gifts, shopping for shoes and countless other celebratory outings in one day...

Good golly, I used every minute of the 24 hour period surrounding my birthday:) 

But, today is a new day...and so, we had to forego the hot cocoa and coffee cake treat this morning and we hit the books:)

Of course, in the middle of our "school lesson", Little Munchkin declared, "Mommy, I need to get some food for my doggy...I'll be right back, keep learning for me okay?"

Oh, I'm on it sweetie...don't worry...

37 Reasons...

Oh how he loves me...

He's not an Elementary Education major like his wife...and therefore the paper hearts and giddyness over glue sticks is foreign to him...

He is a man of few words...

and I tend to use a LOT of words!!!

And even though my personality and perspective can sometimes be the extreme opposite of what is in his mind, he has become a student of ME...

Over the years...through the MOMENTS...he has studied ME...

He knows what makes me feel loved...he knows what I fear, what I get excited about...He just knows ME...because for some "out of this world" reason, he chose me to love...

So, this morning, on the day that we celebrate the fact that my mom carried me for 9 long months and then continued to deal with my colic for 9 months more...he woke me up with cards....with words...with feelings on paper to express how much he loves me...

thirty-seven of them to be exact...

I woke up this morning to a scavenger hunt around my house...finding notes from my hubby...I did ask if I should wait for the kids...

I got a little smirk from my Italian Stallion that basically told me that there may be some inuendo-ish "precious thoughts" that need not be read by 9, 7 or 4 year olds...ha ha

Life is not like a fairytale...this I know...

Seriously, if Disney had written Cinderella for "reality TV"...you wouldn't see the happily EVER after...I'm thinking more like:

In strode Prince Charming after a hard day of work, looking forward to laying on the couch and relaxing with ESPN for just a half hour...he gazes toward the sink where he sees his wife scrubbing pots and pans whilst little ones run screaming through the house.  She's PMSing and hasn't even thought about dinner yet...and lord have mercy could someone PLEASE stop the whining!!!

I'm so thankful that I have my own "prince charming" to go through life with me...who has taken the time to know me and show love to me, even when it may seem completely crazy to him...notes through the house ain't necessarily gonna cut it for my honey...but to me...it's golden!

I still have a few more hours of my celebratory day left...and I know that there will be gifts and cake and such...but really, for MY love language...he knew JUST how to start off the day!

It has been the BEST thirty-seventh twenty-ninth birthday EVER!

Does this count as Preschool?

I will admit that I, like my girls, have a fascination with all things fairies...

I know, it may seem ridiculous, but there is some little part of me that so wishes that they were real...that tiny people lived in flowers and trees and sought to make things pretty...

Yes, I'm getting cloer to forty and feel all saggy and round and I just like the idea of a bit of pixie dust now and then grown up, but I do still love to "pretend".

I think however, because of my "grown up" status, my "fascination" is more prone to the creation of little fairy homes and tiny furniture rather than the play acting that goes along with it...

and THIS is where my girls and I make a good team!

You can only do so many letters and numbers and baking and measuring and counting and spelling and reading of books in the realm of "schooling" before little ones just want to call it quits...and I don't blame them...

So, yesterday we made a plan...we gathered our supplies before bed and once the older girls got on the bus this morning...we got to work!

I will admit that twine and masking tape DID make an appearance during the process...and I'm not going to cover it up...I may be "into" the whole "let's make it from scratch" idea...but seriously, there comes a point where you realize that you're working with a 4 year old and they don't care...and life is good:)

So, we played today with our own "fairies" and then because mommy is a former teacher and she has to get some official school in during the day Little Munchkin loves her new journal, we wrote about our adventure and pasted in some pictures.

And now I'm off to continue to the next portion of our day that I like to call "quiet time"...where Mommy & little Munchkin read books until Mommy falls asleep...it's an awesome set up!

My Sweet Munchkin

She just makes me smile!

Obviously, someone forgot to mention to Little Munchkin that it was 10000 degrees outside...and red, furry, christmas socks may NOT be the best choice of attire when heading to storytime...

She didn't care though...so I offered to take a picture if she'd keep the socks at home and settle for flip flops...she agreed...so here she is:)