for more wordless wednesday go here and here.
3.31.2009
wordless wednesday::our children
and soon we can add one more to this little, green chair...
for more wordless wednesday go here and here.
for more wordless wednesday go here and here.
month of "d"
our letter of the month of march was "d." i didn't do a specific number this time around and tried to incorporate counting into our daily activities instead.
here are our specific "d" themed activities...
introducing the letter d:
we cut out a big d and decorated it with colorful paper scraps. then we adhered the letter to the left side of a black, rectangular piece of construction paper. we then found some pictures that started with the letter d (drinks, daddy, dolls). we did the same thing for a little d, except we added the letters o and g to make the word dog and found a picture of a dog to glue on the paper (sorry blue, i didn't have any of you on hand). both letter ds are then posted on the
fridge for the whole month.
doors:
we counted doors on buildings, houses and cars during some of our walks. emma also enjoyed pointing out the doors in our house.
d themed books:
"berenstain bears visit the dentist"
"the berenstain bears and the missing dinosaur bone"
"the bear detectives: case of the missing pumpkin" (this was a big favorite of the month)
"puppy mudge loves his blanket"
"a dog for each day"
doctor:
doctor emma "checked up" her mama with her doctor kit a few times this month.
diamond necklace:
i traced a diamond shape on 4 pieces of colored foam. we cut out the 4 pieces (counting them out and named the different colors), and punched a hole on one end of the diamond. emma then decided she wanted to color each of the diamonds so she took out her markers and decorated them. we
then strung them together and spaced them with straw pieces (hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills). bling, bling...diamonds are a girl's best friend.
dance, dance, dance:
need i say more? this seemed to come naturally to her. we did this activity a few time this month.
donuts:
i think this one was a favorite among the whole family. emma helped with the mixing and eating but let mama do the frying. i found a really simple batter/drop donut recipe here. it was
delicious!
donkey:
we made a paper donkey from this link. you actually have to pay for a membership to get the template print out but i improvised and managed to make it work. i also connected the donkey with our memory verse for the month, john 12:15, followed with the story of palm sunday.
dinosaur diorama:
emma painted the scenery and mountains (from eggshell cartons) for our dino diorama. as we waited for that to dry, we made some trees with rolled up consruction paper for the trunks and leaves stuck onto pipecleaners for branches. once everything was mounted securely in the diorama, we added the some little dinos (we didn't mount these so she can take them in and out of their home).
drums:
drumming and singing away to her own beat.
more d visuals on flickr. until next month!
here are our specific "d" themed activities...
introducing the letter d:
we cut out a big d and decorated it with colorful paper scraps. then we adhered the letter to the left side of a black, rectangular piece of construction paper. we then found some pictures that started with the letter d (drinks, daddy, dolls). we did the same thing for a little d, except we added the letters o and g to make the word dog and found a picture of a dog to glue on the paper (sorry blue, i didn't have any of you on hand). both letter ds are then posted on the
fridge for the whole month.doors:
we counted doors on buildings, houses and cars during some of our walks. emma also enjoyed pointing out the doors in our house.
d themed books:
"berenstain bears visit the dentist"
"the berenstain bears and the missing dinosaur bone"
"the bear detectives: case of the missing pumpkin" (this was a big favorite of the month)
"puppy mudge loves his blanket"
"a dog for each day"
doctor:
doctor emma "checked up" her mama with her doctor kit a few times this month.
diamond necklace:
i traced a diamond shape on 4 pieces of colored foam. we cut out the 4 pieces (counting them out and named the different colors), and punched a hole on one end of the diamond. emma then decided she wanted to color each of the diamonds so she took out her markers and decorated them. we
then strung them together and spaced them with straw pieces (hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills). bling, bling...diamonds are a girl's best friend.dance, dance, dance:
need i say more? this seemed to come naturally to her. we did this activity a few time this month.
donuts:
i think this one was a favorite among the whole family. emma helped with the mixing and eating but let mama do the frying. i found a really simple batter/drop donut recipe here. it was
delicious!donkey:
we made a paper donkey from this link. you actually have to pay for a membership to get the template print out but i improvised and managed to make it work. i also connected the donkey with our memory verse for the month, john 12:15, followed with the story of palm sunday.
dinosaur diorama:
emma painted the scenery and mountains (from eggshell cartons) for our dino diorama. as we waited for that to dry, we made some trees with rolled up consruction paper for the trunks and leaves stuck onto pipecleaners for branches. once everything was mounted securely in the diorama, we added the some little dinos (we didn't mount these so she can take them in and out of their home).
drums:
drumming and singing away to her own beat.
more d visuals on flickr. until next month!
3.26.2009
a genuine little girl...
as the wee one (well, i guess he/she's not so "wee" anymore) prepares for his/her arrival, i am blown away by how much emma has changed during the whole pregnancy. i still want to see her as my little baby, but no. she's not anymore. and even when i call her my little baby, she promptly reminds me that "no mama. i'm not a baby. i'm a big girl." *sigh*
and she's right. she is a big girl. she's all girl and no baby. she talks like a girl, and is rather an independent individual.
so...when gram proposed a 2 day overnight last week, i was a little hesitant. what if my baby needs me? how will she be able to last 2 whole nights without me? but really, who am i kidding?
"no mama...i'm a big girl."
and she's right. she is a big girl. the process of letting go (even if it's just a little bit at a time) has already begun. i suppose it had already begun even before this, but this time around i was really just standing on the sidelines. watching her do her own thing. and having a blast doing it.
*photo courtesy of gram and pap.
and she's right. she is a big girl. she's all girl and no baby. she talks like a girl, and is rather an independent individual.
so...when gram proposed a 2 day overnight last week, i was a little hesitant. what if my baby needs me? how will she be able to last 2 whole nights without me? but really, who am i kidding?
"no mama...i'm a big girl."
and she's right. she is a big girl. the process of letting go (even if it's just a little bit at a time) has already begun. i suppose it had already begun even before this, but this time around i was really just standing on the sidelines. watching her do her own thing. and having a blast doing it.
and over the river and through the woods she went. she had a great time (which i knew she would) with her cousin ben and gram as they spent some much needed time with mammaw. what a joy and a blessing to have so much family near by.
*photo courtesy of gram and pap.3.24.2009
you know you're pregnant when...
- it takes you half the night just to turn from one side to the other.
- your feet have completely disappeared.
- your belly-button has ceased to exist.
- you're feeling sleep-deprived even though the baby isn't even here yet.
- trimming or painting your toe nails requires some serious yoga moves.
- you gain 4 lbs. in 1 week and that's normal.
- slip-on shoes are your new best friend.
- going to the bathroom to pee has become your new exercise regimen.
- sitting is uncomfortable, standing is uncomfortable, laying down is uncomfortable...
- you attempt to "squeeze" by someone and you end up taking them down with your huge belly.
- even maternity pants are no longer comfortable.
- you find yourself getting a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) helping of food "for the baby."
- you get in and out of the car slower than your 2 year old.
- you miss the cup when trying to give a urine sample (twice!).
3.23.2009
to chuck or chunk?
we have had a bit of disagreement between us northerners and our southern friends regarding the usage of chuck or chunk as a verb referring to throwing/flinging/tossing an object.
english was not my first language, but regardless i have learned that the word chuck was a synonym for throw. however, our southern friends have pointed out that we pronounce the word incorrectly. it really should be chunk. really? chunk?
here are the definitions offered for chuck from dictionary.com. and here are the definitions offered for the word chunk. if you notice, dictionary.com states that chunk is possibly a nasalized pronunciation of the word chuck...hmmm...
anyone else heard of the word chunk used in the same way as chuck? which one do you use?
english was not my first language, but regardless i have learned that the word chuck was a synonym for throw. however, our southern friends have pointed out that we pronounce the word incorrectly. it really should be chunk. really? chunk?
here are the definitions offered for chuck from dictionary.com. and here are the definitions offered for the word chunk. if you notice, dictionary.com states that chunk is possibly a nasalized pronunciation of the word chuck...hmmm...
anyone else heard of the word chunk used in the same way as chuck? which one do you use?
3.20.2009
little pets
the early childhood pta sponsored a "tour" of petco this morning, which emma and i attended.
for the most part, it was an opportunity to touch and feel some of the animals they have at the store.
we started off with some soft, furry guys: cats, a chincilla (which we learned cannot get wet), and guinea pigs. the cats got to roam around among the kids. one in particular was actually very good with the kids, patient and quite mellow. i would even consider taking him home (this is a HUGE compliment coming from one who does not care for cats). the chincilla was of course very soft, but was seemed rather overwhelmed with all the kids. so the little guy didn't stay out for too long. and guinea pigs...not a personal fan, but emma liked them.
next on the list were the reptiles: a tortoise (so cute...i used to have a pet tortoise when i was in middle school named marcus), and 2 baby ball pythons. the ball pythons were quite interesting, because when the gal brought them over they just looked like little balls in her hands. emma was not into touching the snakes at all. i admit, i'm also squeamish when it comes to snakes, but these guys were little (though once full grown they can get up to 5 ft. in length...yikes).
lastly was a little green parakeet. he actually did great with the kids and liked to climb on their arms and shoulders. the cats in their cages immediately focused their attention on the little bird when the gal brought him out.
we then wandered around the store to look at the fish, and picked up a couple of treats and a new brush for blue.
sorry no photos. i brought my camera, but i think i got pretty engrossed in the touch and feel experience that i forgot to take it out. i love experiences where kids have some hands-on learning opportunities, and there are so many out there (even beyond the pet store). many don't cost a thing, and can even be done in your own home. especially with young children, there's always a learning opportunity in even everyday experiences.
for the most part, it was an opportunity to touch and feel some of the animals they have at the store.
we started off with some soft, furry guys: cats, a chincilla (which we learned cannot get wet), and guinea pigs. the cats got to roam around among the kids. one in particular was actually very good with the kids, patient and quite mellow. i would even consider taking him home (this is a HUGE compliment coming from one who does not care for cats). the chincilla was of course very soft, but was seemed rather overwhelmed with all the kids. so the little guy didn't stay out for too long. and guinea pigs...not a personal fan, but emma liked them.
next on the list were the reptiles: a tortoise (so cute...i used to have a pet tortoise when i was in middle school named marcus), and 2 baby ball pythons. the ball pythons were quite interesting, because when the gal brought them over they just looked like little balls in her hands. emma was not into touching the snakes at all. i admit, i'm also squeamish when it comes to snakes, but these guys were little (though once full grown they can get up to 5 ft. in length...yikes).
lastly was a little green parakeet. he actually did great with the kids and liked to climb on their arms and shoulders. the cats in their cages immediately focused their attention on the little bird when the gal brought him out.
we then wandered around the store to look at the fish, and picked up a couple of treats and a new brush for blue.
sorry no photos. i brought my camera, but i think i got pretty engrossed in the touch and feel experience that i forgot to take it out. i love experiences where kids have some hands-on learning opportunities, and there are so many out there (even beyond the pet store). many don't cost a thing, and can even be done in your own home. especially with young children, there's always a learning opportunity in even everyday experiences.
3.18.2009
3.17.2009
feeling the wind in my hair
today was the first day since the onset of cold weather that i was able to drive with the windows rolled down. the sun was out. the weather warm (upper 60s). a comfortable breeze surrounds me as i drive along the freeway. it fills my nostrils. it combs through my hair.
a perfect day for a lunch date with my sweet husband. just me and him. enjoying each other while we soak in the warm sunshine.
spring is coming. i can smell it. i can see it. i can hear it. and i can't wait!
a perfect day for a lunch date with my sweet husband. just me and him. enjoying each other while we soak in the warm sunshine.
spring is coming. i can smell it. i can see it. i can hear it. and i can't wait!
3.16.2009
3.12.2009
the sounds of scotland
in an attempt to begin teaching emma about her diverse cultural heritage, we headed over to the beck center to see, hear and learn more about the bagpipes.
the piper, mr. slife, plays for the cleveland firefighters memorial pipe and drums band. since the bagpipes are quite loud, he played outside, while we watched from the window inside the building. after wards, he came in and gave a quick explanation of the instrument and his attire. then we danced to a few tunes he played from his chanter. the kids even had an opportunity to touch and feel the instruments, which emma mentioned later was the part "i loved."
to further her learning experience, we headed home and listend and danced to some bagpipe music, played with aaron's chanter and horsehair sporran, and dressed her in her kilt and aaron's hat.
maybe i'll make some haggis...not really. though they are quite tasty in my opinion.
the piper, mr. slife, plays for the cleveland firefighters memorial pipe and drums band. since the bagpipes are quite loud, he played outside, while we watched from the window inside the building. after wards, he came in and gave a quick explanation of the instrument and his attire. then we danced to a few tunes he played from his chanter. the kids even had an opportunity to touch and feel the instruments, which emma mentioned later was the part "i loved."
to further her learning experience, we headed home and listend and danced to some bagpipe music, played with aaron's chanter and horsehair sporran, and dressed her in her kilt and aaron's hat.
maybe i'll make some haggis...not really. though they are quite tasty in my opinion.
