Posting to keep this active
4 months ago
Thursday, August 20
Busy Time of Year
. . . okay, I will admit that there really doesn't seem to be an "un-busy" time of year . . . EVER . . . but sometimes I seem busier with out-of-the-ordinary tasks (Spirit Week at school or VBS at church, for example) and sometimes it is due to new things being added to the agenda. This time it is more due to the "new" things that is leading me to feel "busy". And although it doesn't really matter to anyone else and is not all that enlightning or entertaining, I am going to list some of the things that come to mind because it will help remind me why I shouldn't be spending rest time (the kids' rest time, that is) sitting at my computer.
I sent two kids back to school today.
I have an extra one at home; he came back on Tuesday. :)
I am working on hiring new people for the nursery at church.
I am working on new literature for the nursery - brochures, procedures, signage, etc.
I am planning curriculum for the two year old Sunday school class I will start teaching in September.
I need to be ready to prep the materials for new curriculum that will be used for the 3-4 year old children's church for September.
I need to clean out some spaces at church that are used for nursery and children's church materials. (Clutter seems to become overbearing after a few years.)
I need to start actually paying attention to our budgeting now that tuition payments have started again!
The kids are also signed up for activities this fall which is the first time I have ever done that. With it being football season, it always seems busy enough, but. . .
Robbie is old enough so I think he will handle it just fine. He is really interested in football, therefore, he will be playing flag football through our YMCA starting in September. It is a short, informal season but should be a lot of fun.
Alexa is going to continue gymnastics for at least the first nine weeks of school. She has been doing a great job with it and really enjoys it. It seems like it has been good for her confidence, and I think she enjoys having something that is just for her.
Rachel and Cole will continue for a while with their morning "gym play" class as well. We go on Mondays when I don't have my extra one in tow, and they really like it. I enjoy it as well since it is something special to do with them that is just about them.
I sent two kids back to school today.
I have an extra one at home; he came back on Tuesday. :)
I am working on hiring new people for the nursery at church.
I am working on new literature for the nursery - brochures, procedures, signage, etc.
I am planning curriculum for the two year old Sunday school class I will start teaching in September.
I need to be ready to prep the materials for new curriculum that will be used for the 3-4 year old children's church for September.
I need to clean out some spaces at church that are used for nursery and children's church materials. (Clutter seems to become overbearing after a few years.)
I need to start actually paying attention to our budgeting now that tuition payments have started again!
The kids are also signed up for activities this fall which is the first time I have ever done that. With it being football season, it always seems busy enough, but. . .
Robbie is old enough so I think he will handle it just fine. He is really interested in football, therefore, he will be playing flag football through our YMCA starting in September. It is a short, informal season but should be a lot of fun.
Alexa is going to continue gymnastics for at least the first nine weeks of school. She has been doing a great job with it and really enjoys it. It seems like it has been good for her confidence, and I think she enjoys having something that is just for her.
Rachel and Cole will continue for a while with their morning "gym play" class as well. We go on Mondays when I don't have my extra one in tow, and they really like it. I enjoy it as well since it is something special to do with them that is just about them.
Wednesday, August 19
Just a normal kid
Lest anyone think my seven year old is anything other than just a normal kid, here is a quote from him this morning as we were riding in the van--
"When I grow up, I am going to teach people to burp the ABCs and toot."
Wow! He sure knows how to make his mother proud! :)
Earlier in the ride, he did say something quite a bit cuter that showed some intelligence which I was much more pleased to hear and that was--
He said something and used the word grazing.
Five year old sister asks, "What is grazing?"
Reply, "Peacefully eating grass in the field."
I know I'm his mother, but I thought that was a sweet (and accurate) answer.
"When I grow up, I am going to teach people to burp the ABCs and toot."
Wow! He sure knows how to make his mother proud! :)
Earlier in the ride, he did say something quite a bit cuter that showed some intelligence which I was much more pleased to hear and that was--
He said something and used the word grazing.
Five year old sister asks, "What is grazing?"
Reply, "Peacefully eating grass in the field."
I know I'm his mother, but I thought that was a sweet (and accurate) answer.
Saturday, August 15
Friday, August 14
Trip to the Hearing Clinic
Although I sometimes ask my older children if their ears are working, today's trip had nothing to do with them. Rob and I decided, however, that we should probably get Coley's ears tested. He has some apparent speech delays (which could be attributed to any number of things- I expound on this below), but it made sense to first have his ears checked. We have been considering this for a while now, and finally a few weeks ago I called and got an appointment.
Today was the day! I called earlier in the week to get an idea of how long the appointment would last and what exactly they would be doing so I could make appropriate plans for our day and prepare Cole a bit for this new experience. I did a mini (non scientific) simulation last night with all four kids. I also took Robbie along while my mom stayed with the girls.
Why did I bring Robbie? Sometime after I made the appointment and made arrangements for my mom to come over, I realized Cole has NEVER gone anywhere with just me. We ALWAYS have at least one other child with us. If there are only two kids along, it is usually Rachel, but there are times we have split up in other combos, but anyway, I digress. I was a bit concerned (and maybe without cause) that if I took him away from home by himself, to a strange, new place, to meet this new person (the audiologist), and had him do strange new things, it might freak him out a bit. Robbie was not allowed to go in the room with us, but the receptionist said it would be fine to bring someone else along as long as he/she would be comfortable sitting alone in the lobby during the exam . . . thus Robbie being the best choice, and he was more than willing to do it. It was a good thing we did too because we had to wait 30 minutes in the waiting room which wasn't really a kid friendly place, and although he wasn't upset, Cole did keeping say "go home" every few minutes.
We did finally get back to the exam room, and Cole did awesome! At 2 1/2 years, he was fell in the inbetween stage between two different kinds of testing methods. After doing the first one and it being fairly conclusive, but not quite exact, the audiologist explained the next level of testing but thought he might not be old enough to do it. I said he would likely be able to do it, and with some hesitation she completed that test as well. He did GREAT! That's my boy!
It confirmed her results from the first test that he can hear (and respond) like any other hearing two year old. He could hear all noises within speech range and high pitches as well. Results were somewhat inconclusive/inconsistent on low range sounds, but even if he really couldn't hear those, it wouldn't be affecting his speech at all. YEA!!
Why did we feel the need to do this?
We knew he could hear; he does respond to conversations, directions, etc. But just because he can hear, doesn't mean he is hearing the same way everyone else hears which could affect how he produces speech sounds.
Like I mentioned above (and anyone who is around him can tell) he is not all that chatty. The number of words he uses is significantly less than the average child his age.
Examples: A week before his second birthday, he was probably only saying 10 words regularly. No two word phrases, or anything- just the basics . . . mom, dad, ball. A week after his second birthday, he added another five words, and shortly after another five words. An average two year old, however, is saying at least 30 words and beginning to combine words- mommy go, play outside.
Examples from our other children: At age two, Robbie was saying around 100 words and could carry on some form of conversation with me. At age 18 months, Alexa was saying 150 words and having complete conversations! At age two, Rachel was using about 50-60 words and using multiple two word combos.
Anyway, he has continued to add words to his vocabulary, but his language is still somewhat stilted. He does have several pairs of words that sound the same such as show/shoe and hoola-hoop/swimsuit (strange one, I know! They both kind of sound like "hoo-hoot") which is typical for early talkers, but can be frustrating for him when we aren't sure which one he is trying to say. Just in the last couple of weeks (AFTER I made the appt., of course) has he started to put words together. (yippee!)
Moving on, I think he will develop just fine; he is just going to do so at his own pace. The next step if we have concerns is to have him see a speech pathologist. My feelings right now are to wait a bit seeing as he has made some big improvements over the last month, but I will continue to stay in tune with how he is doing.
What are the other possible reasons for his speech delay?
(I did promise to cover this earlier)
-He is the youngest child in the family.
-He is a twin.
-He is a boy.
Any one of those factors increases a child's chance to have issues with speech delay, and all three are true for him.
For now, we will just encourage him to keep talking -and tell the other kids not to talk for him- to see what he can do! He is such a sweet boy and has really enjoyed being able to communicate better over the last month. I don't want to rush him for something he is not ready to do, but I don't want him to be frustrated and not have the support he needs (if he needs it).
Today was the day! I called earlier in the week to get an idea of how long the appointment would last and what exactly they would be doing so I could make appropriate plans for our day and prepare Cole a bit for this new experience. I did a mini (non scientific) simulation last night with all four kids. I also took Robbie along while my mom stayed with the girls.
Why did I bring Robbie? Sometime after I made the appointment and made arrangements for my mom to come over, I realized Cole has NEVER gone anywhere with just me. We ALWAYS have at least one other child with us. If there are only two kids along, it is usually Rachel, but there are times we have split up in other combos, but anyway, I digress. I was a bit concerned (and maybe without cause) that if I took him away from home by himself, to a strange, new place, to meet this new person (the audiologist), and had him do strange new things, it might freak him out a bit. Robbie was not allowed to go in the room with us, but the receptionist said it would be fine to bring someone else along as long as he/she would be comfortable sitting alone in the lobby during the exam . . . thus Robbie being the best choice, and he was more than willing to do it. It was a good thing we did too because we had to wait 30 minutes in the waiting room which wasn't really a kid friendly place, and although he wasn't upset, Cole did keeping say "go home" every few minutes.
We did finally get back to the exam room, and Cole did awesome! At 2 1/2 years, he was fell in the inbetween stage between two different kinds of testing methods. After doing the first one and it being fairly conclusive, but not quite exact, the audiologist explained the next level of testing but thought he might not be old enough to do it. I said he would likely be able to do it, and with some hesitation she completed that test as well. He did GREAT! That's my boy!
It confirmed her results from the first test that he can hear (and respond) like any other hearing two year old. He could hear all noises within speech range and high pitches as well. Results were somewhat inconclusive/inconsistent on low range sounds, but even if he really couldn't hear those, it wouldn't be affecting his speech at all. YEA!!
Why did we feel the need to do this?
We knew he could hear; he does respond to conversations, directions, etc. But just because he can hear, doesn't mean he is hearing the same way everyone else hears which could affect how he produces speech sounds.
Like I mentioned above (and anyone who is around him can tell) he is not all that chatty. The number of words he uses is significantly less than the average child his age.
Examples: A week before his second birthday, he was probably only saying 10 words regularly. No two word phrases, or anything- just the basics . . . mom, dad, ball. A week after his second birthday, he added another five words, and shortly after another five words. An average two year old, however, is saying at least 30 words and beginning to combine words- mommy go, play outside.
Examples from our other children: At age two, Robbie was saying around 100 words and could carry on some form of conversation with me. At age 18 months, Alexa was saying 150 words and having complete conversations! At age two, Rachel was using about 50-60 words and using multiple two word combos.
Anyway, he has continued to add words to his vocabulary, but his language is still somewhat stilted. He does have several pairs of words that sound the same such as show/shoe and hoola-hoop/swimsuit (strange one, I know! They both kind of sound like "hoo-hoot") which is typical for early talkers, but can be frustrating for him when we aren't sure which one he is trying to say. Just in the last couple of weeks (AFTER I made the appt., of course) has he started to put words together. (yippee!)
Moving on, I think he will develop just fine; he is just going to do so at his own pace. The next step if we have concerns is to have him see a speech pathologist. My feelings right now are to wait a bit seeing as he has made some big improvements over the last month, but I will continue to stay in tune with how he is doing.
What are the other possible reasons for his speech delay?
(I did promise to cover this earlier)
-He is the youngest child in the family.
-He is a twin.
-He is a boy.
Any one of those factors increases a child's chance to have issues with speech delay, and all three are true for him.
For now, we will just encourage him to keep talking -and tell the other kids not to talk for him- to see what he can do! He is such a sweet boy and has really enjoyed being able to communicate better over the last month. I don't want to rush him for something he is not ready to do, but I don't want him to be frustrated and not have the support he needs (if he needs it).
Wednesday, August 12
Fun Stuff
Although I love arts and crafts, I don't always spend the time to do a lot with the kids. They do painting with water colors and coloring rather often, but beyond that we don't always get motivated to get more inventive. I have a TON of books with activity ideas, so I don't even really need to be inventive, I just need to get out the supplies (which we have a TON of as well). They just do so darn well playing together with their own games and activities, they don't seem to need a lot of direction from me. Anyway . . .
Last week a friend came to stay with them while I went to a "thing" and she did a fun craft with them. It involved using shaving cream and food coloring- so not for the faint of heart. :) You can find the directions HERE and check out some of the finished products below.
This week (although it doesn't take much creativity), we taped a big piece of paper to the wall in our entryway area, and the kids created an ocean mural. We haven't painted the ocean water on yet, but you can get a glimpse of the critters in the photos below, some more recognizable than others depending on the age of the artist.
Yesterday, the big kids were coloring and they each put their finished products into envelopes to share. Their envelopes were so cute, I had to take a picture of those that I included here too.
Last week a friend came to stay with them while I went to a "thing" and she did a fun craft with them. It involved using shaving cream and food coloring- so not for the faint of heart. :) You can find the directions HERE and check out some of the finished products below.
This week (although it doesn't take much creativity), we taped a big piece of paper to the wall in our entryway area, and the kids created an ocean mural. We haven't painted the ocean water on yet, but you can get a glimpse of the critters in the photos below, some more recognizable than others depending on the age of the artist.
Yesterday, the big kids were coloring and they each put their finished products into envelopes to share. Their envelopes were so cute, I had to take a picture of those that I included here too.
Tuesday, August 11
Looks can be deceiving
If you looked around my house this morning around 9:30 a.m., you would have seen two kids in pajamas and three kids in clothes. The kids in pajamas were in no rush to get dressed and only did so when I told them "it was time" because we needed to run a quick errand to church.
Your assumption may be that the two pajama clad children (a 5 year old girl and 2 year old boy) were the last lazy ones to get up, and the other two were the early birds who had gotten past the "just woke up phase".
*If you are good at math, you would know that 2+2=4, and I mentioned five kids above. The "extra" kid was my day baby who is back for a couple of days this week. He came dressed and was probably up earlier than any of my kids, so he doesn't really count in this scenario.
Anyway, if you were to make such assumptions you would be quite wrong. Cole (the two year old boy) wakes up the earliest every morning, and he is generally the last to be interested in getting dressed. Alexa (the five year old girl) also tends to get up early, and -although she loves to wear cute clothes- is more than content to lounge around and play in her pajamas until she must get dressed. Robbie (7) and Rachel (2) would prefer to sleep longer, but as soon as they are up, they are ready to get dressed.
As a side note, while I have noticed definite differences between boys and girls that I do think are due to nature (you know in the whole nature vs. nurture debate), I feel like Robbie/Rachel and Alexa/Cole have more similar personalities than do 'the boys' and 'the girls'. This is one example of how those personalities come to light each day.
As a second side note, I am not really look forward to next week being 'back to school' and everyone having to get dressed each morning in a timely manner. Just one of the reasons I wish summer vacation could continue!
Your assumption may be that the two pajama clad children (a 5 year old girl and 2 year old boy) were the last lazy ones to get up, and the other two were the early birds who had gotten past the "just woke up phase".
*If you are good at math, you would know that 2+2=4, and I mentioned five kids above. The "extra" kid was my day baby who is back for a couple of days this week. He came dressed and was probably up earlier than any of my kids, so he doesn't really count in this scenario.
Anyway, if you were to make such assumptions you would be quite wrong. Cole (the two year old boy) wakes up the earliest every morning, and he is generally the last to be interested in getting dressed. Alexa (the five year old girl) also tends to get up early, and -although she loves to wear cute clothes- is more than content to lounge around and play in her pajamas until she must get dressed. Robbie (7) and Rachel (2) would prefer to sleep longer, but as soon as they are up, they are ready to get dressed.
As a side note, while I have noticed definite differences between boys and girls that I do think are due to nature (you know in the whole nature vs. nurture debate), I feel like Robbie/Rachel and Alexa/Cole have more similar personalities than do 'the boys' and 'the girls'. This is one example of how those personalities come to light each day.
As a second side note, I am not really look forward to next week being 'back to school' and everyone having to get dressed each morning in a timely manner. Just one of the reasons I wish summer vacation could continue!
Monday, August 10
HOT TAMALES! -or- WHAT WAS I THINKING?!
I was just in the attic looking through shoes, clothes, and such to see what I could pull down for kids to start wearing now or soon. I actually enjoy this kind of task as I enjoy looking forward to what is to come, but I get little glimpses of the past as I look at things my big kids used to wear that my little kids will get to wear soon.
Back to the title of the post. I was in the attic at 4:00 p.m. in 93 degrees/feels like 102 degrees. It probably doesn't need to be said, but it was VERY HOT in the attic and I came down dripping wet.
The task is done, and I was able to retrieve some good stuff that I am sure the kids will be excited to see!
Back to the title of the post. I was in the attic at 4:00 p.m. in 93 degrees/feels like 102 degrees. It probably doesn't need to be said, but it was VERY HOT in the attic and I came down dripping wet.
The task is done, and I was able to retrieve some good stuff that I am sure the kids will be excited to see!
Sunday, August 9
Discontinued
I seem to have troubles with finding a product that I like, and then soon after I discover it, it becomes discontinued.
Although it probably doesn't need to be said, THIS IS FRUSTRATING!
It happens with all sorts of products- food, styling products, make-up, cleaning supplies . . . you name it, and if I have used it and liked it - it is unlikely to be sold in stores anymore!
Okay, so maybe it isn't quite that bad, but it has happened often enough that I somewhat scared to try something new for fear that I will like it and be disappointed yet again when I can no longer find it on the shelves of my local store.
Some products I have liked well enough to search on-line to order from somewhere else or retreive from some ebay seller, but most often I just sigh and carry on.
Now, I will admit that some items I refer to were clearance items that I got because they were a good deal, but definitely not ALL (or even the majority) have been obtained in that situation.
The moral of the story may be: If you know me and are making, selling, promoting a product, don't give it to me to try!
(sigh)
Although it probably doesn't need to be said, THIS IS FRUSTRATING!
It happens with all sorts of products- food, styling products, make-up, cleaning supplies . . . you name it, and if I have used it and liked it - it is unlikely to be sold in stores anymore!
Okay, so maybe it isn't quite that bad, but it has happened often enough that I somewhat scared to try something new for fear that I will like it and be disappointed yet again when I can no longer find it on the shelves of my local store.
Some products I have liked well enough to search on-line to order from somewhere else or retreive from some ebay seller, but most often I just sigh and carry on.
Now, I will admit that some items I refer to were clearance items that I got because they were a good deal, but definitely not ALL (or even the majority) have been obtained in that situation.
The moral of the story may be: If you know me and are making, selling, promoting a product, don't give it to me to try!
(sigh)
Saturday, August 8
Brown Bag Lunches
School starts soon, and I am going to ask for your favorite brown bag lunch tips. Everyone has something to contribute here, whether you are a . . .
MOM, ummm ... I mean PARENT
who currently is or has in the past packed school lunches for kids
or a
KID
who currently is or has in the past eaten a packed school lunch.
I feel like I have been fairly successful in the past with packing lunches, but I am adding an eater this year and am always interested in new ideas. I was also talking to a mom the other day who will be starting this journey for the first time and was voicing some uncertainty about this new realm.
Anyway, I am looking for anything from foods to try, how to keep things warm or cold, what to avoid, how to streamline the packing process, how to package goodies to avoid squishing, how to keep things "green" by not using so many plastic baggies, . . . anything!
So, all you experienced eaters and packers out there, tell me what you know even if it just what your favorite brown bag lunch was as a kid.
MOM, ummm ... I mean PARENT
who currently is or has in the past packed school lunches for kids
or a
KID
who currently is or has in the past eaten a packed school lunch.
I feel like I have been fairly successful in the past with packing lunches, but I am adding an eater this year and am always interested in new ideas. I was also talking to a mom the other day who will be starting this journey for the first time and was voicing some uncertainty about this new realm.
Anyway, I am looking for anything from foods to try, how to keep things warm or cold, what to avoid, how to streamline the packing process, how to package goodies to avoid squishing, how to keep things "green" by not using so many plastic baggies, . . . anything!
So, all you experienced eaters and packers out there, tell me what you know even if it just what your favorite brown bag lunch was as a kid.
Wednesday, August 5
Bible- G? PG?
I actually planned on posting some more thoughts on the Bible reading thing and one of the issues I was going to chat about was brought up in a comment on the previous post. I feel like it is worth a whole post, however, than just a comment in reply.
I think her comment was something like, "I don't think the Bible is PG, is it?" My thoughts . . . definitely not G. Likely not to be PG either. However, with PG meaning "parental guidance", I think we will do okay.
The Bible -although inspired by God- does not contain only good, wholesome ideas, thoughts, or words. How do I feel about this as my seven year old reads through his Bible?
Scared?
No.
Worried?
No.
Concerned?
No.
Aware?
Yes.
I am completely aware of this issue, and have thought about it. In fact one evening Rob was reading a chapter to him at bedtime and came across a word/topic of "if-y" appropriateness. I think maybe it was the word "rape". Robbie asked what it meant, and Rob provided a somewhat toned down definition, but one that would help Robbie understand the story.
How do I plan on handling this? If he asks about a word, I will answer with enough information to make it understandable to him and appropriate for what he needs to understand -much like Rob did. He does have a dictionary and knows how to use it, so he may be looking up words on his own as far as I know.
For another day . . .
What can a seven year old really understand in the Bible?
Asked another way, is he really getting anything out of this experience?
I think her comment was something like, "I don't think the Bible is PG, is it?" My thoughts . . . definitely not G. Likely not to be PG either. However, with PG meaning "parental guidance", I think we will do okay.
The Bible -although inspired by God- does not contain only good, wholesome ideas, thoughts, or words. How do I feel about this as my seven year old reads through his Bible?
Scared?
No.
Worried?
No.
Concerned?
No.
Aware?
Yes.
I am completely aware of this issue, and have thought about it. In fact one evening Rob was reading a chapter to him at bedtime and came across a word/topic of "if-y" appropriateness. I think maybe it was the word "rape". Robbie asked what it meant, and Rob provided a somewhat toned down definition, but one that would help Robbie understand the story.
How do I plan on handling this? If he asks about a word, I will answer with enough information to make it understandable to him and appropriate for what he needs to understand -much like Rob did. He does have a dictionary and knows how to use it, so he may be looking up words on his own as far as I know.
For another day . . .
What can a seven year old really understand in the Bible?
Asked another way, is he really getting anything out of this experience?
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