No Movie For You

Me:  "No, you don't get a turn to choose a movie"

Erica:  (Crying, whining, complaining) "Why?"

Me:  "I'm sorry you didn't understand me the (at least) three times I explained it."

Erica:  "Well, that's because I was screaming and crying.  So I didn't hear you."

Two Funny Girls

If you read this, you know that we have two funny little girls.  Today I posted the following status on Facebook after an interesting exchange with Mary Lane:

Mary Lane playing cars: "Wee! Weeeee!" So I join in, "Wee! Weeee!"

Mary Lane stops and says, very seriously, "Please don't say 'Wee.'"

I got 28 "likes."  

What I didn't tell everyone is that I gave Mary Lane the benefit of the doubt.  I thought, "Certainly she didn't just tell me not to say "Weee!"  So I sidled back up to her game and said, "Weee!"

Nope, I wasn't mistaken.  She said again, just as dryly, "Please don't say 'Weee.'"


CUTE GIRL STORY #2 for today:

Erica tries very hard most days to stay quiet during her rest hour.  If she stays quiet and doesn't come yelling down the stairs with questions and requests, she can have a piece of gum when she gets up at 3:00.

Today I went upstairs around 2:55 to straighten up the playroom across the hall from where Erica was resting.  I tend to sneeze pretty loudly, and as soon as I did, Erica came peeking out of the room to say, "Bless you!"  I thanked her and kept working.  She came back out with a sheepish grin and asked, completely seriously and humbly,

"I think even though I said 'Bless you' I still get gum."  I started to giggle and assure her she could have her gum.  She started to walk back in the room and she explained further, "OK, because I just heard it on the thermometer."  I laughed out loud knowing she was referring to the baby monitor that was near where she was resting.

LOVE THESE CRAZY HILARIOUS SMARTY PANTS GIRLS!!!!!!!

What Do You Call That Thing That Princesses Wear?

Today's cute conversation after looking at a picture of a princess:

Erica:  Mary Lane, say "tiara."

Mary Lane:  "ta-ree-ah"

E:  No, say, "tiara."

ML: "ta-ree-ah"

E:  I said, say, "ta-ree-ah"...."Hey, it's a crown!"

Totally Great Birthday Morning

Having these two beautiful pink and purple two- and four-year-olds in my life makes birthdays extra extra fun!  I knew I could accurately anticipate happy little birthday celebrators all day long!  So far, so good!  2:00 and Erica is upstairs to rest and I have so much to reflect on and remember already on this birthday #43.  (By the way, who's counting anyway?)

• Woke up before everyone when I started hearing my silenced phone "buzz" at the first Facebook "Happy Birthday" messages of the day.
• Enjoyed a few minutes on the computer by myself before anyone woke up.
• Got my first birthday wish granted when the girls came down wishing me a "Happy Birthday" with their happy apple faces and got a picture for my FB profile picture!
• Hate to say it, but birthdays are also extra enjoyable now that Facebook notifies all of my friends to remember me!  HOW FUN!!!!!!
• Breakfast started out a little rocky with someone's tantrum or emotional problem.  All is forgotten already though!  It just happens!  I had planned on letting the girls help me "COOK" as part of our "C" week in homeschool preschool, but I skipped that.  No Problem!
• Banana/Egg pancake recipe made and shared with visiting LONG-TIME friend, Amy Huffman. She brought pink crepe paper decorations for the girls to help her tape up all over the house.  They loved it and I am enjoying having pink everywhere:)
• We finally got dressed and out of the house at almost 10:00.  That's pretty late for us 6:00 AM risers.
• Worked on Erica's Encore "homework" by stopping at Tusculum Hills Baptist Church where Mom had told me we could find lots of international flags to take pictures of.
• Stopped in the Aquatic Critter Zoo to see the snakes and fish.  After looking around for a few minutes, we noticed a worker watering the snakes in each of their drawers.  He said we could get as close as we wanted, that the snakes would bite him before they got to us!  Yikes!  I was a little worried that he would even mention the possibility of ANYONE getting a snake bite, but Erica was very brave and hung out right in front of the drawers to watch.  When he opened one drawer, he reached in and pulled out a full length shed snake skin.  It was easily four feet long.  He casually said, "Anyone want a snake skin?"  He told us how to save it and we put it with our stuff to take home.  Erica was so excited about it, and after lunch she wanted to call her PawPaw to tell him all about it.
• Had a pleasant trip to Kroger for a few needed items.  This is not always the scenario when I take both girls shopping.  Today they helped me find the items on my list, got a cookie (Letter C week is not the only week we get a cookie though!), found CABBAGE and CORN for "C" week, and got stickers!
• Add to all this that today is Mary Lane's second day in her Dora panties.  She is allowed to wear these horrendous garments only on days after she stays dry and cooperates with potty efforts.  Way to go Mary Lane!  Potty at Aquatic Critter Zoo and stay dry the rest of the outing!
• Came home to cook pizza and CRESCENT rolls with CHOCOLATE CHIPS for "C" week.  FUN!
• Painted caterpillars made out of egg cartons.  Super cute.  I should be posting pictures but I want to type all this before I forget the wonderfulness and I don't want to stop and figure out how to post pictures.
• Put Mary Lane to bed.  Good job today like most days lately, Miss Two.  You are so tired by nap time and that helps me!!!!
• Erica read and chatted and wrote letters in her journal while I did dishes, cleaned up from painting, and started to catch up my FB message reading some more.
• Now Erica is upstairs for her 2:00 to 3:00 "rest time."  Good job today, even though many days we don't have a smooth transition to this requirement.  Maybe my request for a good birthday rest for Mommy might have helped.

OK That's it for September 6, 2012 first part of the day!!!!!

Homeschool Preschool Day #1

We had our first "real" day of homeschool preschool today.  We have played around other times with some activities the girls and I called "homeschool" in previous weeks but today was the first day I wasn't working and had a real lesson plan for the day.  We start Friends Preschool next Friday and Encore Preschool on August 28, so we are still getting into our new regular schedule.  I am hoping these first days will help us get into a routine and a rhythm for what our school days will be like at home.

Before I get started with the first "real" day, I'll write about some activities we did on Monday.  I won't call it our first real day because our timing was really messed up because Russell and I had an early appointment with the nutritionist and Mom stayed with the girls part of the morning.  Then we went to the zoo.  When we got up from nap/rest time that afternoon,  I told the girls we would try a few homeschool activities and I set out a couple of learning centers:  animal puzzles, doctor kit, and wooden blocks.

Before we started playing in centers, Erica said, "Can we have a phone center?"  I thought quickly on my feet and set up a low table with three old cell phones, a pad of index cards, and some pencils.  I told the girls that if someone called, they could take a message and write on the cards.  They played in that center for probably 30-40 minutes.  I kept asking/suggesting, "Are you ready for circle time?"  We have been doing "circle time" a lot lately, which is just sitting together and reading and singing.  Erica and Mary Lane had no interest in stopping the phone center.  They played so well that I just sat and waited for them after I finished any laundry or other chores I wanted to do!  I was wondering, "Who is the teacher here?"  But I think student-led learning activities are certainly appropriate!

Now I will type up the plans I had written for our day today, Wednesday, August 15:

Books:  Noah's Ark
Music: Noah song, "Good morning" song
Blocks center: Animal numbers stacking blocks
Home Living Center: Doctor kit
Science Center (nothing planned)
Puzzles (nothing planned)
Outing: Library
Home Keeping:  Make cookies
Circle time:  "Following Directions" game
Art:  Rainbow picture with gluing pom-poms

Now I will type up what we really did:

7:10 AM - The girls started exploring the centers.
7:30  Russell paused before leaving for work so I could show him part of circle time.
Circle time:  "Good morning" song, calendar with Days of the Week song and what we are doing today and tomorrow.
Books: Sisters Photo album of Nanette and Jeanette, chosen by Erica; Another book that Mary Lane chose and I can't remember what it was.
Art: Rainbow picture with gluing pom-poms

We had more time playing in centers and I took time to pack up stuff to go to the Y and get dressed. We left home by 9:00.

Whew!!!! Already did so much before even 9:00 AM!?!?!

I have to find the best time to get my workout at the Y.  Today I wanted to try working out and showering at the Y before we went on our outing, and it went really well.  I'm not sure I want to do that every time, will definitely see what other options might work.

We were heading towards the library by 10:30 so we played on the playground outside the library before 11:00 story time.  Story time was great.  The girls were great.  We had fun seeing some friends from church.  We talked to the children's librarian, Mrs. Tori, after story time, and she told us since we are homeschooling this year, she is our "school librarian!"  I loved that.

I'm exhausted.  Excited.  Needing to find a good groove.  Thankful.

Too Many Funny Stories for a Facebook Status

Today from the time we left the Y at 12:00 until the girls were down for their naps, I lost count of funny things that happened.  I kept thinking, "This would be a funny Facebook status," then again, "Wait, THIS one is funnier."  "No, THIS one."  So a blog post is the plan instead.

Funny thing #1:  Erica wanted to make an art project we didn't have time to do at the Y.  The craft was gluing tissue paper on a paper bag to make a "nature bag."  Erica kept calling it a puppet.  She must have used paper bags to make puppets another time.  I told her it was a nature bag and she still wanted to call it her puppet nature bag.  She made the puppet talk, saying, "Hi, I'm a nature bag."  OK then.

Continuing with the nature bag, I really had hoped to unpack lunches and start laundry while Erica worked on her art project.  I keep forgetting that Mary Lane doesn't let much pass her by, and she wants to be included.  So, not using my best judgment ever, I asked Erica to help Mary Lane with the glue stick while I worked on dishes and laundry.  I called across the room, "Erica, is Mary Lane OK or does she need help with the glue?"  Erica answered in all seriousness and helpfulness, "She's doing OK.... but she's eating the glue!"

Funny thing #2:  I told Erica we were going to need to get some more art supplies when we start doing more homeschool preschool stuff.  She was very excited and started asking lots of questions about homeschooling.  I told her we could start anytime doing some projects, and she got more and more excited, "Can we start NOW?"  I suggested we start a list of things she would like to do.  I asked her what  things about school would she like to do while homeschooling?  She started listing, and I realized I couldn't write fast enough:

• Play
• "Play the school thing we did one day.  We could choose a color"  (Not sure what she is remembering.)
• Story time
• Music time
• art
• Centers:
• puzzles center
• kitchen
• home living
• books center
• ball center (now she's looking through our toys naming possible centers!)
• computer center
• music center
• blocks center
• movie center
• magnet center
• ABC center
• games center
• babies center
• Let me just say I think we have a good start on ideas!!!

Funny thing #3:  Erica was allowed to have "rest" today instead of nap.  This means she listens to a fun Bible songs CD, has the light on and books in her bed.  I reminded her to stay sitting or lying down and still needs to stay quiet.  "Yes, Mommy!"  Within five minutes I heard banging upstairs.  It was rhythmic banging, but I thought it was too noisy.  I went into my room where she is "resting," and she was singing at the top of her lungs, and I'm not sure what she was banging, but she was sure grooving, 

"Rock-a my soul in the bosom of Abraham, Rock-a my soul in the bosom of Abraham, Rock-a my soul in the bosom of Abraham, OHHHHHHHH Rock-a my soul!"

LOVE THESE GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What She Really Needed

A big part of my job is working with kids who have attachment problems and miscue their needs to their parents.  In other words, they need to connect with their parents, but such closeness is painful because of their traumas and losses so they push their parents away.  We call this a miscue.  Fortunately, Erica has no such problems communicating what she really wants.  As an example, I present this little conversation on the way home from church.

Erica: I think I'm loosing my voice. (some slight coughs)
Daddy:  Maybe you should take a nap this afternoon instead of just resting if you are getting tired.
Erica: Just say it's going to be ok. (Sounding like she was rolling her eyes.)
Daddy: It's gonna be ok.