CrAzY Working Mom: children

Showing posts with label children. Show all posts

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Confessions of a First Time Homeschool Mom

As I write this post, we are 5 months into our homeschooling journey. I began teaching my pre-schooler, 2nd grader, and 5th grader from the comforts of our own home at the beginning of the second semester this year.

Tyler came to school a/k/a the kitchen table like this.

We began a new year and a new chapter in our lives in January of twenty-fourteen. I had struggled with the fact that I felt God was calling me to home school my children for quite some time. I didn't know if I could be with my children twenty four hours a day, seven days a week (and I still don't!!). I didn't want to lose that freedom I had during the day. I take care of the office side of my husband's plumbing business from home. With that comes responsibilities, but I can take time during the day when needed for pedicures, shopping, etc. I also had plenty of time to keep up with laundry, dishes, and housework. How in the world could I ever fit in teaching my kids...and the biggest excuse of them all...I'm not smart enough. The kids are home with me in the summers. We "home school" then...we just don't have books in our laps when we do. We take field trips to the zoo, movies, and visit the water park. We do community service, and attend camps. Life always goes on even when the kids aren't doing time in public school. So, why should it be any different from August to May?

I finally gave in to all of those preconceived notions this year and decided I'd give it a trial run for a semester. I ordered curriculum, made schedules, planned, and we were ready! The first week went by like clock work. The kids were excited about the change in their routine. Every day they got up without fuss, got dressed, brushed their teeth (yes, home schoolers still do all of that!!). It was an amazing time. Then slowly and surely, they wanted to sleep in later, forgot to brush their teeth and wanted to do school in their pajamas. I tried to be a stickler to rules, we needed to get school done in a timely manner. We have to complete so much work per week. We can't be failures. The world is watching...or at least my parents are!

When snack time and Science collide! Experiment time.

If I could go back five months, I'd tell my worried, stressed out self that "home school" is nothing more ~~structured~~ learning scattered throughout (most of the time). I would not be overwhelmed with trying to get a month ahead on "lesson plans". The truth is, I have found that the kids will do much more work when I just tell them to do however much they feel like they can get finished today instead of giving them "X" amount of pages to complete. I would toss the books aside on a pretty day or better yet, take them to the park and get a few pages in between the merry go round and teeter totter. Yes, we still set goals and strive to achieve them, but in the end it's not about "making the grade" or getting finished at a certain time. It's about learning things that they will take with them for a life time. It's about being realistic and letting the kids explore and seek out what they enjoy. I'm not saying that they shouldn't do math, grammar, reading, etc. But, sometimes they will do a lot more if you aren't shoving it down their throats. There will be days when you may not get much accomplished. The sunshine and cool breezes can trump school sometimes. There will be plenty of time to make up that missed day of work in the winter when it's minus ten and the ice is frozen solid, provided there's no snow, 'cause then we'd have to call a snow day. ;)

While I won't say that every day is bliss, I do not regret the decision to pull my children from public school and teach them at home. One of my home schooling girlfriends put it best when she said, sometimes your "pros" are also your "cons" when home schooling as far as being with your kids all of the time. We do have to have trips to grandma's house...or sometimes mom just has to get in the car and drive around the block when Dad gets home because she needs to clear her head and have some Jesus time. I get a little emotional when I think of all of the wonderful things I missed out on by sending my kids to someone else for 7 hours a day to get "educated". I know that I have really gotten to know my kiddos this last five months. We laugh and cry together, we play and learn together. We still do drama, baseball, softball, church, and community service. We still have sleep overs, birthday parties, and the likes. They still have friends, and while they do miss some of their public school acquaintances, I believe that they are some of the most socially interactive kids you'll meet.

School at the park on a sunny day.

With that being said, I cannot imagine ever sending my kids back to public school. Although circumstances could some day change and the need may arise where it is our only option. I pray that God will continue to allow me to do what he has designed me to do, and that is to raise God fearing, loving, caring, self-sufficient, well rounded, properly educated children.

Shelby reading from a tree.

Now, to brag a little bit...my pre-schooler is on her 4th book. She's learning to read and that is astounding to me!! My 2nd grader has some difficulties reading, but he's a whiz at math and I love to see his brain work around those numbers in ways that mine doesn't process. He doesn't like to read, but he does LOVE to be read to and his favorites subjects of course are math, history, and science. My 5th grader is my little book worm. She's constantly reading. We frequent the library and she will check out (and read) at least 3 books a week! All three of my kids, from the 5 year old to the 11 year old can recite (in order) all of the books of the Old and New testament in the Bible. They continue to amaze me at all they absorb and I pray that God will continue to lead me on this amazing journey as a home schooling mom of three.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Summer Fun

I am still taking your ideas for summer fun ideas. Don't forget there is a $25 Wal-Mart gift card going out to someone for just leaving a comment on this post.

So far we've enjoyed some fun things including a quick trip to the Memphis Zoo (as mentioned in the previous post), a free magic show at the park sponsored by the Searcy Public Library. The kids really enjoyed this event and the best part about it was that it was FREE! This week we will be attending another magic show as well as Kids Summer Show at Searcy Cinema 8 where they will be showing Ramona and Beezus. You can see the schedule for the remainder of the summer by clicking this link. Admission is only $2, coke and popcorn is a buck! That's a deal you just can't beat. Doors open at 11 on Wednesday and Thursday. We also visited Splash Zone in Jacksonville. It was loads of fun for the kids. Admission is only $4 and if you have children over 48" tall who want to ride the big slides, you pay $1 extra.

Don't forget to head over to the contest post and leave a comment for your chance to win $25!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Homecoming

I made it home yesterday after a bit of a frightful flight. (Try saying that five times real fast...GO!) There were storms around Arkansas so we did a little diverting or so the pilot said, it sure didn't seem like it to me! It was a very bumpy ride toward the last thirty minutes of the flight and the landing was a nightmare. Usually I don't get too panicky on flights, but on this one, I did my share of praying! I tried to keep calm by reading, but it was so bumpy that I couldn't even do that without feeling nauseated! Thankfully we made it home safe and sound.

I practically RAN to the front of the airport where my babies were waiting on me! They had made cute little signs saying "Mom" so I would know they were there for me. It was adorable. Tyler was in his baseball uniform because he had a ball game, unfortunately due to the storms the game was canceled. So, we ended up having a night to ourselves to catch up.

I sat in the back with the kids on the way home and I am telling ya, Shelby talked almost the entire 45 minute drive back home. It was good to catch up with them and they asked about the Statue of Liberty and New York City. I showed them the pictures I had taken and they were excited about it as well. All in all it was a good ride home and great to be back with my babies.

When I got home, Brien was home from work and had brought me flowers. He is so sweet and thoughtful. Nobody felt like cooking so at dinner, we went out and let someone else do the cooking and cleaning. I was thrown right back into my Mommy Hat for sure. Tyler and Shelby were the first ones to fight. Once it was resolved, Tyler made his way down to Emily and got her stirred up. Do you see a common denominator here? Needless to say it was good to be back home. ;)

Sunday, June 05, 2011

My kid ran half naked through JC Penney...NOT KIDDING!!!

I can't believe it's taken me three days to blog about this!!! The kids and I went to run errands on Thursday. We had to go to the bank, post office, pick up dry cleaning, etc. These things are normally easy, quick things when it's just me. However, having three children you have to buckle, unbuckle, etc. makes it a bit more difficult. Thankfully, our dry cleaners have a drive through and so does the bank. We only had to go in at a couple of places. We also had to make a trip to Wal-Mart and JC Penney. I had to buy the kiddos some new clothes. They all needed shorts. With these 100° + temperatures, capris just won't cut it with the girls.

As we were going through Wal-Mart, I found myself repeating over and over again, "leave her alone, stop kicking him, quit it, be nice". I think that next time we have an outing, I will put that on a loop and just let it continuously play for them for I surely sounded like a broken record to those poor souls shopping around me. :(

To say that they got me frustrated in Wal-Mart is a serious understatement. Against my better judgment we went on to JC Penney. Hind sight says I should have just gone home and waited another day for clothes shopping. I will just tell you that this is how our shopping trip ended. We were in the dressing room letting Emily try on some shorts. She is at that in between size. Most things she has to have a 3T, but when it comes to shorts, some 24 months or 2Ts fit her. I had one of each size, or so I thought, when we went in there. As it turns out I had two 3Ts. I sent Shelby right outside the fitting room where the Toddler section was to grab another pair - the 2Ts that would hopefully fit her since the 3Ts were falling off her. When she was gone for a while, and the rack was right outside the dressing room, I should have just gotten Emily dressed and taken both of the younger kids out with me. But, I didn't...

I told my five year old son, Tyler to watch Emily so that I could step out and grab the shorts. He was playing Angry Birds on my phone. Apparently someone called my phone, so he thought he needed to leave the dressing room and come find me. Instead of finding me, he was walking around in another section - the baby section and guess who was running around the store in her panties and t-shirt?! Yup, two year old Emily had escaped!!!

It was at this point in time that as a "mommy blogger" I was thinking, this is great blogging material...you can't make this stuff up and anyone with children will appreciate this, but right now I sure wish I was reading this on someone else's blog and it was not happening to me!!! I chased her down and hung up on the person who had called (sorry Aunt G.) and corralled up the children back into the dressing room!! I got Emily dressed and we left with the few items that we had previously chosen.

As we checked out in the front of the store, I had all three children sitting on the floor by the check out line and the cashier commented on how well behaved my children were. HAH! I'll bet the ladies back in the toddler section would beg to differ, I know I sure do!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Batter Up - Our First Baseball Season!!!


A very nervous Tyler...

Since Tyler was a little fella we've been visiting the baseball fields watching my nephew, his cousin play baseball. Tyler has always had interest in the game. He loves to watch and has said for a long time that when he's old enough he wants to play! Sign ups were last month and when it came time to sign up, he was a bit nervous. In fact, the first time we went he talked himself out of it. We left without signing him up. When we got home and talked about it, he told me he wasn't sure how to play so he didn't want his team mates to get mad at him! After some talking from myself and my husband, he was convinced that his coach would teach him what he needed to know about the game. The next time we were there to sign up, he was ready, willing, and very excited!

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. We got a call from his coach. It just so happened to be someone that my husband went to school with and he is a super nice guy. Tyler was a little nervous when he went to his first practice, but he hung right in there and did a great job. Here is video of his very first batting practice:

Obviously he had a lot of folks cheering him on, which he said makes him very nervous. So, hopefully those nerves will settle for him and turn into excitement on the day of his first game Tuesday, May 3!!!

We got the schedule yesterday, and it looks like now it's official...we'll be living at the ball field! Thank goodness we only have one child playing! One week we have THREE games, plus church on Wednesday. That means we'll only be home one night that week...and it just so happens to be the night before we leave out for a trip to the Buffalo River with our Sunday School class! What a summer it's gonna be!!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Modesty is YOUR choice, not THEIRS!

I read an article today on CNN.com titled "Parents, don't dress your girls like tramps" by LZ Granderson. In the article the author explains how he sees a girl at the airport who has on a halter top and hip-hugger sweat pants with the word JUICY across the rear end. This sort of attire is inappropriate in a public place IMHO by anyone, but in this particular instance the stylish character was an eight year old girl! It was a very thought provoking article. I have an eight year old daughter and wardrobe is becoming more of an issue with us.

Modesty has always been top priority with us as we choose clothes for our children. Even more so now that they are getting older. We have to teach our children how to choose clothes that are appropriate for their age, size, etc. I see many adults wearing things that they shouldn't. You wonder if they borrowed a friends clothes that were two sizes smaller than them or perhaps they ate a few too many chocolate candies on Valentine's Day. Either way, we all should feel comfortable in our own skin, but it shouldn't involve making others look at it!!

When raising children, we are faced with many obstacles from what they eat, how they act, and what they wear. It's a constant battle - us against "the world". If you aren't teaching your child about modesty, then who is; Lady Gaga, Brittany Spears? The truth is, we as parents have to stand up and face the facts that if our children are out there wearing sweat pants with JUICY plastered across their rear end, it is our fault!! Those kids do not have jobs and certainly don't have driver's licenses, so their parents are allowing them to purchase such ridiculous attire!

We can point fingers all day long about what children see on television, movies, or window ads at the mall, but at the end of the day the other three fingers are pointing back at you if you're suckered into buying what they are marketing. At some point you have to take a stand and say enough is enough and I will not allow my children to be like the rest of the world. When my daughters are grown, they will be able to decide what not to wear. In the mean time, it is my job as their parent to teach them about modesty and how to respect their body and others around them.

A long time ago, I took a pledge with Jules from Moms for Modesty whose mission statement is as follows: Moms for Modesty Mission Statement

* As a Mom for Modesty I believe in common-sense modesty for girls and young women.
* I believe in refraining from sexualizing our girls and young women.
* I believe that it is unwise and unfair to taunt boys and young men by permitting my daughter(s) to dress in an immodest manner.
* I believe that true beauty comes from within and I strive to teach my daughter(s) this truth.
* I will loyally shop at retailers that provide girls' and young women's clothing that is modest, affordable and stylish.

I proudly display this badge in my side bar and if you'd like to do the same you can grab it by clicking it and going directly to the website.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Conversations with Emily

Emily Grace

My two oldest children attend school. Tyler is in Kindergarten and Shelby is in 2nd grade. Emily goes to a daycare/preschool. We have always just called it "school" for her too because that makes her feel like a "big kid". Most days she is very excited about school as she enjoys the activities, songs, and she loves her teacher(s).

One particular day this week, Emily found herself in the midst of one of her frequent "terrible twos" melt downs and she informed me that she was not going to school today. When asked her why, she said that school was out today and then she proceeded to point to the sign out front of the school. This particular sign says the name of the daycare center. Of course Emily had decided that this sign said otherwise. She then informed me that this sign said, "Do not go to school today"!

Yes, folks my two year old daughter can now read signs and if you tell her otherwise,

be prepared for the melt down!

Friday, April 01, 2011

Dancing With The Blacks

My children love the fine arts. They all, especially the girls, love to sing. When it comes to dancing, we love to watch shows like Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. It was no surprise to see my two oldest children mocking the contestants of DWTS this week. Shelby, the oldest even told her brother to "hold your arm straight...ALWAYS hold your arm straight"! So, obviously they pay very close attention to the technique. Emily on the other hand was not so into dancing on this night. She is in the full swing of "Terrible Twos" and when things don't go quite her way, she tends to be a little dramatic. So, you can hear her in the background of the clip above crying out because she is trying to lay down and can't quite get her blanket on her feet like she wanted. Believe me, that is a whole 'nother blog post!!

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Rhea Lana's Children's Consignment Sale

Rhea Lana's of Searcy Children Consignment Event is NEXT WEEK!!

March 15-19 at The White County Fairgrounds located at 802 Davis Drive in Searcy, Arkansas. The event will Open daily at 10 AM. I have shopped this event before and NEVER leave disappointed. It's a great opportunity to get high quality clothes at bargain prices.

This is the first year, however I have consigned. I am very excited about it. Normally I pass all of my children's clothes down to my little sister who has children younger than mine. But, my children are at the age now where I am not being given clothes anymore, so I am having to buy all new clothes, so I thought that I might as well take the clothes that are still in great shape and try to make a little bit of money from them to put toward the purchase of new clothes for my own children.

Just yesterday I had to take Tyler to buy a new pair of shoes. The kid is five years old and already in a size one shoe!! We bought him new shoes in January, size 13 and he has already outgrown them. The trouble with my son's clothes is that most of them are not in "consignable" condition! He wears them out. There are a few shirts and jeans that we will put in the sale because they were either church clothes or he outgrew them so fast he never really wore them.

I still have a lot to do between now and Saturday to get the clothes priced and tagged, but so I had better get busy. This is what I have left. There are 37 pair of jeans in that tote along with several shirts and lots of shoes, receiving blankets, and miscellaneous baby items that we no longer need.

I will also be pricing these baby toys that Emily no longer plays with. She was not happy when she saw that I had removed them from her room. She insisted that she still wanted them, but when I told her she could take the money we make from selling those toys and buy her new ones, she was quickly on board and tried going to her room to bring me more!

Are you consigning at this event, or have you consigned at events past? It seems like lots of work, so I am hoping that all of this hard work has paid off. I know that right now my house is a cluttered mess with all of the things that still need to be priced, but hopefully once it is all gone it will not return and I'll gather a nice check at the end of the sale!

Saturday, February 05, 2011

This is the Stuff!!!

Yesterday morning was one of those mornings when I should have just stayed in bed!! I got up watching the weather because we are expecting more snow and ice. Some schools in surrounding counties were making decisions to close in fear of getting the kids to school and the roads getting really bad thus not being able to get out but not our school district. It was business as usual. It was (and still is) VERY cold out. Hubby always leaves first, so as he was headed out the door I asked him to start my car. Usually he does, but sometimes he gets in such a hurry he forgets.

As we were headed out about 15 minutes later, we were all bundled up and I realized that the car wasn't started. I'll admit, I was ticked off at hubby for not starting it after I had specifically asked him. I started digging through the bottomless pit I call a purse and could not find the keys anywhere!!! I was already agitated, so this did not help my cause. The kids were in the car and it was so cold out you could see your breath. I went back inside and searched in the usual places where I put the keys if they are not in the purse. They were nowhere to be found! By this time I start really getting annoyed. I called hubby thinking that he'd taken the keys out to start the van and then forgot to start it. He did not have the keys but offered to bring the spare from the office. By this time, the kids were for sure going to be late, we surely did not have time to wait on him to bring a spare key.

I did a bit more searching and finally decided that wherever the keys were, I was not going to find them in the state I was in. I returned a call to hubby and 30 minutes later he returned home with a spare key. The kids and I jumped back into the car and were ready to finally get to school. I started the van and as I started to back out, it would not move. I saw hubby backing out of the driveway. I looked down to see why we weren't moving to realize that the car had died. When I tried to start it again, no luck. I turned it over three times and it just would NOT start!!! By this time I realized that it was just not meant for us to leave!! I've never had a minute's trouble with this car, so I am not sure what the problem was.

We stayed home and as it turns out, school was let out early (at 1). I have searched high and low for those keys, but have still turned up empty. But, what is the most annoying for me is that I was the last one to drive it, so I can't blame it on hubby!!!

So, with the crazy morning, I was reminded of a new song by one of my favorite Christian artists Francesca Batistelli. It's called "This Is The Stuff". Lyrics are on the screen, but it starts out "I lost my keys in the great unknown, and call me please 'cause I can't find my phone!"

This is the stuff that drives me crazy

This is the stuff that's getting to me lately

In the middle of my little mess

I forget how big I'm blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin

But I've got to trust You know exactly what You're doing

It might not be what I might choose but this is the stuff You use

To break me of impatience

Conquer my frustrations

I've got a new appreciation

It's not the end of the world

Yesterday as I was living those lyrics, I started singing the song and I realized that losing your car keys can make you feel like it's the end of the world, but if we just stop and take a minute this reveals our true character....how we act under pressure. My kids and I discussed it after the fact, how I reacted to this situation. God was testing me, and friends I will be the first to admit that I FAILED! But, he is a forgiving God and I think that through my misfortunes and bad choices, my kids can learn that we are all weak and we all have our moments of weakness, but in the end as long as we realize that we have done wrong and ask for forgiveness, we will be forgiven!!

On a lighter note, my little Emily also took a shot at singing this song, so I thought I'd post it here for your enjoyment:

Friday, January 21, 2011

My Work Out: Jiggling Butt Cheeks And Burning Calves

"Mommy, I see your butt jiggling!" she said to me with a giggle as she placed her hand over her mouth to hide a smile. My two year old reminded me yesterday afternoon EXACTLY why I was doing those darned foot fires in the first place. EA Sports Active is most definitely "jiggling my butt"!! Foot fires, Sumo squats with pivots, and push ups...I loathe them but every time I do them, even when my legs or arms are so on fire they bring tears to my eyes I keep pushing! I am doing this for ME and no one else. I want to be successful in my endeavor to lose weight and I WILL!!! There are some exercises that I do enjoy such as the step-aerobics, boxing, and running. But, they can't all be fun and easy or we wouldn't lose weight, right!? No pain, no gain!

My total weight loss isn't as much as I would like for it to be, but I can see changes in my body and the way my clothes fit so I can "see" results. My preacher actually said to me on Sunday, "Have you lost weight?" With a big smile, I said, "Yes, a little" and he said he could tell in my face. He is a good man! ;)

My kids are a great motivation to me. My 5 year old son asked me the other day as I worked out with my EA Sports Personal Trainer 2 if exercising makes you die. I was a bit perplexed by the question, so I asked him to elaborate. He said, "Well, last time you worked out you said that it was going to kill you!" Hah! Yes, I guess I will actually have to choose my words wisely next time I am faced with foot fires, side planks, and push ups.

My 8 year old and I had a conversation as to why I worked out and went on diets. I explained to her that I not only wanted to lose weight, but also to be healthy. When I said that, she asked me why I wanted to be healthy. Of course my family is the number one reason why I want to be healthy!!! I want to not only set a good example for them, but also teach them to choose healthy when eating, stay active, and be healthy! They like to do their own "work outs" by playing the sports activities on the EAS game. You can customize your work outs, so I will usually just let them choose which activities they want to do.

You would think that a busy mom of three would just shed the pounds because she never sits down, right? In fact, I am writing this blog post with a cup of coffee in hand knowing that I need to get the family out of bed and start yet another busy day! When life hands you lemons, add it to some water and get on that treadmill!!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Duck Tape Art

My 8 year old daughter, Shelby has always been very imaginative and creative. At an early age, she developed a love for fashion. She will combine some of the quirkiest patterns, styles, and outfits. I have always tried my best ~~and it's dang hard!~~ to let her experiment and be her own person.

Recently she has developed a love for duck tape. Duck tape indeed!!! She has created all sorts of things with it including purses, hair bows, rings, and wallets. Fortunately, there are lots of choices in duct tape styles these days, not just black or silver. She has leopard print, zebra print, peace signs, and even camouflage!

Here are two of her creations:

Her first purse (Medium) Leopard Print

Her second purse (Large) Camouflage Style

She has lots more things that I haven't taken pictures of, but she seems to think that she can sell them at a small price to pay for more duck tape. What do you think?

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Conversations with Emily

My 2 year old daughter and I were on the way to pick up the older two kids from school and the sun was shining in her eyes. She requested her sunglasses. Unfortunately they were not in the car which prompted this conversation:

Emily: "Mommy, will you please get the sunshine out of the sky?"

Me: "Emily, only God can do that, not mommy."

Emily...looking up toward the sky with sheer concentration, "God, will you please get the sunshine out of the sky?"

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Teacher, What's in That Cup?!

As the kids were helping me clear the table after dinner, we were talking about Tyler and some of his friends from school. He mentioned the name of one of his friends and I informed him that his teacher had sent me a picture of the two of them with a caption of "Sweet Boys". I laughed and said I think she made the word plural accidentally 'cause surely she wouldn't use the term "sweet" to describe Tyler.

{Before you start leaving hate comments, I was only kidding. My son can be sweet when he wants to be.}

I asked Tyler if his teacher was drinking that day. Of course he is only 5, so he said "Yes!!" I laughed because I knew that of course she was drinking, but not "drinking"! He said, she was drinking coffee. To which Shelby (the 8 year old snarky sister) replied, "Oh Tyler, coffee isn't bad. She wasn't drinking beer was she?"

Tyler then says, "Shelby do you know what is in coffee?!?! You must not know how bad it is. It has caffe-N-ine and she drinks four or five cups a day!"

I'm thinking that his teacher might regret that she has a blogging momma's child in her class by the end of the year.

...and for the record, I'd have to have an IV drip of coffee if I were dealing with Kindergarten students all day long!

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Happy Birthday Shelby!

The ENTIRE 2nd grade sang Happy Birthday to Shelby at lunch time on her birthday (last Monday). I wanted to post it here for your viewing pleasure.

Monday, September 06, 2010

Little Grips Product Review

Okay, all of you parents out there. I'm about to tell you about a product that's going to make you say, "Why didn't I think of that?"!!! I know when I saw them I thought the same thing. A father decided that when his daughter was having trouble learning to self feed he needed to figure out a simpler way. So, off to the work bench he went and the first prototype was designed for Little Grips. After prayer and a lot of support from family and friends who knew this idea was marketable, Idea Blvd Inc. was created and promises several other products in development that they look forward to introducing in the future. Not just baby products but inventions that will solve some of the most basic annoyances we face on a daily basis. To read more about this company, you can click their About Us Page.

Little Grips Eating Utensils: What are they, you ask?! Well, even if you didn't ask I'm about to tell you! They are designed with your self-feeding toddler in mind. Any parent can tell you how difficult it is for a toddler to learn to self feed. Holding the utensil is a tricky task to master (try saying that three times real fast...okay, are you done? Back to the review). The Little Grips Utensils are designed with your child's natural movement in mind. This is good for toddlers because they are not dropping half of their food from their fork or spoon before it reaches their mouth either hitting the table or their clothes. It's good for you because you are going to have to clean the previously mentioned table and clothes! In short, it makes feeding time less messy and of course builds their self confidence because they are doing it on their own!

I really wish that this product would have been available to me three children ago. Well, at least two children ago, anyhow. Since Emily has pretty much proclaimed "Big Girl" status, I had a hard time getting her to eat with them. She knew that they were different than the ones we were using, so she really wanted no part of it. But, she was gracious enough to ~~take her turn as the guinea pig~~ try them out for the sake of the review.

Emily just turned 2 and she used them for the first time to eat eggs at breakfast. At first she was curious to find out what they were. When she realized that she had her own special utensils she was very excited. She stuck her eggs with the fork and got them to her mouth with ease! Emily gives them an thumbs up because she loved them and she was proud to have something that her siblings did not have. I give them two thumbs up because the product delivers! It does what it says it will. No doubt about it. Even though Emily is older and already knows how to use utensils, she made less of a mess with these, which is something worth buying for in my opinion!

Fork full of eggs and no spilling!

Contact!!

No matter if your child is left or right handed, it is an ambidextrous product, so there is no right or wrong way to hold it. It is a non-slip grip that fits easily into your toddler's palm. Dishwasher safe...did you hear me people, DISHWASHER SAFE (The words every mother loves to hear) because it's made from high quality plastic and stainless steel! This is a deal and you can get a set (available only online) for $10.95.

Okay, now that you're sold and ready to buy, here's all the info you need.
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* The statements made in this post reflect my personal opinions and not necessarily that of the sponsoring company. I received this product in return for a review post of my opinion. No other form or compensation has been received by myself nor any other member of my family. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question click here.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Don't Pee In The Holy Water

Yesterday in the swimming pool, all was right with the world as I floated on my raft soaking up the sun. I heard Tyler tell Shelby he was going to Baptize her in the pool. She agreed only if she could do the same to him. I snapped this photo (with my Iphone) as the ceremony began.

They would hold one another's nose and then push them off the ladder into the water. Thank goodness real baptisms don't go this way! It went on this way for a few minutes until one pushed another a bit too hard and then (as usual!) it ended in fighting, so we had to move on to something else and the ladder was banned for a while.

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Conversations with Tyler

Sweet 4 year old (chocolate covered) Tyler

Tyler is my four year old son. Last night we had this conversation:

Tyler: Mommy, I love you all the way to Jesus.

Me: Wow, that's a long way but I love you all the way to Jesus AND BACK!

Tyler: Well, actually that's not very far 'cause Jesus is in your heart.

...okay, all together now: Awwwww! He can be sweet, even when he's awake.

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

I'm Daydreaming Again!

Tyler will start Kindergarten in the fall. He's a young 'un. He will just barely be 5 when he starts. He went for screening a couple of weeks back and he scored a bit lower than they would like for him to score. It was no surprise to me being that he is younger, thus they suggested summer school for him. He started last Friday and he will go for the entire month of June.

Also for the month of June my little sister from Texas will be staying in Arkansas. She is a pleasure to have, but being that she is only 11, it's mostly like having a 4th (GASP!) child. It's more laundry, extra cooking, etc. But the good thing is that with her being 11, she is also a very good helper, thank goodness!

To say that things are busy for me could quite possibly be the understatement of the century! School, work, kids, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. It's enough to make me want to curl up in the fetal position over in the corner!!!

Sometimes I wish that I could clone myself to where I could enjoy my kids, ya know do all of the fun things with them...go swimming, to the park, watch a movie, visit the zoo, play a little baseball in the front yard...those things that I do not have time to do. My clone could do all of those things that I hate to do like laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning the toilets, doing the floors, cleaning out the pool, etc! Wouldn't that be nice?!?! Seriously! Even if I could just have a cleaning contractor keep up with the overwhelmingly large amount of housework I have to do I would be a happy woman! I had a cleaning lady for a while, and I must admit that on the days when she came, I looked forward to coming home to a CLEAN house. It was nice knowing that when I opened the doors, the smell of freshly mopped floors and clean linens filled the air.

Unfortunately, I'm living in the real world now where things are as they were when we left them this morning...in complete and total disarray! I suppose I have this to look forward to for the next 16 years or so, right?

...at least a Mom can dream!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Mommy, Some Day I Want to Be Baptism-ed

Tyler said to me this afternoon, "Mommy, I liked your dunking thing".

With a smile I reply, "My baptism?".

He says, "Yes, Mommy and some day I want to be baptism-ed".

This would make me very proud, son!

Today, May 23, 2010 in front of some of the most influential and important people in my life, I was baptized! My husband, thhe man who has stood by me through thick and thin was there. My life partner, the person who knows me and still loves me. The man who fathered the my three children, and most importantly the man who also loves Christ as HIS father! My children were there, to witness my decision to love my life for the Lord. This meant so much to me, to show my children the importance of this decision. My mother and father-in-law were there to show their support. Two of the most wonderful people that God could have ever placed in my life. They have been there for me in the absence of my parents. My mother-in-law is such a beautiful soul and I love her as my own mother. She's a Godly woman and I am so glad that I have had her to look up to over the years. My little sister was also there. My sister has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. She has always stood beside me no matter what. She has been such an inspiration to me in her faith. For that I thank her. I thank her for shining her light for me to see. I was proud to have my brother-in-law there as well, a proud Christian man. To my family, I say thank you for your support and to my new family in Christ, if any of you make your way here let me say thank you so much for your support and love.

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