So we had a wonderful trip to Washington state, but it has been a bear of a week trying to get our kiddos back on EST. They'd prefer to nap all afternoon and stay up all night. And for Mr. C that means eating every three hours 'round the clock. I think last night was the first regularish night for him, but Miss L couldn't settle in until around 10:30 p.m., so N and I have yet to get an evening without children to just hang out since we returned home a week ago. And the flight schedule has no mercy on N, with three pre-dawn briefs in a row this week.
At last, though, the weather is balmy and Florida feels downright perfect this time of year. We've been throwing open the windows every afternoon to drink in the mild air and listen to the birds and school busses and lawnmowers in our little neighborhood. And we look for any excuse to be outside. Yesterday L and I hung laundered bed sheets out to dry on our patio furniture and made a tent underneath for one exquisite noontime picnic. Little C sat in the grass for a while and let the blades tickle his fingers and toes. He would love to lunch on it, too, but L and I are quick to snatch away any wood-be sod snacks.
With the book of 2008 already open to the first of 12 chapters, I am looking for goals and projects. N gave me a new sewing machine for Christmas--I have yet to select and purchase it. I plan to hold onto Grandma E's old Singer 'cause they don't make 'em like they used to I'm told. Meantime, I'm dreaming up ideas for pillow covers, sundresses and aprons. I'd love fun and funky pattern ideas from anyone who sews. I'm also headlong into toiling over what to do with L's pre-school years. She turns 3 in four months and I'm just not sure where or when pre-school should begin for her. She's already learning a ton at home, but I see she will at some point need more structure in her lessons. As I research home-school, Montessori and traditional church-based or public education settings I would love feedback, too, from other parents who are moving through these tender early learning years. Any helpful books or other tools? Some things that worked or didn't work for you...It's and overwhelming sea of options.
Well, back to managing the household and soaking up the final shreds of this rare dual-napping afternoon for the tots. Here are pics of yesterday in the backyard and L's first ice cream cone.
Sewing idea for you: a mei tai! I see in your pics you're still using a Bjorn for C...have you joined thebabywearer.com at all? You'll get tons of ideas for carriers to take you beyond the Bjorn...and there's a whole forum called DIY where mamas post directions and pics of the baby carriers they've made :) I love my mei tais...I also use soft structured carriers (SSCs) a ton. Most of the time I carry Baby L on my back these days...I find it more convenient for using my hands and doing stuff...anyway, just an idea for you. I'll post some pics of my carriers on my blog too...of course, I didn't make any of them, but one of these might try. I did make a mei tai for the girls' dolls :) Have fun!
ReplyDeleteHey D! Was pondering your education question ... it's great that you have so many options these days, especially being in a city and moving to a new city. My mom taught both me and Kurt at home up until kindergarten. Every day at 9 a.m. we'd do basic math, work on our handwriting, work on the alphabet, learn about animals, do vocab flashcards and do other "school" type stuff for at least an hour. She also labeled just about every piece of furniture and appliance in the house (bed, stove, refrigerator, etc.) and put our address and phone number on the closet across from the toilet so we would always see it a few times a day and eventually memorize it. All these little things had me so prepared by the time I got to kindergarten that I arrived at school with so much confidence. I bet you are a looking for something a bit more complex but I gotta give my mom's method a shoutout, considering how Kurt and I turned out ;) Love you mucho!
ReplyDeleteOne more thing ... she also gave me $1 each month once I turned four and would give me interest every time I would "lend" my money back to her. I also made money selling her produce from my vegetable garden. This was how I earned my Christmas money and learned about saving ;)
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