It's been a somewhat tiring week. I've battled with allergies, and a little boy waking up at 6ish each day.
Normally Oliver sleeps in until around 7. And I really don't mind him getting up earlier, it's just how he's been getting up.
He's been waking up crying and calling out for me, or for Jonah.
Not sure what is going on, teething? Cold?
It's been getting somewhat cool at night so I'm wondering if we just need to try adding another layer on him. Maybe we will tonight.
Needless to say it's never a great wake up with a fussy little boy. So I am hoping we can figure this thing out!
But we haven't tried anything new, project wise this week.
I was looking at a pin on pinterest though, which led me to her blog, and I am finding some great new ideas that I would like to try out with Oliver.
Knowing I get overwhelmed by too many choices (she has 101 things to do with toddlers- yikes) I thought I would narrow down a few and list them out to give me some focus!
Her blog is here if you'd like to browse through her ideas.
So here goes:
Muffin tin Mondays- making meals in muffin tins (she also includes ideas for meals).
Collect rocks in a basket (oliver would love this, he is always finding rocks and sticks for me)
Toss bean bags in a bucket (need to make some bean bags)
Roll ball back and forth on floor (I forget to do simple things like this with him)
Play with a bucket of water and sponge (or his little pool outside)
Wash windows together
Let him play with sticker sheet ( I have many stickers and a book I no longer use)
Draw on a mirror with dry erase markers ( or our sliding glass door)
Glue shapes on paper
This little list along with our everyday learning times are on my list of things to do next week with Oliver.
I am using some print outs from a fabulous blog I found, and our focus is on camping. So maybe next week we'll make s'mores, or this weekend! Oliver learned some new words and I'd like to show him what they are- like backpack, lantern, fire etc.
Today though I may try to do some of those items above, just for fun with the boy.
Only a few more months until we welcome his baby brother! I hope by that point I will have a handle on our daily schedule, because I know it will probably be completely changed with a newborn!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
May!
It's May!
What? When did that happen? I'm seriously losing all sense of time this year. Maybe it was the morning sickness, neverending, four month hiatus. Perhaps.
But here we are in May and that means we will be celebrating our wee boy's 2 year birthday!
Even though he is actually turning 2 June 2, we decided to have his party on Memorial Day- so it's the same week, just at the beginning.
With that being said I have been delaying, um procrastinating on his invite. Now here we are in May and I know they need to be sent so that some of our friends can come!
I set out thinking I could design my own invite on evite.com.
Well that was like a sinking ship from the start.
I'm not sure if anyone else has had success designing their own invites (by design I mean creating everything yourself, its the design nerd in me) in this program.
Frustrating.
That pretty much sums up my experience with it.
I chose the option to design my own- and it gives you choices to upload your own images for the background and graphics used on it.
But it doesn't update, or work correctly.
I would create my own background and upload it only to have them drop in their own.
I also did this for a graphic only to have them place in their own clip art of baby bottles and flowers.
Really?
I tried, truly several times to go through and use what they would allow me, but to no avail.
I'm done with evite. Goodbye evite it's been a useless relationship.
So, I decided to make my own from scratch, turn it into a pdf, and email this way. I know it's not going to have the fields for a quick response from friends but I will just have to rely on the old fashioned rsvp- through my phone.
Here is our little boy's invite- censored to keep out personal info for all those out there in the world I don't know.
What? When did that happen? I'm seriously losing all sense of time this year. Maybe it was the morning sickness, neverending, four month hiatus. Perhaps.
But here we are in May and that means we will be celebrating our wee boy's 2 year birthday!
Even though he is actually turning 2 June 2, we decided to have his party on Memorial Day- so it's the same week, just at the beginning.
With that being said I have been delaying, um procrastinating on his invite. Now here we are in May and I know they need to be sent so that some of our friends can come!
I set out thinking I could design my own invite on evite.com.
Well that was like a sinking ship from the start.
I'm not sure if anyone else has had success designing their own invites (by design I mean creating everything yourself, its the design nerd in me) in this program.
Frustrating.
That pretty much sums up my experience with it.
I chose the option to design my own- and it gives you choices to upload your own images for the background and graphics used on it.
But it doesn't update, or work correctly.
I would create my own background and upload it only to have them drop in their own.
I also did this for a graphic only to have them place in their own clip art of baby bottles and flowers.
Really?
I tried, truly several times to go through and use what they would allow me, but to no avail.
I'm done with evite. Goodbye evite it's been a useless relationship.
So, I decided to make my own from scratch, turn it into a pdf, and email this way. I know it's not going to have the fields for a quick response from friends but I will just have to rely on the old fashioned rsvp- through my phone.
Here is our little boy's invite- censored to keep out personal info for all those out there in the world I don't know.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
a nest
My teacher side (gasp, did I just say that?) has really been taking over lately.
After being down and out for months, I felt so bad for Oliver's sake as I really wanted to start doing some kind of daily activity with him to teach him new skills, objects, etc.
Really all I was able to do faithfully with him was reading, going over his alphabet, colors, numbers and each evening we started going through a Bible verse with him after story time.
I also try to play some music with him daily, and I've been teaching him a song, since he has done so well memorizing his first Bible verse.
You just don't realize what those little minds are truly capable of until you start something consistently with them. Then when they pour out what you put in, you are amazed at their knowledge!
I think it's too easy to say he's too young and wouldn't possibly be able to do that- but how do you know until you try?
I tried to be consistent in some areas, and it's starting to show! He knows his colors, shapes, and alphabet pretty well now. He can count to 5 (and up to 10 but not perfectly) and he's memorized Philippians 4:13! I'm not saying all this to brag, I am proud of how well Oliver is doing, but I'm saying it to encourage moms who struggle to do 'activities' or something structured. I think consistency is the biggest help to your children.
I didn't take hours each day to plan and organize things to do-ha! I just couldn't with my morning sickness.
I did make a binder with alphabets, colors and numbers/counting for us to flip through each day (I can share those if you'd like to have a copy). He really enjoyed taking that binder down and going through the pages- daily showing me how much he was starting to learn. I just created some simple printouts, printed them in color and put them in clear page dividers. There was our book. I can keep adding to it with new, and more advanced things for him to learn. Right now that seems to be a good starting point for me, as it overwhelms me to hear words like "lesson planning" and such.
And I'm not a teacher. Ha!
I've found that to be well, not true. We are all teachers to our children. Whether we admit it or not, those little eyes and hearts are watching and waiting to see how we do things, and look out because one day what you say and do, how you react, or don't react to something is going to be mimicked by this tiny 2' person.
What a privilege and responsibility it is to realize you are a teacher to your little ones.
It's so much fun seeing him get so excited about learning. This is something I didn't expect! He loves seeing and doing new things- even if it's as simple as finger paints.
Now where was I? I really went off track there as this post was going to be about a project we did today.
I actually found this blog on Pinterest (yes, I do actually use my pins sometimes :) and found some helpful projects that this lady does with preschoolers. This project is called a nest, with the focus on well, a nest for birds. She recommended you read the book "Are you My Mother?" which I know we have somewhere...but I chose a book we have that actually has a picture of baby birds in a nest. I showed him the letter N, and the nest picture, then we made our own nest.
It was a short little project but it gave Oliver a chance to play with new textures and colors. He had fun collecting the cut yarn and putting it in the cup, and of course was thrilled there was a balloon to throw around. I'll have to post a photo of the dried nest- not sure how long it will take to dry or if it will turn out :) But it was fun to do, and I'm going to keep my eyes open to see if I can spot a real nest to show Oliver. Here are our photos from the project, and here is the link for the lady's blog.
I had fun doing it with him too! Now onto tomorrows project, hmm which remains unknown to me!
After being down and out for months, I felt so bad for Oliver's sake as I really wanted to start doing some kind of daily activity with him to teach him new skills, objects, etc.
Really all I was able to do faithfully with him was reading, going over his alphabet, colors, numbers and each evening we started going through a Bible verse with him after story time.
I also try to play some music with him daily, and I've been teaching him a song, since he has done so well memorizing his first Bible verse.
You just don't realize what those little minds are truly capable of until you start something consistently with them. Then when they pour out what you put in, you are amazed at their knowledge!
I think it's too easy to say he's too young and wouldn't possibly be able to do that- but how do you know until you try?
I tried to be consistent in some areas, and it's starting to show! He knows his colors, shapes, and alphabet pretty well now. He can count to 5 (and up to 10 but not perfectly) and he's memorized Philippians 4:13! I'm not saying all this to brag, I am proud of how well Oliver is doing, but I'm saying it to encourage moms who struggle to do 'activities' or something structured. I think consistency is the biggest help to your children.
I didn't take hours each day to plan and organize things to do-ha! I just couldn't with my morning sickness.
I did make a binder with alphabets, colors and numbers/counting for us to flip through each day (I can share those if you'd like to have a copy). He really enjoyed taking that binder down and going through the pages- daily showing me how much he was starting to learn. I just created some simple printouts, printed them in color and put them in clear page dividers. There was our book. I can keep adding to it with new, and more advanced things for him to learn. Right now that seems to be a good starting point for me, as it overwhelms me to hear words like "lesson planning" and such.
And I'm not a teacher. Ha!
I've found that to be well, not true. We are all teachers to our children. Whether we admit it or not, those little eyes and hearts are watching and waiting to see how we do things, and look out because one day what you say and do, how you react, or don't react to something is going to be mimicked by this tiny 2' person.
What a privilege and responsibility it is to realize you are a teacher to your little ones.
It's so much fun seeing him get so excited about learning. This is something I didn't expect! He loves seeing and doing new things- even if it's as simple as finger paints.
Now where was I? I really went off track there as this post was going to be about a project we did today.
I actually found this blog on Pinterest (yes, I do actually use my pins sometimes :) and found some helpful projects that this lady does with preschoolers. This project is called a nest, with the focus on well, a nest for birds. She recommended you read the book "Are you My Mother?" which I know we have somewhere...but I chose a book we have that actually has a picture of baby birds in a nest. I showed him the letter N, and the nest picture, then we made our own nest.
It was a short little project but it gave Oliver a chance to play with new textures and colors. He had fun collecting the cut yarn and putting it in the cup, and of course was thrilled there was a balloon to throw around. I'll have to post a photo of the dried nest- not sure how long it will take to dry or if it will turn out :) But it was fun to do, and I'm going to keep my eyes open to see if I can spot a real nest to show Oliver. Here are our photos from the project, and here is the link for the lady's blog.
I had fun doing it with him too! Now onto tomorrows project, hmm which remains unknown to me!
alphabet
I have been ambitious this week!
At least I've been doing new projects daily, not on purpose though. My energy is up and my sickness from the baby is down! A great twist after months of feeling so blah.
Yesterday I got it in my mind that I would make Oliver some alphabet cards. Granted I already made some smaller ones, I thought I would make giant cards, and make them much nicer than my smaller ones. He has learned all of his letters, and I thought it would be good for him to start associating pictures with each letter. So I made the alphabet on the front with a word, and on the back created an illustration for each word/letter. He does really well with remembering what pictures are what since he loves books. Picture books are wonderful at this age as he seems to soak it all up in his ever growing memory.
I am still debating if I'll round the corners and laminate. We'll see. It would be nice if they can last to our next son, without getting beat up, bent, and chewed on.
I had a great time drawing and coloring! I haven't illustrated in so long and it felt good to be back at it.
Here are the cards, a few favorites being the umbrella (with Oliver's name on it) and I do like the xylophone.
At least I've been doing new projects daily, not on purpose though. My energy is up and my sickness from the baby is down! A great twist after months of feeling so blah.
Yesterday I got it in my mind that I would make Oliver some alphabet cards. Granted I already made some smaller ones, I thought I would make giant cards, and make them much nicer than my smaller ones. He has learned all of his letters, and I thought it would be good for him to start associating pictures with each letter. So I made the alphabet on the front with a word, and on the back created an illustration for each word/letter. He does really well with remembering what pictures are what since he loves books. Picture books are wonderful at this age as he seems to soak it all up in his ever growing memory.
I am still debating if I'll round the corners and laminate. We'll see. It would be nice if they can last to our next son, without getting beat up, bent, and chewed on.
I had a great time drawing and coloring! I haven't illustrated in so long and it felt good to be back at it.
Here are the cards, a few favorites being the umbrella (with Oliver's name on it) and I do like the xylophone.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
a mom
We had a relaxing afternoon with some friends of ours. New found friends somewhat, as we have been planning to get together for some time, but were finally able to connect. My hiatus from the world for 4+ months (morning sickness) had a small something to do with that I suppose. But it was a great time together and I am looking forward to getting to know them in the days ahead!
I was able to share one of my favorite stories with them- our journey of faith over this past year. I blogged about this whole process here and I'm so glad I did as it will always give me a place to go back to and read over- even though it's all still pretty fresh in my mind.
Sorting through some recent photos I took of Oliver has brought my mind and heart back to the past year. It's almost been a whole year since I've switched roles from the work world to being a stay at home mom.
All I can say is God is so good. So good to answer, to lead, to provide along the way. Did I doubt?
There are moments of wonder, like how will we continue to meet our needs each month? But they are slowly being shifted to- I know God will provide, can't wait to see how. It's been a wonderful year.
I have been able to be there for Oliver in ways I dreamed, watching him grow and learn daily. Now as we await baby boy #2's birth I am amazed at how God loves us. That fear that often holds us back from stepping out in faith is very much a blindfold to the amazing gifts God wants to give us.
I know looking back it was scary, fearful, unsettling those days and weeks leading up to our decision for me to be at home, to leave an income providing job.
Not that I'm saying every mom should drop her job and be at home right now.
I know that for me it was a desire in my heart that grew, and one I shared with Jonah (notice I didn't say nagged, whined and begged with Jonah) as a possibility. And facing a deadline to make this decision allowed us to both focus on much prayer & fasting (Jonah) over it.
And God answered, He spoke to us and we heard it and together we made the decision.
I was telling my friend how important it was that we both came to that decision. Unity in it or not at all.
And how important that is- because it hasn't been easy this past year. We had to give up outings and extras to make sure we had what we needed each month. I could get upset about not having money for eating out, or salon haircuts, or whatever little thing I suppose I could dwell on. But I'm thankful. I'm thankful for a husband that supports me and loves me and prays with me and for me each day as we look to God for our needs. Ah, yes, that peace that God provides along with His leading is what gives us the joy we need. Things are not important, they are nice, and many are necessary- but He is providing those necessary things. The rest is just a blessing. Lots of blessings poured over us. And I don't think I would have otherwise seen the blessings. If that makes sense...
Here are some shots though of our little Oliver waking up one morning. I wouldn't miss this for all the paychecks in the world. Oh sweet goodness for the heart!
I was able to share one of my favorite stories with them- our journey of faith over this past year. I blogged about this whole process here and I'm so glad I did as it will always give me a place to go back to and read over- even though it's all still pretty fresh in my mind.
Sorting through some recent photos I took of Oliver has brought my mind and heart back to the past year. It's almost been a whole year since I've switched roles from the work world to being a stay at home mom.
All I can say is God is so good. So good to answer, to lead, to provide along the way. Did I doubt?
There are moments of wonder, like how will we continue to meet our needs each month? But they are slowly being shifted to- I know God will provide, can't wait to see how. It's been a wonderful year.
I have been able to be there for Oliver in ways I dreamed, watching him grow and learn daily. Now as we await baby boy #2's birth I am amazed at how God loves us. That fear that often holds us back from stepping out in faith is very much a blindfold to the amazing gifts God wants to give us.
I know looking back it was scary, fearful, unsettling those days and weeks leading up to our decision for me to be at home, to leave an income providing job.
Not that I'm saying every mom should drop her job and be at home right now.
I know that for me it was a desire in my heart that grew, and one I shared with Jonah (notice I didn't say nagged, whined and begged with Jonah) as a possibility. And facing a deadline to make this decision allowed us to both focus on much prayer & fasting (Jonah) over it.
And God answered, He spoke to us and we heard it and together we made the decision.
I was telling my friend how important it was that we both came to that decision. Unity in it or not at all.
And how important that is- because it hasn't been easy this past year. We had to give up outings and extras to make sure we had what we needed each month. I could get upset about not having money for eating out, or salon haircuts, or whatever little thing I suppose I could dwell on. But I'm thankful. I'm thankful for a husband that supports me and loves me and prays with me and for me each day as we look to God for our needs. Ah, yes, that peace that God provides along with His leading is what gives us the joy we need. Things are not important, they are nice, and many are necessary- but He is providing those necessary things. The rest is just a blessing. Lots of blessings poured over us. And I don't think I would have otherwise seen the blessings. If that makes sense...
Here are some shots though of our little Oliver waking up one morning. I wouldn't miss this for all the paychecks in the world. Oh sweet goodness for the heart!
Friday, April 27, 2012
giant crayons
So today is designated to menu planning. It's kind of sad that I have to block off well, a day.
And how is it coming along?
Well I made some giant crayons.
Yes, that's what happens when the queen of procrastination tackles a project that she hates.
Not that I haven't started my menu planning.
I'm currently surrounded by coupons, grocery lists, sale lists and some raisins (my snack).
But this morning I had the brilliant idea to try one of my pins on pinterest that I have been wanting to try.
Truly it was easy. They had about 3 steps to make these crayons and it really was that simple. The hardest part was pulling the labels off the crayons- some seem to stick more on certain colors. But since we have an abundance of crayons in our house, I've been wanting to try my own giant ones. I figured they would fit well in Oliver's little hands and I even thought they may make a nice party favor for his birthday. I happen to have molds that are circles- so "O" for Oliver would be appropriate.
Here are my giant crayons in the end:
I think for next time, when I make a big batch, I will stick to simpler color blends- maybe just two per crayon. Plus I also realized it does matter if you use cheap vs. crayola brand. The ones in the front are crayola, and the ones in the back (see that layer of wax underneath?) are from a carebear coloring book.
I was overall very pleased with how easy it was. Now to go draw with them- I need Oliver to try them out, as soon as he wakes up from his nap. For the pin here is the link.
For now I'll go back to my favorite task....that isn't going anywhere fast.
And how is it coming along?
Well I made some giant crayons.
Yes, that's what happens when the queen of procrastination tackles a project that she hates.
Not that I haven't started my menu planning.
I'm currently surrounded by coupons, grocery lists, sale lists and some raisins (my snack).
But this morning I had the brilliant idea to try one of my pins on pinterest that I have been wanting to try.
Truly it was easy. They had about 3 steps to make these crayons and it really was that simple. The hardest part was pulling the labels off the crayons- some seem to stick more on certain colors. But since we have an abundance of crayons in our house, I've been wanting to try my own giant ones. I figured they would fit well in Oliver's little hands and I even thought they may make a nice party favor for his birthday. I happen to have molds that are circles- so "O" for Oliver would be appropriate.
Here are my giant crayons in the end:
I think for next time, when I make a big batch, I will stick to simpler color blends- maybe just two per crayon. Plus I also realized it does matter if you use cheap vs. crayola brand. The ones in the front are crayola, and the ones in the back (see that layer of wax underneath?) are from a carebear coloring book.
I was overall very pleased with how easy it was. Now to go draw with them- I need Oliver to try them out, as soon as he wakes up from his nap. For the pin here is the link.
For now I'll go back to my favorite task....that isn't going anywhere fast.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
22 weeks
Here we are at 22 weeks! I have been slightly horrible about updating any progress throughout this pregnancy, and it makes me feel terrible. I always heard that as you have more babies there are less photos and such for each one- and I know this firsthand since I'm number 4 in my own family and there are very limited photos of my own childhood- not to mention the gaps in my baby book.
I hoped to do better with this new baby, and well, the ongoing sickness from the pregnancy really really slowed things down. I am just now feeling better- around 5 months I started to turn for the better. I am just past that and I still have some queasiness here and there, but I am able to go out in the world!
We did find out who this little person is- at 20 weeks. Another BOY!
We are thrilled with this news as we thought it would be fun to have two boys- a brother for Oliver to play with.
Names are still not decided, and I am not worried as it took us til day 2 after Oliver's birth to finalize his, although I'm truly truly hoping we will have it settled well before then!
I have been praying over our second son's name, as it's powerful to be named for life. I know God has a name already chosen for this boy and I am excited to find out what it will be. I've been writing a new list, some from our last pregnancy, but mostly some new ones.
We are just past halfway now in the pregnancy so we have some time!
Here I am at 22 weeks....
Our little Oliver is also growing like a weed. He is such a joy to be at home with day in and day out. At 22 months old, he is very nearly the big 2 years old! I can't believe how quickly the days fly by when you are a parent. But what a wonderful speedy journey it is. Oliver is becoming so much more vocal these days and we love hearing his little baby voice say big words. He tries to mimic us in so many ways and it's hilarious sometimes. It is also teaching us to watch exactly what we say to him- and ourselves. He picks up words so easily I have to be mindful of what words he's saying!
We are planning a party for him this year since we weren't able to really do a big one last year. I'm so excited about it and I'm planning now. Since it's a summer party I have big visions of food already- what else is new these days?
I have also been mentally planning out what we will do room-wise for the new baby. I thought about putting them in the same room and using the other guest room for a play space, but now I'm debating that again, and thinking we may just keep the boys separate and let them play in our loft space that currently holds Oliver's books and many of his toys. It's a great open space and I may just utilize that....
So many ideas, I just need to focus on a couple and tackle those. That's the plan anyways.
We already have a toddler bed for Oliver when we are ready to convert him to that, I just need to touch it up with some paint. We also found a sweet little table and two chairs for his (or playroom) room, but it's going to need some paint for sure. This is part of our birthday gift to him, and depending on when we get it touched up we may let him see it early? Maybe. Once it's done we will put it in the second room, regardless of what we decide to do with that room.
I am excited about decorating, even if it's going to be very budget oriented. I don't mind being thrifty, it makes me have to be creative in a way.
Here is our little monkey at 22 months now, my how I love this little boy!
I hoped to do better with this new baby, and well, the ongoing sickness from the pregnancy really really slowed things down. I am just now feeling better- around 5 months I started to turn for the better. I am just past that and I still have some queasiness here and there, but I am able to go out in the world!
We did find out who this little person is- at 20 weeks. Another BOY!
We are thrilled with this news as we thought it would be fun to have two boys- a brother for Oliver to play with.
Names are still not decided, and I am not worried as it took us til day 2 after Oliver's birth to finalize his, although I'm truly truly hoping we will have it settled well before then!
I have been praying over our second son's name, as it's powerful to be named for life. I know God has a name already chosen for this boy and I am excited to find out what it will be. I've been writing a new list, some from our last pregnancy, but mostly some new ones.
We are just past halfway now in the pregnancy so we have some time!
Here I am at 22 weeks....
Our little Oliver is also growing like a weed. He is such a joy to be at home with day in and day out. At 22 months old, he is very nearly the big 2 years old! I can't believe how quickly the days fly by when you are a parent. But what a wonderful speedy journey it is. Oliver is becoming so much more vocal these days and we love hearing his little baby voice say big words. He tries to mimic us in so many ways and it's hilarious sometimes. It is also teaching us to watch exactly what we say to him- and ourselves. He picks up words so easily I have to be mindful of what words he's saying!
We are planning a party for him this year since we weren't able to really do a big one last year. I'm so excited about it and I'm planning now. Since it's a summer party I have big visions of food already- what else is new these days?
I have also been mentally planning out what we will do room-wise for the new baby. I thought about putting them in the same room and using the other guest room for a play space, but now I'm debating that again, and thinking we may just keep the boys separate and let them play in our loft space that currently holds Oliver's books and many of his toys. It's a great open space and I may just utilize that....
So many ideas, I just need to focus on a couple and tackle those. That's the plan anyways.
We already have a toddler bed for Oliver when we are ready to convert him to that, I just need to touch it up with some paint. We also found a sweet little table and two chairs for his (or playroom) room, but it's going to need some paint for sure. This is part of our birthday gift to him, and depending on when we get it touched up we may let him see it early? Maybe. Once it's done we will put it in the second room, regardless of what we decide to do with that room.
I am excited about decorating, even if it's going to be very budget oriented. I don't mind being thrifty, it makes me have to be creative in a way.
Here is our little monkey at 22 months now, my how I love this little boy!
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