Simple Lessons for Preschoolers

I am always looking for ways to make our time together "count".  I want to spend time with my kids, but I want them to learn something from me too.

Take this morning for example, since having Jake, I have probably not been as diligent about "teaching" Andy.  While feeding Jake his cereal and baby food, Andy was sitting at the kitchen table beside us and I started asking him some questions.  I quickly got up and picked up this book - Brain Games for Kids (preschool edition).  Each page has 4 activities on it.  For example, one asked him to fill in the blank 1 2 _ and he said 3.  Another had a picture of a car and asked them to name the picture and then say what letter it started with and had a _ a r under the picture of the car.  One picture showed 4 objects and asked which ones started with a B.  The last had a picture of morning and night and the Spanish phrases "buenas dias" and "buena noches".  It asked him to show which phrase went with which picture.  VERY simple activities.  We went through 5 pages while I was feeding Jake.

Here is a picture of the book:

Then I pulled out some shapes I have laminated.  First, I had him pull out different shapes and say what they were.  Then, I laid them all out in a Memory game fashion (I have two of each shape) and had him match the two that were alike.  I also have each shape in a different color so we could do a color activity if I wanted as well.

Here are the shapes:

Lastly, I pulled out a folder game or lapbook.  It is all about counting and patterns.  I used patterns from different homeschool resources to print them out, laminate and put it all together.  First we used the dalmations and number cards.  He matched the numbers to the dog's spots.  We counted the spots on different dogs.  Then we used the fireman and fire extinguisher cards to do pattern blocking.  I laid out a fireman/fire extinguisher/fireman/fire extinguisher and then asked him what came next.  SO EASY, yet already teaching simple math concepts.  Then he asked if he could make his own pattern!

Here is a picture of the folder game:

I have so many little coloring books, activity books, flashcards, dry erase activities, and manipulatives that it is simply inexcusable to not do this with Andy each day.  We only spent 20 minutes this morning going through these.  Then he asked if he could color and cut paper (he LOVES to cut paper).  He doesn't know that practicing with scissors is a good skill - he just thinks it is fun!

What kinds of simple learning activities do you do with your kids at home?

Six Months Old

March 12 -Jake is Six Months Old - UNBELIEVABLE!

Here are the stats from his six month checkup with the pediatrician:
weight - 17 lbs 13 oz (58%)
height - 27 1/4 in (77%)
head - 44 cm (71%)

He is a roly-poly baby!  There are rolls on his chubby little legs and arms.  He loves to sit in the bumbo seat, his swing and just recently, his high chair.  He seems to like rice cereal and oatmeal.  He does not like bananas, but loves baby food apples and pears.  Those are the only things we have tried so far.

He babbles and squeals.  He laughs, especially if you tickle him or grab his thigh.  Every toy goes straight to his mouth right now.

We have had a few ups and downs with his sleep schedule, but I think we are back on track.  He seemed to be waking up a lot because he was rolling over and couldn't roll back!

Here are some recent pictures:

 Lovin' his bumbo seat

Andy was handing him blocks to play with and I got a pic of his hand in motion!

I love profile shots!

Sitting in Ninny's lap while she sews.

Enjoying some sunshine in his exersaucer.

He looks so big in his little button up shirt - just like Daddy!

Sweet cheeks!

In Case of Emergency.....

If you have ever flown on an airplane, you have undoubtedly seen and heard the stewardess go through what you should do in case of emergency.  They always say make sure you put your oxygen mask on first if you have children or someone traveling with you who might need help.   That way you will be able to help them. If you wait, you may not be able to get yours on and then noone will be able to take care of your kids.

 I remember always thinking - "I would want to put my kids' masks on first."

Yesterday, getting ready for church, I was thinking about this scenario.  Perhaps it came to my mind because I was the last one getting ready.  I had made the older two take showers, fed the baby, picked out clothes for all the boys, and finally had about 10 minutes to dry my hair, put on make-up and get out the door.  Honestly, that is how most Sunday mornings go.  Some of it is because I enjoy sleeping in a little later on Sundays.  But mostly, I just usually make sure they are ready before I get ready.  Somehow, I think that may be backwards.

As a Mom, I know many of my other "Mom" friends are equally guilty of the practice of putting themselves last.  We would never think of skipping our child's well check at the pediatrician, but rarely have yearly physicals at the doctor's office ourselves.  We worry about them eating right, getting enough exercise, getting to bed on time.  But we tend to eat as we drive or not at all, run them to and from activities with little or no time for our own exercise and fall into bed much later than we should each night!

What about spiritually?  Are we putting our relationship with God above all the other things we juggle?  Do we put reading His word and spending time in prayer above catching up on TV shows we have DVR'd or March Madness?  I love basketball but it should not take precedence over my time with God.  Running my kids should not come first.  Having a clean house should not come first.  Being the person, wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, Counselor and church member should come first and the ONLY way for me to fulfill those roles in the way HE calls me to is to PUT HIM FIRST.

By putting HIM first, I am putting on my oxygen mask first so I can properly take care of everyone else around me.

By putting HIM first, I am ensuring that my tasks are Christ-centered and directed.

By putting HIM first, I am gaining His perspective and patience to see my tasks to completion.

By putting HIM first, I will see the opportunities before me that pop up in my day and seize the chance to do something in HIS name.  Knowing they are directed by him, I won't fall to pieces when my "plan" or schedule gets messed up.

PLEASE hear me saying that I am NOT conquering this!  I am still a work in progress and simply sharing my conviction with you.

Will you join me?  Will you try to put on your oxygen mask first?  Will you try to make God your first priority?

Do you have any tips of how to make this work for you?  How do you prioritize time with God in your home?

Crazy Tornado Outbreak

Last week was a wild weather week.

That is truly an understatement.

Last Tuesday, it was in the mid-60s.  I chucked all my "to-dos" and took the boys all to the park after school to enjoy the weather.

Wednesday, we had torrential rain, storms and some isolated tornadoes in several areas within our state.

Thursday, it was nice weather again.  But that was the calm before the real storm.

Since Tuesday, I'd been reading posts about how bad Friday was going to be.  Dr. Forbes at the Weather Channel has a tornado prediction factor called TOR:CON.  As of Wednesday, we were at a 6 out of 10 (or 60%) chance for tornadoes and severe weather.  By Thursday evening, it was up to 8 out of 10.  Friday morning, it was raised again to a 9 for North Central Kentucky.

My Mom called me first thing Friday morning and asked if I knew how dangerous the weather was going to be.  She lives in South Carolina and had seen the weather predictions on Fox News that morning.  Then my sister Jenny called. She lives here and she has a "safe room" in her house.  When her husband built the house he put in a concrete room in their basement under their front porch with a steel door.  Several people made fun of him.  I did not.  She asked if we wanted to come hang out there for the day.  All of our kids were out of school so they could play and we could monitor the weather.

We gathered some things - flashlights, nap stuff, bike helmets (I saw that on news coverage last year from tornadoes in Joplin and Tuscaloosa) and snacks - and got in the car.  We waited.  The news and weather channels were already covering the storms that were breaking out in Alabama and Tennessee that morning.  I went outside that day around lunchtime and it was sunny and humid - it was already about 70 degrees and sticky.  I knew that wasn't good.

Around 2 pm we started seeing reports of storms erupting in Southeastern Missouri, Illinois and far western Kentucky.  Then the storms seemed to come closer and closer.  Louisville area, southern Indiana and Northwestern parts of Kentucky started having storm warnings and then tornado warnings.  We made all the kids go to the basement to play and gathered up our stuff.  My husband's employer had sent everyone home at 3 pm so he, Tara's husband Bo and Jason were all at Jason's store.  Right before we went to the basement, I saw reports on Twitter on the Marysville, IN and Henryville tornado.  I prayed fervently for those already devastated and pleaded with God to spare our town.

Once downstairs we had the television on in Jenny's sewing room.  The kids were watching a movie in the den and we were trying not to alarm them.  (I didn't do as well as others0.  Finally, the tornado sirens starting going off.  Our husbands showed up right when the sirens went off.  We sent the kids to the "safe" room.  Here is a picture Jenny took of them all:
They thought it was one big party!



I went outside and stood with Greg, Jason and Bo once all the kids were situated.   We had some hail, hard rain and a little wind.  It seemed that we had been spared.  Later we would see pictures of funnel clouds over Anderson County (not ten miles from there) and hear reports of severe hail damage.

But that was nothing.

Later that night, reports started coming in from West Liberty, Salyersville, East Bernstadt, Owenton, Piner, and small towns in Indiana.  Devastation.  Wiped out.  Leveled. Demolished. Gone.

Those were the words being used to describe what was left once the storms were gone.  Ten-30 seconds changed everything.  Entire towns razed with the roar of the winds.

As the evening wore on, I couldn't seem to tear myself away from the television and computer.  Stories were already emerging about families looking for loved ones.  Stories about the little girl in Indiana whose entire family had been killed.  She later died and they are having a funeral for five.  Another story out of Indiana of a mother holding her two children in the basement of her grandparents home.  Her grandparents were found in the field behind the house dead.  Her four year old son was "sucked out of his mother's arms" and died.  The mother and daughter were in the hospital.  Schools were gone.  School buses tossed and split open.

Many had been dismissing the hype of the meteorologists.  Many had not worried with what the warnings were saying.  But they were spot on.  Look at this map:





The colors on the map tell the story.  We were in the bright pink area.  The tornadoes were right were they said they'd be.  There could have been even more.  Thankfully, we were spared.  So many weren't however.

Please take an opportunity to give back and help these communities that have been devastated.  You can donate to the Red Cross.  There are drives going on in every community right now for tubs with lids, tarps, bottled water, toiletries, non-perishable food items and more.  It is not going to be hard to find a way to help.  Our church has people going with Kentucky Baptist Relief teams.  The red cross is lining up volunteers to help with cleanup.  This is just the beginning.  They will rebuild.  They will go on and be a testimony.

Yesterday in church our pastor said he didn't know why this happened.  But he knew that every report he'd seen on the television showed people saying, "Only by the grace of God we are here." or "The Lord will see us through this".  People lean on Him and call on Him in times of trouble.  I can only pray people will call out to Him and/or come back to Him in a time like this. I pray God's people will step up to the plate and take care of their neighbors.

I pray we will not see storms like that again.  I am praying for the people who are shocked and who have lost so much.

Were you impacted by the storms?  Were loved ones in the storms?  Do you know a way someone can help send aid and relief?  Share it on this post!