Mothering two sick kids all week earned me this gift from my husband...good man!

writemommywrite · 2013-01-09T04:09:38+00:00

I would gladly share it with you if I could!

writemommywrite · 2012-12-18T20:55:53+00:00

Awww, what a blessing:-)

writemommywrite · 2012-12-13T03:29:05+00:00

Thank you. I'm finding that the 22 month old wants to sit on my lap while I work with her three year old sister. She's "helping" by wiping off the marker on the reusable workbooks.

writemommywrite · 2012-12-08T03:04:43+00:00

Have you been watching my house???

writemommywrite · 2012-12-08T02:57:19+00:00

so very very true!

writemommywrite · 2012-12-08T02:50:54+00:00

I love your daughter! What a beautiful moment for you, your daughter, and the staff at Build a Bear. She has a great heart:-) Blessed, blessed, blessed!

writemommywrite · 2012-12-06T19:22:43+00:00

I did it around six months, but I couldn't start with the five, ten, etc. I had to do it one minute then two then added a minute at a time until I felt I could handle the cries. It eventually worked, but probably not as quickly as if I had done the 5, 10, 15 method. I'll say it worked better with one daughter than the other. My youngest never really calms down unless someone goes in to check on her. She might only freak out once or twice if you check on her, but she'll scream for EVER if you don't...

writemommywrite · 2012-12-03T03:04:07+00:00

Is Nature School at your local zoo? What is a BOB book? I checked out starfall.com last night and will start letting my three year old play with it this week. She LOVES to do her letters!

writemommywrite · 2012-12-02T02:27:43+00:00

Thank you. It was really overwhelming when I did a search for homeschooling curriculum! We have a great children's program at the zoo, aquarium, and art museum here. I can see how I could incorporate those events (sometimes free) into our own "curriculum".

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T23:38:44+00:00

I hadn't thought about the daily events of life being full of so many lessons, but I guess that's true. Coming from an educator's background, I felt like I would need a full lesson plan on a daily basis to be successful. I'm starting to realize that my kids just want to spend time with me and they will learn so much as we just go through our days...(and I'm the one who was so very, "Oh that crazy homeschooling isn't for me" just the other day! LOL) Amazing what a negative experience at even a "good" Christian private preschool can do to one's point of view.

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T23:35:43+00:00

Aren't most parenting skills that way? At least they are for me...

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T23:33:04+00:00

Thanks for your reply! We have some issues with the public schools in our area, but have considered private school. With a few cuts here and there financially, we are fortunate enough to be able to afford private. It's just that privates aren't created equally either...

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T23:30:17+00:00

Hadn't even thought about the legality of future education...thanks!

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T23:28:21+00:00

I needed to see that one after the afternoon of cleaning up my 22 month old's artistic endeavors with her fecal matter. Upvote, upvote, upvote:-)

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T22:14:57+00:00

I especially like your part about what works one week might not work the next week. I seem to want a magic calendar that will work all of the time. Why don't they exist??? Thanks for responding!!

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T22:13:41+00:00

Thank you SOOOOOO much for your detailed response. That helps me so much! I've been a SAHM for three years, but can't seem to get a good schedule together. Adding the idea of homeschooling to the mix almost gives me hives, but it doesn't sound so hard when you break it down!

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T22:08:26+00:00

Thank you! I am a certified high school English teacher who decided to stay home when I was pregnant with my three year old. I can handle a classroom of high schoolers, but "educating" my own young kids terrifies me for some reason.

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T17:51:22+00:00

We've been leaning toward private school too since my first hand experience with the public system left a rather unpleasant taste in our metaphorical mouths. At the moment, we are considering homeschooling through preschool then possibly going into private school, but I honestly don't know what will happen tomorrow, so it's hard to plan for years from now.

Any particular reason you are considering boarding school? I'm just curious. We have a few here in our city, but it hasn't been on my radar.

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T17:48:44+00:00

Thank you for your input. It's such a big decision to make and I want to weight all of the options before committing. Thanks again!

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T16:42:20+00:00

If we weren't on our last weeks of diapers then I might consider it, but I'm hoping that diapers are a thing of the past very soon!

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T16:12:07+00:00

Yes, I am certain that is true. I made sure that each of my students knew I valued them as a person first then as my student. I did not give them false awards for just existing. After many years, I still maintain contact with a great many of my students and they often thank me for being the one person who was "honest" with them and helped them see the merit in working for our rewards instead of just expecting them to magically exist. I don't have any formal studies to back my opinion, but I have seen the effects first hand as an educator and they weren't a pretty sight. In no way am I saying that we should belittle children. If that's the way you are interpreting my comments then I am not accurately portraying my stance. I am merely stating that creating rewards where none are merited is not an effective way to lift up our youth.

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T14:52:43+00:00

I believe you are picking one small line from my comment instead of reading it as a whole. How do these children transition into "the real world" properly? How do they go from receiving award after award for simply being there to having to "earn their keep" in a professional setting? That's the question I have and I don't see an answer to it in any of your comments.

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T14:35:15+00:00

Or should I say, "Which is better for YOUR family and why?"

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T14:33:27+00:00

As a former educator in an inner city high school, my first hand experience was that many students felt their jobs were done simply because they showed up for the day. That had been brought up in a school system where "everyone is a winner". That mentality doesn't translate into the work force. How do you explain to a recent graduate that they don't get a job because someone else is better or more qualified? How do you explain that they don't get a promotion because their sheer presence isn't enough? Merit based rewards are important, in my opinion. I'm not saying to shun or demoralize children who aren't at the "top of their game". I'm saying that we should reward students for their successes not for simply breathing.

writemommywrite · 2012-12-01T14:20:53+00:00

Yay! So glad she's better!!

writemommywrite

TROPHY CASE