It has been a while since my darlings and I have butchered story time. Since the toddler has now joined us in this bedtime ritual, we recently did Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Who didn’t get a copy of Goodnight Moon at a baby shower, if not two or three? This book is going to be around forever. Whether your kids sleep with you until they are eight or you put them in the crib from day one, we lull the little munchkins to sleep with the stars, the air, and the noises everywhere. I don't know if whoever wrote the Waltons was a Goodnight Moon fan, but the only time I hear "Goodnight" over and over again is in this children's book and the end of that television show. We even have the book in Spanish and French. Here is how we read it, and once again, I have written it "Skit style."
P: In the great green room…
F: Green? How ugly. I want a pink room.
K: Oh!!!! Can I paint my room black?
P: There was a telephone….
K: Blackberry or iPhone? It doesn’t look like Dad’s…
P: And a red balloon
F: (singing) 99 red balloons…
P: Don’t do it Franny
K: I want a yellow one, Frances do you remember that time you let mine go and it got caught in at tree?
P: And a picture of
F: A cow jumping over the moon.
K: Where is the rest of the nursery rhyme? Why the cow? My favorite part is the dish and the spoon.
F: That isn’t real-but a dog could probably laugh.
P: And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush…..
K: Didn’t he brush his teeth? He is going to get a cavity
L: Night Night! Night Night!
P: Goodnight nobody, Goodnight mush
K: Why say goodnight to nobody?
F: Why not?
K: Let’s say goodnight to everything in our rooms. Goodnight Harry Potter books, goodnight violin, hey mom, I don’t have any clothes drying out. Did you do the laundry?
F: Daddy won’t let us have stuff lying around to say goodnight to.
K: Oh right
F: Goodnight princesses, goodnight wiggle sheets.
L: Night night! Night night!
This one is so special to me. Because I will always cherish my babies being rocked and read to.... Ha ha ha just kidding. I love it because Christopher Walken read it on the Simpsons. Forget his scenes in Pulp Fiction. Never mind the brilliance that was the Deer Hunter. He read to children on the iconic cartoon television show. Way to go Walken-could you handle my three as a crowd?
What classic shall we read next?
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
A Traffic Lesson
Who remembers the 2000 movie Traffic? It starred Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Benicio del Toro. It was a great movie! But damn was I judgmental in my 20s. I remember thinking that Michael Douglas’ character was an idiot. The Drug Czar didn’t know his daughter had a drug problem? Yeah right, like that would happen in real life.
The Gods remembered me saying that. They saved it for later. They brought it back to me like a kick in the ass with full force.
The baby has been in an infant sibling study since he was four months old. He has hit every mile stone right on time, if not earlier. He has a good sixty plus words. He can run and he can feed himself. He laughs and plays with his siblings. If they are coloring, he is coloring. If they are running and kicking a soccer ball, so is he. I assumed everything was fine and that we were doing our part to help science.
He had the eighteen month visit in the name of scientific research last week. My husband didn’t bother to go-we didn’t think it was necessary for us both to be there. They called me in for the results and I was still clueless. They told me immediately he didn’t know his name. I nodded like this was nothing.
Of course he doesn’t know it. We call him “Baby, munchkin, little man, etc.” He’s the third child, what they call in family therapy “the mascot.” He is lucky he gets called anything. Then they looked at me and said, “No, he never looks at anyone even if you call him or give him a request, have you noticed?” Um, did Michael notice while he was fighting Mexico that his private school daughter was passed out at a crack house? I guess I didn't notice. But since these people are bringing it up, this must mean.....
No. No. No. Dear God, I’m still asleep, or my husband’s lab is going to jump out from behind the door and tell me I’m being Punk’d……
“We want you to start Birth to Three early intervention with him now. Don’t wait, and because of his sister, he gets moved to the top of the list. Call this afternoon.”
Alrighty then-two on the spectrum (possibly).
Fine, whatever. I am a good mom. If he were gay, I’d join PFLAG. If he were an alcoholic, I’d go to Alanon. I’m blessed, it will all work out fine. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, now let’s go home and make “Team Lowell” t-shirts.
I imploded in the parking lot. (Grandaddy-skip this part and please don't read it out loud to Grandmother)
F*&%% THIS SH*&%!!!!!!
I am not going to lie to you guys, I was very angry. I went back and forth between being mad I put him in the study and grateful to have the study. I could finally imagine how the Greeks felt about the Gods messing with their lives. Who had I made mad? It couldn’t have been Aphrodite-I’m not that pretty. Perhaps Athena the warrior? Had I fought back too hard? I wasn’t worth Zeus’s time-I assume he plays with wars and elections. Which one was the one who talked too much? Hermes? He must have been angry I talked more than he did and wanted to blast me with something unexpected. GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
That afternoon I went home and taught my classes. I didn’t take my older son to his preschool because the last group of people I wanted to see was those women with perfect children. My best friend up here is a personal trainer, and she begged me to go work out. I downed a bag of Oreos. I also started treating my son like a ticking time bomb instead of the fun little mascot that he is.
A few days went by, and I have reflected on it. I can handle just about anything. One could argue that I don’t deserve anything else bad to happen to me, ever again. That isn’t the way life works. This go round, I’m better prepared. Lowell is his own person and I am giving him a jump start that his older sister didn’t have. We will see what happens. Boy, is this going to be fun to watch or what? Now I have a unisex puzzle piece!
What is the real lesson? Don’t judge Michael Douglas movies, be it Traffic or Fatal Attraction…..
The Gods remembered me saying that. They saved it for later. They brought it back to me like a kick in the ass with full force.
The baby has been in an infant sibling study since he was four months old. He has hit every mile stone right on time, if not earlier. He has a good sixty plus words. He can run and he can feed himself. He laughs and plays with his siblings. If they are coloring, he is coloring. If they are running and kicking a soccer ball, so is he. I assumed everything was fine and that we were doing our part to help science.
He had the eighteen month visit in the name of scientific research last week. My husband didn’t bother to go-we didn’t think it was necessary for us both to be there. They called me in for the results and I was still clueless. They told me immediately he didn’t know his name. I nodded like this was nothing.
Of course he doesn’t know it. We call him “Baby, munchkin, little man, etc.” He’s the third child, what they call in family therapy “the mascot.” He is lucky he gets called anything. Then they looked at me and said, “No, he never looks at anyone even if you call him or give him a request, have you noticed?” Um, did Michael notice while he was fighting Mexico that his private school daughter was passed out at a crack house? I guess I didn't notice. But since these people are bringing it up, this must mean.....
No. No. No. Dear God, I’m still asleep, or my husband’s lab is going to jump out from behind the door and tell me I’m being Punk’d……
“We want you to start Birth to Three early intervention with him now. Don’t wait, and because of his sister, he gets moved to the top of the list. Call this afternoon.”
Alrighty then-two on the spectrum (possibly).
Fine, whatever. I am a good mom. If he were gay, I’d join PFLAG. If he were an alcoholic, I’d go to Alanon. I’m blessed, it will all work out fine. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, now let’s go home and make “Team Lowell” t-shirts.
I imploded in the parking lot. (Grandaddy-skip this part and please don't read it out loud to Grandmother)
F*&%% THIS SH*&%!!!!!!
I am not going to lie to you guys, I was very angry. I went back and forth between being mad I put him in the study and grateful to have the study. I could finally imagine how the Greeks felt about the Gods messing with their lives. Who had I made mad? It couldn’t have been Aphrodite-I’m not that pretty. Perhaps Athena the warrior? Had I fought back too hard? I wasn’t worth Zeus’s time-I assume he plays with wars and elections. Which one was the one who talked too much? Hermes? He must have been angry I talked more than he did and wanted to blast me with something unexpected. GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
That afternoon I went home and taught my classes. I didn’t take my older son to his preschool because the last group of people I wanted to see was those women with perfect children. My best friend up here is a personal trainer, and she begged me to go work out. I downed a bag of Oreos. I also started treating my son like a ticking time bomb instead of the fun little mascot that he is.
A few days went by, and I have reflected on it. I can handle just about anything. One could argue that I don’t deserve anything else bad to happen to me, ever again. That isn’t the way life works. This go round, I’m better prepared. Lowell is his own person and I am giving him a jump start that his older sister didn’t have. We will see what happens. Boy, is this going to be fun to watch or what? Now I have a unisex puzzle piece!
What is the real lesson? Don’t judge Michael Douglas movies, be it Traffic or Fatal Attraction…..
Friday, March 12, 2010
Country Club Road
I don’t understand that other people don’t have my memory. I have always assumed that everyone remembers everything the way I do. To me, everything just happened. I went to summer camp for four years, I studied abroad twice, I paged in the general assembly, in the fourth grade all the other girls had glitter pen sets that matched from Hallmark and mine was Hello Kitty. I remember the names of everyone in the cabin, troop, or class and who sat or slept where. I never knew other people didn’t. They say you only remember the details for your first child. Nope. Frances walked at twenty months and her first word was bunny. Kenneth walked at nine months and his first word was cow. Lowell walked at twelve months and his first word was “Go!”
There is only one place on this earth I have thirty five years of memories about. It grew as I grew. That is my grandparent’s house on “Country Club” road. My grandparents have always lived in the same place. I am the oldest of thirteen grandchildren. When I was little, my two youngest aunts were still in the house. To this day, I refer to their rooms as “Cindy’s room,” and “Rachel’s room.” I used to get in big trouble for touching things in Rachel’s room. I was especially in for it if I touched the jewelry box on her dressing table, but she had the coolest earrings! What made the dresser so enticing were the many letters and photographs that covered it under a glass top. I had a thing for her pom-poms and swimming medals, but I never became competitive later in life myself. Cindy’s room wasn’t quite as appealing, but she was always with her boyfriend, who became my uncle about five years later.
I loved the basement. My siblings and I spent many an afternoon down there playing pool and trying to sneak into the wood shop. We weren’t supposed to drop the pool sticks on the floor. I have no idea how my grandmother caught us, but she could be anywhere in that house, hear the stick hit the floor, and be down in the basement telling us to go play outside. In that basement we jumped on the couches to “YMCA”, with the neighbors who I think were Lori and Will. They had every National Geographic ever printed on the bookshelves that lined the basement walls. Maybe that is where the three of us decided we wanted to travel.
The hallway was long with a small desk and a rotary phone. If I would answer, the other caller would rattle off at least three other girl’s names before mine was called. I would drag the phone around pretending to talk on it. This annoyed them less than us banging on the piano or trying to make the cockatiels talk or fly away and land on our heads. The backyard had its own mysteries to solve: Pigeons with silver bands on their legs, chickens that laid real eggs, and an Irish Setter named Meg with the same hair color as me, and she got smaller as I grew older.
In high school I went for weekends to see friends that lived near by. Again, my grandmother had radar for when I fell asleep and when I woke up. I think the only thing I ever got away with was the time my friends, who all went to their church, said, “Oh no, Mrs. H. - It is totally fine to hang out at the Reynolda House lawn after dark.” Maybe it was-there were a lot of us.
My grandparents have a passion for baseball and basketball-my friends still die laughing that “Page’s grandmother says Dennis Rodman is actually a really good player.” He must have been, but to this day I have no idea. Sports are really not my thing. When I was twenty, I finally turned to them and said, “Can I watch the X-Files on the other television?” Not only did she say sure, she brought me Pringles and Diet Cokes all night long.
This past summer and Christmas my own three children visited them at their house. My daughter was obsessed with the beautiful sea shells my grandmother has collected over the years. My sons played with the blocks and other toys I played with as a child (no, none of it has disintegrated yet). Everything was where it always was-even the Pringles cans filled with shells from Emerald Isle on the porch and the toy cap gun on the top shelf in the living room. I got in trouble for scaling a chair to reach it when I was six.
I lost my paternal grandparents when I was ten. Twenty-five years later, my maternal grandparents are still with me. Today they moved to a wonderful apartment that is perfect for the two people that have given me a place to remember, grow, and bring my own children back to when I return to the south. Thank You GM and GD, for thirty-five years of one constant memory. God Speed in your new adventure….
There is only one place on this earth I have thirty five years of memories about. It grew as I grew. That is my grandparent’s house on “Country Club” road. My grandparents have always lived in the same place. I am the oldest of thirteen grandchildren. When I was little, my two youngest aunts were still in the house. To this day, I refer to their rooms as “Cindy’s room,” and “Rachel’s room.” I used to get in big trouble for touching things in Rachel’s room. I was especially in for it if I touched the jewelry box on her dressing table, but she had the coolest earrings! What made the dresser so enticing were the many letters and photographs that covered it under a glass top. I had a thing for her pom-poms and swimming medals, but I never became competitive later in life myself. Cindy’s room wasn’t quite as appealing, but she was always with her boyfriend, who became my uncle about five years later.
I loved the basement. My siblings and I spent many an afternoon down there playing pool and trying to sneak into the wood shop. We weren’t supposed to drop the pool sticks on the floor. I have no idea how my grandmother caught us, but she could be anywhere in that house, hear the stick hit the floor, and be down in the basement telling us to go play outside. In that basement we jumped on the couches to “YMCA”, with the neighbors who I think were Lori and Will. They had every National Geographic ever printed on the bookshelves that lined the basement walls. Maybe that is where the three of us decided we wanted to travel.
The hallway was long with a small desk and a rotary phone. If I would answer, the other caller would rattle off at least three other girl’s names before mine was called. I would drag the phone around pretending to talk on it. This annoyed them less than us banging on the piano or trying to make the cockatiels talk or fly away and land on our heads. The backyard had its own mysteries to solve: Pigeons with silver bands on their legs, chickens that laid real eggs, and an Irish Setter named Meg with the same hair color as me, and she got smaller as I grew older.
In high school I went for weekends to see friends that lived near by. Again, my grandmother had radar for when I fell asleep and when I woke up. I think the only thing I ever got away with was the time my friends, who all went to their church, said, “Oh no, Mrs. H. - It is totally fine to hang out at the Reynolda House lawn after dark.” Maybe it was-there were a lot of us.
My grandparents have a passion for baseball and basketball-my friends still die laughing that “Page’s grandmother says Dennis Rodman is actually a really good player.” He must have been, but to this day I have no idea. Sports are really not my thing. When I was twenty, I finally turned to them and said, “Can I watch the X-Files on the other television?” Not only did she say sure, she brought me Pringles and Diet Cokes all night long.
This past summer and Christmas my own three children visited them at their house. My daughter was obsessed with the beautiful sea shells my grandmother has collected over the years. My sons played with the blocks and other toys I played with as a child (no, none of it has disintegrated yet). Everything was where it always was-even the Pringles cans filled with shells from Emerald Isle on the porch and the toy cap gun on the top shelf in the living room. I got in trouble for scaling a chair to reach it when I was six.
I lost my paternal grandparents when I was ten. Twenty-five years later, my maternal grandparents are still with me. Today they moved to a wonderful apartment that is perfect for the two people that have given me a place to remember, grow, and bring my own children back to when I return to the south. Thank You GM and GD, for thirty-five years of one constant memory. God Speed in your new adventure….
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Violin Beginning
My son started asking for a violin when he was two. A member of the symphony came to his class and he pushed all the other two year olds out of the way to get to the man. He sat on the front row and kept going back to pluck the strings. When I picked him up he told me all about the "man with the big violin." I found out from the teacher it was a viola. He told me when he grew up he was going to play in the strings section.
I am not musical. I have said it before, no music taste rubbed off on me when the opportunity presented itself. I am not a good singer and I have never tried to play an instrument. Well, the flute once, but as good as my memory is I have totally blacked that out-forever. So when my son took a liking to musical instruments we kind of just patted him on the head and bought him some maracas. I thought he was two and would outgrow the violin and start asking me for a real dinosaur next.
No such luck.
This past Christmas, he told Santa he wanted a violin. That was all he wanted, one violin. I pleaded with him to tell me he wanted something else, anything else. At first he said no, but then he thought about it and said, "Fine. I want a violin and my own set of Harry Potter books. Mine. Not yours that we all look at together." Lovely. All my four year old wanted for Christmas was a musical instrument and some books. Nothing that whistled, flashed lights, or fell apart and was forgotten a week after the holiday. If Santa brought the violin, well, then what? Did he just run around with a bow and the fiddle? Nope-lessons would have to follow. He is four. Who wants to teach a four year old violin?
I have visions of these over achieving kids and their psycho moms telling them to be perfect. Had I become one of those moms? Did I want to be? I am happy if my kids are digging in dirt as long as they don't throw it at a stranger. All I ask is that they chew with their mouths closed and refrain from doing anything else rude at the dinner table. I wasn't about to create a little musician. But he kept asking and he never changed his mind: A violin, Harry Potter, A violin, Harry Potter. He didn't even change the instruments or books: A bassoon, The Chronicles of Narnia, a piano, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He wanted that violin and that set of seven of his own. Fine then. I gave up.
Before I bought the instrument, I made sure I found a teacher. Now, here was the clencher. At this age, the mom is very involved in the process. You don't just drop your four year old off and pick them back up playing like Boyd Tinsley from Dave Matthews. The teacher warned me, and this is how it went:
"At this age and with this method, it is going to take a lot from the parent at first. A lot of families quit and try again in fifth grade." Did she want to write the letter from Santa saying, "Dear Kenneth, thanks for the request, but ask again when you are eleven?" Yeah right, so I had to ask her to keep going and tell me what she meant.
She said, "Well, I'll need you to read two books, come to three parent classes, and then interact with him during the lessons, so you can help him with his practices at home. AND his practice time should be twenty to thirty minutes at a time." She paused on the phone like I was going to hang up on her.
This women knew nothing of Kenneth's older sister. For Kenneth I have to read two books on The Suzuki Method. For Frances I have read, at the time of this blog post, (let me count them-pause) fifteen books by everybody and their husband since 2005. I even skimmed books I disagree with just to say I remained objective. I won't name the special ed books on this post, one person may adore something that didn't work for me. Anyway, after hours and hours of books, pamphlets, websites, and discussion boards for my daughter, my son needed his mommy to read two books. Done.
At the age of four, he has to practice his violin about twenty minutes a day. Mom has to be a part of the thirty minute lesson. His older sister spent her preschool years in and out of therapy offices. I took notes during each session and did anything and everything those specialists told me to do. Speech, PT, OT - we practiced it all day every day. We signed if they told us to sign, we colored when they told us to color. We climbed and we swang and we sang so many nursery rhymes and finger plays I was ready to fly off on Mother Goose's fine gander. And now Kenneth needs twenty minutes a day. That's it? At age four? All he needs is me, for twenty minutes? You got it buddy.
Santa brought the violin and his eyes lit up and he jumped up and down and said thank you over and over. We let him play with it Christmas morning, but then he had to put it away until class started. Since then, he has named it "Jacques." No object is more special to Kenneth than "Jacques." He has mastered how to take care of it and the bow and he is beginning to pluck. The teacher has not pulled her hair out over anything he has said or done-yet.
A lot? Most parents say "No thanks" because it is too much. The Suzuki method may very well seem like a lot to some, but for once, I get to meet the need of my middle child. It is taking a lot less out of me than round one did.
I am not musical. I have said it before, no music taste rubbed off on me when the opportunity presented itself. I am not a good singer and I have never tried to play an instrument. Well, the flute once, but as good as my memory is I have totally blacked that out-forever. So when my son took a liking to musical instruments we kind of just patted him on the head and bought him some maracas. I thought he was two and would outgrow the violin and start asking me for a real dinosaur next.
No such luck.
This past Christmas, he told Santa he wanted a violin. That was all he wanted, one violin. I pleaded with him to tell me he wanted something else, anything else. At first he said no, but then he thought about it and said, "Fine. I want a violin and my own set of Harry Potter books. Mine. Not yours that we all look at together." Lovely. All my four year old wanted for Christmas was a musical instrument and some books. Nothing that whistled, flashed lights, or fell apart and was forgotten a week after the holiday. If Santa brought the violin, well, then what? Did he just run around with a bow and the fiddle? Nope-lessons would have to follow. He is four. Who wants to teach a four year old violin?
I have visions of these over achieving kids and their psycho moms telling them to be perfect. Had I become one of those moms? Did I want to be? I am happy if my kids are digging in dirt as long as they don't throw it at a stranger. All I ask is that they chew with their mouths closed and refrain from doing anything else rude at the dinner table. I wasn't about to create a little musician. But he kept asking and he never changed his mind: A violin, Harry Potter, A violin, Harry Potter. He didn't even change the instruments or books: A bassoon, The Chronicles of Narnia, a piano, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He wanted that violin and that set of seven of his own. Fine then. I gave up.
Before I bought the instrument, I made sure I found a teacher. Now, here was the clencher. At this age, the mom is very involved in the process. You don't just drop your four year old off and pick them back up playing like Boyd Tinsley from Dave Matthews. The teacher warned me, and this is how it went:
"At this age and with this method, it is going to take a lot from the parent at first. A lot of families quit and try again in fifth grade." Did she want to write the letter from Santa saying, "Dear Kenneth, thanks for the request, but ask again when you are eleven?" Yeah right, so I had to ask her to keep going and tell me what she meant.
She said, "Well, I'll need you to read two books, come to three parent classes, and then interact with him during the lessons, so you can help him with his practices at home. AND his practice time should be twenty to thirty minutes at a time." She paused on the phone like I was going to hang up on her.
This women knew nothing of Kenneth's older sister. For Kenneth I have to read two books on The Suzuki Method. For Frances I have read, at the time of this blog post, (let me count them-pause) fifteen books by everybody and their husband since 2005. I even skimmed books I disagree with just to say I remained objective. I won't name the special ed books on this post, one person may adore something that didn't work for me. Anyway, after hours and hours of books, pamphlets, websites, and discussion boards for my daughter, my son needed his mommy to read two books. Done.
At the age of four, he has to practice his violin about twenty minutes a day. Mom has to be a part of the thirty minute lesson. His older sister spent her preschool years in and out of therapy offices. I took notes during each session and did anything and everything those specialists told me to do. Speech, PT, OT - we practiced it all day every day. We signed if they told us to sign, we colored when they told us to color. We climbed and we swang and we sang so many nursery rhymes and finger plays I was ready to fly off on Mother Goose's fine gander. And now Kenneth needs twenty minutes a day. That's it? At age four? All he needs is me, for twenty minutes? You got it buddy.
Santa brought the violin and his eyes lit up and he jumped up and down and said thank you over and over. We let him play with it Christmas morning, but then he had to put it away until class started. Since then, he has named it "Jacques." No object is more special to Kenneth than "Jacques." He has mastered how to take care of it and the bow and he is beginning to pluck. The teacher has not pulled her hair out over anything he has said or done-yet.
A lot? Most parents say "No thanks" because it is too much. The Suzuki method may very well seem like a lot to some, but for once, I get to meet the need of my middle child. It is taking a lot less out of me than round one did.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Pinky Dinky Doo
I have said it before and I don't apologize for it. My children watch television. There are days when we don't watch any at all and there are days when we watch more than we should. I am grateful I am a parent now when there are choices about what your child can watch. I had a conversation with two friends once about how our 1970s parents let us watch whatever was on. It took me twenty years to realize that Janet Jackson's character Penny on Good Times had been burned by her mother during the commercial break. However, at age six, I got REALLY mad with JR on Dallas not acting like Major Nelson. "WHERE'S JEANNIE? WHERE'S JEANNIE?" I screamed at my dumbfounded parents. They probably should have taken that cue and said, "She's in bed, let's go find her."
I want to plug a show that has been a great help to me. My daughter never sat for stories. She never cared for plots and character development. If I asked her what happened, she would either say, "Nothing" or "I don't remember." She couldn't re-tell me anything. Since my memory is perfect, instant recall, like my whole life happened yesterday, this really stressed me out.
Even if she didn't tell me what happened, she has always loved books. When she was one, I had, like all good moms, baskets and baskets of "edible" books. She would take the books and pick them up, flip them, and throw them. Then we would put the books back in the basket, and she would start the process again and again and again. I didn't know this wasn't normal. About six months later, I had to take them out of her room all together because she was chewing them down until she fell asleep. Oh the memories.
She got older, and I had to deal. What to do about stories? All of those speech goals came back over and over and over again: 1) Answer simple questions. 2) Sequence events 3) Re-tell in her own words. OK, as her mom, these are some of my favorite things. I spent my elementary and middle school years in the high language arts classes and resource math. Caught all kinds of hell for it too. How could my child not want to do it?
We worked on it. We worked on it a lot. One of her favorite things was sequence puzzles. First, we put on our socks, then our shoes, then we tie them, THEN we go outside. Not too difficult, but the problem with those is that her mother doesn't always have it together. I would totally run out the door in two different socks and a barefoot baby in New England in February.
Enter the television show Pinky Dinky Doo. A little girl with (HURRAY! TRUMPET!) a little brother AND a pet guinea pig. They live in the big city with their parents and Pinky tells stories in her story box with her brother and guinea pig. THEN they play all kinds of games to make sure that the children watching at home get the story.
Some of the great games: "What came first?" "Who said what?" and "The Great Big Fancy Word Game." Next thing I know, something that I spent quite a bit of money on came naturally to her. We even went up to the attic and dragged down a wardrobe box that we colored and cut apart until it became our very own story box. It is still falling apart in the playroom, although we did hide it on the day one of mommy's childless Manhattan friends came for a visit.
What do I personally like about this cartoon chick? Well, she is a chick. Not that I am a super uber feminist, but it is nice when a main character is a female every now and then. Another thing that keeps my kids rolling on the floor is all of her "appropriate" potty talk. Once they were in a spaceship made out of a toilet and they thought they were going to land on a planet full of crying babies with dirty diapers. You better believe she had my children's attention.
The songs and the catch phrases stick with you, Yesarooni, Positooni... for one is quite obnoxious, but at this point of my motherhood career, if children are happy, I am sane. She also teaches both of my kids to think if a problem arises. Bottom line, if your child is struggling with story telling, make room in your child's schedule for this one.
No, despite my shortcomings, my kids don't watch television 24/7. We do have two televisions, and once in a while they want to watch different things, but Frances and Kenneth tend to gravitate toward each other, so it isn't really that necessary. Thanks to cable, gone are the days of my siblings and I getting to stay up on Friday nights for The Dukes of Hazard but ending up still awake to watch Kristen shoot J.R. On snowy days when I can't take it anymore, Pinky is on Nick Jr. doing her thing.
And I'm scrubbing the floors with my bare hands while I make a three course dinner ...ha ha ha.
I want to plug a show that has been a great help to me. My daughter never sat for stories. She never cared for plots and character development. If I asked her what happened, she would either say, "Nothing" or "I don't remember." She couldn't re-tell me anything. Since my memory is perfect, instant recall, like my whole life happened yesterday, this really stressed me out.
Even if she didn't tell me what happened, she has always loved books. When she was one, I had, like all good moms, baskets and baskets of "edible" books. She would take the books and pick them up, flip them, and throw them. Then we would put the books back in the basket, and she would start the process again and again and again. I didn't know this wasn't normal. About six months later, I had to take them out of her room all together because she was chewing them down until she fell asleep. Oh the memories.
She got older, and I had to deal. What to do about stories? All of those speech goals came back over and over and over again: 1) Answer simple questions. 2) Sequence events 3) Re-tell in her own words. OK, as her mom, these are some of my favorite things. I spent my elementary and middle school years in the high language arts classes and resource math. Caught all kinds of hell for it too. How could my child not want to do it?
We worked on it. We worked on it a lot. One of her favorite things was sequence puzzles. First, we put on our socks, then our shoes, then we tie them, THEN we go outside. Not too difficult, but the problem with those is that her mother doesn't always have it together. I would totally run out the door in two different socks and a barefoot baby in New England in February.
Enter the television show Pinky Dinky Doo. A little girl with (HURRAY! TRUMPET!) a little brother AND a pet guinea pig. They live in the big city with their parents and Pinky tells stories in her story box with her brother and guinea pig. THEN they play all kinds of games to make sure that the children watching at home get the story.
Some of the great games: "What came first?" "Who said what?" and "The Great Big Fancy Word Game." Next thing I know, something that I spent quite a bit of money on came naturally to her. We even went up to the attic and dragged down a wardrobe box that we colored and cut apart until it became our very own story box. It is still falling apart in the playroom, although we did hide it on the day one of mommy's childless Manhattan friends came for a visit.
What do I personally like about this cartoon chick? Well, she is a chick. Not that I am a super uber feminist, but it is nice when a main character is a female every now and then. Another thing that keeps my kids rolling on the floor is all of her "appropriate" potty talk. Once they were in a spaceship made out of a toilet and they thought they were going to land on a planet full of crying babies with dirty diapers. You better believe she had my children's attention.
The songs and the catch phrases stick with you, Yesarooni, Positooni... for one is quite obnoxious, but at this point of my motherhood career, if children are happy, I am sane. She also teaches both of my kids to think if a problem arises. Bottom line, if your child is struggling with story telling, make room in your child's schedule for this one.
No, despite my shortcomings, my kids don't watch television 24/7. We do have two televisions, and once in a while they want to watch different things, but Frances and Kenneth tend to gravitate toward each other, so it isn't really that necessary. Thanks to cable, gone are the days of my siblings and I getting to stay up on Friday nights for The Dukes of Hazard but ending up still awake to watch Kristen shoot J.R. On snowy days when I can't take it anymore, Pinky is on Nick Jr. doing her thing.
And I'm scrubbing the floors with my bare hands while I make a three course dinner ...ha ha ha.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Princess Puzzle Piece 2: Geography
The princesses are not going anywhere. Since they are not going anywhere, I’m trying to take advantage of them. I’m trying to think outside the box, and use these women to meet my needs. How can a princess serve me? How can we change the activities around? Come to me ladies, please! There has to be more than a big wedding and happily ever after.
Maybe it was time spent yesterday with an old friend with very talented artistic ability, but I got creative today. My daughter and I worked on geography. Where do all these princesses live when they aren’t doing time in Orlando, Florida? This is the list I came up with, and please forgive me if I messed up a country, continent, state, or city. I didn’t mean to and I will change it immediately. I kind of went with Disney movie versions; although I know they change a little from country to country.
Snow White: Germany
Briar Rose: Germany
Cinderella: France
Belle: France
Ariel: Denmark
Pocahontas: Virginia
Mulan: China
Jasmine: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Middle East?
Nala: Africa
Tiana: New Orleans
Jessie (from Toy Story II): Texas
Kida (From Atlantis): The Mediterranean Sea?
Alice in Wonderland: England
We found a map of the world and printed it out. Then we found images of the princesses and cut and pasted them into a word document and printed them out. THEN we used scissors and a glue stick to create a “Princess World” map. Now she knows where the princesses live, and we put a picture of “Princess Frances” in Connecticut. In addition to a wonderfully pink and frilly geography lesson, we also used computer and fine motor skills. (BIG PAT ON MY BACK….)
She loved it, and I love using what she loves!
How else will these women help me? Wait and see…..
Maybe it was time spent yesterday with an old friend with very talented artistic ability, but I got creative today. My daughter and I worked on geography. Where do all these princesses live when they aren’t doing time in Orlando, Florida? This is the list I came up with, and please forgive me if I messed up a country, continent, state, or city. I didn’t mean to and I will change it immediately. I kind of went with Disney movie versions; although I know they change a little from country to country.
Snow White: Germany
Briar Rose: Germany
Cinderella: France
Belle: France
Ariel: Denmark
Pocahontas: Virginia
Mulan: China
Jasmine: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Middle East?
Nala: Africa
Tiana: New Orleans
Jessie (from Toy Story II): Texas
Kida (From Atlantis): The Mediterranean Sea?
Alice in Wonderland: England
We found a map of the world and printed it out. Then we found images of the princesses and cut and pasted them into a word document and printed them out. THEN we used scissors and a glue stick to create a “Princess World” map. Now she knows where the princesses live, and we put a picture of “Princess Frances” in Connecticut. In addition to a wonderfully pink and frilly geography lesson, we also used computer and fine motor skills. (BIG PAT ON MY BACK….)
She loved it, and I love using what she loves!
How else will these women help me? Wait and see…..
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Happy Valentines Day!!!!!
Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about love. Love for your partner, your children, your gold fish. What fun! Nope. It is another opportunity for me to “Quack” up.
This year we had to make not one but two shoebox valentine mailboxes. My son’s class specifically said shoebox and put an example on the paper with “mail slot here” and “name here” on the directions. I swear they did this specifically for me because last year I was very proud of his creatively painted milk carton. These people assume we keep shoe boxes lying around. I did indeed find some, although what I would not have given for my son to walk in there with a cereal or oatmeal box just to be different.
I was not in the mood to paint this year. Maybe last year I was in newborn coma, or maybe I was in the mood to impress, but this year I bought up all the valentine stickers I could find and let them go at decorating those shoe boxes the no mess way. My son was very strategic about where those stickers went. He lined them up and had patterns going. My daughter slapped them everywhere and seemed happy with the way it came out. Good for both of them, if they are happy, I am not listening to them scream. Kenneth’s teacher said his was absolutely beautiful. She has been doing what she does for twenty something years, so she might be really good at hiding it. Frances hasn’t taken hers to school yet. What I wouldn’t do to actually be a volunteer on that day….
Last year I scored points by having them make their valentines. This year they wanted to buy them. Why argue? Why pick a battle? When you think about buying all the supplies to make the homemade ones and the aggravation of a toddler trying to climb on the table and eat the paint, this year we can conform. It is only fair, since their shoeboxes are covered in stickers. We left the store with Harry Potter and Disney Princesses on sale for 2.50. Yay!
The next step was filling out the valentines. You can’t just write, “Love, Little Freddy” on the card. The homework assignment was to address each “To” with the name of the kid and each “From” with her name. This took three days with Frances. I give credit to her O.T. and the Handwriting without Tears program that it only took three days. Without it, it would have taken a week if she didn’t just give up.
The final quacking step was putting it all together and my middle big mouth child pipes up, “But what is the prize, Mom?”
Prize? What prize? Isn’t it enough that you have a mom that is willing to sit here with you and let you make a mess on the kitchen table without throwing a hissy fit? What prize? He didn’t let it go, “You have to put a prize in the valentine, but it can’t be candy.” No, it can’t. All candy has been taken out of public schools and my dear friend Maria Montessori didn’t believe in it. Crap. Because I knew it was going to snow the next day, I loaded up all three of them and drove to the CVS for “prizes.”
This is Connecticut. If you don’t know what I mean by that, you need to see the selected works of Jennifer Weiner. But the point I am going to make without a lot of details is that this was three days before all the Valentine’s Day parties all over town. The only thing left in the stores was candy. And why was the quacking candy left? Oh yeah, BECAUSE IT ISN’T ALLOWED! No pencils, no bubbles, no erasers, nothing, and I mean nothing was left. So my kids would be the only kids at either of their schools that showed up with just a little piece of paper made in China that said thanks for being my friend. No, I couldn’t do that to them. I wouldn’t do that to them. I had to think outside my “Mommy Box.”
Two of those little “Miracles” that only happen to moms happened to me in the CVS. First, Kenneth said, “Look Mommy! I want those!” and he was pointing to little heart shaped slinkies. All right, not my first choice, but when we got them home, he and his brother could not stop playing with the two I let them open, so it must be a male thing. Whatever. Perfect. One child happy.
With Frances it took a little more thinking. As we were combing the aisles we found a box of 100 crayons, and it came to me. We went home and printed out coloring hearts. We cut out the blank ones and put them in bags with three crayons each-everyone can color a heart when they get home. She loved it! I hope some of the kids actually color the heart. I’m sure they will. All moms love that ten to fifteen minutes we get while the kids look at the shoebox that will make its way to the garbage eventually.
If I ever got my act together, how much fun would they have? Really? At least this year I saw the “Red” party sign up sheet before it was full….
Valentine’s Day down, Easter to go…..
This year we had to make not one but two shoebox valentine mailboxes. My son’s class specifically said shoebox and put an example on the paper with “mail slot here” and “name here” on the directions. I swear they did this specifically for me because last year I was very proud of his creatively painted milk carton. These people assume we keep shoe boxes lying around. I did indeed find some, although what I would not have given for my son to walk in there with a cereal or oatmeal box just to be different.
I was not in the mood to paint this year. Maybe last year I was in newborn coma, or maybe I was in the mood to impress, but this year I bought up all the valentine stickers I could find and let them go at decorating those shoe boxes the no mess way. My son was very strategic about where those stickers went. He lined them up and had patterns going. My daughter slapped them everywhere and seemed happy with the way it came out. Good for both of them, if they are happy, I am not listening to them scream. Kenneth’s teacher said his was absolutely beautiful. She has been doing what she does for twenty something years, so she might be really good at hiding it. Frances hasn’t taken hers to school yet. What I wouldn’t do to actually be a volunteer on that day….
Last year I scored points by having them make their valentines. This year they wanted to buy them. Why argue? Why pick a battle? When you think about buying all the supplies to make the homemade ones and the aggravation of a toddler trying to climb on the table and eat the paint, this year we can conform. It is only fair, since their shoeboxes are covered in stickers. We left the store with Harry Potter and Disney Princesses on sale for 2.50. Yay!
The next step was filling out the valentines. You can’t just write, “Love, Little Freddy” on the card. The homework assignment was to address each “To” with the name of the kid and each “From” with her name. This took three days with Frances. I give credit to her O.T. and the Handwriting without Tears program that it only took three days. Without it, it would have taken a week if she didn’t just give up.
The final quacking step was putting it all together and my middle big mouth child pipes up, “But what is the prize, Mom?”
Prize? What prize? Isn’t it enough that you have a mom that is willing to sit here with you and let you make a mess on the kitchen table without throwing a hissy fit? What prize? He didn’t let it go, “You have to put a prize in the valentine, but it can’t be candy.” No, it can’t. All candy has been taken out of public schools and my dear friend Maria Montessori didn’t believe in it. Crap. Because I knew it was going to snow the next day, I loaded up all three of them and drove to the CVS for “prizes.”
This is Connecticut. If you don’t know what I mean by that, you need to see the selected works of Jennifer Weiner. But the point I am going to make without a lot of details is that this was three days before all the Valentine’s Day parties all over town. The only thing left in the stores was candy. And why was the quacking candy left? Oh yeah, BECAUSE IT ISN’T ALLOWED! No pencils, no bubbles, no erasers, nothing, and I mean nothing was left. So my kids would be the only kids at either of their schools that showed up with just a little piece of paper made in China that said thanks for being my friend. No, I couldn’t do that to them. I wouldn’t do that to them. I had to think outside my “Mommy Box.”
Two of those little “Miracles” that only happen to moms happened to me in the CVS. First, Kenneth said, “Look Mommy! I want those!” and he was pointing to little heart shaped slinkies. All right, not my first choice, but when we got them home, he and his brother could not stop playing with the two I let them open, so it must be a male thing. Whatever. Perfect. One child happy.
With Frances it took a little more thinking. As we were combing the aisles we found a box of 100 crayons, and it came to me. We went home and printed out coloring hearts. We cut out the blank ones and put them in bags with three crayons each-everyone can color a heart when they get home. She loved it! I hope some of the kids actually color the heart. I’m sure they will. All moms love that ten to fifteen minutes we get while the kids look at the shoebox that will make its way to the garbage eventually.
If I ever got my act together, how much fun would they have? Really? At least this year I saw the “Red” party sign up sheet before it was full….
Valentine’s Day down, Easter to go…..
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