BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

That's how it's been since we started a new year of homeschooling this month.  And I'm loving (almost) every minute of it!  We've settled into a nice routine.

At 8:30 a.m., I work with Cakes at her reading, writing, and math.  Then, starting at 9:00, Bean and I do math and language arts (reading, writing, grammar, spelling, and story time).  We break at 11:00 in the morning, when I make lunch and the girls have playtime.  Lunch is at noon.  Then, at 1:00, Bean does a quick math review worksheet.  Then, the two girls have instructional time together.  On Mondays and Wednesdays, we have science and art; on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we have history and music.  School ends at around 3:00, when we unwind (and have phys. ed.) with a quick dip in the pool, followed by getting supper ready, eating, relaxing before bedtime, and then bed.

On Monday, we learned about earthworms and set up an earthworm farm to see how worms mix the soil to help plants grow better.  I got an absolutely fantastic book about worms at the library that is a must-read for any kid interested in worms.  It's full of fantastic information about worms, great collage-style illustrations, and big, easy text.  It's called Wiggling Worms at Work, and I highly recommend it (you know it's good, because I used a lot of italics in the description)! 

You know we're all "yankees," but when I read that all worms are both male and female at the same time, Bean let out a huge, Southern, "WHAT?!" that made me laugh out loud.  That was one of her favorite pieces of information gleaned from this amazing book.  Other useful tidbits include the benefits and uses of worm poo,  the fact that worm eggs incubate for three months in cocoons (they are relatives of the butterfly, after all), and why it's bad for worms' skin to dry up.

And, Peanut just emerged from my bedroom chewing on a nipple shield, which is my cue to get off the computer and get started with my day.

IT'S OUT!

Bean was rather reluctant to wiggle her tooth.  She said it made her mouth feel funny.  She was content to let her first loose tooth (a bottom canine tooth, which I thought was a little weird for a first loose tooth, but what are you gonna do?) wobble about on its own while she went about her daily life.  But, that all changed when she had a chance to impress someone who was not related to her.

Big Daddy's business associate, Mr. Kobe, was over working on a bid with Big Daddy.  Bean saw her chance to show off a little bit, and she set to work wiggling her tooth for him.  Well, Mr. Kobe acted so excited that he got her worked into a near frenzy, and she finally gave that tooth a good, hard yank!

HOW TO KEEP THE PEACE

If the girls are generally helpful during the day and do a clean sweep of the living room and their bedroom before bedtime, they each get a quarter.  Weeks of saving resulted in a trip to Super Target yesterday to spend the change that was burning holes in their pockets.

Bean picked up a Sleeping Beauty Barbie and Cakes got an Ariel Barbie.  When we got home, the cherubs shut themselves in their bedroom and played for five hours without one fight!  It was heavenly!  Makes me want to buy them a new Barbie every day ....

GENDER-SPECIFIC TERMS

As the daughter of a retired English teacher, I am always looking for ways to expand my children's vocabulary.  We have a plethora of books for ages birth to 5 years, which are available to the cherubs any time, but we also read more advanced books every night at bedtime.  It's part of the classical education model.  I've been surprised at how much the girls are starting to pick up from the books in terms of plot and vocabulary.  We just finished reading "A Little Princess" and are working through "The Secret Garden" now.

In reading, Bean just finished a unit on vowel combinations that produce long vowel sounds, and she likes to define the words as she reads them.  One of the words she learned to read recently was "male."  We talked about the difference between "male" and "mail," and about the opposites "male" and "female."  Apparently, Cakes was listening closely, because today she announced, "Uncle Ney is a male, and Aunt Kimmy is a email!"

THINGS I HAVE PULLED OUT OF MY BABY'S MOUTH

It doesn't matter how clean you get the floor or how much you babyproof, babies will always find the one little thing you missed and put it into their mouths.  Add a five-year-old and and almost-four-year-old to the mix, and it's an adventure waiting to happen.  Here are some things I have pulled out of my baby's mouth:

potting soil
Hershey's kiss foil wrapper
crayon
crayon paper
Play-doh
used Barbie Band-aid
grass clippings
mud
hair
Barbie shoe
tissue
toilet paper (unused, thank you very much)
dime
Saxon homeschool math manipulatives (counting bears and pattern blocks)
Dora Christmas ornament

So, what are some things you've pulled out of your babies' mouths?

LIFE LESSONS - HIDE THE SCISSORS

I must admit that I was a bit self-congratulatory every time I heard one of those nightmare stories about little girls cutting big chunks out of their hair.  After all, I'd made it 5 1/2 years without so much as an attempt by my children at self-styling.  I invested in Melissa & Doug safety scissors that were guaranteed not to cut hair, clothing, or skin (they don't even cut paper that well, but such is the price one must pay to save one's children's hair).

I guess what happened was really a result of several different events, a "perfect storm," if you will.  First, I noticed that the cherubs' hair was getting long and, consequentially, harder to brush without tantrums.  So, I off-handedly mentioned to Bean that she and Cakes were going to need haircuts.

Later that day, Bean was helping Grammy in the garden, using scissors to cut weeds while Grammy planted vegetables.  As Grammy watched Bean, she was reminded of the time I cut my own hair when I was three years old.  She chuckled as she shared this story with Bean.

Now, combine the last two paragraphs with a five-year-old's (non-existent) patience level, and disaster is sure to ensue.  I'll blame it on the shingles, but somehow no alarm bells went off when Bean later said to me, "Mom, I'm going to go pray to Jesus," walked into her room, and shut the door.

When she came out 15 minutes later, she was missing several large chunks of hair, including a big piece from the front, and was carrying a hairball roughly four inches in diameter.  Well, the deed was done, so there was no use panicking after the fact.  I calmly explained to her that only grown-ups who know how to cut hair should cut hair.  Then I made a quick call to Aunt Kimmy, who is a hairdresser, and had her come fix everything.  Six inches of hair was removed from Bean (and Cakes, who was not about to be left out of the hair-cutting festivities), and we all assumed she had learned her lesson.

But yesterday, Grampy was complaining of a headache.  Bean offered to rub his head to make him feel better.  After rubbing his head for a few minutes, Bean observed, "Grampy, your hair sure is getting long."  From behind her back, Bean pulled out a pair of scissors ...

THE MYSTERY SHINER

Bean hasn't been feeling well.  She's had a fever and swollen glands.  Then, this morning, she woke up with a black eye.

(That would be Bean's supermodel face).  At first, I thought it was just bags under her eyes from being tired and sick.  Then, the bags went away and the shiner stayed.

I asked Bean what happened.

"To my eye?"

"Yes."

"I don't know.  Cakes hit me in the eye with her hand."

"She did?"

"No."

"Well, what happened?"

"I was crying and I rubbed my eye and now it hurts."

"It looks more like you bumped it or got hit."

"Nope.  I just rubbed it.  Now it hurts."

Well, that must've been some vigorous rubbing!  No further information was forthcoming, so the mystery remains.

ON THE MOVE

Peanut has recovered from her RSV.  That was not fun, let me tell you!  Have you ever heard of deep suction?  It involves tubes, nostrils, and a vacuum pump.  And LOTS of mucus.  And a very unhappy baby.

Anyway, Peanut has recovered, her double ear infection is clearing up, and she is on the move!  She started crawling on Monday and was pulling herself up to standing by Wednesday.

Now we're really in for it!

KUMBAYA ...

Looks like Cakes has an inner hippie trying to get out ...

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - JUST A TYPICAL MORNING ...

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom for more Wordless Wednesday!

MAMA LOVES - MOMENTS LIKE THESE ...

... because moments like these are pretty rare!

For more Mama Love, visit In the Dailies!

WE START THEM EARLY

One of the main pillars of classical education is reading. And we like to start 'em young ...

... really young.

KIDDIE QUOTES (... AND A WINNER)

I'm not sure where my kids are getting their cultural information, but Bean very confidently asserts some "facts" that are questionable, at best. Take, for instance, Bean's baby doll. Today, she called me by my first name, told me she was my new neighbor, and introduced me to her doll: "This is baby Molly. We call her 'Taco.' That's French for Molly."

Meanwhile, Cakes has found a new favorite book. It's a lift-a-flap book of nursery rhymes and nursery songs. She has all the poems and songs memorized ... kind of. All morning, she's been singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat":

Row, row, row your boat
Gently, if you can
Maily, maily, maily, maily
Like a butt of dream.

She also takes great delight in reciting "Hey, Diddle, Diddle":

Hey, diddle, diddle
The cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon
The little dog laughed
To have such fun
And the dish and the spoon ran away.

And, finally, I'm not sure how accurate Tanya was in answering my question about the ice balls; however, she was the only one who even hazarded a guess. So, the coffee-holic over at In the Dailies gets the $5 Starbucks gift card!!!

HUMOR IS IN THE EAR OF THE BEHOLDER

I don't like to promote potty humor in the house, especially because I have three girls. My personal opinion is that it's kind of, I guess "uncouth" is the word I'm looking for, to hear a girl making jokes about poo and gas and stuff.

My husband, however, is not of the same mindset. He gleefully teaches our little princesses how to make fart noises and sing songs about diarrhea. The cherubs have noticed this trend, as exemplified the other day after Bean used the bathroom.

She walked out of the restroom after doing her business and declared, "Pew! It stinks in there!" Then, smiling, she added, "Daddy would appreciate that; he always appreciates a good, stinky poop!"

Lovely.

BABY LOVES CHOCOLATE!

Looks like Peanut takes after her mother in her love affair with chocolate.

SOUTHERN WINTER WEATHER

Tanya sent me a really funny post from Snoodlings today. Being a South-bound Northerner, I can relate to both points of view. My kids, however, are Southern through and through (minus the accent, with the exception of a few words like "five" and "toilet"). They have no concept of a Northern winter. They have joined the ranks of kids who know how to make a good-sized snowman in an inch of snow within 15 minutes of the first flake falling, knowing full well that the snow will probably be gone within three hours. They have joined the ranks of kids who want to wear coats and sweaters in 55 degree weather. They have joined the ranks of kids who think anything stronger than a flurry is a blizzard.

So, here we are in the throes of our 2010 "winter blast." This means that school is cancelled for the second day in a row because of the dusting of snow on the ground. Almost no one is venturing from their well-stocked homes; after all, who knows when we'll be able to brave the roads for a trip to the grocery store? And the cherubs have taken full advantage of the almost-half-an-inch of snow on the ground.

There wasn't quite enough snow for even a Southern kid to erect a snowman, but Bean said, "We made the angels smile to show you how much we love the snow!"

DECORATING THE TREE

The girls had a great time decorating the tree (and undecorating and redecorating the tree and undecorating the tree ...). We try to keep the breakable ornaments out of their reach, but we still suffer ornament casualties every time they redecorate. My bike-riding Kermit the Frog ornament has been beheaded several times, and I just finished cleaning up the innards of a snowglobe ornament.

The cherubs also enjoy the pre-lit garland. They don it like feather boas and prance around the house like princesses.

I think Christmas with my own little angels is even better than Christmas when I was a kid!

THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF PARENTS

While the cherubs are still young, the adults in the family will spell things that we don't want the girls to understand. This code works until the kids learn how to spell. Then, we'll have to learn a foreign language.

The girls have caught on to this secret language, even though they don't understand it. We were spelling to each other the other night at dinner about Christmas presents and such. I guess the girls were paying attention more than I thought, because after dinner, Bean came up to me and said, "Hey, Mom. I need my P-A-S-Y."

I said, "What do you need?"

Bean said, "You know, my L-I-F-D."

Hmm.

THE CHRISTMAS STORY, BEAN STYLE

We're busily decorating for Christmas. We have a plastic Nativity scene for the girls once they decide they've had enough ornament hanging. Apparently, this Nativity scene was quite inspirational to Bean. She proceeded to tell us her version of the Christmas story:

"Once upon a time, Baby Jesus got stuck in the mud. Then, a creature came and took him, and he didn’t go home. So, Zerena came with all the people, and they started to sing. There was no room in the house, but they made some room. All the people came to get the room. The angels came and said, 'We need to ring the bell.' And the angel landed in the night, and took a bath. The end."

MAMA LOVES - BABY GIGGLES

My friend Tanya over at In the Dailies has a weekly blog carnival about the little things that make us love being moms. One of the greatest joys of being a mom, as far as I'm concerned, is baby giggles.


Peanut laughs so hard at a little noise or a game of Peek-a-Boo. The joy just bubbles out of her. Having kids is such a great reminder to enjoy the simple things in life!