Year Two: Week Two: Color Us Happy

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

~Marcel Proust

 Science experiment time! We talked about what would happen when we mixed the colors together and then I set him free! Afterwards, we colored in his journal about what we learned. 

Oh these Bob Books! They are amazing. My sidekick has taken to these so well and has just about mastered these first three. Proud mommy, for sure!

While I never want to explain tragedy and heartache to my little innocent boy, we did talk about September 11. On a very small scale. As in, we are celebrating our flag and our country and heroes, like Daddy, who helped save many lives and continue to protect us.

Handwriting practice. It was numbers time. We're still working on the height of his writing (haha, obviously). But he did so well!

It was another fun week! We had his cousin over for some play time and another Saturday spent watching football. You're not truly home until you experience, at least, two seasons within a week or so. Remember 2 weeks ago, we were sweating in our shorts and this week it was hoodies and beanies and lots of cuddles! We had a grand ol' time! Here's to another week of fun ahead!

Year Two: Week One: A New Start

"You know more of a road by having travelled it then by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world."

~On The Conduct of Life (1822)

Year Two is underway! My goals for my sidekick this year are: work on his handwriting, learn to read (or the beginnings of it), start on some basic math, following directions, and using his imagination. As always, I want this to be fun for him. I want us both to enjoy schooling and this time together.

Here's some of what we've done in the past two weeks:

 {my drawing...don't judge!}

  I have found some new dry-erase workbooks. They are fantastic! It will give me the chance to see how well he is doing now and see how far he's come later in the year. 

 We've started journaling! I'm really excited about this one too. Some days, I have a plan of what I want us to draw and imagine. Other days, we just paint and imagine whatever we want! It's been fun so far.

New year so that means, new playdough!

Part of our journals will include practicing our letters, shapes, numbers, and writing his name. 

We traveled a lot in Italy and now we have lots of new places to explore! Last week was our first field trip. We went to our local museum of Natural History. It was such a fun day!

 

My sidekick is getting so big! We got him a new bike (with a new helmet that he picked out himself!), soccer is beginning, and new friends to play with. It's a good time to be a sidekick!

 

One of the best parts of home is FOOTBALL! He got to experience the magic of Owen Field for the very first time. It was a h.o.t. day but I think he enjoyed it. A Sooner fan born and bred! That's our kid! Boomer!

It's been a fun start! I can't wait to continue with this year. I have some fun stuff planned that I am excited to share with you. Stay tuned!

Lesson Sixteen: Moving Home

AMERICA! What a bittersweet moment it was during take-off from Italy and landing back in the United States. Tears were shed both times. Our Italian adventure is now over and we are in a moment (3 months long moment, anyway) of waiting now before our next real adventure begins. My sidekick and I have moved in with my parents and are enjoying some down time of family, friends and relaxing. By "down time" I mean, we are starting our second year of homeschooling, soccer just started, play dates are being made ...{inhale}... and those are just HIS plans. I've got my own stuff in the mix. Needless to say, we busy but happy.
Daddy is still in Italy, finishing his tour there on his own. Don't feel too sorry for him, he's got Oktoberfest plans (the "real" one in Germany), and everything he may need to survive within walking distance since he's living in the barracks. Technology is definitely a savior right now. We get to Skype often, text daily, and send pictures. It's better than a deployment, that's for sure.

Now to brag on my sidekick a little. To start, we had an almost 11 hour flight. I had to keep track of one giant suitcase, 2 backpacks (one for him, one for me), my purse, our two dogs in their kennels (yes, they came home with us and yes, it was a pain), tickets, passports (both human and dog), orders, other random paperwork, and just things. OH! and the kid. Haha! We had two planes and a total of three airports to navigate. Our first flight was easy. Under two hours and with a morning snack, it was not bad at all. Then about 45 minutes in airport #2 before boarding "the big plane". Did I mention that our day started at about 2am (4am for the kid since he got to sleep on the way to airport #1)? So, by the time we got on "the big plane" it was about lunch time and this momma was feeling the hints of exhaustion. After we were fed a warm lunch, the kid and I settled in and watched some shows. Tiredness finally came over us and we cuddled as comfortably as we could and slept. This sidekick ended up sleeping for about half the flight! (Ooooh happy momma!) I slept a few hours and then happily drank some coffee and teas (that the attendants, wonderfully, kept refilling) and watched some movies. Then we landed on American soil, got through customs quick and painless, found our pups and our luggage, found my family, then blearily, and hungrily, made our way home. First stop, Sonic. You would not believe the food you miss when you are overseas. The kid got his first Strawberry Sprite ("oh! wow! yum!") and some tater tots. It didn't take long for him to remember where that goodness came from so requests are made almost daily now. Ha!

Overall, the trip home could have been much worse. Once we actually got on the plane(s), it was quite simple. Thank goodness. Now to enjoy this time at home while we wait for our Daddy Bean to arrive so we can be on our way, together, on our next adventure.

Next subject! Our homeschooling plans. We are into Week Three of our second year. Before we made our move home, I sat and planned out 52 possible themes, (mostly) planned 20 weeks, then gathered supplies for the first 12 weeks. After which, I packed it all in a big box and sent it home. Now we are here, and getting into a good rhythm with schooling. I can't wait to see how he grows this year with the new stuff I have planned for him. I hope you get some ideas if you are in need of them and enjoy this part of our adventure with us.

-Mandy

Lesson Fifteen: Long Time Gone

It's been a MONTH since I've written! We've been doing many great things but, my computer is not letting me upload pictures at this time. I'm not computer savvy enough to figure it out right now, so you're stuck with my simple words.

 

Since I was last on here, my sidekick and I travelled to London, did a few projects here and there, and have been enjoying the wonderful weather that Spring has finally blessed us with!

 

Mom-wise, I've started a new workout routine. I was in need of a new me. Someone I can like being again. That takes up my mornings now. Then breakfast, then schooling happens if the little guy is in the mood. With the sunshine calling our names almost every morning, we usually inhale our breakfasts as quickly as possible, then outside we go! Being a stay-at-home-mom is such a blessing. I tailored my new workout days around the fact that I can't go be in a gym for hours at a time. I scoured my trusty Pinterest to find the best *at home* routines I could work with. Take those, plus 2 days (1 hour max each day) a week at the gym, which is followed by park time when we can. If I can't get my workouts done before he wakes up (as much as I do try!), then I am perfectly happy to sweat outside while my Little runs with our puppies. This also includes me. In between crunches, push-ups, and planks, I am playing catch, hide-and-seek, or whatever else he dreams up. It's like double the workout! It's great. :)

It was time for a new me, and my sidekick is so encouraging with it! He helps me count my repetitions, he even tries to do some himself! He gladly eats all the cookies and sweets that end up at our house so I don't have to. I'm doing this for him, as much as for myself. When I'm happier, I can make him happier so it all works out.

 

Sidekick-wise, he's starting on the phonics of letters and words. He knows, recognizes, and can write his own name. We've been working on writing our letters, not just tracing. I'll write the letter on my paper and he'll look at it, and write it on his. For only being 3, he's doing very well! {I wish I could SHOW you! Stupid computer!}

 He knows the sounds that the letters make and we're working on recognizing what words that start with each letter. {me: "what starts with A?" kid: "apple". me: "what starts with B?" kid: "balloon!". me: "what starts with C?" kid: "colors!". And so the story goes} He gets a little distracted shortly after that, but it's fun to see what words he comes up with on his own.

We have around 5 or so letters left to work through on our letter projects. We last worked on M for Marshmallow {Eat 2. Glue 1. Eat 3. Glue 1}. These are still really fun for us, we {I} just need to make more time for them. After that, I want to start concentrating on writing and reading. And lots of summer-fun-time playing! My posts will be a little sporadic, I'm sure. At the end of summer, we'll be moving as well. At that time, pretty much everything will be put on hold until we get to where we're going.

 

We've got some time before that happens, and I hope to write about our progress with reading and writing and our summer adventures. Keep checking in! I'm going to  really try and get my pictures to upload this week! Once I have more time to sit and grumble at the computer until it does what I want.

 

Wish me luck!  

Lesson Fourteen: I am nothing more.

I've been struggling, as of late. Where do I belong? Will I forever be a well-loved Cinderella before the bibbity-boppity? Am I anything more than "just a mom"? As I hold my sidekick while I write this, I can say, no. I am nothing more. But it's not a negative. His smile, his happiness, his stories, his imagination, the things we learn together every day. Why would I want more? Going to street markets, stopping for gelato, exploring Italy, sitting at home and blowing bubbles into the sunset. These are all things that I get to enjoy with my sidekick. I'd be lost without him! To see him growing into a smarter, happier, funnier, silly, little boy has been an experience that I can never replace. Memories that will always make me smile. Why would I want to be anywhere else?

For a while, {and I still have days where I struggle} I didn't know how to be anything BUT a mom. It's not something you can just turn off. It isn't just a change of outfit. It was hard to be a wife and to be a friend. My world was consumed by baby, schedules, cleaning, sleeping, and repeat. After that, I had no energy for anyone. I spent my days entertaining this little person to the fullest and at the end of it all, when my husband needed me, I had no more energy to spare. Like I said, it was a struggle. Luckily, I have an amazing husband, who helped me find the balance in our lives. It was hard work to let some things go {LET IT GO! LET IT GO! so sorry...I couldn't resist}. To realize, in order to do it all, I had to not do it all at once.

I've found a good balance, as of today. I can explore and learn with my sidekick during the day, make dinner and spend time with my husband in the evenings without falling asleep at the table. Maybe I've just adjusted to my life of no sleep. Haha! It's still a struggle to get dressed some days and to do my hair. To take a little "me time" when I can get it. I am learning all of my roles in this life and still learning me, as well.

Right now though, I belong here. With my little boy cuddled on my lap, cartoons on in the background, laundry going, dishes waiting, artwork drying. I guess I just needed to put my struggles out into the world to realize what was underneath them. The happiness and the love for where I am in the world.
Funny, once you work through the troubles, they seem so petty. But they took up so much of your thinking, so much of your time. For what? Well, on to tackle bigger things now. Like lunch. That's important.

I am nothing more. And I've never been happier.

Talk to you soon,
Mandy

Week 7.2: Swim, Sunshine, and Straws

"But we are all fortunate in one way or another. The task for most of us is to identify in what way that is, would you not agree?"

- Alexander McCall Smith

 

Well, I missed another week somehow. We have been really busy though. Between swim lessons twice a week, music class, plus the usual life/mom things (cleaning the house, food preparation at least twice a day, play time, the list goes on. As I'm sure all you parents know). We're here now and have some fun things to show you!

 

Take a peek:

 

 B is for Bird! Another Pinterest find that we made our own. We're down to our last 10 or so letters so I'm trying to spread them out some. Luckily, with our busy-ness, that's been the easiest task of my day!

 

 I figured I could include this since it is taking up a couple of our days each week. My sidekick is a FISH! He loves swim class so much! So much so, that we have to stay, at least, 10 minutes after class just to avoid the tears of leaving the water. He's doing great though! He can kick from one side to the other with just a pool noodle under his arms for support!

 

 

 I've wanted to get back into more artsy things. So we tried some new things this week. The first being coloring sweetened condensed milk with water flavoring packets and then painting with marshmallows! Talk about SWEET! While he wasn't too interested in it, really, he did like stamping the marshmallows once I showed him what they could do.

 

 We hadn't marble painted in a while so, I got out our paint box and stepped it up a notch. Instead of just the normal box shaking, I only added blue and yellow paint and we talked about color mixing. When he saw the green, he was so amazed. Apparently, we're ready for more color mixing experiments!

 

 

 Oh playdough! This is our homemade batch that I made in May of 2012. Yep, 2-0-1-2. That's almost 2 years ago! It's finally starting to crystallize a little so it's definitely time to make new. We played with our cookie cutters, made different shapes, but we also worked on big vs. small, tall vs. short, longer vs. shorter, over and under ("Is the long playdough over the short one or under?"). It was fun to work those in, as well as, 3D shapes.

 

 

 Pinterest find! Pour milk into a shallow dish, add drops (just a couple) of food coloring, then touch the spots with a toothpick that's been dipped in dish soap. Oh man! His face was priceless. After a few times, the colors stop being so amazing and just run together. But, it was fun while it lasted.

 

 We needed something to do. We were bored and I didn't want to just let him sit and watch TV. So, I made up a game. I had him sound out each word (one-ten) and then find the match with the dots of the same number. It took some patience but,  he was starting to remember the sounds the letters make by end of it. The beginnings of reading! Hooray!

 

 One of the amazing things about Italy, are the little farms. They have milk machines (Seriously. It's a vending machine that you can buy fresh from the farm milk, cheeses, and yogurt. Hello yummy!). At some, you can visit with cows, chickens, and the farm cats and dogs. It's a pretty good time on a sunny day.

 

 Hooray for gelato season! While we seemed to find the random places that served them year round, the best are the ones that have just opened for the Spring and Summer seasons. Oh so good! Definitely, on of the things we will miss most about Italy.

 

 

 

Mommy and Sidekick art projects are my favorite! I try to let him do his own thing for the most part, but sometimes, it's hard to not join in the fun! This was one of those times. I love our little masterpiece. Simply dip straws in watercolors and blow out, close to the paper. (Do not in! Although, for us, it didn't move quick enough up the straw to leave a nasty taste in our mouths.).

 

There you have it! A week (and a half) worth of fun! Onto the next adventure! See you soon!!

Week 6.2: Spring has Arrived!

 

 

What fine weather this is! Not very becoming perhaps early in the morning, but very pleasant out of doors at noon, and very wholesome-at least everybody fancies so, and imagination is everything.

-Jane Austen (in a letter to her sister Cassandra) November, 1798

 

Hello again! We had a wonderful week last week! Lots of fun doing lots of different stuff! The weather has been AAA-mazing so, we are spending more and more time outside each day. It's fantastic!

Here's a look at what we accomplished:

 

 With our new dotter paints, we are loving letter and shape searches. Such an easy and quick thing to do. Any time of day.

 

 C is for Circle and Caterpillar. I traced circles on the paper and my sidekick insisted on a pattern. I even mixed up the circles after we glued the first three and had him find the pattern. He did wonderfully. After we glued the eyes on, I had him draw a nose and mouth. {This was something new that I had never asked him to do} But LOOK! It's so cute! Then, I showed him how to draw little legs and let him go. Our little C friend turned out great!

 

 S is for Snowman. I know, I know. We've done nothing but wish for Spring for weeks now. I gave my sidekick options on what do make (Pinterest pictures, of course) and he picked this. He loves the snow, so I wasn't surprised. I did a little more pointing than usual so he could get the idea of where things went but it's still his work and I'm proud of him more every day.

 

 Our new fun time is to take silly selfies. I have about 30 on my phone after each session. Lots of fun and together time. :)

 

 

 

 Speaking of Spring! For an FRG function last week, Cam and I made an example of our kid craft. First, he helped me put seeds into the dirt bags. Then he painted his pot! And here's the finished project. The kids had lots of fun, and hopefully will have some new flowers soon!

 We started Music Class this week! Oh man! So. Much. Fun. This kid of mine loves to sing and dance any time but to make new friends, play with fun instruments, and learn new songs? What's not to love! Him and I both wish it was more than once a week.

 

 

 

We've added a new computer program to our schooling time. abcmouse.com It's fantastic. He learned to use a mouse in one lesson and loves doing the different lessons that the site offers. I got a free trial month, so I figured why not. But I will, most likely, be subscribing (it's only $7.95/mo). He asks to play "mouse" daily and will sit for a good 20 minutes, fully concentrating on his lessons.

 

F is for frog! Another Pinterest find that was so fun. This is, of course, the ever-elusive Star Frog. I believe, this is the only one I've ever seen :)

 

 

It's been a great week! We've been keeping up with our workbooks and letter tracings, as well. My sidekick gets better every week. I can't wait to see what this coming week has in store for us!

See you soon!