Heart Lips

 

From Tiffany: "Good grief I wish I could hold him! His little lips are in the shape of an upside down heart."

Kindergarten: The essence of 2

I'll show you how powerful 2 is. Without it we would not have night and day. 

We need two to make opposites. Wet and dry, smooth and bumpy, short and tall, wrong and right, light and dark. Are there more opposites?

And if we didn't have opposites, we couldn't appreciate things as fully as we do. If we never knew what sadness felt like, we would not know how good it is to be happy. We would exist, but without context, or depth. 

On every spectrum there are two sides.

Play the Beatles song, Hello Goodbye. 

https://youtu.be/ywZqBGHDTlA

Kindergarten: The essence of 3

In the natural world, we see that each part of three plays an important role. There is the first part of three, the thesis, the mommy, the color red. There is the second part of three, the antithesis, the daddy, the color blue. Then there is the third part of three, the synthesis, the child, the color purple. This trinity of meaning also has roots in the geometrical shape of the triangle, thought to be one of the strongest shapes. 

I'll show you just how magical the number three is. I'll take the three primary colors, yellow, blue and red, and I will use them to make a beautiful color wheel. The three colors will become many colors. 

Baby Lesson: leave and come back, leave and come back

Babies need to know that mommy's always come back. 

I used to have to think to myself, come up with a reason to leave and then come back to baby!

Now with my second this just happens naturally. I leave to help my eldest off the toilet. I leave to get snacks. I leave to help her wash her feet after being outside. I leave to find the special toy. My second baby is so used to me leaving and coming back he just chills out on the floor now like it's no big deal.

I used to say that my second born had so much patience as a baby. But maybe it was just apart of the normal rhythm for him to wait.

1st Grade: Earth day and recycling

In Kindergarten we already looked at recycling and collecting up junk around the house to make fun craft projects with. Now we get to go a step further. 

https://teachingspecialthinkers.com/celebrating-earth-day-in-the-classroom/

Favorite No-Time Recipes

It was never easy to find solid blocks of time to cook food. I had plenty of time here and there broken up during the day, but rarely all at once. These recipes were the best, fast, one pot, can pause from doing it periodically recipes that I made. 

Crock Pot Pot Roast: Literally, throw down the sliced onions, then meat, then the carrots and celery, then the water, then the salt. Turn it on. Eat. Sometime I'd microwave a baked tater to have with it. 

Apple Crisp: Chop 5 apples, 1/3 cup butter, 2 cups oats, 1/4 tsp salt, little spoon of both stevia and monk into a pot. Cook a few minutes. Pour into baking dish, sprinkle brown sugar on top, and bake at 400 for 20mins. 

Pizza: Amy's frozen pizza. 

Brazi-Bites:

Lasagna: Family recipe for Lasagna. This one took more time than the above, but I could break it up. Noodles first let them cool. Sauce next let it cool. Layer everything. Bake everything. This one freezes really well too.

Spaghetti: noodles and ground meet and shredded zucchini in the sauce. 

Chili Relleno Bake:

Fajitas: Cut the chicken and salt. pause. cook the chicken. pause. Cut the peppers and onions and salt. pause. Cook the peppers and onions in the chicken pan. The only spice I used is salt and it tasted great. Add taco seasoning and sour cream into the buritto afterwards.  

Avocado Chocolate Pudding: Throw avocado, small scoop of plain cocoa powder, tsp of maple syrup, lil spoon of stevia and monk sweetner, splash of milk and blend it all up. 

English Muffin Breakfast sandwiches: Bake eggs, broccoli, bell pepper, red onion, garlic powder and salt. Cut to size then layer with swiss cheese, deli meat, and optional bacon. 

Here's a post about baby food I gave to Evelyn.

Kindergarten: Recycling

Videos to watch for this Lesson. Choose one, or all:

How Recycling Works! SciShow Kids

https://youtu.be/VlRVPum9cp4

Humans make a lot of garbage everyday, and a lot of it ends up in big, smelly dumps. Luckily, there are things we can do to reuse a lot of our garbage and keep the Earth healthy and clean! Join Jessi and find out how!

Garbage Trucks for Children with Blippi | Learn About Recycling

https://youtu.be/0xTyKc6LGdY 

This is the Garbage Trucks for Children video by Blippi. If your child loves garbabe trucks and wants to learn about recycling this Blippi video is the perfect choice.

Relating the Lesson to other lessons:

I just thought of something! We've been look at the number three. Well, there is also a trinity in garbage! It's called Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Lesson project:

Collect up as much 'junk' in the house as you can and save it to create sculptures later. Some common household discards that are good for this project are toilet paper rolls, bottles and lids.

You'll need glue and tape as well to adhere this junk into sculptures. And of course, you can also gather up some painting supplies to make them pretty colors. 

Let's go do a search on Pinterest! Just typing in 'recycling kids' will bring up a slew of crafts, activities and projects. It's important not to get stuck here, class! I know I always want to just keep looking and looking and never stop to actually do what I found. Give yourself a time limit and then Choose something and do it! Anything will be fun and will go with the lesson.

Here are my favorites:

Toilet paper rolls: Silly monster rolls, Colorful owls, Cute cars with lid wheels.

https://alittlepinchofperfect.com/toilet-paper-roll-car-craf/#_a5y_p=4231042

https://www.projectswithkids.com/toilet-paper-roll-owl-craft/

Plastic cups: Flowers, 

https://leftbraincraftbrain.com/recycled-plastic-flowers-art-and-science-project/ 

Milk Jugs: Bird feeders, fairy houses, 

Egg Cartons: Sail boat, baby turtles, fairies,

https://www.favecrafts.com/Green-Crafting/Egg-Carton-Flower-Fairies

https://www.woojr.com/mayflower-boat-egg-carton-craft/

Kindergarten: Graveyard field trip

Today we took a field trip to our local cemetery. It was very quiet, which is exactly why we went. We thought of it because of Covid19 and we knew it would be spacious and empty.

Topics covered: Culture, religion, and history.
Guardian Angels and Arc Angels.
Read folks inscriptions about heaven and talked about their belief in the afterlife.
Read about the Cornette namesake and the creation of the Cornette university library.
Discussed practices of respect, quiet voices, solidarity and not walking on headstones or graves.

Baby Lesson 1: Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle!

Lay your baby gently on the floor and wiggle their bodies gently side to side. Say Wiggle wiggle wiggle as you do so!

3 months old

He weighed 22 pounds today at 3 months old. is this even possible?

Evelyn is 52 pounds. he is almost half her. yeesh. my back aches.

3 months old, and sleeping is still very spotty. I usually get a 2 hour block once per night in the crib, and a 2 hour block once per night in the swing. the rest is in 30 minute to 1 hour increments. Sometimes I can get a second block in the swing. The swing is still my best bet. He is 21 pounds, so I'm facing the choice of purchasing the Graco version with a max of 30 pounds instead of the fisher price max of 25. Because things are selling out in this Covid19 world. 

He has amazing head control though. And he is just starting to reach for things. It's slow and uncoordinated but it is happening. 

He is very patient. He waits for things and only cries if he is tired or hungry. 

He still doesn't like nursing on the right side. This has caused engorgement, fussiness when I put him to that side, and early morning pumping sessions so I can relieve my right breast. 

Cute Toes!

The good Times

 The good, the bad, and the truth.

Kindergarten: Tales by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin is set on Derwentwater, and is based on an American story about squirrels travelling on little rafts, using their bushy tails as sails. Squirrel Nutkin sails across the lake with his cousins to gather nuts on Owl Island, where his impudence to Old Brown the owl leads him into serious trouble.

TheTale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter had owned her first Lake District farm, Hill Top in the village of Near Sawrey, for a year when she began work on The Tale of Tom Kitten. She shows Tom and his sisters living in the farmhouse and getting into mischief amongst the flowers of the beautiful cottage garden that she had created herself.

The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher, like Peter Rabbit, began life as an illustrated letter to a young child. It was written when she was on holiday in Scotland where her father and his friends enjoyed fishing expeditions. Mr. Jeremy has a day full of the worst fisherman's mishaps when he sets out to catch minnows for his dinner.

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter

https://youtu.be/pIZqdhEXnbQ
https://youtu.be/IlNzdLBlhbI
https://youtu.be/fYeooRFVQJo

Fairytale dream:

Once upon a time there was a beautiful orphan girl.

Her evil queen grandmother waited 16 years before she sent for the girl finally claiming her as her own.

It was a very long climb up a mountain to reach the castle where her new home would be.

First she had to scale the orchard wall. She paused and collected red, gold, and green apples as a gift when she reached the castle.

Then she reached the Kitchens and met the cook. She baked cinnamon apple pies from her apples.

She next came to the cottage of the evil queen's nephew. He was very hungry and she gave him all the pies.

She then came to the guardhouse. They greeted her with steal grey eyes but bid her pass.

She then passed through the queen's own Rose Garden.

"come closer and I'll scream."
"I wouldn't dream of it, princess. I'm only interested in a woman who wants me."
"Your food yesterday was not made by you. I'm sorry i thought it was enough. there will be consequences next time."
"What happened! Speak man!"
But really she was worrying and wanted to ask if he was ok.
"He'll be fine."

"I should fire you for losing my ship to the storm. Can't you tie a knot?"

Nana left

Papa arrived yesterday to pick up Nana and now they are leaving this morning.

They will drive through the holiday to get back to AZ.

I'm so sad they are leaving. Papa took her back early because Covid19 is heating up again. There is someone in his library being tested for it, and the doors open to patrons on Monday. RJ says it's statistically inevitable that someone coming into the library will have Covid19.

I want so badly to get Michael a little more months of age before we all get sick. Here's hoping we never have symptoms.

How will we know if we ever have it?

Sheesh, I just want to go the grocery store for a little outing. How in the world do we start meeting new little friends again for Evie? Leona needs to grow another year I'd say, she is pushing, and hitting, and yelling no. And it's exhausting to see Evie so happy and willing to include her in play, and Evie sharing her toys, and Leona just treating her like that. Maybe in a year Leona will be a bit more able to play.

Evie is only 4, so there is still time for everything. But I'm feeling kinda stuck about finding her little friends that are capable of playing with her without creating a bi-polar play date.

Covid19, ruining everything again.

Bucket List: Dan in Real life Talent Show

Someday when all the family is together again I want to do the Dan in Real Life family talent show.

Evie - Glow stick dance - drop the loop down her arm to her shoulder, then touch her hands to the floor and drop the ring to her hand and repeat. Spin the circles in the air.

RJ - will play the guitar. Hear you me by Jimmy Eat world

Mikey - I dunno! maybe give him some paint and paper taped to the floor and let him get messy.

Me - I cook and sew. How to make that a talent?

Next time we are all together we can put on the show for each other, everyone has to do something.