Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Kids and Cameras
I am taking my camera back. My girls love to set up scenes with their dolls, playmobil or legos and take a ton of pictures. I have a ton of pictures of stuffed animals at the Monte L Bean life science museum with no kids in them. I like pictures of people especially my kids and I kind of let my girls take over the camera thinking they were getting some good shots of the kids-- WRONG!! There are some, but not nearly as many as I would have taken and not nearly as good-- plus the camera gets filled up with junk pictures so it's not available for the really good pictures. Both girls now have their own cameras and I will be guarding mine-- I'm the only one who will be allowed to use it-- when the boys are ready to take pictures, I'll get them their own cameras!! That's it!!! I'm taking control of the situation!!! Also got a new refill kit for the printer so I can print too!! What a hassle photography can be-- one I don't like to delve into as you can tell by the number of photos I post here!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Funny and Cute Kid Things
My twins are almost 21 months. Their first words: #6 "uh-uh", "eis", #7 "uh-oh", "bal"
#7 has been crawling out of his crib and I have found him in his brother's crib a couple times- time to take the sides off I'm afraid. He also likes to twirl and get dizzy and fall down. They both understand so much and look for their shoes when it's time to go bye-bye. #6 will say "bye" after people have already left. They both fold their arms for family prayer and blessings on the food. They are way cute.
#5 prays to watch Thomas the Train and Team GeoTrax every night and every time he prays which he likes to do a lot. He is also incredibly stubborn and if he doesn't want to do something like move out of the way so somebody else can walk past him, he won't do it which usually ends him up in his room on time out 'til he's ready to be happy and nice. He has been following behind his soccer team in the back I think because he sees no reason to exert himself further than that. He can play for hours by himself though and he's very sweet and likes to make the twins laugh and watches out for them. They are starting to follow him around and I think he likes having a little entourage.
#4 won't read any words that have any reference to girls like "she", "her", "mermaid", "girl", "dress", etc. when I'm reading with him. He just skips those words and keeps reading.
#3 throws amazing tantrums when he thinks his math is too long and hard. Once he gets into it, he moves through great. I always point out to him how easy it actually was, and hopefully we'll get over this hump. He really has a lot of common sense and is very good to watch out for his brothers when he's not poking them.
#2 definitely has personality. As a baby just walking she would hop down the halls at church and say "ribbit". Up until last year, she was horse most of the time galloping around the house on hands and feet. Unfortunately she would often hurt somebody in her way- she' is getting better and watching out for people. She is also very dramatic and everyone knows when she has the tiniest little bump or hurt spot, but when she crashed on her scooter a few weeks ago and got some major scrapes, she hardly cried.
#1 is very mature and doesn't often do the funny stuff, although she had her share of it when she was younger. She does have her funny moments and I'm glad we can all laugh at ourselves!!
#7 has been crawling out of his crib and I have found him in his brother's crib a couple times- time to take the sides off I'm afraid. He also likes to twirl and get dizzy and fall down. They both understand so much and look for their shoes when it's time to go bye-bye. #6 will say "bye" after people have already left. They both fold their arms for family prayer and blessings on the food. They are way cute.
#5 prays to watch Thomas the Train and Team GeoTrax every night and every time he prays which he likes to do a lot. He is also incredibly stubborn and if he doesn't want to do something like move out of the way so somebody else can walk past him, he won't do it which usually ends him up in his room on time out 'til he's ready to be happy and nice. He has been following behind his soccer team in the back I think because he sees no reason to exert himself further than that. He can play for hours by himself though and he's very sweet and likes to make the twins laugh and watches out for them. They are starting to follow him around and I think he likes having a little entourage.
#4 won't read any words that have any reference to girls like "she", "her", "mermaid", "girl", "dress", etc. when I'm reading with him. He just skips those words and keeps reading.
#3 throws amazing tantrums when he thinks his math is too long and hard. Once he gets into it, he moves through great. I always point out to him how easy it actually was, and hopefully we'll get over this hump. He really has a lot of common sense and is very good to watch out for his brothers when he's not poking them.
#2 definitely has personality. As a baby just walking she would hop down the halls at church and say "ribbit". Up until last year, she was horse most of the time galloping around the house on hands and feet. Unfortunately she would often hurt somebody in her way- she' is getting better and watching out for people. She is also very dramatic and everyone knows when she has the tiniest little bump or hurt spot, but when she crashed on her scooter a few weeks ago and got some major scrapes, she hardly cried.
#1 is very mature and doesn't often do the funny stuff, although she had her share of it when she was younger. She does have her funny moments and I'm glad we can all laugh at ourselves!!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mother's Day by my daughter age 11
Mother's Day
Today is the day
When Mothers get their way.
No one will scream or yell
Not even do a tattle tale.
When presents are passed along
Everyone sings a song.
Flowers come in May
Winter! Winter! go away!
Music may fill Mothers ears
And remind her of the Happy Years
Children is the reason why you are a mother
You must teach them to love one another
Birds will chirp and sing
You may hear bells ring
Sometimes Mothers ask for strange presents
not stuff and elepheasants
When this is her way
Everyone.....
Happy Mother's Day!
Pretty good-uh!! What a happy day. I got to sleep in a bit. I'm very thankful to have 1 o'clock church this year!! I got lots of cards and happy wishes and flowers and 1 1/2 tons of compost from the dump-- that may be the strange present. I also want a valve replaced for my garden and some ink for the printer-- stuff we just don't get around to sometimes, but on mother's day and my b-day I get what I want!! Thanks! And happy Mother's day to all the mothers out there!!
Today is the day
When Mothers get their way.
No one will scream or yell
Not even do a tattle tale.
When presents are passed along
Everyone sings a song.
Flowers come in May
Winter! Winter! go away!
Music may fill Mothers ears
And remind her of the Happy Years
Children is the reason why you are a mother
You must teach them to love one another
Birds will chirp and sing
You may hear bells ring
Sometimes Mothers ask for strange presents
not stuff and elepheasants
When this is her way
Everyone.....
Happy Mother's Day!
Pretty good-uh!! What a happy day. I got to sleep in a bit. I'm very thankful to have 1 o'clock church this year!! I got lots of cards and happy wishes and flowers and 1 1/2 tons of compost from the dump-- that may be the strange present. I also want a valve replaced for my garden and some ink for the printer-- stuff we just don't get around to sometimes, but on mother's day and my b-day I get what I want!! Thanks! And happy Mother's day to all the mothers out there!!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Parenting and Educational Philosophies
Apparently there are a lot of confused parents out there. There are lots of books, classes, groups, shows and blogs on the best way to parent children. I'm all about progress and finding the best way to do things, but recently I have become extremely bothered by a couple philosophies floating around out there. Especially being a homeschooler, I come in contact with all kinds of people and ideas. So I'm going on the offensive in this post, because I just have to get it out and let people know that not all Utah Mormon homeschoolers are this way or have such strange ideas.
Here are some ideas I am very bothered by - mostly from the Utah Mormon homeschooling community in general:
All you have to do to raise bright, responsible, independent, good children is to provide them with the proper environment. Get rid of all the distractions in your life and their life including most of the toys including puzzles and legos, stacks of paper, dumb craft projects, television, computer, video games and anything else that might interfere with your greatness and your children's progress. Require your children to help you with the housework everyday, so they will gain discipline and your house will be a model of cleanliness and tidiness, but do not require your children to do any kind of academic work unless they really want to because you might squelch their natural love of learning. Model great scholarship to your children in the afternoons by reading great books and learning on your own. Call it Free Time for you and them, and make them use that time to do whatever they want on their own as long it does not involve any of the distractions you have already removed from the premises. The only interesting thing left in the house is books, so this will inspire and encourage them to read a lot. This is also free time for you to study, and you should not be bothered unless it is really important. Your home will be a place of peace and beauty this way. The children will feel more secure and will grow to be truly great only troubling themselves with the very best this life has to offer-- the best books, the best music, the best food, the best organization, the best education...., even though you don't require them to do academics.
Do you think I'm kidding? I wish I were. There are people who really do think this way. What an easy way to homeschool. The only thing you have to make sure your children do is clean your house in the mornings, and clean up after themselves which gives you the benefit of a constantly clean house-- every mother's dream. Then you have the afternoon to read or work on things you are interested in. No worries about curriculum. No encouraging the child to keep going even though it just got hard. No continual repetition or waiting patiently for the child to figure out that long word, or that weird story problem or to remember how to say something in another language. If the kid is not interested, they stop. There are no messes from children's "crafts" or a refrigerator cluttered with 10 drawings of the exact same thing. Everything is neat and orderly and clean and structured. What the mother says is law. The mother has figured out how to run a smooth domain with no mutiny, and has figured out to explain it so that it sounds like this is all done with the children's best interest at heart.
There are so many problems with that philosophy, I'm not sure where to begin. Most people, I think, can see that this is not a good way to raise or educate children. So instead of analyzing each piece separately I will just give an overview of what I think is a good, normal parenting philosophy and what has worked for me so far.
The children can make whatever messes they want as long as they can clean it up when they're done. If the children start misbehaving, I give them a warning that they will lose some thing or privilege they value if they are older, or they will have to go on time-out if they are younger. I do not threaten things I am not willing to follow through on. If I don't want to carry a kid all the way up the stairs to their room, then I will not threaten to take them all the way up to their room. The corner right there will work just as well, so that's what I'll threaten. I won't take away a privilege I really want them to have. Whatever I do threaten, I do follow through on. Consistency is key. A warning is necessary also, so that the child knows what he did wrong and what he needs to do to make it right. This also gives them a chance to explain themselves and sometimes I find that the situation is not what I thought it was. I try to be as fair as possible in each circumstance. I have to find out exactly what is going on, and if I can't, then they get a warning and a lesson on how to act properly and be nice to each other.
We do have certain rules that need to be followed such as no eating on the carpet, no jumping on the furniture in the front room, sitting still and being quiet during scripture reading, etc. When any of these rules are broken, then an appropriate consequence is given to fit the crime. For example, those who eat on the carpet get their food taken away. Those who yell at the dinner table get sent to their room on time-out. Those jumping on the front room furniture have to sit on the floor, etc.
That's pretty much it for rules and consequences. Be consistent!!
Then for parenting and ensuring that my children are receiving a proper education, we have decided to homeschool. This means that we have reviewed and picked the best curriculum for the various subjects we want them to know. We schedule and organize a time and place for that to happen. We have requirements for each child to fulfill. The children are responsible to keep track of their books and fulfill the assignments and chores we give them. Once they finish those, they are free to do as they please pretty much.
That's pretty much how we operate. The why we do that and what we hope to accomplish by doing that are subjects for another post. This is way too long already. I think it is pretty easy to see the difference between my idea of good parenting and educating and the idea of some of my fellow homeschoolers. My way requires me to do a lot with my children and follow through and work with them and guide them along their academic path, as well as provide lots of different opportunites for them to try and explore all different kinds of activities and ideas and eventually, I hope, find their passion. Some of my fellow homeschoolers ( thank goodness, not all) have chosen to let their children kind of fend for themselves when it comes to academics. They have also chosen to limit what their children can do as far as what is available to them, i.e. limited access to media, stacks of paper, art supplies, toys, etc. They have chosen to steer their children towards what they want for them i.e. great readers by having few interesting things available to them besides books and maybe piano or something similar.
So this incredibly long post is not for those already involved in this flawed thinking, although I do feel sorry for them. It is for those of you who may know some of these people and associate homeschoolers to this type of idea. Homeschooling has so many benefits and advantages and I want to do my part to define it the way I think will provide the best benefit for all. And that I think is to be a normal, caring parent who is involved with their children and guides and teaches and helps them along the way. I also want to point out that this has also been done and is being done successfully by parents who send their children to public and private school. Parenting is parenting. Thanks for reading!! Comments are welcome!!
Here are some ideas I am very bothered by - mostly from the Utah Mormon homeschooling community in general:
All you have to do to raise bright, responsible, independent, good children is to provide them with the proper environment. Get rid of all the distractions in your life and their life including most of the toys including puzzles and legos, stacks of paper, dumb craft projects, television, computer, video games and anything else that might interfere with your greatness and your children's progress. Require your children to help you with the housework everyday, so they will gain discipline and your house will be a model of cleanliness and tidiness, but do not require your children to do any kind of academic work unless they really want to because you might squelch their natural love of learning. Model great scholarship to your children in the afternoons by reading great books and learning on your own. Call it Free Time for you and them, and make them use that time to do whatever they want on their own as long it does not involve any of the distractions you have already removed from the premises. The only interesting thing left in the house is books, so this will inspire and encourage them to read a lot. This is also free time for you to study, and you should not be bothered unless it is really important. Your home will be a place of peace and beauty this way. The children will feel more secure and will grow to be truly great only troubling themselves with the very best this life has to offer-- the best books, the best music, the best food, the best organization, the best education...., even though you don't require them to do academics.
Do you think I'm kidding? I wish I were. There are people who really do think this way. What an easy way to homeschool. The only thing you have to make sure your children do is clean your house in the mornings, and clean up after themselves which gives you the benefit of a constantly clean house-- every mother's dream. Then you have the afternoon to read or work on things you are interested in. No worries about curriculum. No encouraging the child to keep going even though it just got hard. No continual repetition or waiting patiently for the child to figure out that long word, or that weird story problem or to remember how to say something in another language. If the kid is not interested, they stop. There are no messes from children's "crafts" or a refrigerator cluttered with 10 drawings of the exact same thing. Everything is neat and orderly and clean and structured. What the mother says is law. The mother has figured out how to run a smooth domain with no mutiny, and has figured out to explain it so that it sounds like this is all done with the children's best interest at heart.
There are so many problems with that philosophy, I'm not sure where to begin. Most people, I think, can see that this is not a good way to raise or educate children. So instead of analyzing each piece separately I will just give an overview of what I think is a good, normal parenting philosophy and what has worked for me so far.
The children can make whatever messes they want as long as they can clean it up when they're done. If the children start misbehaving, I give them a warning that they will lose some thing or privilege they value if they are older, or they will have to go on time-out if they are younger. I do not threaten things I am not willing to follow through on. If I don't want to carry a kid all the way up the stairs to their room, then I will not threaten to take them all the way up to their room. The corner right there will work just as well, so that's what I'll threaten. I won't take away a privilege I really want them to have. Whatever I do threaten, I do follow through on. Consistency is key. A warning is necessary also, so that the child knows what he did wrong and what he needs to do to make it right. This also gives them a chance to explain themselves and sometimes I find that the situation is not what I thought it was. I try to be as fair as possible in each circumstance. I have to find out exactly what is going on, and if I can't, then they get a warning and a lesson on how to act properly and be nice to each other.
We do have certain rules that need to be followed such as no eating on the carpet, no jumping on the furniture in the front room, sitting still and being quiet during scripture reading, etc. When any of these rules are broken, then an appropriate consequence is given to fit the crime. For example, those who eat on the carpet get their food taken away. Those who yell at the dinner table get sent to their room on time-out. Those jumping on the front room furniture have to sit on the floor, etc.
That's pretty much it for rules and consequences. Be consistent!!
Then for parenting and ensuring that my children are receiving a proper education, we have decided to homeschool. This means that we have reviewed and picked the best curriculum for the various subjects we want them to know. We schedule and organize a time and place for that to happen. We have requirements for each child to fulfill. The children are responsible to keep track of their books and fulfill the assignments and chores we give them. Once they finish those, they are free to do as they please pretty much.
That's pretty much how we operate. The why we do that and what we hope to accomplish by doing that are subjects for another post. This is way too long already. I think it is pretty easy to see the difference between my idea of good parenting and educating and the idea of some of my fellow homeschoolers. My way requires me to do a lot with my children and follow through and work with them and guide them along their academic path, as well as provide lots of different opportunites for them to try and explore all different kinds of activities and ideas and eventually, I hope, find their passion. Some of my fellow homeschoolers ( thank goodness, not all) have chosen to let their children kind of fend for themselves when it comes to academics. They have also chosen to limit what their children can do as far as what is available to them, i.e. limited access to media, stacks of paper, art supplies, toys, etc. They have chosen to steer their children towards what they want for them i.e. great readers by having few interesting things available to them besides books and maybe piano or something similar.
So this incredibly long post is not for those already involved in this flawed thinking, although I do feel sorry for them. It is for those of you who may know some of these people and associate homeschoolers to this type of idea. Homeschooling has so many benefits and advantages and I want to do my part to define it the way I think will provide the best benefit for all. And that I think is to be a normal, caring parent who is involved with their children and guides and teaches and helps them along the way. I also want to point out that this has also been done and is being done successfully by parents who send their children to public and private school. Parenting is parenting. Thanks for reading!! Comments are welcome!!
3 year olds!!
Yesterday in tears after pinching his fingers, my 3 yo asked '' Mommy, can i watch GeoTrax because I'm crying." What would you say?
Often we don't understand what he is trying to say and when someone tries to step and help he says in a frustrated tone of voice almost at a yell and definitely a reprimand " I'm talking to mooooooommy," or "I'm talking to Daaaaaaddy"
He was on the floor in the kitchen yesterday while I was making dinner and kept saying "mommy tell me o.k." So I said "O.K." "noo, he said, "tell me o.k." "o.k" "noo, tell me o.k." after 2 more times of this, I figured out he wanted me to ask him if he was o.k., "Are you o.k.?", I asked. "yes" he said with a happy smile and gave me a hug. He had slipped and fallen. Such simple joys, I just have to figure out what he wants. He just wants to be understood!!
Often we don't understand what he is trying to say and when someone tries to step and help he says in a frustrated tone of voice almost at a yell and definitely a reprimand " I'm talking to mooooooommy," or "I'm talking to Daaaaaaddy"
He was on the floor in the kitchen yesterday while I was making dinner and kept saying "mommy tell me o.k." So I said "O.K." "noo, he said, "tell me o.k." "o.k" "noo, tell me o.k." after 2 more times of this, I figured out he wanted me to ask him if he was o.k., "Are you o.k.?", I asked. "yes" he said with a happy smile and gave me a hug. He had slipped and fallen. Such simple joys, I just have to figure out what he wants. He just wants to be understood!!
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