We went to a nearby local ice cream place to enjoy the cool stuff on a hot day. T got animal cracker ice cream in a sugar cone (he really, really wanted the big waffle cone), B got some sort of rocky road variation in the big waffle cone, and I got a cinnamon, green tea mixture in a cup - tres delicioso! B and I helped T with his drips, but he mostly ate his cone by himself. He also had several samples of mine. Mmmmm.
Last Friday I went to another consignment sale. The clothes in boys 3T and 4T were awful, but there were some good toys. Plastic toys however. I feel a bit sick abut it - bringing in more toys and more plastic - but then I am pretty sure T will enjoy this and will be able to enjoy it with B and I and other kids. I got him a $20 miscellaneous bunch of Hotwheels track and parts, and two more small plastic dinosaurs. The latter I hid away for a rainy day or Christmas, whichever come first, but the track we gave T when he got home from school.
While T can't really put the track together very well himself yet, he enjoyed shooting the cars down the track. I think in another couple months he'll have the dextarity to do the track. We'll hope anyway. He has been happy to have this new toy and it gave him another way to play with his cars. He has about six Matchbox cars that we have collected - mine and several I purchased last year at a sale.
Saturday morning T and I played at home (he and B also read for an hour plus while I slept - yay!) then went to the church to do some weeding around the grounds. Not so much fun, but good to do. Saturday afternoon we walked down to the toddler park for a meet and greet. Our Kindemusik instructor had a gathering at the park to get more sign-ups, collect money, say thank you, and have us attendees chat. It was a nice time. T brought his T-ball set and hit some really good balls. He also had a lot of fun playing fireman with some other boys.
Sunday afternoon, while B did stuff for his conference, T and I went to a trunk show of shoes for him then went and had frozen yogurt at a new little shop. It was quite yummy and T loved the sprinkles. Here he is posing with the 'mascot'.
T's preschool class is working with a study of a the Pyramid curriculum, a project approach to learning that originated in the Netherlands. They work in four week blocks exploring a subject with orientation week one (no new learning), demonstration week two (new domain), broadening week three (apply their learning and compare/contrast), and deepening week four (apply and move to more abstract thought).
This week was week two and we had homework. T came home with a 'gingerbread man' and we were to search for and apply pictures to a little form the little guy picked out (I think they had different colors to choose from). There were instructions on what kind of pictures to find and where on the form they were to be glued. I have come to realize recently that I am VERY literal. I don't know if I have always been this way (some things yes) or have become more so as I have aged (less out of the box as I age and become stuck.) Let's just say it didn't go so well at our house.
I had visions of it being fun, but... 1) we never got around to collaborating on what photos to take so that we could print them out (favorite foods, books, etc.) So 2) I had to search through our millions of photos myself (T wanted to play other stuff) and I ended up being up Very late. 3) we had trouble with the printer and the photos weren't all ready until the evening before the project was due. 4) T was tired that evening. 5) The glue stick was being hard on the form and the photos. 6) T could care less what the instructions said, while in my very tired state, I cared very much. 7) I ended up doing most of it. ... I do not want to set a precedent!
For better or worse, this is what we ended up with. T and I talked about it and he seemed happy with it.
"Me" is in the head, with family in the body (us at Depot Bay, OR, in Hilton Head last March, and then last Christmas), and extended family on the right arm. I had very few photos of B's family and none that were good for this project. I felt bad about that but B didn't care. So we had a photo of T with my step sister's kids when he was one, and the family shot from his baptism. Friends are on the left arm (Dillman and Sid-Vicious, the other red headed T on our street, and Naia), pets on the left leg (Bis and the fish, Oreo on her back). The right leg has places or some home related topic so that is is T in his pool and his sandbox. He didn't want the picture of his bed..
The back had "Me" at the top again, so I put T doing things he liked (painting, on his new bike, and mixing flour). The body is favorite food - I was somewhat amazed at the number of photos I collected for that! So we have a photo of him holding tomatoes from our yard, chicken nuggets and fish sticks with fruit and carrots, pancakes, biscotti, and making biscuits (my flour loving boy). The left arm was to be favorite books and DVD's. Since we didn't have pictures I wrote titles of a bunch of T's favorites. The right arm was for favorite colors - yellow and purple. The left leg is favorite toys so I have T in a box with Cloud, with his yellow shovel, and with a great train track - I didn't have photos of he with his cars. The right leg is favorite places - the zoo, the beach, the botanical garden.
Next time I will try to get a better jump on completeing this with the hope that with days to complete it will be less painful.
Dear faculty member,
With cases of the H1N1 flu now reported at the University of ** and
** Tech, it now is increasingly likely that the flu will
significantly impact our campus during the fall semester. The University
has prepared a website with answers to frequently asked questions
(FAQs), including a section on classroom and academic issues, which can
be found at www.gsu.edu/flu. I ask you to take a few minutes to read
through the FAQs. I also ask you to exercise discretion this fall in
conducting your classes and in enforcing attendance, test and other
course policies.
If you are suffering from the flu or flu-like symptoms, please do not
come to work. Contact your department chair to see if your classes can
be covered by other means. If necessary, send materials and assignments
to your students via the e-mail function within your [intranet] class
rolls or by other electronic means, such as [name].
If you have students who are suffering from flu or flu-like symptoms,
please direct them to stay at home. If they are in class, ask them to go
home. We know that the H1N1 strain is particularly easy to transmit, and
we must be careful not to create situations in which ill and contagious
students feel compelled to be in class, thus infecting others. This may
require that you be particularly flexible with attendance policies,
missed quizzes and exams, and other deadlines. While we should not
penalize sick students for exercising good judgment by staying home,
they should be instructed to let you know that they will miss an exam or
assignment at the earliest possible time, prior to the due date whenever
possible.
If a student has missed class due to the flu, please realize that
requiring a doctor's note from the student upon his or her return may be
unrealistic. Major health organizations are not currently recommending
that individuals with the flu seek out a doctor's care unless the
symptoms are severe and persist for more than five days. The great
majority of individuals with the flu or flu-like symptoms are not being
tested for H1N1; for those who are tested, results take approximately
two weeks.
Obviously, this is a less than ideal situation for any instructor. It
requires sensitivity both to academic standards and to issues impacting
the health and well being of you, your students, and the campus as a
whole. I very much appreciate you dedication and cooperation during this
difficult set of circumstances.
[University President]
$69 at Naturalizer... 3" heel, padded footbed. I'm thinking yes, but wonder that the buckle strap will make my very solid legs look even more so (breaking the long line don't you know. ;-) )
No time lately to get down all the fun things T is saying. Wish I could dedicate some more time to the blog, the making sure there aren't any typos, to reading what other bloggers are saying, but alas no. What am I doing? I have no idea, though I was up until after midnight last night looking through photos for a project for T's school. I didn't help that I fell asleep with T until 9, then had to go back in there for at least a half hour (20 minutes, 40?) at some point.
T is being mostly a little charmer these days. He is trying very hard, most times, to be very good. Of course until he isn't. His vocabulary is also growing immensely. I learned this past weekend that a three-year-old's vocabulary triples. I believe it! Although, wouldn't you know, I now can't remember any of his new words.
+++ +++ +++
Last weekend we went to the first of the fifty million fall consignment sales I have mapped out to go to. I had down two for last Saturday but decided in the end to only to hit one. I lured T there with the promise of toys. Why I am not sure as I really don't want to fill his room with plastic junk and he really doesn't need any more toys. But there it was I said we could go look for toys. In my mind that meant Legos, though realistically I knew that by 1/2-price day there would not be any Legos left.
Not only were there not any Legos, but there weren't many toys at all at this sale. None the less we ended up with an electric guitar ($1.50) and a remote control car ($3) - both plastic of course. They have not been played with since Saturday afternoon, but T has already told me, in great distress, that he doesn't want to give any of the toys away. I am not allowed to send them to his cousins either. I put this bit of panic into his heart as B complained that the guitar only played one song with slight variations. I said, "We can easily sell it at another sale. And by the way we should probably clear out more of T's toys." Oh my was the boy concerend. The fiasco that was lending some old toys to our neighbor is all too fresh in his mind and he yelled right away, "You can't sell it! I don't want to sell it!" He has reapeated this line at least twice more in the following days, concerend that I will sneak in at night and pilfer his toys. So far I have kept my paws off, but I have thought about spiriting them away...
Other sale finds? We scored a car seat bag for airline travel for $3, a great pair of GAP footed PJ's, a Hilfiger sweater vest, and a GAP cotton cardigan. I forget how much the clothing was each peice, but grand total for everything we purchsed was just over $14.
I continued the used shopping while T napped. I found four books for him at an 'antique' store next to the awards store I went to for B (for the conference, best paper, etc). A Little Golden Book about Smokey the Bear, a picture dictionary, Three Billy Goats Gruff, and an early reader story that I don't recall. He was happy for them and had me read them all to him when I got home. The Smokey Bear one is a little distressing however - why Smokey never saw his mother again and where she went caused hours, and I do mean hours, of why-questions. I also picked up a pretty twin bed sheet at a thrift shop that I plan to make into either sleep pants or a cute night gown. I am feel empowered by so many blogs and hope to pull it off before too long (never mind the piles of other projects I have lined up!!)
Beween this last shopping and the consignment sale T and I went to a little 'festival' at one of our favorite local kids shops. They had Curious George there (T really thought this giant costumed thing might be the real George, though he was curious as to why it talked, and probably why it talked with an old lady Southern twang saying things like, "Now isn't he a charmer! That red hair - so precious!"), a clown who did face painting and balloon animals, food, and a children's yoga class. We partook of it all of course.
I was very interested in the food. Jack's Harvest had out samples (yummy butternut squash), and the very excting for me, Pam from Cooking for Monkeys was making smoothies and selling bento boxes. The smoothies were fantastic and T drank his up in a flash. He never guessed he had just drunk broccoli, sweet potato, and bunch of other good for him stuff. Becuse I have been very intergued by the whole bento thing and couldn't resist, T and I came home with a cute yellow bento with a boy and a cat on the top. I can't wait to pack something in it for him!
I'm taking far too long on this post and must wrap it up... Further weekend happenings, B went to Sam's Club and came home with yet more plastic fun for the boy - some Tonka pickup trucks with trailers. I looked at T and said, "You are one lucky, lucky boy!" He started at me blankly. "Do you know how lucky you are?" I asked. "No." came his honest reply before he asked me to go play with him.
Monday when I picked T up from school he flew into my arms with a huge smile and eager delight. "Mommy, lets go to a store with lots and lots of toys!!" "Hmm, I was thinking we could make cookies." "Yeah! Cookies! We're going to make cookies!" he said to all his teachers and several freinds. "Let's go make cookies mommy!" and he dragged me out of his preschool room. Good to know a little sugar* can combat tons of plastic. ;-)
* or maple syrup and applesauce.
From Craftzine:
- Great framed vase from the design from the...
- U-bags favorite sewing notions
- Petal sleeve top from ...Love Meagan
- Indie Fixx Back to School Guides including cool stuff from Mod Retro and Retrofied on Etsy (who I have favorited previously)
- $10 child's kitchen at Childhood 101
- Make It Do made some great messenger style book bags for her kids. She based it on this tutorial from mmmcrafts who commented on the great style over at Katie Did (see the fabulous girls dresses - Easter and other)
- So much awesomeness in the blog In My Shoes! Art Fridays, much fun with sugar cookies, color learning, space week with astronaut costumes, art bags... Lots and lots of inspiration. Now if only I had time and that much talent...
- She linked to this great blog called Made. Make sure to look into the charity Craft Hope
- Another child's chef hat tutorial, this time from CurlyPops
- Neat scrap wood pen and pencil holder at CraftyNest. I'm not totally sold on this wine cork trivet, but I could maybe improvise from here. Fun starburst mirror. Hemp string lamp shades - I posted something very similar to this previously, but these are good instructions. Easy zippered pillow cover.
- Montessori in the home ideas and learning ideas space
- Very pretty modern quilts for $90 from "Got me in stitches"
- Making paper at home from the very fun Filth Wizardry blog. Check out the cardboard pizza, and cookie pizza for just two of many fun activities.
- Two food blogs to watch Bakerella and Toddler Cafe
- Neat idea from Lilly and Annie at Sensible Living, and empathy poster
- Natural microwave popcorn - make sure to look at the comments, and see this post for more flavor ideas and a great quote
- NotNeutral has some cute little ceramic dining sets
- SwapMamas - an online swap meet
- Really cute pencil cases in Etsy shops Zomb and Rhomer
- Fun 'thinking' saying t-shirt at Peek..aren't you curious? - but too expensive, I think...
- Free audio book download (limited time) from Kangerboo
- Greenedge Kids is having a sale on many things including this cute lunch set
- Lots of Tea Collection stuff on sale at Chittiplug incuding these pants
Amy Butler rugs!
Yesterday was a good and bad potty day for T. He went pee-pee great when he arrived at school according to B. However when I picked him up he was not wearing the clothes he had gone to school in. His teacher Miss Donna said he had just wet himself. She sounded, I think for his benefit, a little annoyed/disappointed. She said he was in the bathroom but he decided to go in his underwear and not the potty.
We went to one of the local farmer's markets where upon leaving T asked to be put in a diaper. I lied and told him I didn't have one with me that he would need to go at the library - our next stop. He asked to go home, but I said that wasn't possible. He said he didn't have to go and could wait (he'd been holding his poop for hours until diaper time for a couple of weeks.)
At the library I took him into the bath kicking and screaming that he didn't have to go. He did, he sat on the potty and peed, but said he didn't have to poop. We were both happy he had peed and all seemed well. He told me he had pooped on the potty at school so we should go for ice cream. I said we could once we got our new books. I tried to hurry.
I realized too late that T had gone off on his own for too long. He was on the far side of the small room. I had thought he was looking at books, as he had brought me several from there, but no, he was having some private time - stinky private time. We spent time in the bath again (not as bad as it could be, but still a public rest room so enough to make me a little queasy and rushing for the hand sanitizer upon leaving.) The trip to ice cream negated by the underwear I took home in a bag, we went home.
