The Education of Children

So, I realize that Chick is only 2, but I find myself thinking a LOT lately about her schooling. I don't know how she should be educated, and thought I'd ask why you all have chosen the schooling choices that you have. I'm not going into great detail, but here are the three main options for us & the pros & cons.

Public School
Pros: Cheap. Social. Easy.
Cons: Lack of morals. Bad student/teacher ratio.

Private Montessori School
Pros: Individually-paced progression. Nice learning style (I agree with it a lot).
Cons: Completely out of the question due to cost.

Homeschool
Pros: Sounds like good resources & help from school district. Individually-paced.
Cons: Takes work & dedication that I maybe don't have. Less social.

Ok, I'd like to hear your thoughts....

Thanks IHOP

It's been a long, long time since I ate at your restaurant. Last night was a delicious reunion. I especially liked having a meal out with my husband...sorta like a date (with kids, though). I loved that your employees treated my kids like they were the cutest little ones ever : )

Oh, and the pancakes were absolutely DELICIOUS. So good.

Dreamer

Hey! Guess what? I got a double jogging stroller! It's a bit older than the one pictured in my previous blog, and this one is blue, but it's the same brand & has all the same features. It came with the rain cover & was only $100, so I'm happy with it (but will still keep my eyes open for a red one!)

I got it last night, so I haven't used it yet...I will in a couple of hours. It came complete with a crying baby and a very excited (though not in this picture) toddler. Cool, huh?

I also went to the thrift store yesterday. I especially love the Wildcats shirt, because, you know, she's a bit of a wildcat. ha ha.

I got these coats to cut up and make little coats for the girls (one will be creme with camel accents and the other will be the opposite). I haven't found a pattern yet, though, so I can't start on that yet. The blue sweater is to cut and make wool soakers. Everything was $1 each (except the Melissa & Doug sewing cards - $3).

Inspiration coats...If you know of a pattern that is similar to either, please let me know!

The sheets weren't bought yesterday, but they will be nightgowns/jammies and dresses. Doesn't that floral just scream "50's retro girls summer party dress"? I love it. I passed it up and then had to make a trip back to buy it because I was pining for it.

Give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away, now.

Ok, so seriously, I'm having a bad weekend, and I'm sad that no one wants me to make them something (see my previous post). My darling friend Becky said she didn't sign up because she's not "crafty" so she didn't want to do it because she'd have to do a giveaway herself.

So as not to be offended that no one is doing my giveaway, I'm changing it. If you are one of the first 5 to respond (on that post, not this one), you don't have to do a giveaway (you do have to post a picture if you have a blog or facebook) when you get the something.

Who's a grumpy goose?

Me. I am. Oh, pick me, pick me.

I had a plan for today: 8 things on my "to do" list, and double the water today (8 glasses, 1 per hour). I decided the order that I'd do the 8 things, and they each had an hour. Some don't take an hour (pray...unfortunately. I bet I'd have a better day if I prayed for longer) and some take more than an hour (wash dishes...they're backed up again), but as I rule of thumb I gave them all an hour.

It started out ok...until about noon and that's when I got grumpy. Low blood sugar.

I started thinking things like "What does it matter anyhow?! I'm just going to sit on the couch for the rest of the day. I'm not going to walk to the store like I'd planned--HH wants me to anyhow, and I don't like him at all so I'm not going to do anything that he wants. In fact, when he gets home from galavanting (financial seminar) I'm going to just leave. I'm going to leave, DRIVE to the store, leave him with the kids, and maybe not come back. I could go to my parent's house, since they aren't home (ha ha, I wasn't serious, M&D...)."

So then I ate too much granola, which I'm totally addicted to, and thought about throwing out my menu for the day. Really, I don't want to bother with cooking broccoli when I can just keep eating granola (which, despite having made 20 bars + crumbs, is almost completely GONE). Don't worry...I'm sticking to it.

Grrrr. Then, I though, "Maybe if I get up and take pictures of my kids (who are supposed to be napping) then I'll realize how fortunate I am & it'll make me happier."

It didn't work. It started out well...Babe had woken up and rolled over. She started rolling over earlier this week. She tries to crawl & rolls instead. (cute dress thanks to Nikko!)

Things went south when I went to check on Chick. She'd climbed into the crib...again. I don't know how to keep her out of it. I tried giving her "time outs" in it, I told her no, I filled it up with stuff, I emptied it out completely.... And still she climbs.

Anyhow, she'd also pulled her hair out, so it's not all cute in the picture, but at least she was still in the outfit that I had picked out for her. Look at her, smiling like she's not doing something taboo.

She's skipping naps, too, and I'm distraught about it. I NEED naptime! She'll be in her room (pulling clothes out of her drawers, most likely) for 2 hours, and not sleep. Then she's grumpy for the rest of the day. She's too young to not take naps!

Augh, my life is so hard. And now I'm behind--so I might not mop the floor, cut out the dresses, or sew the bathroom curtains.

But all this ranting makes me want to take a walk, so I guess I'll walk to the store after all. ciao.

How I waste my time

Not making Granola--that stuff is delicious! And I feel really healthy eating it, because not all of the flax seeds got ground up completely and they get stuck in my teeth and remind me for a few extra minutes that I ate something that is good for me : ) Don't put it in the fridge, though--it gets too hard.

No, I waste my time by:

Blog-hopping.
I don't do it often, thank goodness. I do spend quite a bit of time reading the new posts on the blogs that I have listed on the right, though.

Watching Monk.
We borrowed season 6 from my folks. We've watched it enough in the past couple of days that I'm tempted to become OCD.

Getting the girls dressed.
Chick re-dresses herself (and she tries with Babe) right after I get them dressed (yesterday she was wearing 2 pairs of jammies--one on top of the other). What's the point in even trying?

Stroller shopping.
I am DESPERATE for a red Dreamer Design Ditto jogging stroller (or if I need to "settle" I'll go with a BOB Duallie in a warm color). My problem is that I only want to spend $200, and it needs to be in good condition & include the rain cover. I check Craigslist a million times a day, but to no avail thus far.

Researching 5k races.
Obviously, if I don't have a double jogging stroller then I can't start training. I don't actually research races a ton...but I did yesterday and it ate 2 hours of my day. The most fun sounding one, though, is the Bridle Trails 5k:

Bridle Trails State Park is a gorgeous second growth forest contains over 28 miles of trails that weave amongst towering evergreens. This is a chip timed event by Millisecond Sports Timing. After the Run enjoy lunch, guided nature tours, equestrian demonstrations or let your child ride a pony. Free T-Shirts to those who pre-register by June 15, 2009.

More Granola tales

Hi. So when I originally posted about making granola Katie asked about making it into bars. Last night I finally got around to trying it & here's the result:

Anyhow, I read some bar recipes here's the difference in cooking them: same heat, same recipe (full amount of honey, though). The change is that I put foil down in the pan, with a couple of extra inches hanging off the long sides. Then I sprayed with cooking spray. I turned out all of the "batter" onto the sheet & (with my hand in a plastic bag) patted it all out to about 3/4" thick. Then I cooked it for 30 minutes, which is what the recipe calls for. The thickness made it so that it didn't get dry and brittle. When done cooking, you lift the foil up and cut the bars. Then wait 10 minutes and take off the foil. Store in a airtight place for up to a week (according to the recipes that I read).

The bars are good--but very HEALTHY tasting. I think if I'd chopped the almonds smaller it would be less FIBEROUS tasting. However, after the first couple of bites I was hooked. It made 20 bars with lots of extra crumbs that I ate for breakfast : )

Dirty Harriet gets some Style

Chick got a new haircut. I felt that it was time for a change--it was getting so that even when pulled into ponytails it was still messy. Grandma N gave her new clippies for her birthday, but clippies can only do so much, you know. Anyhow, I cut her hair & also HH's (but no pictures of his because it's not very dramatic & I've been cutting his hair for years so it's not very exciting).

Also pictured are two pillowcase dresses that I made. The first wasn't actually from a pillowcase, but it was done the same way. I made them both on Friday to celebrate finishing layout for the month. The dress in the after pics is made from a pillowcase that was embroidered by one of my anscestors, but I don't know who exactly.

Anyhow, before... (yes, she was grumpy)

During...

After... (a-line bob, but not drastically a-line because her hair was longer in back)

Tidbits

This is a picture that cracks me up. HH had helped a crying Babe get to sleep, and they both fell asleep. That's normal, but check out his ear--he has an EARPLUG!

Living with Chick is something like living in a Opera. Lately she sings constantly. For instance, at breakfast the other day she took a sock off and put it on the floor. Then she sang "Sock on the floor, so-ock o-on the floo-oor, sock on floor..." (along with a lot more that wasn't actually words that I recognized...must have been a german opera).

Sometimes I think Babe should be renicknamed "Baby Toots-A-Lot" (BTAL for short). They are actually cute little toots, though, and aren't stinky : ) She really is a sweet little thing. She smiles at people a lot, is mild mannered, and likes to hold her back straight & head up so that she can look around a lot (we call her Bright Eyes).

Potty rewards

As promised (I know you were all waiting with baited breath)...pictures of Chick's potty rewards. The latest two were finger painting & making PB & Honey candy with me. Above is her finger painting.

Here is Chick cooking... clearly thrilled to be helping.

Babe looked on longingly...

Chick also got to help "clean up"

Denim circle quilt

This is more of a "note to self" post...I think this quilt is really cool & thought I'd post it so that I remember it someday when I decide to tackle another quilt.

Happy Potty Day!

We had a great potty day today!

Chick started using the potty at 5 months. She did pretty well until 11 months, when we moved. After that it was hit or miss. At 18 months she suddenly started going in the potty almost all the time. Unfortunately 2 months later she didn't want ANYTHING to do with the potty. We'd occasionally coax her into going, but that was all.

Last week HH complained about using too many diapers. Neither of us like paying for diapers to begin with, but we also don't like filling the landfills with them. Especially when there are so many other options. So I decided to nix the disposables this week. Chick was going to be in panties & cloth diapers. Babe would be cloth diapered completely.

Anyhow, Chick has done GREAT with going potty this week! Some days are better than others, but she's only had a couple (1-3) of accidents each day. Her sticker chart is almost all filled up (I'll post pictures tomorrow of the stuff she's done from sticker rewards).

Babe has gone potty a handful of times in her life--generally just when I'm changing her diaper & think to hold her over the sink and she happens to have to go at the same time. I hadn't made any real effort. Until today. I put a cloth diaper on her in the morning, and a couple of hours later she was wet. After that wet diaper I put her in a cloth diaper that doesn't use a cover (so that I would know more quickly when she was wet) & she went potty in the potty seat all the rest of the day with no misses! Anyhow, it was really exciting to have such a successful first day of really trying to EC with Babe!

By the way, the potties pictured are the ones that they use. Babe's has a fleece cover on it that I made, so that it's not so cold on her little bum. Chick uses both, because she thinks its fun and devious to use "Babe's potty"...I don't care at all, of course, but whatever gets her to go!

{If you have any info on using wool soakers at night, please leave me a comment! I was thinking of making a couple from recycled thrift store sweaters.... We all sleep through the night, so no midnight changes & the girls get rashy from that long in cloth diapers. I had to bend my own rules and use disposables some nights}

It's a GiveAway!

The first FIVE people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year. (might be a little while)
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.It may be a story. It may be poetry, shoes, bags, or a little invention of my own! I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. Believe me... it may blow your mind!

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog (or via email or Facebook) and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Sounds like fun, right? So, let's play!

Blessings for Babe

In addition to Chick's birthday, this past weekend was Babe's blessing. It was wonderful to have our family and friends with us for it. My favorite thing about the actual blessing is that it seemed to capture her sweetness--it talked about sharing love with those around her & seeing the needs of others. That's so "Babe"...already I can totally see her as being a service-oriented person and someone who does care about others.

Anyhow, here's the dress. I left the bracelet as I originally made it, and put a bit of beadwork at the bottom of the dress & on the headband, to tie it all together.

I love these pictures of the Grandmas with Babe...

Babe is also blessed with proud parents and a loving sister...

My in-laws brought these beautiful roses, and the picture is one of the pics that we had taken last week.

Thomas!

So excited that you've arrived, Thomas!
Congrats Matt & Maren. We love you!

Best wishes,
(Great) Aunt Paige, Chick, Babe, (Great) Uncle HH

2nd Annual Chick Day

Our little Chick is 2!

It's hard to believe that that much time has passed...but it's even harder to believe that we even existed without her around. She is such a sweet little thing! Definitely a toddler...strong willed and independent, loving and smart.

This weekend we celebrated her birthday. Here are some pictures...

I made her a purple Kitty cake. She loved it : )

Chick liked all of her presents, though by that point she'd missed her usual nap time and was getting tired.

Luckily she had cousins to help her play with her new blocks, and Grandpas to enjoy one of her new books!

Since Chick is a book lover, she got 3 new books. We've read them all, but this one is her favorite. Tonight we read it 4 times, which is actually ok with me because it has such cute text.

My favorite lines are:

"Billy is daddy; he works in the city.

He has a new car, isn't it pretty?"

The last lines are:
"We mommies have such a lot to do.

Good night, dollies, I'm sleepy too."

So true. Good night.