Tot School: 27 months

 Mr. Smiley, age 27 months

Tot Trays

Because our new school room doesn’t have a lot of storage we are using his old Tot Shelf for storage instead.   Therefore,  Mr. Smiley now finds his Tot Trays on the hearth, 3 per day.  While Mr. Smackdown and Sir Honey Velcro their way through workboxes, Mr. Smiley has been happily occupied exploring his trays. 

• exploration tub filled with rocks, marbles, army guys, plastic jewels and cork
• paper/crayons
• counting bears/stacking cups

Smiley really enjoyed filling and dumping his stacking cups with bears.

• A friend and I split some counting disks from Oriental Trading.  I let Smiley’s imagination do the work . . . he decided to fill the muffin tin with the disks.  Each time he put a new disk in, I told him what color it was.

• Another fun purchase from Oriental Trading – counting links.  His brothers had to use chop sticks to pick them up, but Smiley grabbed them by the handful and placed them in a container. 

• placing Styrofoam peanuts in a bucket

 

• Instead of reading books, Mr. Smiley stacked his library books!

Life School

Mr. Smackdown started soccer at our church.  Smiley was a great assistant coach. 

He took his first shower and adored the experience.  Pictured with him is Leon, his very special “night night” animal.

My Favorite (s)

I know he will hate me for this one day but I just can’t resist.  Mr. Smackdown recently celebrated his 6th birthday.  As a treat, their Nana (my mom) brought all three boys a balloon. 

BUT . . . Smiley’s balloon got just out of his reach.

One second later . . . there, there that’s better.

For more Tot School ideas, head on over to 1+1+1=1!

She is just a dog, right?

The Hottie and I have had many conversations about our dog recently. 

Obviously, you can see that she is doing well . . . and looking rather regal. No, relaxed.  

No, queen-like. 

Did we make the right decision to have her get surgery?

Was it worth the money? 

Of course, the answer is a resounding yes but still “if” questions linger in my mind.

I claim that we had to allow the surgery.  My fear was that if we failed to attempt to heal her, the next time the kids got sick they might think that we would withhold medical treatment due to cost.

That wouldn’t instill much security in our children.

However, surly they know that she is JUST a dog.  Right?

I mean, dogs eat the same food every day.  They poop outside. They are poor communicators.  They often get left at home.  They have to wear a collar.  They lay on the ground.

Don’t worry, Hottie.  She’s off the couch now.  I just couldn’t resist a little photo shoot when I discovered her up on the furniture.

Remote Controlled Cars

I don’t believe I have ever been so thankful for my mother-in-law’s remote controlled car as yesterday.

I went to the library. 

I have a tendency to get a little carried away at the library.  The books are free.  Why not?

So, I filled my arms with Letter E books, art books, drawing books, and books all about Eric Carle.  Plus, a Baby Bunny Book Bag was begging to be taken home.

I failed to consider the fact that I am very pregnant. 

On that note, let’s take a side trip.  In the past two days, I have had two people say to me something along the lines (and in complete love), “You are looking rather large – are you sure your due date is correct?”

Then, the check-out guy at Target said to me, “You’re about ready to go any day aren’t you?” 

Had I not had an excellent midwife visit yesterday, in which for the third time in a row I measured three weeks farther along than I am, I would have been offended by all of these comments.

But . . . I simply couldn't agree more with everyone.

Anyhoodle, back to the library. 

I had 29 books, a backpack with my laptop, and one Baby Bunny Bookbag to transport down a long hallway, into an elevator, through double doors, and out into a large parking lot to my MIL’s car, who just so happens to have a car that responds to a little button that you can press and up goes the trunk.

Priceless.

Or as Mr. Smackdown once said, “Nice Lexus, Mama.”

 

Wordless Wednesday: First Day of School

I should have waited to take this picture because someone was unhappy with me, whom shall remain nameless, over an issue at breakfast. 

But I couldn’t take the picture at the end of the school day.  Right?

If You Give A Mom A Book: Ruby’s School Walk

 

The walk to our school room isn’t very far . . . really not even long enough for the imagination to create a fairy or a snowstorm.  A spider web lurks here and there and it isn’t uncommon for a tumbleweed of Mussie’s hair to blow across the tile. 

Ruby’s School Walk ($16.99)

by Kathryn White and Miriam Latimer

Regardless, the Granola Boys had no problem joining Ruby on her walk to school with her mom.  When we take walks around the neighborhood it isn’t uncommon for us to make up elaborate tales of people we pass by or the flight of a stray leaf. 

Our tales aren’t quite like Ruby’s, though.

In general, I am like a detective in the library searching for any Barefoot Book that I can find.  So I was a little bit surprised by some of the darker thematic elements in this particular book. 

Now, I’m not saying I wouldn’t still seek out Ruby’s Walk, but  initially I did change a few words and glossed over a page or two . . . only because my sons’ imaginations are like mine.  If they capture a slightly scary image, it will only continue to grow like a weed unless it is tamed.

But what I do love about this book (and don’t love) are the fantastically bright and delightfully colorful pictures.  The illustrations do spark the imagination, mine included.  The text does deal with real issues – overcoming the fear of the first day of school. 

So instead of totally shying away from some of the words, for the second and third readings  I used the words I typically avoid (witches, ghosts, things jumping out at them, etc.) as a springboard to discuss deeper issues . . . dealing with fear and overcoming it. 

In reading this book with the Granola Boys, we discussed the importance of knowing what is reality and what is fictitious.  When they are confused or scared, they need to talk to us (mom and dad) about their fears so that we can pray for them and point them to Scripture. 

Barefoot Books is a pretty cool company.  My sister is actually the person who first introduced me to them . . . and since they look like eye-candy to this book snob, I have hunted them down in the library ever since!  (Secretly, I hope they send me a whole collection of their books to review – there are over 400 you know!  They looks, smell, and feel like sustainable books.  Gets me all excited!)

(Oh, and by the way . . . I was sent this book to review in conjunction with my connection to MamaBzz.  I do not have to return this colorful book nor do I have to return it. It will stay in our home library, thankfully.)

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What have  you read to yourself or to your child since I last did this meme?  See my guidelines to link up!  Leave me a comment when you do! 

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