Friday, January 11, 2013

Learning Independence in the Kitchen

With my son being 10 now, he is taking an interest in making foods on his own, which is a good thing in our home... he made his waffles in the toaster this week, when I was ill in bed!

There was an interest when he was 4-6 years of age, but that was just 
him "playing" (learning) in the kitchen.    (click link for video)

He has recently made his own eggs and toast, as pictured here.
There are lots of things to be learned while cooking in the kitchen with your kids.
This blog post tells us here:


Here are some positive effects that can be achieved when cooking with your children.
• Science or Literacy anyone? Reading and following recipes highly improves the understanding of mathematical skills and reading skills of children. Let them spell it out… or write the shopping list. How fun!
• If you prepare and eat foreign food, children are exposed to different languages,different cultures, ​​and some culinary vocabulary will stick, that goes beyond “spaghetti bolognese”, we promise.
• The preparation of cooking and hygiene improves the organizational understanding of your helper. Have them put away dishes, play with table settings, and let them name the cooking tools. What a fun way to be engaged. Following a recipe can be quite interesting, and your child will learn to adapt to follow directions.
• If your child is included in the preparation of the food, it is proven to show healthier eating habits later in life. Can’t argue that!
• Cooking together also conveys a sense of responsibility, “the team spirit”. In addition, many happy childhood memories go back to work on a project with their family – how about a family dinner night?

What will you make with your child in the kitchen this week?

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Thrifty Kitsch Shopping

Okay, so I want to talk about thrift store shopping.  How many of you do it?  What reasons do you shop at them?  
I run an online shop and love to find all kinds of vintage, kitschy items to sell in it.
I love looking for rare items and for childhood memory indulging items, too. 
I have found that many stores have been "picked over", even before the stuff gets to the 
sales floor, by the employees.  (thoughts on this?)  
I don't really have proof of this, but strongly suspect it.
We have several in our area that keep me satisfied and I am thankful for that.
Oh, yard sales, I love yard sales, too.  ;)

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Adventure Found!

Cygnets at Gypsy Hill Park
Today we went searching.  Searching for adventure.  We found it. Well, sort of.
We visited a local park which has fantastic amenities, like a duck pond, two playgrounds,
a creek to play in and even a tiny train to ride on.  The boy was tired of all this goodness, so we traipsed 
on over to a side of the park that we haven't yet explored and this is what we found:



  • a gazebo with a water fountain for humans and one for doggies



Yes, that is a "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" shirt.
Don't judge me.

  • a drain system that has a terrific echo

  • a rock bridge


  • found an unexpected wall in which to do Parkour on

Fantastical day, I must say!  
So, tell me,  have you recently discovered a hidden gem in your town with your kids?

Side note:  Be sure and check out the links throughout this post for some great educational information.  You'll have that.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Missing Bloggin'


I have neglected my blog ... Bad blogger!!

I have strayed, I must say- Facebook drug me in, showed no mercy & strangled out any other internet endeavors.
I am going to blog here, like I used to.
I missed my bloggy.
Good bloggy.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Injurious Things

I spent two hours in the ER last night! My 17 yo son & his friends thought it would be a blast to play hide-and-seek outside after dark. Which is WAS fun for them, then Hunter got hurt. He slipped on our wet patio!! Fell right on his elbow, the one he broke 2 years ago, too!
We had x-rays, but they said there wer no breaks. Good news!!! So, it is just sprained or the bone is bruised. He went to work today all wrapped up in Ace bandages, so it is not too bad!

Funny thing is, we were just at the ER two weeks ago. He & a friend were playing around with the front door & SMASH, Hunter's arm went right through the glass pane! No stitches that time, just butterfly bandages!

Think they are suspicious of my parenting over there by now?
He is 6 foot 1" tall, weighs 250+... I must be one tough mother to be torturing this child, huh?

Kelly

Friday, August 21, 2009

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Touch-Typing for Ones w/ Stressed Hands &/or Sensory Issues


The point of touch-typing is in having your hands dangle in the middle of the keyboard while your fingers rest on certain keys (home keys). To enter a letter you need to reach the appropriate key with the closest finger. The thumbs take care of the space bar. Now, let me spell this out

r e a l - s l o w - f o r t h o s e w h o h a v e n ' t g r a s p e d i t. Your eight fingers (thumbs don't count) rest in the center of the keyboard (on the predefined home keys), from which they move only to satisfy a serious (or less so) need i.e. to peck some other key. While doing this only one finger moves - the nearest. After having completed the action the finger returns to its home key.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Friday, June 19, 2009

Safely Dispose of Unwanted Medications

DO NOT EVER FLUSH LEFTOVER MEDS INTO THE TOILET OR DOWN THE SINK!
To safely dispose of your prescription &/or your unwanted Over-the-counter drugs:

1. Take your prescription drugs out of their original containers.
2. Mix drugs with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee
grounds.
3. Put this mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty
margarine tub, or into a sealable bag.
4. Conceal or remove any personal information, including Rx number, on the
empty containers by covering it with black permanent marker or duct tape,
or by scratching it off.
5. Place the sealed container with the mixture, and the empty drug containers,
in the trash.

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf/

Monday, June 8, 2009

Parenting Style Quiz

T-Mobile Mom to Mom Quiz: "

Take the fun, Mom to Mom quiz and discover your parenting style.

"

Sunday, June 7, 2009

When Parenting Was "Easier"

There was a time when parenting was easier, was it not? You gave your kids a key & trusted they would be safe when they entered the home. You did not fear child predators on a daily basis, you served dinner & they ate what was served, you had easy choices, eg. chocolate or vanilla, schools required pencils & paper (everything else was provided by the school, imagine that!) you had one bathroom & somehow it all worked out.

When I was growing up that is how my home functioned. Bad things happened, but it was always, "literally" to someone else... well, that is what I thought when young. Looking back, I know NOW of many instances that were tragic, should have had police intervention & could have ended up in arrests being made, but did not.

I was raised to appreciate all kinds of art, music, books & learning. We frequented the library often, went to zoos, parks of all kinds & swam all summer long. I remember the good times mostly. I felt I had much freedom to go for walks, be left at the pool all day with my equally young cousin & to chew gum when I felt like it. That equals a good childhood, right?

I knew this as a youngster: That my father hurt my mother intentionally often & my brother unintentionally, that families did not always stay together, but that did not mean you were not close to the estranged one, that kids skipped school, that burgalaries occurred, that crabs would pinch you till you bled & that men exposed themselves to young girls, etc.
BUT-
I was sheltered from the fact that my family was on food stamps for a time, that I had a father that killed someone, that children were molested (no one I knew of personally at the time or now, for that matter), that police were not always honest and that all was not well in the world.

This brings me to write about Parenting in this day & age. My husband & I are very different, but we make it work, attributed to the fact that we apply Bible principles to the mix. But what I want my children to know, before they go out into this world is what dictates my philosophies as a parent. It is really not related to discipline, for the most part.
Picture caption:
Yes, I also allow play fighting, but no physical contact

is approved of when irritated by the other person or it is out of maliciousness.


My Philosophies, some of them, are as follows:
  • I do not shelter my children from happenings/issues/problems... they are aware of the good & bad in the world, eg. Terrorism, loofahs, sexual predators, mean people, abusive spouses, clowns, gangs, legal matters, music, sexting, marijuana, huffing, paper cuts, pets, driving laws, ibuprofen, barefeet in mud puddles, thunderstorms, mental illnesses, sunflower seeds, viruses (computer & illnesses) & all sorts of positive and negative issues/happenings/tangible things!
  • I teach them, sometimes graphically, about sex. (those who know me know that what I mean is, I teach them what they ask about & do not hold back, just because it is "uncomfortable" for me or for them- but somehow, they are as comftorable as me when addressing the subject!) I NEVER had the "talk" with my mom or anyone else... I was preteen when I had my 1st sexual experience, I did not know why it was not healthy, harmful or unnecessary ( I continued aimlessly until I was 17 & decided the world had used me up & spit me out) I was not taught about pubic hair, oral anything or how to control "feelings" for someone. I acted on all whims, was driven by being accepted & fought to be with the cutest guy. My kids are not shallow like I was, thank goodness!
  • I allow them to make big decisions, sometimes, after being informed of possible consequences. eg. Whether to purchase a scooter or a car, therapy & meds, their belief system.
  • I allow my child to hold whatever creatures they want, regardless of how creepy-crawly or slimy they are.
  • I keep stern watch over the computer usage, but DO allow Batman Villians to be plastered into cement walls, Facebook accounts (with only friends being added that they actually know & would actually chose to hang out with being their friends in person), You Tube to be frequented (mostly with supervision for my teens & my 6 yo MUST be monitored) and some strange Pirates game to be played by all kids in my home, including my husband who got them hooked on it in the 1st place.
  • I buy fruits & other foods that are strange to me, just because my teen son wants to try them. I tried star fruit & ugli fruit because of Hunter.
  • I make sure everyone has a key to the house on their person before leaving the house.
  • I provide cell phones to my children, because I want them to feel safe when out & so I can find them when I need a gallon of milk- but texting is optional in our family & must be paid by them, if they choose to communicate in that fashion.
  • I allow them to wear what they want, as long as it is clean & does not have holes that weren't meant to be there. Sometimes I bend this rule, if one child wants to wear the same shirt 3 days in a row... then I am just bored with their look & make them change.
  • I believe strongly in treating others considerately, but if they don't feel good and/or cannot, they can leave the general area that it is expected in. No fakey acting necessary.


When I was young, I had most of these options, too. (minus the technology), but was also missing the information about the family's secrets & the family's business.
That bothers me. I don't have one secret that I have not told my kids about, well maybe a few, but if they asked, I would tell them, probably...

I strive to be balanced and objective. I hope I do a good job.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Lapbooks

I wanna make a LapBook. I was inspired to do one by my friend, Steph.
Look at her & her daughter's attempt to lapbook!

Here are some Lapbooking Resources, too!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Gregg Pritchard Britains Got Talent 2009

Too awesome not to share!