My Children Would Never: How to Affirm your Child, Part 2

Before I became a Mom, I had lofty, pie in the sky dreams of what motherhood would be. I couldn't wait for the sweet, powder fresh, calm, quiet infant. My baby would never cry or fuss. As he would grow into a toddler, he would never test boundaries and my older children would always be respectful and obedient...and then the children were born.

I can't tell you how many times I have had both feet and hands in my mouth from saying, "my children will never......." or "I will never allow my child to ........" In fact, I truly believe that anyone who says that their child is perfect, always happy, sleeps on schedule and a perfect little angel all the time... must be the grandma.

After our children were born, I swore to myself that I would never forget the middle of the night feedings, the colic at dinner time, the dumping of house plants and eating the dirt, me walking all the way down the aisle after communion to find my entire blouse unbuttonedand Scott trying to nurse.

I promised, I would remember these things so that I would not be that obnoxious mother that told me that her child NEVER did any of those things. There were days when my girlfriends (did I really call them that?) had me believing that I had birthed three little toots. Seriously, you would have sworn that their children, who were all about two to six years older than ours, were perfect little angels and boy, did they ever feel sorry for me!

But after a day of hearing that "my child never did that", I would go into my children's rooms and say prayers with them, tell them how much Mommy and Daddy loved them and I knew in my heart that God had given us very special gifts. I never in a million years thought I could love three little people as much as I loved them.

Now, affirming little children who were perfectly ours was easy. Now you notice, I didn't say perfect, they were perfectly ours. Remember the old saying "The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree"? Well this was definitely true in our case.

Affirmations should be truthful and not empty praise. I always felt that praying with and for your child is one of the most affirming things you can do for yourself and for your child. Think about it, don't you feel affirmed when you know that someone is praying for you? Just Him hearing you say,"Thank you for giving me three wonderful, unique children. Please keep Sarah safe at preschool tomorrow and keep Brandon calm as he takes his spelling test. Please help Scott to be his best self and most of all let each and every one of their lights shine. Let them use their special gifts that you gave them and share them with others. Amen."

Keep the affirmations exact, honest and loving. Sayings like:

~ "I'm so glad God gave you to me."

~"You are a gift from God to the world."

~ "We are glad you are in our family because this is where you belong."

~ "We love holding you and having you near us."

~ "You are such a blessing to us."

There are so many ways you can affirm your children from the time they are born through adulthood. Before long, the roles reverse and they will be affirming you. Now that's a great feeling.

Learning Stations for Itty Bitty Babies

I had a mom approach me at a birthday party Saturday and asked if my kids really don't watch TV.  I said yes, they just play and play and play.  (I think it helps having a built in playmate!)
I don't have an issue with TV, I know all kids are going to eventually watch TV.  I know second (or third in my case) children watch TV very early.  I have no beef with TV.  And I am not judging if you need it for a 20 minute break... believe me, I totally get it.
But...
I just don't want to be the one to put it on for them, I am waiting for them to be old enough to tell me that they want to watch it.  And don't get me wrong, the TV is on during Ellen, and the Today Show, but they pay no attention.  Except for the random dance moves from Hudson when that car commercial would come on singing "Holiday, O Holiday..."

I digress, sorry. Anyways, this mom asked me what she could do other than put on the TV.  And here is what I did when my kids were 3-5 months old.

I set up our upstairs like a classroom!  I created stations for learning/playing!


My stations:

• Tummy Time Mat w/mirror propped up on the wall (practicing rolling, strength training as my husband called it)



Luke, 3 1/2 months

• Exersaucer (discovery time)



Hudson, 3 1/2 months

• Bumbo w/ play tray and several big objects/toys (to practice reaching out with their hands, and even switching hands)



Bumbo with play tray and toys



I gave them several objects to try to reach out for.

• Jumperoo (leg conditioning)



Luke, 3 1/2 months

• Boppy and or pillows stacked high (to practice sitting up)



Luke, 4 1/2 months

• Mommy time (no tv, computer, or cell phone, just one on one, talking, reading, cuddling)



They happen to be sleeping in this picture, but it was the only picture I could find.
Usually I was alone and no one was here to take a picture of us reading or singing songs.

• Swing time (rest break)



Rest Stop

We would spend 10-15 minutes at each station and then switch. Sometimes we made it to only 3 or 4 before a feeding or a nap. So, then when we came back, we hit the stations that we never had a chance to go to. It kept me entertained, them entertained, and everyone happy!

Just like in teaching, I would visit the stations and talk to them about what they were doing.  I would spend time laying on the floor with them during tummy time, talking about how hard they were working and how good it was! I just tried to soak up that age as much as I could because before you know it, they are another month older!

SALE ALERT!

I have twins, I'm sure you know by now! But, I hate paying full price for anything. ESPECIALLY when you have to buy 2 of everything!

If you live near a Lakeshore Learning.... I suggest going in this weekend and picking up these magnets! Not sold online, sorry!

Reg. Price $19.99, on sale for $12.99

So much learning can happen while they are playing with these gears!

Also, encourage talking and sounds with these!

On sale for $2.99

I used these in my classroom, and let the kids read into them. 

But I am going to see if the boys like talking into them!

(But, I went even cheaper, and bought PVC pipes shaped in this shape.)

Have a great weekend!

Kids in the Kitchen: Frittatas and Cookies

Suz and I were talking recently about having our kids help out in the kitchen! It is not only fun family time but it is also a great way to sneak in so much learning!! For Carter it is lots of observing, right now. He watches front row...usually on my hip. Luke and Hudson are a bit more involved, click here to check out Suzie's post from the kitchen!

Here are two yummy concoctions I made yesterday and little ways (almost 1 year old, tear) Carter helped out:

1. Mini Frittatas:

This is where I got the recipe. (I can't get the picture smaller, sorry.)

The idea behind this book is that it gives you some recipes that you can do for the whole family, including baby! It is separated by age group and tells you how to change the recipe for baby, if needed. But most are good for everyone, just as they are!

Carter helped out by:

• Putting all of the chopped potatoes in bowl. We all know how much he likes to put things in a container by now! (See previous posts.)
• Carefully watching, cheering and clapping as Mommy seperated the egg whites. It is disgusting...yet, he loved it! Can we say boy?
• Tasting the shredded cheese. Every kitchen needs a taster, right?
• We also waved our hands way above the cooking food to learn "hot!"

Here is how mine turned out:

They are Carter approved! This boy will not eat scrambled eggs. Low and behold, he scarfed these things down! Success!

2. Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

You read that right! CHICKPEA chocolate chip. I can't get enough of them.

This is from Jessica Seinfeld's Double Delicious:

I got this from Suzie for Christmas! Thank you!

I've already made four recipes from this book! This book has great recipes that have been lightened up and made more nutritious by hiding vegetables in them! Crazy! I love it!

Carter helped with this by:

• Taste-testing the chickpeas and applesauce. Mmmm!
• Assisting me with hand-mixing the chickpeas. (Mommy really did this...but Carter's hand was under mine...shhhh.) This noise used to scare him, not any more!
• Helped dump the ingredients.
• He also observed my stirring technique...no telling what he was thinking! Ha ha!

Carter can't eat these yet...but John and I can! Not EXACTLY like regular chocolate chip but I could eat them everyday if that tells you something! They are different, but grrrreat!

Here they are:

I even eat them like this:

See those finger marks? Am I the only one who does this?

I can't wait for Carter to be more involved in the kitchen as he grows up! We had so much fun yesterday!

P.S. If you would like for me to send you the recipes, leave a little message and I will send it your way!

Children are Silly Putty: Growing a Heart through Affirmations

Who has never had Silly Putty? That lightly colored piece of dough sold in a plastic egg. It has been around for years and years. Remember how you could cut it with scissors and then press it back together again? Remember how it would pick up the print when pressed onto a piece of newsprint or the funny papers? Remember how you could lay it out on your night stand over night and then find it the next morning so flat that it almost blended into the furniture? Remember after doing each of these things (and many more) that you could just roll it back together again and it looked just like new? It wasn't new, it had been altered but with a little rolling it looked just like it did when it came out of the egg!

Well, after playing with some at school one day, I started thinking about how we are all like Silly Putty. When looking back at our lives, we can all probably remember things that were said, facial expressions that were observed, tones of voices that were heard, nicknames that were called, affirmations that were made to each of us that molded us into the people we are today. Some of these things are positive and some of them are not. We may not even remember who the people were. They may have been insignificant in our lives but their action or words were not. They changed us, molded us but on the outside we still looked the same. Just like the Silly Putty.

I am going to share a couple of memories with you that should have been forgotten or stored way back in the crevices of my mind to never be remembered but they are still there. I have MANY and I know you do too. I was fortunate to have more positive memories than negative and I am grateful to everyone for that.

When I was four years old, like many little girls, my dream was to be a ballerina. I loved the pink tutu and tights. I loved the graceful twirling and the music. I couldn't wait to take lessons!

Well the day finally arrived and I was enrolled in a dance studio. I didn't get to take ballet like I had hoped because ballet was for daintier, more graceful little girls. I was a tall "big-boned" four year old with red hair. I was taught that day that pink tutus would clash with red hair. So I was enrolled in a tap class where I wore a black leotard with light pink tights. Much more becoming.

One class, I was in the back row and was giggling and whispering to my friend next to me and much to my embarrassment, my teacher called me to the front of the class. She called me Rita Beth (I knew I was in trouble when I heard my middle name) asked me to bend over at the waist, gently spanked my bottom and sent me back to my place in line. Now as I returned to line, I forced a slight smile to my lips to hold back the tears of embarrassment. I NEVER spoke a word in that class again.

I don't know the teacher's name, the name of the studio, I wouldn't even recognize her if she walked through the door today, but that definitely impacted me. For years I was known as a shy, quiet girl who wouldn't read loud enough for the teacher to hear her in class.

On the other hand, the memory of my Dad was that he was my never ending encourager. He was blunt, to the point and always said what he meant. I didn't always take it well when it was said but looking back on it they were words of wisdom.

I have many memories of him saying to me things like, Keep it up Rita Beth.~ The sure way to lose is to never try. ~ Never believe anyone that says you can't because you can!~ Aways do your best and you will have no regrets. ~ Nothing is a downer like a frown. ~ God gave you the looks you have. You better be happy with them because that's all you have. ~ A smile will make you and others around you feel better. ~ Nobody really wants to know how bad you feel.~ You are my Miss America. ~ God first, family second. ~ God is always there and so is family. ~ Nobody on Earth loves you as much as your parents.

There were many others, my Mom, my brother and sister, Mrs. Ferguson - a Sunday School Teacher, even my own children; too many to list. Some were good memories and some were not, but they all helped to mold me, change me and form me into who I am today.

The reason I am writing such a lengthy blog about this is because how we communicate verbally and nonverbally with children will change them. It will be stored in their little minds and could alter how they think about themselves and their actions...forever. Don't we want them to be secure, confident, independent adults? Think about it.

Let them know how special they are, love them, communicate with them, respect them, discipline them and let them know that you, God and others care about them.

Today think about different conversations, events or relationships that helped to mold you. Remember, throughout the day, that we are all Silly Putty.

Never too young for books!

Thank you so much for bearing with us through the 12 days of Christmas. I never thought it would have been that hard to blog 12 days in a row. But throw in the holidays, family, travel, and a little bit of sickness... and there you have it!

I have an obsession with Children's books. No lie. In college I started collecting books for my classroom, and never stopped. I have about 7 under the bed boxes filled with books, organized by theme just waiting for the boys to get a little older to enjoy them all.

I bought a vinyl rain gutters ($4.00) MONTHS ago... thinking I could install them myself. (But, clearly I need help from my husband!) So, I am patiently waiting for him to put them up in the playroom for my book display. This idea is not mine. I learned about it when I was teaching kindergarten in Fort Bend ISD. Here is a picture of what I am talking about:

Design Dazzle

 The idea behind the gutter that is great is that you can see all the fronts of the books. When you pile your books in baskets it is not as inviting to dig through. But trust me, I have tons of baskets with books that I plan on keeping.

We love books!

I just want to 'showcase' some books in the playroom in hopes that the twins will grab them too!

Step by step directions can be found here: Raising Olives

Teacher tips when reading books:

Get family members involved and reading books too!

• It is NEVER too early (or too late) to read to your kids. We started reading to the kids when they were still in my belly. And it never stopped. We read all types of books to them. Newspapers, children's books, magazines, you name it! I think it is important that they see you read as well, they will imitate you.
• Make fun places for your child/children to read. Chairs, tents, throw down couch pillows, change it up!

Two chairs pushed together just seems like more fun!

• Encourage you children (at every age) to turn the pages! Before you know it, they will turn the book the correct way and read on their own!
• Talk about the parts of the book! (Cover, title, spine, author, illustrator)
• Ask questions and point to pictures and words. Then ask your child to make the animal sounds, or find a certain character in the book.

Reading is fun! Enjoy this short clip of my 15 month old. (However, anytime they see me with the camera, they stop whatever they are doing!)

The 12 Days of Learning: Keep Christmas Alive!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, we celebrated epiphany

by making candles and starry cinnamon toast.

Well, Christmas has come and gone and although we had a wonderful holiday full of special family memories, we forgot to blog. I will take the blame. I was so excited to have everyone home and around for the holidays that I basically took up all of their time and before we knew it, December 25th had come and gone and so did the family. So sad. I am a firm believer in extending the Christmas season until the VERY end and warm feelings that we all have with friends and family as long as possible.

One activity that we have at preschool is our Epiphany celebration. This is a fun activity to do at home, as well. The children listen to the Christmas story with the emphasis on the three wisemen who followed the star to Bethlehem.

A fun book to read at home is Humphrey's First Christmas by Carol Meyer.

Then each child makes an Epiphany candle. It is a small white votive candle decorated with shiny star stickers. It is a simple project and can be made much more elaborate if your family wants to participate and make one at home. I have seen large three wick candles on a pretty candle holder and also a simple taper decorated with glitter. Make it special and make it your own.

Just grab this stuff.

And let your kiddos do this!

The most important part of this candle is when you light it. You can light this candle at meal time or for bed time story time. Light it whenever you want to gather your family together to share stories of the day and exchange times of when you let your "light" shine or saw someone else "shining ther light" during the day. Shining your light might be passing a smile out to someone, sharing, being patient, being kind or just listening to someone.

To extend the activity, make star cinammon bread:

1. Use one piece of bread

2. Let your child spread butter on the bread and sprinkle it with Cinnamon Sugar.

3. Then cut it with the star cookie cutter.

A simple, not too sweet snack to extend the activity!

Make this activity your own and enjoy the season. Remember, Jesus was God's gift to us and is with us everyday, not just on Christmas Day. The celebration shouldn't end on December 25th. Light your candle as a reminder to let Christmas live in your life everyday.