Preschool Corner

~Wyatt is 4 years old. Levi is 3 years old~


Once again, it's been quite awhile since my last preschool corner post. We are just so busy have fun with all things preschool! Having 2 preschool age kids in our house definitely makes for some fun and messy times! And yes, there are times when I am willing to say "yes" even if I know that it will make a mess...for example...any craft/project involving glitter and glue...
We've actually used glitter for 2 days in a row and I haven't even vacuumed! Believe it! It's true. I am trying to loosen up a bit for the sake of making memories and cherishing these special years with my little boys at home!
So it's been awhile again, and sadly, again, I have been slack on the picture taking!
We are up to the letter I and the number 6 with Levi as we are going thru the ABC Jesus Loves Me 3 yr old curriculum. This curriculum is free and we love it! The curriculum has us going thru alphabetically and numerically. Right around week 4 or 5, Levi really started catching on to recognizing letters. He still struggles with knowing what sound the letter makes, but we are making great progress. He tries to be like his brother who is learning to read, so we hear Levi saying, "R-r-r-r-Dog". He just wants to make any type of sound at the beginning of a word that he is about to say and it's never the actual sound that the word starts with! But it's cute!
We had fun painting pumpkins around Halloween.

Making fall trees when cousin Ethan was visiting.

Fun with watercolors...Levi LOVES to paint with water colors. And like most all things that Levi does, he also paints "extremely". Levi is our "extreme" child. He's either really, really, really loving and sweet, or else really, really, really angry and mean. When he is playing, he plays HARD. When he's tired, he crashes hard! When he paints, he often will paint so much that it makes a hole in a paper b/c of how much water and watercolor he put in one spot! I love you Levi!


And Levi LOVES playdoh. He will sit still and make pretend food w/ playdoh for close to an hour!


"Recess" Our boys LOVE to play outside! Wyatt can throw the football in a good spiral, and Levi toss the football and then kick it in the air.

Fall Fun

Now that it's December, I realized I had better post these pics from our fall adventures!
Mid-October, we took a day trip to the "mountains of NC" and drove a little over 2 hrs to Asheville, NC. I think it was before their "peak" color weekend, but there were definitely more colorful leaves than we had here in the southern part of North Carolina.
Our first stop was the North Carolina Arboretum. Adam had found this online as a very inexpensive location to check out. We were impressed. We paid $8 to park and that was it, no admission fee, no fee to use the binoculars or nature trail back pack. In fact the whole nature trail back pack was quite a blessing b/c I had forgotten to bring a bag for the kids to collect leaves in. This nature trail back pack included binoculars, magnifying glass, bug box, and much more. All we had to do was go to the information desk and ask! And then you had to leave your driver's license w/ them in order to ensure that they would get the pack back when we were done.





In addition to all the nice flowers, plants and trees in the arboretum itself, we were right on the edge of the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we could see some great view of the mountains w/ the colorful leaves in the distance/background.
We spent about an hour walking thru the NC Arboretum, but then the boys were getting hungry. I had packed a lunch, and we had driven by a nice picnic area right before turning into the NC Arboretum. We drove about 3 min. "back" to that spot and had a great lunch right by a river.


Then we drove to The Grove Park Inn. It is a historic resort hotel on the western-facing slope of Sunset Mountain within the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Asheville, North Carolina. We were able to walk all around the resort inside and outside. Very beautiful, original stone-work throughout the building, huge and I mean HUGE fireplaces, and lots of smaller buildings around the property w/ antiques. There were even one whole building of full-size antique cars. The curator of the antique cars let the boys try out his "squirrel rod" (as opposed to a fishing rod). See the pics of Wyatt below! The bait was a peanut! We tried to get a nice family picture, but the boys weren't cooperating!





Then in mid-November, we we went to Aw Shucks which is a local farm that has an old general store, corn maze, hay ride, animal barn and many other outdoor fall activities. Here Wyatt is trying out the slide on a burlap bag.
Running across the bales of hay!
Coming down the steps from the tree house.
By the animal barn. Levi did not want to stop feeding the sheep and goats to get a picture with me!
Practicing lasso skills!
I got this one!
The picturesque General Store

Seasons (Part 2)

Last month I wrote Part 1 to this post about the Season of Change(s) in our life over the past 4 years. Here is the rest that I wanted to share about what the Lord has taught me. Please go back to the other post if you have not read it yet to catch up on the changes that I am referring to!

First of all, I was reminded by some close family and friends of all the people that had been praying for me thru those difficult months and years of change. And I want to say THANK YOU! Prayer definitely makes a difference and is a huge encouragement! Also, there were so many family and friends that gave of their time, which is a HUGE gift, to help us with the many moves...including packing, unpacking, watching the boys, cleaning, meals, etc, etc. I specifically remember 2 families who helped us with 2 or 3 moves. And by "moves" I mean, the whole nine yards, from boxes to furniture in and out of a u-haul, up and down stairs, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning! And after all that, they helped again with the exact same items when we had to move less than 12 months later. That my friends is an unforgettable gift, and we will always remember that generosity! We were blessed by their self-sacrificing actions and it turned our eyes to the Lord who was shining thru their hearts!

The verse that has been most precious to me over the past 4 years is
Isaiah 58:11--And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

Satisfying your desire in scorched places...scorched made me think of desert, dried up, too-far-gone, dead, no feeling. At times I felt like that...that there was no way we'd find a church family, no way I'd make close friends, no way we'd get to buy a house, etc, etc. But God said that he would satisfy my desire where it seemed "too-far-gone".
Then the verse goes on to say, give strength to your bones...boy did I NEED strength. Physical strength! I was very uncomfortably pregnant w/ a Ureteric stent (google it), a very, very big-for-his-age 12 month old who couldn't walk and had to be carried, lifted, etc. I needed strength!
And the last 2 lines of this verse talk about a picture of happiness...a watered garden, a never-ending spring of water. I didn't think it was possible, but this verse was an encouragement to me that the Lord would satisfy my desire even if I thought it was too far gone. The Lord would give me strength. And the Lord would make me look like a picture of happiness despite my circumstances.

"Disappointment happens, but discouragement is a CHOICE"

And finally, Psalm 37:3-5, 7--Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him and He will do it. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

When I read this verse I was really challenged to change my way of living in NC...I was to dwell in NC. Not just get by day-to-day and say woe is me, I have no friends, I have no room to invite friends over... Not to think that our time in NC might be only temporary b/c we might have to move to FL, and if it's just temporary, why should I even try to find a church or get involved or make friends? No, no!! I was to dwell here and become faithful. Even if our circumstances didn't get better and we had to move back to FL, I was to be faithful and dwell where I was while I was there. It wasn't an immediate change, but I started at least "trying" to like NC and let myself admit the things that I did like about it. We started going to church faithfully and making friends and getting involved. I just had to commit, trust and wait like those verses said. And I did...over a period of 4 years. I wasn't very patient about it, but the Lord kept bringing me back to this passage and I would be encouraged and challenged and keep trying to change my way of thinking and with the Lord's help, I did!

And I have to include at least one picture in the post...This is the best we got for a family picture when we went to Asheville, NC a few weekends ago. The boys are stinkers now about smiling for pictures. At times you can get a smile out of them if they are promised a silly pose/picture after the nice one! ha!

Preschool Corner

~Wyatt is 4 years old. Levi is 3 years old~


Levi and I have done 4 weeks of preschool at home since I posted last! I need to post more often for the grandparents at least! And sadly, not only have I not posted every week about his homeschool preschool, I have not taken pictures as often as I used to either. This mama is busy! But I do want to make sure to start taking more pictures!
And with any of the pics I posted, you should be able to double click on the picture and it will open in a bigger window unless you are reading it via email (may or may not work via email feed burner)

Levi using finger paint to put red, green, and yellow apples on the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (weekly letter was A, theme was Apple, and Bible Story was Adam and Eve)


Working on his "letter game" from Starfall. He has become quite good at using the wireless mouse! Also on the table are his other "crafts" for the Letter A week

Crafts for the letter A week...playdoh mat letter As, 2 stickers, and traced the number 2 poster, finger paint apples on tree, sneaky snake lying to Eve, and glued animal crackers on the Letter A poster.


This was a "fall" activity I saw on I Can Teach My Child

I melted butter and added red and yellow food coloring and we talked about how red and yellow make orange. Then they "painted" the butter on the bread, and I put cheese in the middle and put it in the skillet!


Pumpkin Shaped Grilled Cheese Sandwich




"Put the Fire Out"...a fun activity I found on ABC Jesus Loves Me
I drew a fireman's ladder and some flames w/ sidewalk chalk. Levi had to "climb" the ladder and then squirt water on the flames to put the fire out. He LOVED this!! Especially the Target dollar-bin super soaker he got to use!


And just for laughs and cuteness...our little biker dude! He dressed himself in all of this (well, asked for help getting the finger in the right spots for the Lightening McQueen gardening gloves)

Paperback Swap

We love books in our house! I distinctly remember packing and unpacking 10 boxes of BOOKS during each of our moves over the past few years! Yes, TEN boxes!! We have coaching books, history books, Christian romance novels, marriage books, parenting books, home improvement books,children's books, and many, many other BOOKS!!
We start 'em young around here! This is Wyatt at 7 months old in the picture below. I'm proud to say that he is reading short sentences on his own and started a few months ago at age 4 1/2!!


We love books, yes! Books can get EXPENSIVE...

I have been meaning to write a post about www.paperbackswap.com for almost a year now! I started "swapping" through this site last fall and have gotten close to 20 books for "free" (I'm too lazy right now to get up and check the bookshelf upstairs to get an exact count!).

From their own words... "We help avid readers swap, exchange, and trade for free. It's easy, list the books you'd like to swap with other club members. Once a book is requested, mail it to the club member (you pay media mail rate shipping). In return you can choose from 5 million available books. Books you chose are mailed to you for free. No late fees. No hidden charges"

In order to sign up and start with Paperback Swap, you do have to have 10 books that you are willing to swap. The easiest way I can think to explain the process (aside from you going to their website and checking it out yourself), is to just go thru the time-line of what I did...

Last November, I went thru my bookshelves and picked out 10 books that I would be willing to part with. For me, they were mostly fiction books that I had read once and would probably not read again. One of the books I posted was "The Everything Wedding Etiquette Book" that I wouldn't use again now that my wedding is over. If you have alot of books, just look thru them, you'd be surprised how many you might be willing to give up.
As soon as I signed up for an account and listed my 10 books on paperback swap, I immediately got 2 free book "credits" with which I could "order" 2 books for free! Yes, I probably paid some money for the 10 books I listed that I will be swapping, but for me, it was worth it.

I have heard some people say that there are not many Christian books available on Paperback Swap...I disagree. It might take longer for them to be listed by another member, but all of the books I have "ordered" for free have been Christian books, such as: "Calm My Anxious Heart", "Spanking a Loving Discipline", "The Journey of a Strong-Willed Child", and "Making Children Mind without Losing Yours".

So, I listed my 10 books, got my 2 credits, requested 2 books with those credits and received them in mail free of charge! No money spent up until this point, and 10 books I didn't really need anymore, gone, and 2 books I had been wanting taken off my Amazon.com "wish list" (when I hear about a good book, I put it in my Amazon.com cart for a later purchase. This also serves as a handy-dandy list to give family and friends if they ask for gift ideas for the kids or me)

Then slowly, over the next few months, I would get emails from Paperback Swap letting me know that someone had requested one of the 10 books I had listed. At that time I would print out a mailing label (provided by Paperback Swap), and pay the media rate postage to send the book. I have never paid over $3 for each book for shipping. So, yes, you do pay for the books that you are shipping, but then in return, you get a book sent to you free of charge. This may not be for everyone, but it has worked out wonderfully for me!

The prompt for this post today was that I just went to my Amazon.com cart and took OFF 2 books that I had had in there! No need to spend the $21.26 for those 2 books on Amazon!!

Oh, and when someone requests one of the books that you have listed...after you print the mailing slip, pay the media mail postage, and they receive the book, then you get another book credit to order another book for yourself at no add'l cost!

I joined last November, and still have 4 books of my original 10 listed. There was one book I requested/ordered that after I read it, I posted it to swap. All of the other books I have received I will be keeping to re-read...such as "The Strong Willed Child" :-) (have any of you met our Levi??)

Another cool option that costs MUCH less than Amazon (and to me, Amazon has the best prices of most things)...you can purchase book credits...
In order to request/order a book, you have to have a book credit, but if you have already used the 2 you got for signing up and listing your 10 books and no one has requested a book from the ones you listed yet, you can purchase a credit for approx. $3. I forget the exact amount.
I had "Night Light: A Couples Devotional" by Dobson on my wish list(s) both at Paperback Swap and Amazon. Cost $10.19 on Amazon. On Paperback Swap, no one had it listed as an available book when I put it in my wish list. Eventually I got an email from Paperback Swap letting me know that someone had listed that book. I did not currently have any book credits from the reasons I explained above. So I purchased a book credit for approx $3, and that book will arrive in my mailbox tomorrow!

AND you can post, request/order, swap, trade, etc. CHILDREN'S Books too!! Yippee!! I think it's more of a cost savings for adult books, but if there are some kids books are your favorite that are hard to find in the store...put it on your wish list...you never know, someone might be swapping theirs!

So, check out Paperback Swap.com!! And if you have read this far into the post, enjoy the pictures below of our book loving family including my mom and my sister!

Books...

I still have to write Part 2 of my "Seasons" post, but I MUST share an awesome book review with you first!!

There are many, many things I wish I had had or done when the boys were in their toddler stages...one being MOPS...wish I had gone sooner and not been so concerned that going to MOPS would make them miss their AM nap...oh well, can't go back, but will totally encourage any of you w/ babies, toddlers, preschoolers to check out www.mops.org and find one that meets near you. The friends I have met thru MOPS have been such an encouragement to me!
I also wish I had read the following book back when the boys were toddlers, but oh well, can't go back...but can share the blessing it's been to me now...and it's still VERY applicable to the preschool stages and beyond, but it's so wonderfully encouraging that I wish I had read it sooner...esp. when I had 2 in diapers, neither child walking, etc, etc.



Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenchesby Rachel Jankovic

Read the first customer review listed on the Amazon.com link above...couldn't have said it better myself!!

The things I'll attempt to say about this book...
The chapters are so short, allowing you to easily read one chapter during the one time you might get to be alone (in the bathroom?) :-) And the shortness of chapters is perfect for the "mommy-brain" that is often forgetful. There are only a few things to focus on, so it's easy to remember and think on as you go thru out your day.
The author is very, very REAL and admits to the daily struggles that we all face.

Here's a little excerpt: Don't think that the endless trips off to the bathroom for correction with a toddler or two are just a waste of time and energy--it is a gift that you are giving to your children. They will need these life skills! You are repeating these things for them just like a teacher circling missed math problems with a red pen. They will get it eventually, they just need lots and lots of repetition.

And her idea of the "twenty-minute rule" is AWESOME:
If things started seeming really out of control, I would look at the clock and note the time. Then I would tell myself that in twenty minutes this would be over. If I just kept my head down and did the work, twenty minutes was all I needed. And actually, it was true. Twenty minutes is enough time (if you are moving quickly and not moping) to change three diapers and one complete outfit, spank one disobeyer, tuck two people into naps, and sit down to nurse the other two. The storm would have passed in twenty minutes if I was cheerfully getting things done. But that moment when you first discovered the blowout, and then the two-year-old hit the one-year-old (who is now having a naptime meltdown with a dirty diaper), and both of the babies were mad because we were in the car when they decided it was lunchtime, and now, thirty minutes later, you still haven't nursed them, but first you've got to change the whole outfit and maybe can't find the clothes...well, that moment. What was it? A moment It passes. But when it passes, you will be very glad if all you did was work right through it. No self-pity, no tears, no getting worked into a dither. Look at the clock, look at the work you need to do, and bear down. That super intensity will almost always be over in twenty minutes.

I would love to include more excerpts from the book, but you just need to read it for yourself!! It's less than $10 on amazon.com! A great gift for a new mom too! And if you are local and want to borrow my copy, please ask!

FROM THE AUTHOR:I didn't write this book because mothering little ones is easy for me. I wrote it because it isn't. I know that this is a hard job, because I am right here in the middle of it. I know you need encouragement because I do too.

This is not a tender reminiscence from someone who had children so long ago that she only remembers the sweet parts. At the time of writing this, I have three children in diapers, and I can recognize the sound of hundreds of toothpicks being dumped out in the hall.

This is a small collection of thoughts on mothering young children for when you are motivated, for when you are discouraged, for the times when discipline seems fruitless, and for when you are just plain old tired.

The opportunities for growth abound here but you have to be willing. You have to open your heart to the tumble. As you deal with your children, deal with yourself always and first. This is what it looks like, and feels like, to walk as a mother with God.

"Loving the Little Years is a delightful book. That may seem a strange comment on a book that deals with life with such candor. It's all here: the fights in the back of the car, the dirty diapers, sinks full of dishes, runny noses, exhaustion--all the stuff of having five young children. It is a fresh and honest book, because it faces the problem of sin (both in kids and in parents). It is filled with profound insights into living wisely as a Christian parent. It has all the things I look for in a parenting book the focus is nurture, not just control; the motivation and empowerment is grace and not efforts. This book will help any mom (or dad for that matter) with loving the little years." --Tedd Tripp, pastor and author of Shepherding a Child's Heart

Seasons

I've been thinking about sharing some of this for a while now, but this post from a friend of mine really inspired me to share some of the things that the Lord has taught me over the past 4 years during our "season of change(s)"



-Change of State -- Florida to NC
-Change of living quarters -- 2 bed/ 2 bath condo, to an extra master bedroom WITHIN someone else's home (bedroom, living room, office, nursery bathroom all-in-one) to an 800 sq. ft. apartment (with 2 cribs in one room), to a rental house, to a small rental house, to OUR current HOME
-Change of offspring -- 1 baby to 2 babies
-Change of vocation -- working a paid 40 hr/week job outside the home to working an unpaid undetermined amount of hours as a wife, mom, and homemaker + working a paid 10hr/week job from home
-Change of social life -- many, many friends and great church family to knowing no one my age, and looking for a new church
-Change of emotions -- mom of a 6 month old (not pregnant) to pregnant

I did not list those w/ a complaining spirit...I have complained in past. Ok, I have complained ALOT in the past. But I can now say in complete truth that I really enjoy living in North Carolina! Yes, I said it! And the Lord has taught me so much. At the time I didn't understand His timing about everything on that list above, but now that I am thru it and on the other side, I see that it was for the best. His best for our family.

some pictures...
I am 8 months pregnant and Wyatt is 13 months old in this picture.





I'd like to share the verses that have meant so much to me thru the many seasons of change(s) over the past 4 years!

Ecclesiastes 7:9-10, 13-14...Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools. Do not say, "Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this. Consider the work of God, for who is able to straighten what He has bent? In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider -- God has made the one as well as the other So that man will not discover anything that will be after him.

There were many times that I was angry and saying to myself that it was easier in FL. We had a home in FL. We had friends in FL. etc, etc. I had to read these verses alot and ask God to help me to stop questioning why it was better in FL. And to instead realize that God has made this happen...the "good" times in FL, and the "adversity" w/ all the changes in NC.

Philippians 4:11, 13...for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am...I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

I would try so hard to be content, but I would get so discouraged about having no friends. I felt like I couldn't even invite anyone over to my "living quarters" (first few listed above) in an attempt to get to know them better in hopes of forming a friendship b/c I didn't even have an extra seat to offer them to sit on while chatting. But this verse would encourage me that I would be able to make friends despite not having room to invite people over. I could make friends b/c Christ was going to help me. And I could be content in a small living area.

Psalm 55...the whole chapter really, but esp. verses 6, 16, 17, 22, and 23. Oh that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest...I shall call upon the God...Evening and morning, and at noon, I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice...cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you...But I will trust in You.

I wanted to "fly" back to FL where everything was easy. I didn't have to look for a home. I didn't have to try to make friends. I didn't have to look for a church. etc, etc. But this passage shows that when trials come you can either flee, fight or fly ABOVE! At times I wanted to flee, other times I wanted to fight the changes and not let myself be happy. I would find the bad instead, and fight any type of feeling enjoying myself in this new season. But finally w/ God's help, I "flew above". God gives us burdens and we need to give them back to Him. Don't ask for wings like a dove to fly away, but for wings like eagles to soar ABOVE!

I have more verses and thoughts to share, but in light of this post, I need to get to bed, so I can get up before the kids tomorrow AM! So I'll share 2 more short ones and save the rest for another post...

Psalm 119:71...It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.
Job 42:5...I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You.
Job acknowledges that his trials brought him into a deeper relationshp w/ God.
I can truely say that it was good for me to go thru those hard times b/c I have learned from God's Word. And like Job, I can see that back in FL, 4 years ago, I had heard the Lord, but now my eyes see Him.

and here are our family Christmas card pictures from the last 4 years:
2007

2008

2009

2010