And We Have Hair Do's!!!!

You know how there are some little girls that look so cute on Sunday (or any) mornings? Their hair is perfectly done with just the cutest styles? Well, I missed the mommy gene that gives me the natural ability to do my little girls' hair. Frankly, I really can't do my own;). I was afraid that it would take for ever and would just lead to huge fights but I was tired of them always looking like little ragamuffins.

So you can imagine how excited I was to find a website that could walk me through step by step a cute hairstyle for my girls! Babes in Hairland had this cute up do so I collected my water bottle, comb, and rubber bands and then set to it!




As you can tell, I did both of them basically the same. It isn't quite a cute as the website's but the girls' are cute so that works. It is also so much better than how their hair is normally done;). I have yet to try any of their other hairstyles (like even a French Braid) but I am going to bask in this one just a little longer! It is the little things, right?

How Far We Have Come Eh?

Photo from Flicker user Moose Greebles

I have grown up always hearing that girls need to be encouraged to develop their math and science skills. Supposedly we need to convince them that they are as good as boys in these arenas. This was a Lego ad from 1981. I love it! I think I even had those tennis shoes. But compare that to a girl screensaver picture available.

Isn't it great how far we have come:(? Now my best friend says that I am just being critical but tough. Sara says that they know this is the way to sell Legos to girls and if they would buy them the other way then Lego would advertise the old way. If she wants to play with figurines that is fine but then she doesn't need Legos. Now I will admit that I am a purist. I don't buy my boys themed sets either. I feel it goes against the creative nature of Legos. If these cutesy little Legos are the only way they want to market to girls, I say don't do us the favor! Lego, hear me! Encourage my daughters' creativity in creation not little silly pony games!

(HT: Feministing)

My Guilt, My Fear

I knew that I would probably have some pretty bright kids. I am blessed with a husband who is absolutely brilliant so the chances of smart kids were good. But what I didn't expect was the guilt in the face of their brilliance.

NerdBug (8) and NerdPie (6) were pretty bright. NerdBug didn't really read early but once he did the kid started eating books. He is a year ahead in math and overall pretty bright. NerdPie started doing 25 piece puzzles at like 14 months old, she read in kindergarten, and is ahead at math too. So, while I know my kids are above grade level, I have been afraid that I am not educating them up to their total potential. I should be doing more with them but life always seems to get in the way. I have Latin to do with the oldest that I can't make time for. I am not diligent on the history. They could be speaking foreign languages, doing physics, who knows what. So if I was guilty and afraid before.....

NerdDad started going through a great book series with Nerdling in the this last month. Here is what my 4 year old (he won't be 4 1/2 until the end of January) read last night all by himself:

Mike has a hen. The hen is black. It is a fine hen. The hen is lost. Mike is sad. Is the hen in the nest? It is not in the nest.

The word egg is what stumped him. I am in so much trouble.....

What if I don't equip them well enough? Their intellect and brilliance is a gift, what if I am squandering it? What could they do if they had a better mom? In all seriousness, I am not wondering about sending them to public school. I know that a teacher in a class of 30 couldn't take as far as I am now. But, there is always a but, is it as far as I could take them?

Uh, Mommy Guilt exponentiated.

Magic Marker Monday: Straight and Curvy

NerdPie made this in her book club at church this week. I asked her what it was and she told me that the curvy one was the sinful path and the straight was God's. She said, "Mom, the curvy path took a lot more beans and time. It is just easier to go on the straight path and do it God's way". How precious!

Glee, 80's Rock, and Kids

I saw the Glee premiere a while ago and loved it. It isn't kid friendly but it was pretty good. But seeing this video really made me think. We all love this song but would it really be something that we we would want our 14 year olds singing? It seems that 80's rock, and older music even more so, is protected by this "innocence" because it is old. But do parents, and especially Christians, judge this kind of music with the same kind of filter that they judge currently popular music? I think that genre's are just more than content and that is a shame. Rap, hip-hop and pop are not inherently evil. But it is what they say that makes it inappropriate. Now I totally admit that I listen to music that I won't let my kids listen to. But I don't listen to it in there ear shot and I never lie about listening to it (I am rarely asked). It is the passive listening that seems to bother me the most because it is the thing that isn't considered.

So do you test the message of the music you expose your kids to? How about what they hear that you are listening to?

Magic Marker Monday

My 3 older geniuses made these cute pictures this week. The fun part is looking at the progression as you go up the age tree. The blue one is the Nerdlings (almost 4). It is sparse with just a few foamies. The bottom right one is NerdPie's (almost 6) and she was making a jungle. Then the top one is the NerdBug's (almost 8). He actually made a full picture. It is interesting to watch.

Now go see some more masterpieces!

Musings at the Gym

So I was walking on the treadmill and they have different tvs going. A news story came on about the economy really hurting people who have kids who are in private schools. Apparently many people are taking out 2nd mortgages in order keep their kids (elementary aged kids were the ones shown here) in private school. You have to be kidding?!?!?

Tell me why homeschooling isn't a better option than this? Is it really better to have to have both parents out of the home working (possibly 2 jobs)? Wouldn't your kids be better served to have a parent around every once in a while? I have known a few families where mom has worked just for the private school tuition and that was before the economy issues. They are sure that this is the better education and experience for their kids. This is the thing that angers me about anti-homeschooling parents. It is the mentality that the personal financial sacrifice is the nobler one. I wonder if it is that they don't actually value the personal position of parent. The impact you have on your child's life simply by being present. And that doesn't even account for the clear academic benifits to having the small group learning environment (which has been proven repeatedly) and the over all desirability of homeschoolers to colleges.

Ugh! This is what happens when I go to the gym at 6am;).

WFMW: Kids and Laundry

(This is a republish because this week's Work For Me Wednesday is an oldie but goodie call)

Moms, let me break the news to you...You don't have to do all the laundry but you do have to invest some time in training and let go of the details. Let us first start with the dirty clothes. By the time they are a year and a half my kids are responsible to put their own dirty clothes in the hamper (and yes I remind them;). Then by 5 they can sort their clothes into color piles (I do mine just because of the gentle issue). I do a cursory look until about 6. Now I don't really check the NerdBug sorting unless I knew there was some iffy things. They are also always welcome to ask me if they are unsure which pile they go into. Then we go onto the washing and drying. When we moved into our new house we got the new front loading washer and dryer. This is great for kids. Both the 4 and 6 year old can easily put clothes in the washer and move them to the dryer. The 6 year old can even start the loads. Then I have the kids dump all the clean clothes into a basket and move them to the loft (where I want them to be). Now my kids do all this while I am nearby usually changing a baby or something like that (my laundry room is upstairs).

Then I invested in those pop up baskets for laundry that they sell with all the "stock up you dorm" stuff for $5, one for each kids. The ones I got at JoAnns have handles, are colored (one for each kid) and have sections you can velcro up or just leave as on big long basket. I sort all the laundry and put the appropriate foldables for each kid. For the 4 year old I give her wash cloths, spit cloths and her socks. The 6 year old gets all of his clothes at this point. Now, not everything is absolutely folded perfectly but it will be ok. My rule is, as long as it all fits in your drawers it is ok. I have gone through and shown them the correct way to fold, had them show me they can and let it go. Remember, you don't have to look at it or do it so don't complain.

Now I can't wait until they can iron;).

Some Coughing Solutions

We have all found ourselves in the coughing season for our kids and man are they coughing. I have bronchial asthma (those people who cough themselves sick) and nothing ever really helped me. My kids have asthma as does my little brother. So through the years I have picked up a few tricks.

Normally I am a pro-drug person (Delsm, cough syrup, etc) but now the doctors aren't. Frankly even Delsm didn't always work (though I still highly recommend it). But what do we do now for our little hackers? Vaporizers don't seem to work for my kids because it is such a big room and takes so much to make a change, but a small room with lots of steam and eucalyptus seems to help. I keep good aromatherapy shower gel on hand for such a time.

If it is day time, give them a little hot tea with caffeine, it can be green or white for less kick. There is something in it that helps open up bronchials. If caffeine is an issue, give them a little hot (or as warm as they can stand) herbal tea. I notice that the warmth helps relax my tense throat which actually helps slow my coughing. Even just hot water does wonders for me. If they won't drink it, drop a candy cane in it and when the water turns a light pink take it out. The peppermint will help settle their stomachs (from swallowing mucus) and it will lightly sweeten the water so they like it.

Our doctor recommended a tablespoon or 2 of straight honey for kids over 1 year old. I did it with my 18 month old and it actually helped some! The other thing that seems to help with coughing spells is to tell them to think about it. Yes, that is it. I tell them to think about it and breath real slow. It seems to stop it immediately for a few minutes at least;). Then there is also the copious amount of fluid. It thins out the mucus and makes it easier to breathe.

So you have any tips? Please let me know because we are all coughers and it drives me nuts!

Respecting Your Children's Time

Do your kids throw a fit when you call them to dinner? How about bed time? Is it because you don't respect their time?

I know, this may sound like a shocking statement coming from me. As many of you know, I do not believe in child centered parenting but that is not what I am talking about. Has their ever been a time your kids have walked up to you and asked you something and you told them that you were in the middle of something and to give you a few minutes? So in other words you wanted them to respect you and your time.

Giving a time warning (5 minutes until dinner, 10 minutes and you will have to clean up your craft, etc) shows that you respect that they are doing something that you respect.

Do you want to have kids that get involved in whatever they are doing? Do you want them to concentrate on their activities? Well, of they can be pulled away at any minute no child is going to be all the vested in their activities. A time warning gives them the security that they can wrap things up or get to a stopping so they know they won't just have to abandon their efforts.

The real dirty secret...respect your kids' time and they respect you and your time more. My kids really value that warning so when they need something from me they are willing to give me that same kindness. "Mom, I would like some more water when you get a chance." Isn't that so much nicer?

Also, when you respect your kids they know it. So if plans have to change ("Kids, Mom didn't realize what time it is. We gotta go now!") they handle it with a definate modicum of grace.

This is a win-win. You get a payoff with your kids now and you take another step at raising awesome adults!

The First Key to Homeschooling and Not Losing It

Ok, so that may be a broad statement but I think it may be true. One of the most common reasons I hear parents say they couldn't homeschool is that their kids would drive them crazy (I even heard this from public school teachers). I smile and say that I must be lucky.

Well, I realized what they are referring to is a societal problem. Silicon Valley Moms had an article, G'Head, Hurl those Insults, Doesn't Bother Me, that talked about learning to ignore what your kids say when they are venting. Then it hit me, parents are trained to accept their kids treating them like dirt. Well, most homeschooling parents I know don't! Now I have a few strong willed kids and we go head to head, don't get me wrong. But, they don't yell at me (without a severe punishment), don't hit and don't disregard my instructions with regularity. These things have been known to happen but they are dealt with and it definitely isn't the norm.

What is the secret? Raise you kids to be people that you would care to be around. Set expectations and consequences for when those expectations aren't met (and that will happen). Many parents demand that their kids respect their teachers and friends in ways they don't expect their kids to respect them or their siblings. The truth is that those kids may tow the line a bit but they may not really respect anyone and then they grow up to be parents who have to vent to each other and on their kids.

But, then I wonder in the words of Dr. Phil, "How's that working for you". Then I here disturbing thing like this (from the same article),

And in fact an added bonus is after we have an episode, which with Donovan often culminates in a punch to the gut (he punching me, don't get your panties in a wad), I get spontaneous hugs and kisses, proclamations of love and "I'm speaking to you mommy" and "I'm your friend mommy," a lot of love thrown my way.

So it is just me or does that sound like Battered Wife Syndrome? The other thing is, haven't we settled the matter that venting on someone isn't a healthy way to deal with anger? So maybe you should teach your kids how to handle their anger instead of you learning how to handle their anger.

I guess this is just the basis of why I can homeschool my kids with out losing my mind (though some days 6 hours alone sounds great to me too).

Why You Should Vaccinate

Apparently there is a Measles outbreak in the US. It looks like it was spawned by a combination of international travel and people who weren't vaccinated. Britain apparently has a measles epidemic due to parents declining to vaccinate their children.

For those who say this isn't a big deal this has happened in the US in the recent past. From 1989-1991 55,000 people got the measles with 123 deaths.

Go get Vaccinated, don't assume that living around others who do will protect your children.

Kindergarten is a War Zone

Kindergarten is the easy grade to try out public school, right? The kids are to young to really corrupt each other and kindergarten teachers are sweet people who love little kids (why else would they choose to chase them), right? Not so much.

So here is our first situation. First imagine an adorable 5 year old boy (and I do me cute!) who has some discipline problems so mom takes him to outside doctors (as recommended by the principal) and they start the process to get him officially diagnosed with Aspberger's. Some 5 year old boys can have discipline problems to begin with but pile on Aspberger's and I am sure it can be rough. But how rough would it have to be for a teacher to pull this kid up in front of the class, have every student say what they don't like about him and then vote as to whether they want to keep him in the class. That is exactly what what Wendy Barton did in Florida.

If that isn't bad enough here is the second situation. So your five year old comes home and complains that his teacher doesn't like him and that he kids don't either. While your child is saying all this you are getting progress reports that are well mixed in the good marks and the bad. The teacher says sometimes your child is disruptive and can't keep his hands to himself. But when you ask the teacher if you should set up a "behavior plan" with the teacher she says she doesn't have time. So it must not be that big of a deal. Well, many times you would say that the kid is being to sensitive to limited correction and isn't really reading the situation properly. Well, what if that kid started acting out at home? The parents of Gabriel Ross decided to send a tape recorder in his pocket to see what is really going on. The results were shocking.

What they heard over four hours of tape shocked them. Woodward can be heard telling Gabriel that he had "tortured and tormented" her and other teachers all year.

"I've been more than nice to you all year long and you've been ignorant, selfish, self-absorbed, the whole thing! I'm done!" Woodward says to Gabriel on the tape. She continues: "Something needs to be done because you are pathetic! If me saying these words to you hurt, I hope it does because you're hurting everyone else around you."

Gabriel can be heard crying on the tape.

Now I am hearing some people say this is evidence of a bad school system and that is why you should homeschool. I am looking at it a little differently. Apparently all the training these teachers got didn't prepare them to actually deal with kids. I think this should be empowering to any parent who has ever doubted that they can teach their own kids. Do you think the home environment will be healthier than this? Now, I am not saying that all teachers are like this because they aren't. But, all the training can't be the end all and be all to teaching your child so have a little faith in yourself, your intelligence and your love. You can do it!

Technorati Tags: Alex Barton, Gabriel Ross

The Summer Blahs

So Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer gave us a theme for this week's Works for Me Wednesday, "Mom, I'm Bored". So I was really thinking about how to deal with this issue since I homeschool. But even though I school pretty much all year, a lot of our activities (both for kids and mom) stop so our life changes also. The saving grace for me is structure and a schedule.

Now, that doesn't mean that everything is time but generally mapped out. There isn't any sleeping until noon and staying up to midnight going on around here (don't I wish;). We set up the basics: breakfast, errands, chores, crafts, computer, etc. I think knowing how life is going to happen and that in a set time you will change activities will prevent to much blahs. Also set up an activity day a week. Last summer my kids got together with friends every Friday (usually going swimming). It gave them something to look forward to and a motivator for good behavior.

Balance is the key. I think to many people figure that because it is summer nothing should be planned but that is just begging for a good nagging. If worst comes to worst, put them to work and do all your deep cleaning for the fall!

Are You Striving for Merely Average?

While many people in my area would never in a million years homeschool, a lot of them want to say how great it is that I do. Then they give you the reasons that they can't do it with their kids. So I am going to start address those reasons here. Let me preface all this with while I think it would be great for our society, I don't think everyone needs to homeschool. But people start talking like they feel guilty and have to justify their decision. They are not my kids, it is none of my business! But, if you are going to use these silly reasons I need to start addressing them.

The first one is this fear that their kids will not be "normal" or fit in. What does that even mean? I have heard that academically they would be very advanced so they could no longer fit in with their peers. How is this a problem people? So people want their kids to just be "normal"? Isn't that the same thing as average? Average, the median, a C? You want to make sure that your kids can play all the social manipulation games to survive in a children's society? That is all your hopes and dreams are for your kids?

To me this is a mentality that "I will sell out my kids future so they can have more friends today". Talk about shortsighted. My children are very bright but they get along with many types of people. But even at almost 7 and 5, my kids are already losing patience with some issues that are considered normal for their age group. Things like when kids "decide" one day that they like 1 kid but you can't talk to that other kid. So my kids can't play that game, yes I am a failure as a parent;). Just imagine how great the world would be if we all refused to play.

I don't think there is a single parent who would admit that average is all they hope for but I wonder if that is truly what they mean. The soap box if being put away for the afternoon;).

Update: Here are a couple (not all) of the definitions of Normal from Dictionary.com.
-the average or mean: Production may fall below normal.
-the standard or type.

Great Family Find

So there is a local blogger that I read, Jacinda, and she does awesome weekly Family Nights. This last one she posted about was an Under the Sea night complete with pictures, food suggestions and activities. Go check it out and tell her NerdMom sent you!

Preschoolers and Pedicures

Over at Silicon Valley Moms Blog there is quite a discussion going on about preschoolers and pedicures. Is it appropriate for a kid who is still sucking her thumb to be getting a pedicure? My gut says no way in the world but... Now the NerdPie (4) would love for me to paint her toe nails but NerdDad and I have always agreed that she isn't old enough. But some of the commenters had some great points. How is this different than getting a toy as a reward? Or ice cream? But on the other hand, girls who start things this young start to feel entitled to certain treatment and I don't want to have to deal with that issue. So what do you all think? Chime in here and let me know!

Heart of the Matter

I found out about this Friday meme over at Heart of the Matter where you post your thoughts about the following quote.

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
- William Butler Yeats

I love this imagery for a couple of reasons. A fire being is active versus a pail that is static. The pail is filled by someone else where as a fire consumes its own fuel and if you don't provide it, it will reach out and grab it if it is near. A pail is the same filled or empty, but a fire will die without fuel. A pail can only carry so much but a fire can burn forever.

The imagery of the fire is what I desire for my children. It isn't about individual facts but a love for learning and a yearn for more. The unquenchable fire.....

So what do you think?

My Daughter the Songtress

So after dinner tonight NerdPie (my 4 year old little girl) tells me she has a song for me. She claims that she and her doll made this up for me.

"No matter where I go,
No matter where I am,
You'll always be my mama,
even when I'm dead"

While it was cute, I am mildly disturbed;).

WFMW: Schooling with Little Ones

Something I hear often after I say I homeschool is, "How do you do it with all your little ones". Well, homeschooling a 6 year old when you have a 4, 2, and newborn is a challenge but it can be done. First, take advantage of any of the newborn's naps. Then invest in some dollar big puzzles and dollar coloring books for the 2 year old. Then only let the 2 year old use those when you are schooling. Then they are his special "school" things. With the 4 year old use peer pressure and preschool work. Get some preschool workbooks and give them the choice to work on it. But if they don't choose to work on it they have to play in their room or what ever you would let the 2 year old do. And yes I have use the line, "If you aren't big enough to work on your school work you aren't big enough to play on the computer while your brother works on his work". It has worked pretty well so far for me!

An invasion of civilization by little barbarians

I came across Thomas Sowell's summation of a parent's duty, "Each new generation born is in effect an invasion of civilization by little barbarians, who must be civilized before it is too late," in an article about conflicting ideas about parenting. The author, Tony Woodleif, a homeschooling father of four, lays out Sowell's two competing theories:

Mr. Sowell contrasted the "unconstrained vision" of utopians, who want to radically improve humankind, with the "constrained vision" of realists, who begin with the proposition that man is inherently self-interested, and not moldable into whatever form the high-minded types have in store for us once they get their itchy fingers on the levers of power.

Like the author, I fall in to the "constrained vision" camp, described here:

The constrained vision indicates that world harmony and universal satisfaction are mirages. People are innately selfish, and they'll always desire more goodies. This means that tradeoffs between competing wants are inevitable. My wife and I therefore forbid our children to use the word "fair." Parents still in the thrall of the unconstrained worldview are prone to manipulation by their kids, who like little human-rights lawyers insist on fairness as an imperative. And don't get me started on the damage that an exaggerated sense of fairness and entitlement has done to public schools. In our house things are much simpler: That last piece of cake had to be divided somehow, and in this imperfect world your brother got the extra frosting. Deal with it.

Also, read the article to get an thoughtful defense of "Because I said so."

WFMW: Parenting Advice

The Works For Me Wednesday subject this week is Parenting Advice. While of course I have lots of advice I had to figure out the most poignant and needed piece. The most important thing is to pray but the next part is to invest in your marriage. Remember, while the world seems to revolve around you blessed little rugrats, you and your husband were a family all on your own. This means always show a unified front. And yes, if you are picking sides it is always Mom and Dad against the kids. Studies show that kids are more secure if their parents have a strong marriage. Ways to do this...

Have a daily conference time with your spouse. Mine and NerdDad's is after he gets home and changes. Then while we put the finishing touches on dinner we talk. Kids have to entertain themselves or play in their rooms. This isn't a time for deep relationship issues but just updating each other on the goings on in life. It doesn't just have to be about the kids. This is often when we talk about news from our friends, who won the board game at DH's work at lunch, or headlines in the news. Another thing is follow through on punishing kids for going behind a parents back. You know, kid asks one parent and that parent says no so they go in the other room and ask the other. Also respect your spouse and demand that your kids do too. There have been times when a child will talk back to one of us. Often the other parent will step in and make it clear it isn't acceptable to treat their parent that way. Also, if something is important to your spouse but not you, make it important any way. This is a great way to teach your kids to respect a parent. An example, I have a friend who doesn't mind if her kids go from project to project, leaving things out, as long as they clean up once a day. That drives her husband up the wall. So she has made it clear that the kids need to clean up after they finish each thing.

Remember your spouse is the only person you can count on in this adventure of raising kids. Also, when the kids grow up and leave (which they will someday) you are going to be all alone again so build, build, build.

WFMW: Birthday Celebration

My kids all have their birthdays withing 2 months and sometimes it is very overwhelming. Do you give them each a party? If so do you invite all their joint friends to both? Do you have a party for all 3 or just the 2 that are in the same month? What about years like this one? My little girl is June 10th, my c-section is scheduled for the 18th, and the oldest is June 30th. Then we have one more in July. Well, we started doing a special day with just one kid. Last year my little girl (who was turning 3) wanted to go to Toys R Us (where she picked out her brothers' Birthday gifts), then we went to the school store to get her first school book and then we went to JoAnn's to get some fairy wings she had wanted for a while. Then just she and I went out to lunch and went home to put her to bed for her nap. Then the birthday kid gets to pick out their dinner (from a list of choices) and the dessert of her choice. My 3 yr old picked out a princess cake while her 5 yr old brother picked out this layered Italian cake he saw on Everyday Italian. My oldest went to see Cars with Dad and the out for burgers and milkshakes. They seemed to not even notice that they didn't have big party and have talked about it all year. It gives them a little special attention and can take a lot of stress off mom and dad.

Color Seperated Pep Talks

Last week I talked about concerns some people have about homeschooling, one of which is that kids are limited as to the types of people they are around. Apparently one public school think that separation is good, at a race level. Mount Diablo High School in the bay area separated students by race for a pre-exam pep talk. Personally I find this reprehensible as did some of the students. The students attended assemblies complete with flags of their heritage (or country of heritage) and they were told to do their race proud. They were informed how much better white kids on the whole do on these tests and were using race as a motivation. Now my kids are only in school with one race (at least the everyday stuff) but that is only because my husband and I only can make one race of child. But my kids are in groups with many different ethnicities and if I ever heard my kids making similar white comments, well you can't even imagine what kind of trouble they would be in.

(HT: Joanne Jacobs)

Exposure to Bullies, Good or Bad?

When it comes to the non-homeschooling world's view of homeschooling I am greatly frustrated. It seems that many people are frustrated with our public schools and admit that homeschoolers have a better grasp on academics. But they don't like a)you are mostly around people who share your views and even more so b)that you are not being exposed to jerks. I was over commenting on an article on Two Babes and a Brain (read that comments too) about a district that is throwing out standards (you know, grades and grading). My natural response was that homeschooling was the perfect option. I was told by someone I respect that she didn't believe in homeschooling for the 2 aforementioned reasons, especially since we as parents aren't going to be around forever to protect our kids. (Don't flame her, I am just using her comments as an example of an argument I hear all the time)

Then I was reading an article on a child that committed suicide over at Why Homeschool as a result of bullying. Henry points out that the public school doesn't effectively deal with a bully nor the issue.

Then I was reading a final article over at Dr. Helen about the workplace being an extension of the school yard and workplace bullies. She began asking why these type of people are allowed to walk all over the rest of us.

People need to learn to control their emotions at work, but those who feel entitled, will continue to hurl abuse at co-workers if they think they can get away with it without any repercussions such as the embarrassment of being called out on the carpet for their tacky and unprofessional conduct.

That is when it all fell into place. As homeschoolers, I hope we are all teaching our kids to a)not be bullies and b)not tolerate be bullied. Imagine how all the world would change with that attitude. Part of the attitude I hear is that we all lived through it but is that a reason to do anything? I personally want better for my kids both how they are treated and how they behave. So I am going to hold onto the fact that we are revolutionizing the world! If the rest of the world is jealous that we are willing to do what can to protect our kids, I am sorry but you can't bully me;).

WFMW: Puzzle Organization

I was thinking up a post for this WFMW and I have to say that my best ones are not my own. The way that I organize my puzzle was taken from a book years ago. Why puzzles? For those of you who haven't experienced this yet, puzzle boxes were not meant to be used. Take the lid off and put it on a couple times and the box is broken in the corners. The other challenge with puzzles is finding the errant puzzle piece and figuring out where it goes. This is a multi-step project but I promise it doesn't really take that long. First get a box of colored pens. Each puzzle gets a number in a different color (the different colors are only important while the kids are little). Then write that number on the back of every piece. Then put the pieces into a zip top bag and write the number on the outside of the bag. Then cut out the front panel of the puzzle with the picture and all the details. Write the number on the back of the panel. Then get a folder for the panels and a box (a plastic shoebox works well) for the bag with the pieces. You can look at the panels and pick out your puzzle. Then just put it away! If you find a piece the kids left on the floor, you know right where it goes!

Small Children and Kitchen Chores

We all want to have responsible and helpful children, right? But the questions start popping up when it comes to issues of how much resposibility, when and frankly is it worth it when it takes you so much less time. With children 5, 3, and 1 I understand these quandries. So let me share with you what I have my kids do. Both the 3 and 5 year old are fully capable of taking their dirty plastic plates off the table along with their empty cups. The 5 year old can now put these straight into the dishwasher (the challenge being to get them straight in the rack). Then you can start involving them in setting the table. I count out all the forks and napkins and then tell them to give everybody 1 each. Start this when you start cooking. That way if it takes them a while to get it straight it doesn't delay them meal. Little kids can also help empty the dishwasher. Now I admit, the only things my kids can reach to completely put away is the silverware but we have found other ways for them to help. We have them get out all the plates and bowls and just stack them on the counter. You can start with just the plastic ones but very quickly they can do them all. This is something else you can have them do while you are otherwise occupied in the kitchen so it doesn't mess up the schedule. Another way this helps is if you are pregnant. Now all the plates are at counter level instead of having to bend over to get them;).

Motivation is always an issue. First, I recommend letting only 1 child help at a time. Then they feel special and it encourages them. If no one wants to help that is fine but there are mild consequences. No one can do the next thing until you are done with everything you have to do. For instance, mom can't play a board game with the child or they can't go outside. The important thing is to make the family a unit with the mentality that eveyone chips in so everyone can play. Also, have it as a reward for the "big" kid. "You are so helpful, how would like to come help me in the kitchen and do some jobs?" That is always a winner in our house.

You don't want to wait to long to start teaching your kids responsiblity. Just give them small, easy steps and be positive. Also a big helper always gets to dump the chocolate chips in the cookies (and have 2 to snack on;).