Preschoolers Will Be Teenagers One Day

I think I am pretty fashionable. I like to dress comfortable, but I can clean up if I need to. I do not like shopping, I know, I know, how could that be.  So, I took a deep breath and took my teenage son shopping for some new clothes, he grows every night I think. I get to the store and I realize I don't know what guys are wearing these days. I start looking at the pictures on the walls, trying to get ideas. My son looks around, training kicks in because he looks at sale racks first, and finds a few things he would look good in. I noticed on the walls that the layered look is in for guys. I pick up a brown, plaid, button up shirt with a t-shirt underneath and put it in the basket. I thought it would look good on him. I make my purchases and take them home.My son tells my daughter, "Hey, would you like to see what mom bought me?" and he proceeds to pull his clothes out of the bag. My daughter just looks at me and says, "Mom, you need a stylist with you." and asked me if I had the receipt so I could take them back. Well, now I know. I have 2 other sons and I am going to have to make sure I take my daughter shopping with me, so my boys will look good. Preschoolers are much easier. Shopping is not my favorite, but I love yard sales and consignment sales. Lots of clothes available for the little girls and guys but less selection for the teenagers, thank goodness for Plato's Closet. Just remember, preschoolers will be teenagers one day.

Blocking Your Time To Get The Most Out Of Your Day!

  School is starting soon and your life is about to get busy again. The best way to make the most of your day is to block your time. I used to work outside the home and I always thought I got much more done when I worked, then I do now. I knew I was going to be out of the house a certain number of hours and sleeping a certain number of hours and had a house to run the other few hours. Since I am home, now I can always do it later; dishes, later; laundry, later; I will just do it later. Later comes and goes and I didn't get done what I wanted to.
  I needed to block my time. The first thing you need to do is write the To-Do-List. You can write it for the day or the week. Determine how much time it will take to get that task done. After you have your list made of things you want to get done, prioritize. What do you really want to get done first? Does the dog need a bath? Does the clutter drawer need to be cleaned out? Is it time to change out this seasons clothes? For the homeschool mom, block the time it takes for each subject, the chores you want to see done and any sports or meetings that you need to attend. For preschoolers, block their time for activities, nap, stories and outside time. If you write it down and post it where you see it, there is a better chance that you will get it done. What doesn't get done the first day, gets carried over to the next. There are only 24 hours in a day and we need to make the most of it. The HomeSchoolMom has a series of free planners you can use for homeschool, menu planning, chores and to-do lists. Help yourself and get organized!

Preschooler's in Church

  What a wonderful worship time we had in church today. We are teaching our children the things of God are holy. All of the instruments are used to worship God. Our voices are used to worship God. We aren't allowed to run in church or disturb people around us. Church is a special place. We usually all worship together and then the children are dismissed, but not this morning. Was I ready? Not exactly. It was a very special service because my husband was preaching. He has never done that before. He didn't even let me in on his surprise.
  I have always believed that while you keep little hands busy in church, they still have the opportunity to open up their little spirit and receive from God, while not disturbing others around them. So, what did I have to keep his little hands busy? Where do we turn, ladies, when we need to keep our little ones busy? Yes, my purse. I usually have something to write on and write with, so that will occupy him for a few minutes. Then, he will want me to make a paper airplane out of the bulletin. He can fly it, if he will just sit on the floor. I usually have a mint or something chew on. I wasn't as prepared as I would've hoped to be. This just usually doesn't happen without some notice but I love spending time with my children. So, besides the turning around trying to get his cousins attention, laying upside down in the seat or accidently kicking the lady next to us. He did  a pretty good job.
  My husband did an awesome job, also. He spoke on the ark of the covenant. When the Israelites had the ark, they were winning battles. The Philestines had the idea that if they had the ark, they would also win battles, but all they got were hemroids. To sum it all up, You Can't Put God In A Box. He is not limited and will not work in your situation the same way He works in another's situation. All children are different, also. Just when you think you have parenting figured out, your kids will throw you a loop. Enjoy Them and Love Them!

Blueberries...Ripe for the Pickin

Today was the day for our first Blueberry picking. I had my little preschooler in hand to help. He had on his little sunglasses and his bucket in hand ready to pick some incredible blueberries. (Pic was lost off the phone...but he was so cute and raring to go) You really can teach your children in everyday situations and this was my chance to teach. You pick the Blue, blueberries not the green ones (lesson in colors). Jack you picked so many, how many do you have in your hand? (lesson in Math). There is a lot over there, to your right (lesson in directions). I love spending time with my children, especially one on one. When I took my daughters 11 and 15, I got a little more complaining from them. The older they get, they no longer see adventures but chores. I then notice a dark cloud overhead and started thinking, if it rained, that would turn a chore back into an awesome memory. Then, the cloud opened up while we are in the middle of the blueberry bushes and the big, bright smiles grew on my daughters faces. We did run for cover at the sound of thunder, but that was the blueberry picking trip they remembered. Go Make A Memory With Your Children!

Stay tuned for Cooking with your Preschooler and find out what we make with these blueberries.

Popsicle Sticks

My children may not have created images like this with popsicle sticks, but give them enough time and they will come up with some real ingenious ideas. Last night Timmy (9) called me while I was on my way to the store and asked if we still had popsicle sticks and a glue gun. I led him to 3 places they should've been, if we had any, but they weren't there. So, I bought him some. He was going to build a boat that would float. He cut a plastic bottle in half, from the re-use/recycle bin, put some pennies in the bottom for the ballast and started hot gluing popsicle sticks together to finish his boat. He found skewers for his mast and grey tape for extra support and then one final test to see if it floated and It Did! He was so proud of his creation. Then everyone wanted to build something.

Preschooler Variation:

• I bought some wooden skill sticks that have little notches in them and fit together for the preschooler. They are like flat lincoln logs. If all you had was regular popsicle sticks I would opt for taping them together instead of the hot glue gun. 
• They can make letters: A, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, N, T, V, W, X, Y & Z.
• Glue the popsicle sticks side-by-side and let them paint pictures on them. You can have a homemade trivet from your preschooler

Start saving your popsicle sticks and get building!

Top 10 Activities To Keep Preschooler's Hands Busy

Living in a house with seven people, there is always something to clean, put away or fix. I try and have my preschooler occupied before I start. Sometimes the activity lasts for 3 minutes but sometimes, if I'm lucky, it lasts for 20 minutes.  Here are 10, tried and true, activities to help keep your preschooler occupied in no particular order.

• Computer time ~ I don't think it's ever to early to learn how to use a mouse. We have used several different games and websites. Reader Rabbit, Jump Start & Busy Town are a few CD's and websites, we enjoy, Nick Jr., Starfall and even Club Penguin (so they can keep up with big brother or sister) have helped with the little ones computer skills.
• Building Blocks/Legos ~ They love to build tall towers and knock them down at this age. Mine loves to try and make little cars and airplanes like his brothers.
• Matchbox Cars with a Homemade Ramp/Trucks ~ We just purchased a few "new to us" cars from a yardsale and the first thing he looks for is a piece of wood to run the cars down. He ended up finding a screen and propped it up on the front of a chair, Ta-Da, 20 minutes of fun.
• Water ~ We will play in sprinklers outside, fill up the bathtub or sink (supervision required) for plastic fish and boats and anything else that will float or sink. We will put in a few plastic cups or bowls and just pour from one item to the other.
• Scissors and paper/Coloring Pages ~ Scissors (supervision required) bring at least 20 minutes of fun and is a great activity for their fine motor skills. Find an old magazine and a pair of kid friendly scissors and start cutting. They start with pressing the scissors down and tearing the paper, but eventually they get the scissor motion. You also see the progression in coloring. Starts with 1 or 2 colors of scribbling and works into a few more colors trying to stay in the line.
• Playdoh ~ Get out your cookie cutters & Playdoh and get started. They can make a ball, put the balls together to make a snowman, make a snake, cut with plastic knives. Endless options.
• Stuffed Animals/Baby Doll ~ My girls, especially, like using their imagination with little stuffed animals but they always draw their brothers into their make-believe world. My daughter becomes director, "OK, now your dog says, I would love to go to the park with you and my dog will say, Great! Let's go." It is probably the best activity my daughter has created for herself. She would spend hours in her room.
• Outdoor Time/Ride Bike/Swings ~ When I was little, I would leave early in the morning and be back home for dinner. My how times have changed. I have a very hard time getting my children outside, but once they get out there, they have so much fun. We go to the park, ride the bike, ride a scooter and they are trying to dig a whole to China on the side of the house.
• Games (Hiding go Seek, board games, puzzles)Apples to Apples has been a surprising game that my preschooler enjoys. I read his cards but he puts the one that makes the most sense to him for the category. There are so many different puzzles my son loves. Peg puzzles, wooden puzzles & magnetic puzzles. He loves active games like Hide n Go Seek, Ball, Freeze Tag,
• Card Board Box ~ Best "free" activity out there. What is it about a cardboard box? It can be whatever they want. A castle, rocket, store front, TV and their imagination goes on.
 

 There is the Top 10 list of activities. I am fortunate to have children of different ages to help play with each other and look out for one another, while I try and keep my castle fit for a king.

New Beginnings

I look at this school year as a fresh start. Last year was the year I would like to forget, but I won’t. I learned many ways to teach my crew and many ways not to teach my crew. I learned I need to block out time for each subject, activity and chore. I learned schedule’s are a little hard for me because I am not a type A personality, but a B type. I learned I can develop routines and set times and stick them a little easier. School starts at 8:30, Snack is at 10:30, Lunch is at 12. I can work with routine. Now if I can pass that on to my children. Well, this is a brand new year. We have a new curriculum. I have an attack list of preschool activities. I will not try and entertain my preschooler in another room while my older children are not doing what I told them to do around the table. I will not sit around the table helping the older kids with their assignments while my preschooler is flooding my bathroom. Yes, this year will be different and I will tell you guys about it along the way.