To Infinity and Beyond

photo from disney.com

LBB is a Pixar nut. Words can't begin to describe how much he loves Cars, and now his love has extended to Toy Story.

And his favorite?

Buzz, of course. :) My sweet little almost 2 year old does a wonderful buzz impersonation where he sets the "laser" on his arm, and then proceeds to flying around the house making whooshing sounds. It's adorable. And when he is watching Toy Story, which is now a daily thing, he gets excited when Buzz is shown for the first time. And at the part where Buzz realizes he is a toy and that he can't fly, my sweet LBB says in the most sympathetic voice: "Buzz?"

It's adorable...I love seeing LBB turn into a little boy who VROOOMS like Lightening McQueen and flies like Buzz Lightyear. It's all those little stepping stones that show his imagination is beginning to blossom. There's days that I'm very nostalgic that he is getting so big so fast, and then there are those moments when I can't do anything but stop and smile when he pretends he is Buzz.

Preschool Weekly Wrap Up #4

Good evening! LBB started the week of strong, despite the fact that he had a low grade fever the first few days, and then lo and behold, that little fever turned into a small case of croup! He went to the doctor yesterday and got a steroid shot to help him get better quickly, and already today he seems to be better! But, despite the croup and all, we still had a wonderful week full of learning!!!

This week we learned:

• A few new words, including "Boo!" (which we had been working on all week, and then as soon as PaPa said it, he had it down like a pro) and copter (for helicopter.) I'm amazed at his vocabulary improvement!


• We began singing the ABC song everynight at bed, and he loves it. The other night I forgot and he made sure he pointed to his ABC poster and said "Y." He sings along the best he can and it's adorable.


• That pumpkins are fun to paint. Fun to stick Mr. Potato Head pieces in. And fun to catergorize pumpkin guts from pumpkin seeds. :) He also put some felt pumpkin face stickers on his small bedroom pumpkin and while the eyes are off-kilter, he had the general idea, and I can unabashedly say that it's the cutest little goofy pumpkin I've ever seen.


• That TV can be an addiction. That it can be overcome. And then it can be brought right back in when LBB is supposed to be getting lots of rest so he doesn't agitate his croup. Soooo...we're back at square one, but that's ok.


• How to jump! LBB can get 2 or 3 inches off the ground on a regular basis, and he LOVES jumping.


• How to wake up sleeping people and kitties. He comes right up to you, stands in front of your face, says (in toddler speak) "Get up", and jumps up and down. I love that little guy. However, Cat #1 may not appreciate the new skill as much as we do.

You know, I really feel like I'm forgetting some things, but to be dead honest, this Mommy brain is completely fried from the lack of sleep over the past few days of LBB's sickness. Dear Sweet Hubby has been fighting a cold as well, so while he has been helping out when he can between feeling icky himself and work, I have been mostly on my own...minus last night when my wonderful parents stopped by the house, bringing soup, and then coming back when LBB woke up realizing he had missed PaPa and GiGi. He screamed and cried until they got here...and then he proceeded to only want me to hold him. Ah, toddlerhood.

So, for now, while I should techinically go get some rest before Dear Sweet Hubby gets home from work, I am going instead to waste LOTS of time pinning TONS of stuff on pinterest. :) But, I'm going to use the excuse: "I'm getting lots of ideas for preschool" and "I'm getting inspiration for house decorations" and of course, "This would be a good Christmas gift to make for someone."

I am officially addicted to Pinterest.

Have a good night everyone!

Preschool Weekly Wrap Up #3

Yikes. I was lazy getting this post up. And sad to say, slightly lazy the whole week that I should be "wrapping up." We're in the process of fine tuning...and I realize, I say that a lot.

Dear Sweet Hubby doesn't work your typical Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm job. He's one of the talented people who become very talented retail managers...meaning...no set days off (although there is usually a good chance of having Sunday off) and no set schedule.

So, I have a question for anyone in our same situation (homeschooling family where Dad works a "non-traditional" schedule.) What does your week look like? Do you have days off be the same as his?

The time we have with Dear Sweet Hubby is limited as is, so we've been seriously tossing around the idea of his days off are our days off. And generally, his day off means a field trip, so that is still school. Let me know your thoughts...but anyways...I am going to try and think of what we learned (bear with me, it's late! Haha.)

• We learned about construction equipment this week. Which, not surprisingly, LBB adored. He is bonkers about anything that moves dirt, demolishes buildings, or builds them back up again. He can now say bulldozer (sounds like "boe"), and even attempted to say excavator a few times. You go LBB. :)


• We read "Puppies" touch and feel(one of the usborne books) during potty time, and in it, there is a page that says "Most puppies like to sniff, but not this one." And the puppy that doesn't like to sniff has a bee on his nose. At first, LBB and I would pretend to be sniffing, which he loved. And now, he had learned the fine art of pretending to be a bee. He takes his little pointer finger, moves it around like it is flying, and buzzes. Then, he either lets the "bee" land on your shoulder, nose, or head and giggles hysterically, OR he lets you "swat" at the bee, which makes him laugh even more. It really is the most adorable thing. Sometimes I think he tells us he has to go potty just to play the bee game some more. :)


• And I learned...that I need to get more sleep. Shower in the evening before I go to bed and get dressed the minute I get out of bed in the morning. Stay focused. And embrace that at some moments I'm not going to get it ALL done.

Have a great evening!

Preschool Weekly Wrap Up #2

Hello! I haven't written much this week...Dear Sweet Hubby took a 4 day mini-vacation so we've been busy just relaxing and spending some time together. This week we learned about Fire Prevention Week and read "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle. What a fun week it was! Here's what we learned:

• LBB went on a field trip to the fire station with Daddy and his PaPa. He had tons of fun. :) He says "MIMI" when he sees a fire truck, ambulance, or police car, and was running up to the firetrucks yelling "MIMI". He really wanted the firemen to turn on the sirens, but they couldn't because they didn't want to scare the other kiddos. LBB doesn't get scared of sirens at all, and just adores hearing them up close. :) (And why MIMI? Well...Mommy isn't very good at making American sounding sirens, so she makes European sirens. Think "Meeeeooooo. Meeeeeooooo. Meeeeooooo." It drives Dear Sweet Hubby crazy that I taught him that siren sound. Haha.)


• He is also on a bug kick right now. He learned how to say "bug" this week, and when he was at the firehouse he saw a fly land in the middle of the garage, yelled "BUG!" and ran over to point it out. :)


• We've been reading his Usborne Touch and Feel Puppies book, and on the second page there is a dog with a bee on his nose. LBB yells "Uh-Oh! Bug!" And then takes his pointer finger, makes a buzzing noise, and has the "bee" land on your nose. Then he laughs hysterically. :) Way too funny. He also swats at our hands if we pretend to be the bee.


• LBB made the most adorable fire truck this week...I haven't taken a picture, but I cut one large red rectangle, two black circles, one small white rectangle, and one long white rectangle and he helped glue them on and placed the pieces where he wanted them. It turned out really well!


• He's learned lots of new words and has associated a few of them together: moon (which he said a while ago but then stopped saying). Sky, Bike, Wind, Bee, and Bug. And tonight while trying to go potty, he was looking at his Batman cupholder, and pointed to the moon, said "Moon. Sky." I love that he associated the two!!!!


• And speaking of the potty...he went potty once a day for four days in a row! WOOHOO! He has sat on the potty the past two days and didn't go, but he is still trying and that is what matters! That's the joy of starting this early...we are taking it at his pace, and he is loving it. We haven't had any tantrums over the potty issue, and he is doing things at his speed.


• We also went to the zoo this week (for free! You can't beat that!) We rode the Monorail for the first time with LBB, which he loved. He pointed out all the "GEESE" to our car-mates, explored to his hearts content, got to ride in the wagon of a tractor ride. He loved the penguin exhibit and was probably the most excitable kid watching them. He also spent a lot of time in the Toddler room climbing, singing, dancing, and charming the "ladies" into reading him a story. Ah, he makes me laugh.

So, that's our week. We didn't focus on as much schooling as I planned, but between his field trips, potty training, and lots of Daddy time, I'm not complaining. :) Hope your week was just as wonderful! Check back tomorrow for a few more posts!

A Lesson in Gentleness

The other night, after LBB was sound asleep and Dear Sweet Hubby was relaxing, I took a much needed Mommy's night out and went to (drumroll please...):

The dollar store.

Oh, yeah, this Mommy knows how to rock her quiet time. ;)

And at the dollar store, I bought tons of goodies for LBB's preschool and 3 snowflakes for our patio. (See, I spoiled myself, haha.) AND...I bought "Mexican Jumping Beans".

I thought there was an off chance that LBB might enjoy them. I thought right. Since introducing him to his little "caterpillars" (we make sure we avoid the term "bean" lest he thinks it is a nommy) he has shown a gentleness that is heart melting and adorable. He quietly whispers "shhhh" when he is telling them goodnight. He softly picks them up and places on the carpet, which he observes as soon as he lays on his belly and props himself up with his arms.

He makes sure the kitties stay away from them. He puts them softly back in their new home (a snack container), and hands them back to me to put up on the counter. It is really the sweetest thing, and a lesson that he was greatly in need of due to his extreme toddler tendencies. :) Who would've figured that for a dollar, I could find a sweet little treat for LBB to learn what it means to be gentle? Not me, that's for sure.

OH, and if you want to read up a bit on these cool little things, check out this article! I'm going to do some research so I can make sure these little guys live for a while.

Preschool 2011 Weekly Wrap #1

To see this closer, just click the pic!

Good evening! I decided I'd post this tonight so I wouldn't have to try to do it tomorrow...my computer is archaic, and as a result, simple things like posting one blog post are like playing the lottery...sometimes, it is quick, sometimes it takes 30 minutes to just get the thing from jamming up. :) But, it's what we have, and for that I'm thankful.

Our first week went so well! Monday morning we woke up early (that is by LBB's choice, not Mommy's), got dressed, ate breakfast, and began our chores. LBB vacuumed behind me and prepared breakfast at his kitchen for Bearemy while I quickly got all the other chores done. I have to say, it was pretty nice to get such a headstart on the day, and we were ready for Bible Study by 7 am. We read the story of David and Goliath, and I had taken out a coloring page from his Veggie Tales coloring book, but LBB colored two green lines and then wanted nothing to do with it. He quickly went to work on his preschool work though and started practicing using his tweezers on his building block sets. The first day went by soooo well, and I couldn't be happier. LBB took his normal naps and meal breaks, but he did mostly preschool activities from 7 am until 6:30 pm...pretty impressive! He did play trains and whatnot in between, but I'm not interested in the least at making him sit...I completely understand that he is still very young, so we make sure that while we focus on certain activities throughout the day, we also make sure we listen to his cues. That is what is most important!

So, if you see that picture up there, it's a few highlights from the week...I'll just go in order from left to right and I think that will work. If the pic is small, just click on it...I think it is quicker to do a collage and saves you from scrolling through a post a mile long. :)

1. Good Morning first day of school! LBB quickly went to work in his kitchen...he definitely loved playing with the practical life aspect of it and made food for his Bearemy and me. So sweet. :) He is in love with that kitchen...did I mention we got it at Goodwill for $3.99. Score.
2. Sitting at his desk playing dino's. We did letter D for the week and seeing as how he is a dino nut, it fit well...I think moving forward we won't focus so much on the letter, but it does add a nice theme variation throughout the week. We'll focus more on letters in a few months and just touch on it lightly here and there.
3. Practicing pouring with some chocolate chips. LBB loves pouring work...and he could literally do it all day long. :) Cat #2 has ardently adopted the role of class pet and was very insistent on helping. And yes, I am the crazy mom who gave her kid chocolate chips to use for learning at 8 in the morning. And yes...he ate some, and I ate some. It was wonderful. :)
4. Music time. LBB was really getting into his "Abby" song that he sings for his PaPa and GiGi's puppy.
5. Going for our nature walk! We were on a mission to find some leaves for a project. The nature walk lasted about 4 minutes. Then he was off to have some self-initiated p.e. Haha.
6. And on our nature walk, LBB discovered his shadow! He waved to it and played with it. Then he discovered Mommy's shadow, which apparently required lots of pats on her head. :)
7. The leaf wreath we made with the few leaves we picked up. He also decorated the plate with some Do-A-Dots (love those things!) and a little bit of colored pencil. It now hangs proudly on his bedroom door. It really is the cutest wreath.
8. More pouring work, but this time with water. He did this activity almost everyday this week...he poured, he scooped, he splashed. He had fun!
9. Our aluminum foil art! We taped some sheets of foil onto the cabinet doors (one for each of us, or so I planned) and then armed LBB with some washable markers. He immediately took over all of the sheets, but he had a blast and it was definitely a nice change from coloring on regular paper. Not to mention, when all was said and done, he was able to match every markers cap correctly...all by himself. Dear Sweet Hubby and I were amazed!
10. Close up of our foil art.
11. For social studies, I used the outline of Delaware (it was originally supposed to be Denmark, but you know...the best laid plans of mice and men) and cut it out of cardboard. Then I attached it to some cardstock and let LBB cover the state with some salt dough. I remember being little and doing salt dough maps and loving it, and while I was older than he is, I knew he would still get a kick out of decorating it. And I was right! He loved it! He used his children's "knife" and spread it on. He dug his fingers down in the dough and pulled out a sticky hand. And he figured out how it acts like a stamp if you don't press down all the way. (Although, mental note, must find a better recipe for salt dough...)
12. Another salt dough map picture...
13. ...and the finished project. He did pretty good!
14. As a treat, I picked up some of those cookie dough squares at Aldi's tonight, and LBB and Dear Sweet Hubby went to work placing them on the pan...
15. ...LBB did a great job of putting them where we pointed, and then he discovered that he could stack them, so he dove right into that! He had so much fun stacking them...
16. ...and even more fun watching the stack fall and yelling "UHOH!"

So, there's our week in summary!!! There was so much more wonderful things that we did, so many more special moments, but I told myself that I didn't want to have my camera alongside at all times. :) The special moments are much more special if you take the time to enjoy them!

Well, have a good night! Thanks for stopping by!

What We've Learned This Week

Ah. Our first week of preschool is almost done, and it's been such a joy! I plan on doing a post of our activities we did soon, but I've got a moment to write a bit while LBB goes down for his morning nap.

We are taking an easy morning, but after LBB wakes up, it's time for puzzles, pouring, and a salt-dough activity.

This week has been an absolute thrill...I love being LBB's teacher. There are moments when I get a tad worn out and moments when I wonder if we're doing it right, but then there are even more moments when I realize that we are following our hearts, minds, and listening to God about this, so we can't go wrong. And just in the past 4 days, LBB has learned so much.

And so has Mommy...here are some of the things we learned:

• LBB is a kinesthetic learner, no doubts about it. I kind of had a hunch that he was before we started preschool, but now that I'm working with him daily, I'm really seeing that he learns in a very unique way.
• Sadly, library storytime is not a good match for kinesthetic toddler. More on that in an upcoming post...
• My little tot runs at the sight of a coloring page, but jumps at the chance to color a piece of aluminum foil taped to the cabinet door.
• LBB can now say wreath, leaf, bus, truck (although it sounds strangely similar to bus), mine, why, and siren (but it sounds like me-me...which is Mommy's version of a European police car...I can only blame myself), bye bye, hi, pillow, Mearemy (his version of his bear's name Bearemy) and NiNi (the nickname for his little fox GiGi got him). That's in addition to what he said before, so his language is really seeming to take off!
• He is also beginning to put two words together to make phrases. He has said big boat, my mama, and mama no. (As in "LBB, don't do that" and I hear back "Mama no.")
• He can say "Love YOU!" now! :) He used to say it on command, but now he says it in return on his own. And at night, when he is going to bed, he gives Bearemy and Nick hugs and kisses and says love you to them. So sweet.
• He is a pro at putting puzzles together. Just two weeks ago he had fun, but was challenged, when he worked on his jumbo peg, 3 piece Melissa & Doug puzzle. Now, he breezes through their chunky wooden puzzles with no problem. The other day I picked one up at the consignment shop (Melissa and Doug for $3? Yes, please!), and within 5 minutes in the car he had the puzzle figured out.
• Loves this Melissa and Doug Shape Sequence Sorting Set, and it getting quite good at it.
• And I've learned that a little routine goes a long way. Skip the routine, and I'm thrown off all day. We've made it a habit to have the house vacuumed, swept, mopped, dishes done, beds made, and us dressed by 7 am. And I've also learned that I have to shower before bed the night before...because if I don't get dressed right when I get up and am ready for the day (like today), the rest of the day feels lazy and unmotivated.

This has been such a wonderful week full of learning. I am going to do a post on Saturday and it will become our weekly wrap up, so there will be details in there on what we actually did. :) I just had to share a little bit of life, especially since I was blogging almost everyday. I don't want to get in the habit of pushing it aside again!