Schooled by a Six Year Old

Schooled: 

Instructed, Taught, Tutored

www.dictionary.com

Yesterday was yet another birthday celebration. More on that another day! However, we were busy wrapping gifts and I had my two September Stars helping me. It takes double the time to have little people help with an activity. Yet the knowledge they gain and the time spent with Mom is worth the extra time. I literally tell myself that and pray for patience when I'm in the middle of it, though. I'm not even joking. While wrapping gifts, my six year old decides to take scissors, tape, and paper to the floor for his own wrapping project. He was happy and content.

While finishing the gifts with my youngest as the assistant, my eleven year old son walks in with a bit of a brain freeze and asks, "Mom, what's 16+16?" Without missing a beat and not even looking up from his project, my guy on the floor says, "32". 

I look at my older son. He looks at me and we both start laughing. He really does know the answer; he just simply had one of those moments. I can understand. Years ago I had to ask my daughter how to spell "of".....Yeah, embarrassing.

Then I told him, "You just got schooled by a six year old." He agreed and took it in perfect stride. I took the time to point out to Mr. Smarty Pants on the floor how quick and speedy he was with the answer. He was satisfied with himself but didn't stop dispensing tape. It will take some serious effort to get into that package.

I love these moments...those experiences that freeze all stress, problems and annoyances...when time stands still...where laughter and joy permeate the heart, sealing the memory forever. It's especially written on the heart and mind when one physically writes it down. Thus, my blog log for today.

My children consistently amaze me; I get "schooled" by one of them every day.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Pass the Pigs

"Oh, Wow, Look at him now...Zuckerman's Famous Pig!

Zoo-Wee, What do you see? A Famous Hog in History.

Fine, Swine, Wish he was Mine...What if he's not so big?

He's some terrific, radiant, humble, thing-a-ma-jig of a pig!"

Charlotte's Web

Ever since I was the narrator in our school play, Charlotte's Web, I have liked pigs. Now, I'm not overboard like my good friend, Kristin. She has the super-mega pig collection! However, I can't resist that cute little baby pig that Fern saved from her father's ax. 

I love games! I especially love games if they're easy to setup, easy to learn, quick to play, young-children friendly, and simple clean up. Give me those parameters and I'll love it forever! Add in a pig, and I'll like it even more.

One of our family favorites is a game called Pass the Pigs. It consists of two, small, rubber pigs that are thrown like dice. The position of the pigs upon landing determines how many points the roll is worth. For example, if one pig is standing and one pig is on it's side, that's a 5 point roll. The first player to 100 points wins. 

My three youngest children played this game last night. It was so amazing to me that my 8, 5, and 4 year old could get this out and play together with little to no help from me. Now that's the kind of game I like! Not that I'm against playing or helping, but it's good for them to be self-entertained. I see far too many children who are dependent on Mom for their source of entertainment. Sadly, no matter how much I like games, I do have other things that have to be accomplished. 

I couldn't help myself; I had to take some photos of my kids playing Pass the Pigs. After looking at the pictures, I've determined that I need a new camera. My request has been passed along to the Bushman Family Top Dog as a Christmas suggestion. Note to Self:  The three month Christmas countdown begins tomorrow, September 25th. Just a bit of anxiety!

I've decided to purchase another set to keep in our car or in my purse for those moments when an activity is sorely needed. Yet another benefit of Pass the Pigs...it's portable!

Pass the Fun along by playing Pass the Pigs. They are cute little things...if you like pigs.  Oh, Wilber!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

No-Media Fun: Build, Wrap, Strategize, and Pretend

"You're Bored? 

Well, enjoy it while it lasts...'cause as a Mom, you'll never have the luxury!" JB (Moi)

Keeping children active and entertained, without the use of media, can be a challenge. You have to LOOK for positive activities that challenge the mind, keep the fingers moving, develop coordination, encourage role-playing and teach life skills. Here are some of our favorites this month:

Fort Making

This is one activity that I have a love/hate relationship with. Whenever my children want to make a fort, we go through "the questions". How long is the fort going to be up? Are you going to include everyone in building and playing in the fort? What happens when you're finished playing with the fort? Who is going to clean up? Am I going to have any complaining when it's time to bulldoze the fortress? Will I have to nag you to put everything away EXACTLY as it was? I've gone through the scenarios so many times that now, for the most part anyway, the fort does get cleaned up and NOT by me. However, we still have issues with, "He won't let me play in it" or "She won't help clean up" or "He says I have to stay in this part of the fort". If you want to build a fort, you need to work on proper fork etiquette which equates to "The Golden Rules of Fortress Construction". 

But even with the difficulties, Fort Making creates hours of entertainment without any cords, plugs, or digitized noise. I love seeing blankets held up by cans of pinto beans or a tub of shortening. I think it's brilliant when they whip out the duck tape to secure blankets and the stick horse to prop up a make-shift tent. As long as they agree to "The Golden Rules of Fortress Construction", I almost always say, "YES!" Break them and the fort-making fun may come to a halt for a very long time.

Some of the Latest Creations... (LOVE the Duck Tape and the signs)

Wrap-it-up
If you don't mind a mess of tape and bits of wrapping paper, then this project will brighten your day! Give your child a roll of cheap wrapping paper, scissors, and a roll of tape, and let his imagination run wild! My little people LOVE to wrap up ANYTHING and then give it to Mom, Dad, or a sibling to unwrap. They find delight in surprising someone with a string cheese, a box of crayons, a bouncy ball, a hand-drawn picture, or some marbles. Cutting, Wrapping, and Taping skills are learned and enhanced while a sense of service is created. This is another long-lasting activity that keeps 'em busy and "wraps" up time. Stock up on some wrapping paper rolls from the dollar store. Trust me, you won't be sorry. If you're worried about the scissors, pre-cut the paper for your child. Yes, you'll have a mess to clean up, but to me it's worth it!

Settlers
For older children, invest in the game, The Settlers of Catan. My boys especially LOVE playing this together; in fact, I've enjoyed a few games myself. It's a game that never gets old and has expansion sets to add more fun and excitement. It's a game of strategy and skill - not just luck. I really enjoy watching my children play games together because it creates memories, and communication, and good old fashioned fun. The Settlers of Catan is competitive yet it doesn't cause heated feelings, anger, or crying children. Best of all...it doesn't take forever to figure out, especially if you play with someone who already knows the rules, AND you can wrap it up in an hour or so. The only drawback is you need to have three to four players.

Office
Save your old keyboards, mice and phones, and provide an interactive office environment for the budding executive. Throw in some paper and pens, calculators, old forms or documents, and other miscellaneous office supplies to create another time-ticker. My children LOVE to play office with all of our old equipment. They also like getting out the cash register to add a level of retail play, AKA Store. My little girl HAS to have a book behind her keyboard which acts as the computer screen. The cool dude like wearing the cub scout uniform, even though he's still two years away. How do I bottle the enthusiasm of little children?

Today's Stick-to-it Tip: In an ever-increasing digital environment, encourage and provide no-media activities that build character, interaction, and creativity.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Who's Your Hunk-a-Love?

Hunk-a-Love (n) - bosom friend, BFF, cuddle buddy, playmate, one deserving of a kiss, the go-to individual...

Warning: This person can change at any time depending on mood and emotion so don't let it go to your head!!

(Definition by: Julie)

Being our daughter's Hunk-a-Love is a coveted position in the family. "Am I your Hunk-a-Love?" is a typical question to our three year old who designates a different individual almost daily, sometimes multiple times per day.

How did it all begin? Our son, The Great Bamzini, stated one day that he was her Hunk-a-Love. OK.....??

It was the most random expression of affection, but it stuck.

 

Now the other children want the title. They kiss up, butter her up, bring her things, offer to play with her, ask in kindly tones, beg and plead to be dubbed her "Hunk-a-Love".

Once she determines a Hunk-a-Love, she hugs the person, gives extra affection, becomes the best little pal, and is overly sweet and kind. However, look out! If you do something she doesn't like, you may hear, "You're not my Hunk-a-Love anymore" and then she's off looking for a new one. There goes the self-esteem of the one no longer deemed "Hunk-a-Love"!

However, she has declared, "Mommy, you and Daddy are always my Hunk-a-Love". Awesome!

Some Hunk-a-Love Pics...

Frequently her Hunk-a-Love

Her Hunk-a-Love when he's home, which is rare. Certainly not her Hunk-a-Love that day!

The original Hunk-a-Love

A Lewis and Clark kind of Hunk-a-Love

Her Hunk-a-Love when it's just the two of them home

Sisterly Hunk-a-Lovin'

He has the most desire to be the Hunk-a-Love

Always her Hunk-a-Love!!

Ditto!

 

Who wouldn't want to be her Hunk-a-Love?

Copyright: Vover Virl, International

So, who's your Hunk-a-Love? Whomever it is, make it known, and don't be a flip-floppin' three year old. Let your Hunk-a-Loves know they're loved... FOREVER!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

But Mom will Catch Baby

Warning: Bogus Lullaby Below

 Rock-a-bye Baby, in the Tree Tops,

When the Wind Blows, the Cradle Will Rock.

When the Bough Breaks, the Cradle Will Fall.

And Down will Come Baby, Cradle and All.

Can I just say that this is the most bogus lullaby I've ever heard? Yes, just sing to your little baby that she will come tumbling down to her death when the tree bough breaks and the cradle falls. That will make her feel safe and secure! 

When our first daughter was born and the Rock-a-bye Baby song naturally came to mind, I remember rocking and singing her to sleep. I came to the last line of the song and thought, "This is just wrong!" So, I changed the lyrics for a positive outcome, not a morbid, life-threatening ending. 

Rock-a-bye Baby, in the Tree Tops,

When the Wind Blows, the Cradle Will Rock.

When the Bough Breaks, the Cradle Will Fall,

But Mom will Catch Baby, Cradle and All.

My three year old has been going through a Rock-a-bye phase lately. She wants to pretend to be a little baby and have me rock her and sing this song. So, I do and she smiles and feels loved. After singing "Rock-a-bye", I told my husband about my dislike for the ditty and my long-ago change of the lyrics. He came up with another ending:

Rock-a-bye Baby, in the Tree Tops,

When the Wind Blows, the Cradle Will Rock.

When the Bough Breaks, the Cradle Will Fall,

But Mom will Catch Baby, so she won't Fall.

Pretending to be a sleeping baby.

I want my children to feel safe and secure, peaceful and comforted. It starts with even little things, like nursery lullabies.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Advice from a Five Year Old

Questions from my Five Year Old:

"Can I go to the baby shower?....Do we have to bring our swimming suits?"

"What's tomorrow?" (Mom: "Sunday") "What's the next tomorrow?"

"Do you have a one buck?"

"Mom, is it slow Sunday or fast Sunday?"

After receiving a Snickers bar from the Tooth Fairy... ""Mom, is this a snicker-doodle?"

Five year olds: they have so many questions...but they definitely have some answers, too!

A new week is upon us and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. We just got back from a business trip to Philadelphia and we're gearing up for more future fun. Responsibilities are calling me, job issues are never-ending, housework is piling up, lots of family fun planned, and children leaving. As I was looking at my photos this morning, I found advice from my five year old staring at me in the face. Here's how to make this week positive, productive, and promising...courtesy of JBB.

When life comes splashing down:

Don't bury yourself in the sand...

Face the fear, face the trial. Don't run from it...

Stand Firm...

And Stand Tall...

Search for Answers...

And for inspiration...

Get a Hug...

And Give a Hug...

Don't Point the Finger at Another...

But Work Together Instead...

Show some Kindness...

Put on your helmet and get ready to roll...

And when you've made it through, RELAX and be GRATEFUL!

And who said a five year old doesn't have all the answers?

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!