Summer Science
Posted by: linner06 on: June 27, 2011
My son Troy was desparate for a summer project, so off we went to Michael’s (www.michaels.com) and shopped for something interesting.
Sea Monsters… to my surprise we brought home a Smithsonian Pre-historic Sea Monsters Kit. This kit contains a tank, Triop eggs and food, sand for the bottom of the tank and a plastic castle, (which floats by the way and so we couldn’t use it…), anyway, we followed the instructions and apparently in a couple of days from yesterday morning, we should have some baby sea monsters hatching!!! EEEK!!
Watch this space for pics of our hatched babies…
THEY NEVER HATCHED! VERY DISAPPOINTED!!!!
Summertime, and the livin’ is easy
Posted by: linner06 on: May 29, 2011
So we are winding down for the summer now and as I thought about what to write here the song “Summertime” came to mind and I could only think of the first line, specifically, “….and the living is easy” and it made me think, how do I make my life easy, even if it is just for the summer? I don’t want to end up becoming lazy or making my kids lazy, but I need a break from our homeschooling routine. I honestly don’t want the pressure of an all singing, all dancing routine over the summer….
So how do we slow down and not be still? How do we rest but not fall asleep? The word that comes to mind is “balance”. Some days we dance, some days we doze, some days we run, some we rest, some we swim, some we soak…
I am excited to have a well rounded summer, but at the end of it feel rested and raring to get back in to homeschooling….
I wish you all out there a great summer and leave you with the lyrics of the song that got me started with this post, now you may not be ‘rich’ or ‘good-looking’ but I know for sure that you all would sing the following lines to your babies…”There’s a nothing can harm you, With your daddy and mammy standing by”
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Oh, Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
One of these mornings
You’re going to rise up singing
Then you’ll spread your wings
And you’ll take to the sky
But until that morning
There’s a nothing can harm you
With your daddy and mammy standing by
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
Wrestling
Posted by: linner06 on: February 14, 2011
There are many things I wrestle with each day being a Mom. First, at around 6am I wrestle with getting out of bed to spend some quiet time with the Lord before the kids get up. I am usually up by 6.30 and am always glad I won the battle. My quiet time sets me up for a great day, and if by any chance it turns out not so great, I am even more thankful that I had that time.
Next, I wrestle with breakfast and clean up, the cheerios on the floor, in Zak’s hair, up his sleeves and even in his diaper! Milk splashes in places you would not think possible. I wrestle with the guilt of letting Chloe eat chocolate spread on her toast and Troy having maple syrup on his oatmeal….
Then, I wrestle with my own insecurities as we sit down for school. Is Troy learning? Is he having fun? Am I a good teacher? Is he getting a well-rounded education? (He assures me I am doing a great job….)
Next….lunch clean up….and whatever other challenges the day may bring…
Then of course there is dinner and toy clean up….before the bed time routine begins…
There is one wrestling match I have not yet mentioned and it usually occurs between lunch and dinner. Sometimes it can happen more than once a day, and I have to admit, I don’t always win this one, in fact sometimes I get injured…
Despite potential injury to myself this is my favorite wrestling match of the day….it usually takes place on the living room floor, the battle begins, I breath deep, and suddenly I have 3 of the cutest kids in the world crawling all over me! As I duck and dive, dodging the little limbs that fly through the air, all the other wrestling matches for that day are forgotten and I am reminded that no matter how many insignificant duties I have, they all culminate to achieve one result…happy children who will one day become happy adults.
Being a Mom creates such extreme feelings within, from excitement to frustration, a sense of innocence and overwhelming guilt, happy tears, sad tears, bursts of energy then… exhaustion, we are possessive and protective and yet long for some time alone, a much needed break!!! So many emotions, but there is one thing that drives us, one emotion that overides all the others, and that is LOVE! I never have to wrestle with love, I never struggle to love my precious children and in return, they do not wrestle with loving me and that makes all the other wrestling matches worth it.
“I just wanna be with my Mommy”
Posted by: linner06 on: February 6, 2011
So tonight was the big night that Troy and Chloe had been waiting for. Monster Jam! All day they were asking if it was 6 o clock yet, that was when Daddy would pick them up. From around 5 o clock Troy morphed in to a monster truck and literally ran around the house making…well….truck noises!
Zak is too little to go, so I planned on staying home with him.
Earlier in the day both Troy and Chloe had expressed their upset that I was not going with them… Troy said that he was sad that I was not going and Chloe said “I don’t want to go, I just wanna be with my Mommy”. I re-assured them that they would have a great time with Daddy and they got over it fairly quickly and their excitement returned!
As flattered as I was, I was also very surprised! It doesn’t matter how much time they spend with me…and trust me, it is ALOT, they never seem to have had enough! I don’t tell you this to brag, I tell you this to remind you that Mommies are awesome. It does not matter how grumpy we may have been, our kids look up to us in a great way. So heres the hard part… what are they looking up to?
I had a time of reflection…. what are my kids seeing in me every day? What are your kids seeing in you? We are their role models all the time, we can’t tell them “don’t learn from me today, I am having a grumpy day”
Let’s remind ourselves daily of the great responsibility we have as moms, not to put extra pressure on us but to encourage us to look at our own lives and to pursue excellence in all we do.
The Power of a Positive Mom
Posted by: linner06 on: January 22, 2011
So I took the kids to the used book store today… which is closing down 
we have had fun shopping in there, so we went in today for a last look… I just love used bookstores, the smell of the old books, the trip down memory lane as I see books that I read as a child, the colors, the wealth of information and the excitement of digging through each shelf hoping to find something just right. The kids love it too, they want to buy every single book they look at and consequently are given a wonderful decision making opportunity!!!
Anyway, in my exploration of the many shelves one book caught my eye… “The Power of a Positive Mom” By Karol Ladd. Before I even opened the book I had been reminded of how important my attitude is and then as I flicked through I was encouraged just by one or two paragraphs. I didn’t buy it as I had already gone over budget on school books, so I reluctantly placed it back on the shelf and reminded myself that I can be positive without a book having to tell me to be…one day I will read it for sure! I am not one to turn down any help or encouragement. So I tell you this in order to give you the same reminder. Your attitude and behavior affects your kids’ attitudes and behaviors, not just in the long term but also in the moment. When I wake up grumpy, they become grumpy, when I complain, they complain and so on. I am reminded of the saying… “Monkey see, monkey do!”
Anyway, I thought I would include a quote from the book which I liked, I hope it will make you smile and remind you that we moms have many unusual, unappreciated skills…
“Mothers posses a rare form of wisdom. We know important information that others don’t – such as the exact location of the restroom in every grocery store in town…”
I am sure this book is a great read and if you are in need of some encouragement in this area check it out, it won’t hurt right?? ….well maybe a little!!
Whatever we do, whatever we don’t do, whatever we should do or shouldn’t do, one thing always remains true, if we make mistakes, we should say sorry to our kids, let that be the positive lesson that comes from a negative moment.
Have a great day friends filled with positive words and encouragement! And in your moments of weakness…remind yourself… “Monkey see, monkey do!”
The Adventurer Returns
Posted by: linner06 on: January 22, 2011
Hi everyone! My last post “A New Adventure” was all about my decision to homeschool…. That was written 2 months ago and I must apologize for my lack of posts while we have been having a time of transition. Homeschooling is going really well but it has had it’s challenges for Troy and for me and to be fair, Chloe has probably had the biggest challenge having to share me more. She went from being alone at home with Mommy while I was pregnant and Troy was in school to then having a baby brother, to then having Troy back at home.
Anyway, all that said, we are now settled in to our new routine and we have seen many positive changes in the kids and in our family. We have become closer, more routine focused and less “free for all” which in turn has created a more positive atmosphere. Less fighting between Troy and Chloe and more hugs and encouraging words. Troy has a chore routine and has become more helpful around the house in general, ie. he goes over and above what is expected. They are more likely now to think of others before themselves and appreciate others doing things for them…. “Thank you Mommy, the food is delicious”…..
It has not all been sweetness and roses and we all have our moments of course but in general I believe that for us, homeschooling was the right decision, for now at least!!!
A New Adventure
Posted by: linner06 on: November 13, 2010
So I have nothing against public school in general, however after several incidents we decided to pull Troy and start homeschooling. After one week, we are enjoying our new adventure. I become Mrs Teacher and though I keep telling them that I am still Mommy, they insist on calling me Mrs Teacher. I like it actually, it kind of differentiates the time we spend together at “school”. I have been considering homeschool for some time but in my selfishness ruled it out believing that I was not good enough, smart enough or organized enough to do the job and looked forward to a time when all the kids were in school so I could have some ME time. Since my decision to go for it, I have realized that this is the best decision I could have made right now for me and my kids.
I am aware that not every day will be shiny, however I am excited at the prospect of engaging in times of discovery with the kids and forcing my creative juices to come up with new and exciting projects…. Since I found myself getting so excited and coming up with all these ideas for creative play, and finding learning opportunities in EVERYTHING, I had to stop and ask myself… “What really changed?” Why was I not excited before about the day to day activities that I am now seeing as wonderful opportunities? It is because I did not see ‘mommyhood’ as purposeful, I knew it was and always told myself that what I am doing is important blah, blah, but often fell in to the trap that whilst at home with the kids, I was being wasted. That I could do far more for the world if I was not with the kids 24/7 and that as soon as they are all in school I can get ‘out there’ and help others… Well let me tell you now how my perspective has changed…
I now remind myself that I get one shot at this Mommy job… when they leave home and get married…(or not) I will long for them to be here with me. I will be fed up of ‘ME’ and me time will no longer be important. It is an absolute honor to be in charge of 3 little lives and to help them discover themselves and the world around them. What a joy to be able to play, read, dance, sing, watch TV, go to the park and much more…all in a day’s ‘work’.
As you can tell from many of my posts, I have days when I could just pull out my hair, when all I want is to go and sit in a coffee house with a good book and you know what? Thats okay, when those days come….GO! Go and have a coffee, have a time out, because it is during that time out that you can recharge and once again remind yourself about what is really important. And when you return to your little ones with your hair in tact, you can continue on in your exciting adventure together, stress free and thankful for those little tikes you call yours!
Beautiful World
Posted by: linner06 on: August 24, 2010
So, it seems that now Zak is crawling… EVERYWHERE… I have to up my game. For a while there, with Troy and Chloe being older, I have been able to actually take my eyes off them and do other things. Now Zak is mobile, I am losing my world again and living in a whirl wind of closing doors, mopping floors, running to the stairs (we can not find a baby gate that fits), scanning the floor for small toys, and much more. So in my life that is now a constant workout I am hoping to be skinny very soon…. okay, so thats not my main point…!!!!
Zak’s world is one of curious adventure and exploration. Everything he sees he wants to touch (…and eat). Nothing bores him and he is always interested. He laughs at the simplest of things and is excited each time he learns something new, his latest skill being to wave hello and bye, bye! So I was wondering, at what point in life does our world become less amazing to us? At what point does the mundane and boring set in? And why do we allow that to happen?
I am not saying that my life is mundane and boring… far from it. But do I appreciate and celebrate the world? Probably not in the same way I did at 9 months old!!! Just because I have seen the sky, trees and sun (ok, so maybe not the sun…) every day for the past 34 years doesn’t make them any less amazing. I guess watching Zak’s awe and amazement has reminded me of the beauty of this world around me.
So now it is time for me to think about how to keep the my children interested in their world and help them appreciate it’s beauty. It’s time for me to ensure their ‘worlds’ are not made up of TV screens and video games, though of course there is a time for those…
So today, as soon as Troy gets off the school bus, we are headed to the park for some “nature appreciation”!
Though my little monkey will most likely be climbing as high as he can on the play equipment, he will at least be able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful lake in the distance!
I want to encourage you to renew your inner child, replace the awful, with the awesome and once again explore your world with your children and see what treasures you find!
Summer 2010
Posted by: linner06 on: August 7, 2010
Hello again! It has been a long, fun, sometimes challenging summer and I have not updated for quite some time… sorry!
So, at the start of the summer the kids and I had already collected various pieces of ‘trash’ for our summer project… “The Cereal Box City”. For the first couple of weeks we spent time constructing our city, from the planning stages to the cutting, gluing and putting together stage. Battling through challenges like Zak wanting to eat anything cardboard and Chloe wanting to literally walk through our city streets, Troy and I marched on to complete ‘Thakurville’, with a High School, football ground, HEB, a church, sub-division with pool and of course, a park! The city is made up of, boxes, toothpicks, egg boxes, construction paper and lots and lots of tape and glue. Not forgetting how we meticulously colored all the streets, and oh, I designed a block-paved drive-way for the school…very posh! Once it was finished, we felt so proud of our creation… now what?
I’ll tell you what, for the rest of the summer there has not been one day when they have not asked… “Can we go and play with the city?” That city has entertained them like you would not imagine. They dug out every little (and large) car that they own, people, animals….and Chloe have walked the streets of Thakurville, it has been dragged from game room, to bedroom and back to game room. Troy has added “for sale” signs on the sub-division and “workers needed” signs at HEB. I don’t really know what I was expecting, but their creative juices have certainly been caused to flow.
In-between playing with the city, there have been swimming trips and park visits and we have spent time with friends. We have had fun, we have had tears, we have had laughs and more TV than usual. Now summer is coming to end and Troy will be entering 1st Grade I am wondering….will I survive the shopping trip for school supplies and how we will cope at home with out Troy, as he heads back off to school Chloe, Zak and I will miss our tornado of fun, he leads them in play, throws himself around just to get even 1/2 a giggle from Zak and helps Mommy around the house with anything…. and by the way, why is it he begs to dust, vacuum and wash-up, but whines about cleaning up the toys????? Anyway…
I hope your summer has been fun and that you have learned more about your kids and yourself, I certainly have. They make me a better person… I hope I can return the favor!
Living beyond the bubble…
Posted by: linner06 on: May 29, 2010
Today we went to a picnic in the park with our church family. It was a great day. A couple of moments stood out to me, they were such a blessing. I was on my own with the 3 kids as my husband was working. As we got to the park, a friend (who does not have kids, just btw) spotted us… she instantly ran right over to the car to help us unload, I did not even have to ask. Once we were unloaded, another friend of mine, (a single Mom) took Chloe off to play and moments later came back for Troy. She offered to take them to the playground while I fed Zak.
These small offerings spoke volumes to me, my friend, who barely gets a break for herself, works full time, still came to help me. And the first friend, who has no kids thought to help even though she has never really experienced the difficult tasks of loading and unloading a bunch of little kids, day in and day out! Its not as if I couldn’t handle the task, I am very capable, however it is these little moments, where someone thinks of us or even just notices, that can really change our day…lets face it, every load and unload has potential for drama!!!
So, who can you help today? I have been challenged to look beyond my own bubble, to make an effort to really see what is going on around me to see if there is anything I can do to be a blessing to someone else. And so, here I am challenging you to do the same… and to my special two that helped me today… thank you!
