This week we are focusing on learning all about the letter A. How to write it, recognize it in a word and how to sound it out. We have crafts planned and activities that we want to do. It's going to be so much fun!
Today (Monday) we colored in a large letter A and talked about the sounds it makes. We quizzed each other, asking Does this word or that word contain the letter A? It was so much fun!
Here is the schedule for the rest of week: I am going to add photos to the end of this post so you can see our creations.
Tuesday: work in our alphabet workbook
Wednesday: At the grocery store, point out food that contains the letter A
Thursday: read a book and point out where we see the letter A at the beginning of each word
Friday: Craft Day. Do a craft (to be decided later) that involves the letter A
Along with these various activities, we are going to add Arm wrestling into our daily physical activities.
What do you have planned for this week?
February 27, 2012
February 12, 2012
Our Reasons for Homeschooling: Part 1
Homeschooling. It's not for everyone, but for us it seems to be the right thing to do for our children and growing family. We have many people asking questions like why, how, what about post secondary education and aren't you afraid your going to ruin their future? I have also had people state that they won't get socialized, that I can't handle it and we should just put them in school, because it's convienient and I need to get a job.
Quite frankly I am getting a little tired with how rude and judgemental some people can be. I completely understand others being curious, I welcome questions from those who just want to understand why and how we do it. I don't welcome people making comments like "you are going to ruin their lives", yeesh talk about being dramatic. I am going to adress some of the questions and comments I have received so far. To give you a broader understanding of homeschooling and why we chose this path for our children.
Why? Why did we choose to homeschool?
It took us quite a while to decide which path we wanted to take for educating our children. We researched all options, spoke to other homeschooling families (past and present) and prayed about it. It's not a decision we came to lightly. The deciding factor is when we sent our daughter to a preschool.
She was not happy there, she fought us every morning, it was exhausting for all of us. Then when we picked her up after school, she didn't leave excited, like the other children. She was sad and depressed. It broke our heart to see our daughter going through so much, so young. When we approached the teachers they didn't have an answer for us, they blew off our concern, saying its normal. I disagree, a 4 year old should leave school happy, because it's about learning through play. It didn't sit right with us. We thought, is this what it's going to be like for the next 14 years?
She has been out of school for almost one year now and is so happy. She is growing and thriving. We are very happy with our decision.
How? How do you homeschool?
There are so many different ways to home school. Every child learns differently and every parents teaching style is different. We are so new to homeschooling that we are still trying to figure it out. There are so many online resources that you can find, and with a simple google search you can find many support groups in your area.
Right now since our daughter is only 5, we have been following her lead. Playing with her, teaching her through dress up and work books. Giving her as many opportunities to learn as we can.
We have joined a few homeschool groups. There we have been able to find support and have questions answered by other families who are seasoned homeschoolers. We have also found people who are new, like us, to share in our new knowledge and work together in figuring it out.
If homeschooling is something your considering, I urge you to research as much as you can and find these groups. Ask them questions. If there is one thing that homeschool families enjoy, it is having the chance to talk about their path in homeschooling.
Quite frankly I am getting a little tired with how rude and judgemental some people can be. I completely understand others being curious, I welcome questions from those who just want to understand why and how we do it. I don't welcome people making comments like "you are going to ruin their lives", yeesh talk about being dramatic. I am going to adress some of the questions and comments I have received so far. To give you a broader understanding of homeschooling and why we chose this path for our children.
Why? Why did we choose to homeschool?
It took us quite a while to decide which path we wanted to take for educating our children. We researched all options, spoke to other homeschooling families (past and present) and prayed about it. It's not a decision we came to lightly. The deciding factor is when we sent our daughter to a preschool.
She was not happy there, she fought us every morning, it was exhausting for all of us. Then when we picked her up after school, she didn't leave excited, like the other children. She was sad and depressed. It broke our heart to see our daughter going through so much, so young. When we approached the teachers they didn't have an answer for us, they blew off our concern, saying its normal. I disagree, a 4 year old should leave school happy, because it's about learning through play. It didn't sit right with us. We thought, is this what it's going to be like for the next 14 years?
She has been out of school for almost one year now and is so happy. She is growing and thriving. We are very happy with our decision.
How? How do you homeschool?
There are so many different ways to home school. Every child learns differently and every parents teaching style is different. We are so new to homeschooling that we are still trying to figure it out. There are so many online resources that you can find, and with a simple google search you can find many support groups in your area.
Right now since our daughter is only 5, we have been following her lead. Playing with her, teaching her through dress up and work books. Giving her as many opportunities to learn as we can.
We have joined a few homeschool groups. There we have been able to find support and have questions answered by other families who are seasoned homeschoolers. We have also found people who are new, like us, to share in our new knowledge and work together in figuring it out.
If homeschooling is something your considering, I urge you to research as much as you can and find these groups. Ask them questions. If there is one thing that homeschool families enjoy, it is having the chance to talk about their path in homeschooling.
February 8, 2012
Starting Fresh
I started this blog in hopes to document my personal journey to becoming a childbirth educator and breastfeeding mentor. I had a plan. Goals for this blog. Those all went down the drain when my fiancé and I decided last minute to get married.
Like most everyone planning a wedding, my life was consumed by it. I was obsessed with looking at online garage sales for the perfect deal for decorations, organizing the food, the venue, the music. For 3 months my life and the lives of my family were chaotic and stressful. I slowly was turning into 'bridezilla' because everything had to be perfect. All my other projects and goals were pushed off to the side, including my education and this blog.
Now that our wedding has come and past, I am finding I have time again, but not time to pursue my education. My husband and I have decided to home educate our children and he is pursueing his own educational goals. Since life has put a wrench in my plans, I decided that I want to blog still, but not about my education. About our life. About homeschooling, our family and anything else I feel that I want to write about.
I hope you follow our journey. I am not sure where we will end up, but I am sure that it will be a fun trip. I am really excited about sharing our experiences with you. I hope you enjoy reading about our journey and find some inspiration in it.
From my family to yours,
The S Family.
Like most everyone planning a wedding, my life was consumed by it. I was obsessed with looking at online garage sales for the perfect deal for decorations, organizing the food, the venue, the music. For 3 months my life and the lives of my family were chaotic and stressful. I slowly was turning into 'bridezilla' because everything had to be perfect. All my other projects and goals were pushed off to the side, including my education and this blog.
Now that our wedding has come and past, I am finding I have time again, but not time to pursue my education. My husband and I have decided to home educate our children and he is pursueing his own educational goals. Since life has put a wrench in my plans, I decided that I want to blog still, but not about my education. About our life. About homeschooling, our family and anything else I feel that I want to write about.
I hope you follow our journey. I am not sure where we will end up, but I am sure that it will be a fun trip. I am really excited about sharing our experiences with you. I hope you enjoy reading about our journey and find some inspiration in it.
From my family to yours,
The S Family.
August 4, 2011
I have come across 2 different websites which I have fallen in love with. The first being The Shape of a Mother and the second is This is a Woman. I go through and read all the stories of different women and their self image issues and how they have conquered them or are trying to overcome them. Makes me think of myself and my own issues I have with my own body image.
I like to think I am perfectly fine being at the weight I am and on the outside it does look like I am totally comfortable in my own skin. When I am around my friends I find myself telling them how I don't care what I look like anymore. Which on the one hand is true and on the other hand it's my own little lie, trying to make myself feel better and to convince myself that I am fine.
I am tired of worrying over how big I am and how I look. I am tired of wondering what people think of me. When I am shopping for clothes, I am tired of feeling so self conscious and worrying about how this shirt will look on me and if I can even find it in my size. All this worry is exhausting and makes me want to just stay inside my house.
When I am pregnant, I love my body. I love how I look and feel. I am so confident in myself and comfortable in my own skin. So for 9 months I don't worry anymore, I go into a store confidently looking for my size and I usually find it because during pregnancy I loose weight. With my first I lost about 30 pounds and my second I lost almost 45 pounds. Postpartum hits and my confidence high has ended, I gain all that weight back and then some I am right back to where I started pre-pregnancy. I want to be that confident everyday, not just during pregnancies.
Then I read blogs like this one and this one and I am jealous at how easy it all sounds to just accept what I look like and who I am. I am so worried that I am going to pass down my body issues to my daughter. To quote a blog I read once "I shall attempt to not pass down my own messed up body issues to my daughter. She deserves a mother who loves and respects herself; stretch marks, cellulite and all." She needs a mom to show her to be confident in herself and her body.
I don't know a lot of things, but one of the things I do know is, I am going to try to accept me for who I am and what I look like. I am going to tell myself I am a beautiful, smart, kind, gentle and a loving person and mother and hopefully, just maybe, one of these days I will love my body. I will love how I look and feel and when I walk into a department store, I shall go in confidently. I will remind myself that I was made in Gods perfect image and He wants me to be happy and confident in who I am. So I am going to try to accept my body for myself, my daughter and for God. This is only just the beginning.
I like to think I am perfectly fine being at the weight I am and on the outside it does look like I am totally comfortable in my own skin. When I am around my friends I find myself telling them how I don't care what I look like anymore. Which on the one hand is true and on the other hand it's my own little lie, trying to make myself feel better and to convince myself that I am fine.
I am tired of worrying over how big I am and how I look. I am tired of wondering what people think of me. When I am shopping for clothes, I am tired of feeling so self conscious and worrying about how this shirt will look on me and if I can even find it in my size. All this worry is exhausting and makes me want to just stay inside my house.
When I am pregnant, I love my body. I love how I look and feel. I am so confident in myself and comfortable in my own skin. So for 9 months I don't worry anymore, I go into a store confidently looking for my size and I usually find it because during pregnancy I loose weight. With my first I lost about 30 pounds and my second I lost almost 45 pounds. Postpartum hits and my confidence high has ended, I gain all that weight back and then some I am right back to where I started pre-pregnancy. I want to be that confident everyday, not just during pregnancies.
Then I read blogs like this one and this one and I am jealous at how easy it all sounds to just accept what I look like and who I am. I am so worried that I am going to pass down my body issues to my daughter. To quote a blog I read once "I shall attempt to not pass down my own messed up body issues to my daughter. She deserves a mother who loves and respects herself; stretch marks, cellulite and all." She needs a mom to show her to be confident in herself and her body.
I don't know a lot of things, but one of the things I do know is, I am going to try to accept me for who I am and what I look like. I am going to tell myself I am a beautiful, smart, kind, gentle and a loving person and mother and hopefully, just maybe, one of these days I will love my body. I will love how I look and feel and when I walk into a department store, I shall go in confidently. I will remind myself that I was made in Gods perfect image and He wants me to be happy and confident in who I am. So I am going to try to accept my body for myself, my daughter and for God. This is only just the beginning.
June 5, 2011
Orgasmic Birth Book Review
I have started to read Orgasmic Birth written by Elizabeth Davis and Debra Pascali-Bonaro. I have heard great things about this book by different bloggers and book reviews, so when I was at chapters looking at the childbirth and parenting section, this book caught my eye almost instantly.
So far I am half-way through and love love love this book. I thought about writing a book review for it, but then I found this blog. She wrote a review on the book and I simply cannot say it any better than she already has. I encourage you to read her review of Orgasmic Birth.
So far I am half-way through and love love love this book. I thought about writing a book review for it, but then I found this blog. She wrote a review on the book and I simply cannot say it any better than she already has. I encourage you to read her review of Orgasmic Birth.
April 10, 2011
Decisions, Decisions
I am wanting to take a childbirth educators course, but I had no idea there are so many different places I can certify through. I would love to become a certified Bradley Method instructor, only problem you have to attend a workshop. Normally that would not be a problem at all, but all the workshops are in the United States. I do not have the time nor the money to go to California or Washington, even if it would be an amazing experience. They also strongly recommend your husband attend the workshops with you. Unfortunately my husband's work would not allow for that much time away and the times that he is allowed to take vacation there are no courses being offered, go figure.
So, here I am researching all the other courses that I can take. Its a difficult decision because there are so many great places out there. I need to figure out what company fits my philosophy of birth and what company do I feel can offer me the best education. After tonnes of research and many hours soul searching, I have decided on my top three possibilities.
1. Birthing From Within
2. Internation Birth and Wellness Project (Also known as Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators.)
3. Aviva Institute
I am unsure which course I am going to take, luckily there is no reason for me to make a split-second decision. I am going to take time to think and reflect on my options. I know I am going to make the best decision for me, my family and my future students.
So, here I am researching all the other courses that I can take. Its a difficult decision because there are so many great places out there. I need to figure out what company fits my philosophy of birth and what company do I feel can offer me the best education. After tonnes of research and many hours soul searching, I have decided on my top three possibilities.
1. Birthing From Within
2. Internation Birth and Wellness Project (Also known as Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators.)
3. Aviva Institute
I am unsure which course I am going to take, luckily there is no reason for me to make a split-second decision. I am going to take time to think and reflect on my options. I know I am going to make the best decision for me, my family and my future students.
March 22, 2011
Dealing with Oversupply
In My Breastfeeding Journey post, I briefly mentioned oversupply. I said; Its so hard to see other people breastfeed and complain about little things like sore nipples or over producing. I NEED to edit that statement. Having oversupply, really isn't a small issue.
For someone like myself having oversupply looks like a blessing, something no one should be complaining about. At least your able to feed your baby right? For someone who has oversupply it could be just as much of a struggle as someone who has low supply.
I do not know enough about oversupply to try and educate you, however I wanted to publish a few links for people who are struggling with oversupply to go and check out. I believe education is so important, please don't give up when times get rough. If you educate yourself and find help you can succeed. Breastfeeding will and does get easier. So please take the time to find help, because later down the road you will look back and feel so proud of all you accomplished. Not to mention the benefits to baby if you persevere.
Here are the links I promised, I am sure there are so many more out there. These are just a few to get you started. Enjoy!
http://www.llli.org/faq/oversupply.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html
http://www.drjacknewman.com/breastfeeding-help.asp
For someone like myself having oversupply looks like a blessing, something no one should be complaining about. At least your able to feed your baby right? For someone who has oversupply it could be just as much of a struggle as someone who has low supply.
I do not know enough about oversupply to try and educate you, however I wanted to publish a few links for people who are struggling with oversupply to go and check out. I believe education is so important, please don't give up when times get rough. If you educate yourself and find help you can succeed. Breastfeeding will and does get easier. So please take the time to find help, because later down the road you will look back and feel so proud of all you accomplished. Not to mention the benefits to baby if you persevere.
Here are the links I promised, I am sure there are so many more out there. These are just a few to get you started. Enjoy!
http://www.llli.org/faq/oversupply.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html
http://www.drjacknewman.com/breastfeeding-help.asp
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