Here are some lovely things people have had to say about Simply Fun – A Collection Of Simply Fun Activities For 2-3 Year Olds (ebook):

You can buy your copy HERE.

“Thank you so much for sending it to me!  We printed it last night and I have already begun to mark activities I want to do with our 2 1/2 year old.  As a former kindergarten teacher (now SAHM) I love finding things that are educational and promote memory making with my kids.  It looks great!”   – Melissa

“I love the book its amazing. My family and I are enjoying the various activities. “  – Latanya

“Thank you so much for sending your Simply Fun Ebook.  Liv is a little young for the activities yet, but I enjoyed reading it and can’t wait until I can try out some of the fun idea.”  – Carrie

“Thank you so much for this ebook!  I love that the ideas are so easy and use everyday, inexpensive materials.”  – Charity

“Thanks so much for that Ashley. What a great collection of ideas you’ve put together. My little one is only 10 months old, but I’ve put it in my parenting folder for when she’s a bit older. It’s so great to get ideas from other mums, because so often I just come up blank!  Cheers!”   – Emma

Welcome back!

When your first child is in the womb and you feel those rib-shattering kicks, you wonder if you’re child is going to be a star soccer player – or a member of the Chinese mob.  And then, when your child begins tip-toeing around the room, arms gracefully waving before and over her, you wonder if she’s going to be a dancer.  Until, of course, she does an unmistakable booty dance move (which you KNOW you didn’t teach her) and then you’re all ready for her to just learn something new because really, how many strippers can afford to take care of their parents?  That, and it makes for awkward conversation in some circles.

You wonder and dream about the talents your children will have bestowed upon them.  You imagine what they’ll be like when they’re older and if they’ll even remember much of anything about right now.

But, then they do something unexpected.

Last night, I was awoken by tiny little whispers by my ear.  “Mommy,” the shushed voice said, “there’s a man-thing in my room.”

“What?”  I mumbled, sleep still fogging all of senses.  I mean, I’d heard what she’d said, but wasn’t really sure I wasn’t concocting her standing there in my own little imagination.

“Mommy…” she repeated, “There’s a man in my room.  He told me to call him UN LADY.  He kind of looks like a girl.”  She went on to explain that the night visitor did have a mouth, nose, ears, and was moving about in her room.

“Mmph.”  I grumbled.  “Get in bed with mommy.”  I motioned to the other side of the bed as I swiftly knocked off the books and planner into the floor.

Normally, I would’ve ran straight into her room.  I would’ve checked (for my own sake) under every little nook and between any cranny for a person.  But, last night?  I knew that whatever she saw – whether it was paranormal or her overactive imagination – wasn’t something I’d be able to see or touch.  And, really, I can’t pepper spray THAT.  And, I’m pretty sure my landlord wouldn’t believe me when he rushed in to see bullet holes in the wall.  I really doubt he’d care that I was trying to make do because I was fresh out of pure silver bullets.

I always wondered what her talents would be, I never really thought it would be a sixth sense.

My little girl can see dead people.  How awesome is that?  Right.  Tonight, we’re loading up water guns with holy water.

Things we hope to cover this month (and ideas on how to do so):

- China Review:  We made a China lapbook when we had our first intro to China.  So, we’ll be going back over that.

- Counting to 20:  We’ve made little number cards using index cards, consisting of 2 decks – one for written numbers and the other with an illustration (made by drawing with markers and cutting out magazine pictures, which we did together).  We use the cards as both flashcards and as a matching game.  We also sing the “20″ song – which is basically counting to 20 in a song.  And, we count our snacks (and anything else).

- Major body parts:  We sing the “Head, shoulder’s, knees, and toes!” song and practice pointing out body parts using baby dolls and self.

- Weather:  We learned about different types of weather and talked about the weather as it changes.  Plus, we made these:

- Distinguishing between letters A-G:  She’s been introduced to letters but sometimes still has trouble distinguishing between letters like C and G or B and D or E and F.  So, we have a game that we play:  Using a sheet of white printer paper, I will write out the letters A-G in no particular order (and sometimes different sizes), usually each letter will be repeated 3 times on the paper.  Then, she or I will decide on a letter to call out and she uses markers or stickers to identify those letters.  For example, right now, stickers are a big hit at our house.  So, when we call “A,” she finds all A stickers and may put a bunny sticker on all of the A’s (because we’re going through easter stickers) and B’s may have paw print stickers or blue stickers, etc.  It’s fun and she gets to practice motor skills all at once!

-Like vs. unlike:  Also, same vs. different.  We pulled out some homemade “memory” game cards (made with squares of pretty scrapbook paper) and Lorelei went through pairs as I laid them out, deciding if they were same or different (and then, like or unlike).  We’ve also been known to use the girl’s basket of shoes for this game!  And, occasionally, we’ll use the pre-designed worksheets for this activity, you know – just for conventionality’s sake.

-Stars and Planets

- Seasons:  We’ve read and keep re-reading Four Seasons for Little People and have a never-ending discussion about seasons as they change and their differences.  (By the way, I found this book on the free table at a local book sale.  It’s pretty old and last time I checked Amazon, you can get it for under $5!)

- Shapes

- Japan 1

- Beginner Math:  We use a lot of crackers and snack foods for this one!  We give Lorelei 1-5 crackers and then ask her how many she’d have left if we took __ crackers…or, we’ll ask how many she’d have if we gave her __crackers.

- more/less than and same:  We generally use 2 sheets of colored paper (or other divided spaces) and place objects in those spaces and ask her which has more/less or if they’re the same.  We also use worksheets that we’ve made or found so she’ll be able to do it on paper.

- Simple measurements: Currently, we’re introducing the idea of measuring things using other objects.  For example, right now, we are using hands or paper to measure how LONG rugs and furniture and lines are just to get her used to the concept.  Soon, we will begin using yardsticks and rulers to measure yards and feet, and then move onto weight and volume.  Remember, it’s preschool.  Keep it simple and fun!

Due to popular request, I’m making this available online.  This is what Lorelei’s preschool curriculum looks like.  Preschool is generally between the ages of 3 and 5, so if your kiddo doesn’t really seem to care/grasp some of these things, don’t push it.  Sometimes, repetition is the key!  (And you know best what your child is ready for)  Anyhow, here’s our tentative [rest of the] year at a glance!:

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May -
9-15:  China 1, Letter A, care of pets, the sun, simple measurements, calendar, clock
16-22:  China 2, Letter B, jobs, weather, major body parts, intro to 1-20, calendar, clock
23-31:  Overview of different countries, Letter C, safety rules and symbols, weather, count to 20, calendar, clock

June -
Father’s Day, other traditions in America, Letters DEFG, like and unlike plants, indoor plants, stars and planets, weather and seasons, count to 20, calendar, clock, shapes

July –
Independence Day, Japan 1,  Letters HIJK, weather and seasons, temperature, count to 20, more/less than/same, calendar, clock

August -
Japan 2, Korea 1 &2, Letters LMNO, Light, Colors, Senses, meaning of addition and subtraction (although she may not be able to DO it written out…), calendar , clock, number line intro

September -
India 1 & 2, PQRS, Earth/moon/stars/planets (visit planetarium), denominations of money

October –
Halloween, Antartica 1&2, TUVW, basic chart and graph

November -
Thanksgiving, Russia 1&2, XYZ

December 2010 –
Christmas, Germany 1 &2

*Things will get moved around and repeated as needed.  Keep checking in with us for updates and specific activities!

*Yes, I am aware that my child looks a little homeless.  I assure you her hair was brushed right AFTER this picture.

What?  You don’t put up photos of your children with wet, un-brushed hair and bubba teeth?

I used to be one of those moms who was all “Oh yeh, I’ll never lie to my kids.  I’ll just only tell them what they specifically ask when things get sticky.”

*snort*  Yeh, that didn’t last long.

You know, we thought we were just SO friggin’ smart when we took away her pacifier and let her “find her thumb” – as if it was lost.  We figured, “Oh hey, now she can’t lose it!”  -And, well, at least that part was true, but after she turned 3, it wasn’t something we were so excited about.

Like any good parents, we did the bribery thing.  “Lorelei, let’s not suck your thumb and then we can get you a baby mermaid, okay?”  Being the master negotiator that she is (she IS my daughter, after all), she eyed me suspiciously.  “You’re going to get me the whale?”

“No, honey.  Mommy will get you the Ariel princess baby mermaid.  Won’t that be FUN?!”  (said a little too excitedly that even the baby knew I was exaggerating)

“Yeh.  The Princess whale.”

(I tried not to grin.  Oh, she is my daughter! – And, I could completely see her point.  Ariel IS almost a whale.)  “Yeh, her.  But, only if you stop sucking your thumb!  Okay?”

“Okay!” She declared, “Look!  I no suck my thumb!  Where’s my whale?”

I quickly clarified that she had to stop sucking her thumb PERIOD.  Then, it became a no-deal.  Not even princess whales were worth that.

Then, like any good parent, I upped my tactics and went with the bittertastingthumb.  She just frowned and sucked more vigorously.  FAIL.

We tried making it a rule, where thumb sucking was no longer allowed.

We tried to reason with the kid, telling her that if she kept sucking her thumb, her teeth would look funny and her finger would be all yucky.  She wasn’t too concerned.  Oh, she talked about it nonstop with questions, but she did it between sucking.

Our pediatrician even told us that if we were worried enough, we could do the hand cover that she’d wear for several months CONTINUOUSLY that would keep her from physically putting her thumb into her mouth.  That seemed a little barbaric to me, so we decided to wait.

I’d finally given up, figuring I’d have a 17 year old thumb-sucker when she asked,

“What’s this?”  Pointing to the nasty callous on her thumb.  I think my head may have dropped into my hands at that point, not ready for ANOTHER thumb-sucking conversation that would end with… thumb sucking.  My husband, without missing a beat, picked up the conversation.

“It’s where you’re sucking your thumb off.”

“I am not!”  She said, horrified at the accusation she’d just been charged with.

“Yep, if you suck your thumb too much, it’ll just fall off!”

Eying him suspiciously, she turned to me, “Mommy, is my thumb going to fall off?”

“Um, just listen to your father!”  I said too brightly, hightailing it out of the room to fill up my already full glass of water.

She placed her thumb in her mouth, eyes on us, then took it back out.  “Can I suck my thumb?  Is it going to fall off?”

“That’s up to you!  You can suck it if you want to, but it might fall off if you do!”

The seed was planted.

And so it was:  If you suck your thumb, it might fall off.

A few days later, in the van:

“Mommy?  What’s that?”  She said, pointing to a series of ambulances zooming past with their sirens blaring.

Without missing a beat, I replied, “Probably someone’s finger fell off….  Lorelei!  Check your thumbs!  Are they still there?”

She pulled out her thumbs (which were attached).

“Phew.  That was close.”  I said, as my mother gave me a sideways glance from the driver’s seat and mouthed “Whattheheck?”

Yep.  Parenting at it’s finest.

In related news:  Lorelei no longer sucks her thumb!

Depending on who you ask, the words “financial freedom” could evoke a number of different images and meanings.  But, if you were to ask ME, it would look like:

-Debt free living
-Passive income
-Ability to comfortably live below my means

And, I think for most of us, those would be some of the recurring themes in most of our ideas of what “financial freedom” is.  Over the past 5 years, I’ve learned a lot about money and frugality and thought it would be fun to start a series where we could come together to share ideas and learn new ones.  Please feel free to email me or comment here with your ideas

One of the first things my husband and I learned to do was making a budget.  Of course, we had a very “loose” interpretation of the word “budget,” when we first began.  Our first “budget makeover” came after reading Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover, but has since evolved a number of times.  In fact, even my thoughts about how to even create a budget have evolved with time.  It’s a learning experience, and there’s no ONE right way to do it.  You do what works for you.

I’m going to share with you how we arrived at the budget that works for us and give you a sample of what that looks like.

When my husband had one of his first job changeovers, we had decided that SOMETHING had to change in our finances.  There was too much money OUTGOING and not enough INCOMING.  Change is hard.  And, I don’t meet many people who restrict themselves to budgets (in the beginning, at least) because they have TOO much money…it’s usually people who are trying to make ends meet, and then it just goes from there.  It was the same for us.

When we first began, we took our incoming amount (paycheck) and did all of the percentages they recommend to you – like (this percentage) of your total paycheck should be for a house, then a certain percentage for cars, entertainment, and so on…  And, when we were done, we had the perfect budget… for someone else.

Now, we have a different method for rewriting our budget (it gets rewritten as our needs change and arise).

First, write out all debts and all incoming money.  (You can use some of the worksheets from daveramsey.com or you can make your own.)

Second, take some time to write out all outgoing money in a given week.  It may take a week, or it may take journaling every time money is spent for 30 days.  Track all purchases, even the random gum purchase.

Third, write down the PRIORITIES for YOUR given situation.  Choose two.

When we took the time to write down all of our incoming and outgoing money, we knew that according to the “books” we shouldn’t be splurging on a lot of the things we’d become accustomed to.  But for US, the two priorities were being able to tithe and keeping the internet.  So, we looked in other areas for the “parring down,” and did our best to leave the internet as it was – although, sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures, so if you find yourself needing extra money, you may have to give it up for a while (or find a creative solution) BUT it’s on the “last to go” list.

Fourth, take a hard look at all outgoing expenses (including debts) and really think about how the money gets spent, or if there are any things that could be parred down or done without.

After looking at our own expenses, we quickly realized that Satellite and Netflix weren’t something we needed.  Actually, freeing ourselves from that small financial expense opened us up to blessings we wouldn’t have otherwise discovered – we began being more active and spending more time with our family and using our time in more creative and rewarding ways.  Now, we wouldn’t go back!  We also decided to cut back on gas, having the numbers in front of our faces really made us aware that we were spending a crazy amount.  So, we began organizing things in our lives so that we could run important errands and grocery shop on certain days.  There were some expenses that we couldn’t tweak, but there were so many that we could: grocery budgets, miscellaneous items, toiletries, clothing, etc.  So, we discussed and agreed on terms and went from there…

Fifth, come up with a goal.  I have a secret to tell you:  If you don’t have a goal that you’re trying to attain with your budget, you probably won’t stick to it.  Maybe you’re trying to save money – for a house, college, retirement, new car, furniture, etc.  Or, maybe you just want to live more comfortably or go on more vacations.  Talk about your goals, and if it helps, put a photo of it on your refrigerator to help you remember!

Sixth, make it flexible.  Have you ever tried making a budget but then your friend has a birthday, so before you know it, you go out and have a couple of drinks (come on, you’re celebrating) and before you know it, you just spent $50 on food and drinks – which was half of your food budget for 2 weeks…all in one night!  Or, maybe you write out your budget and then your kid comes home and NEEDS something for school.  Or, maybe your kids suddenly go through a growth spurt and just won’t. stop. eating!  Yeh, you have to be flexible.  You can put “cushions” in your budget, you can round-up to the next dollar when you’re keeping track of what you spend (so what your paper shows you have left is less than what you ACTUALLY have), you can keep “special money” in a jar to the side, etc.

I’m a list person, so what works for us in keeping our budget flexible is I keep a small notebook in my purse (or a used envelope ) and on it, I write out:  $200 groceries, $150 misc., $100 gas.  Then, throughout the month, as we spend money (after bills), it has to go in one of those columns.  I subtract and keep a running total (allowing myself to see the purchases as I go).  Occasionally we need more gas, or there’s a celebration and we need more food money, so we take it from other columns.  Generally, this works for us.  We’ve become self-disciplined enough to know that if we take $10 out of gas, then I’ll need to not drive much that week – or, I may forego a specialty body wash/shampoo/etc. that I generally like to get.  We just get creative!

Seventh, make it yours and put it in action.  Feel free to revise it as you figure out what’s important to you.  Remember, this budget is about YOU, and my needs/wants vs. your needs/wants could look completely different.  So, make it about you and then use it.

So, tell me:  Do you use a budget?  Have any other tips?  Why do you keep a budget – what are you hoping will come from it?

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)

This helped me and I wanted to share it.  Go here (it’s a devotional).

Kinda cool, check it.

Go to JoinTheColony.com for more!

I’ve been trying to pour my energy into something … productive.

SIMPLY FUN – A collection of simply fun activities for your 2-3 year old

LINK HERE.

And, with that said, I’m giving away FREE COPIES to the first 30 people anyone who responds to this by comment or email (today only).  (Although, if you don’t get in with the first 30, you can still buy your own copy for only $2!)

UPDATE:  Due to the GREAT and quick response, I will be giving away FREE copies of this ebook to anyone who responds today, by midnight CST.  (Although, please give me a bit to get it to you – like, between nap times and such – since I’m sending these out individually!)

UPDATE 2:  This giveaway is now CLOSED.  If you would still like to receive a copy, they are available for purchase at only $2!  Those who purchase ebooks should receive them almost immediately.  If you are waiting on your free ebook from the giveaway, please be patient.  I’m sending them out in manageable clusters during my breaks and have sent out approximately 200 so far.  If you absolutely can’t wait, you can get your copy immediately for only $2

Dear Jesus,

Thank you, God.  Thank you for my baby Aurora sister crying.  Thank you for my daddy.  Thank you and stuff.

God, please bring my baby back, please.  And, please make me feel better.  Mommy wanted a baby in her tummy, I’d like it back.  Thanks.

Thank you for my God.  Please let me have a baby so we can potty AND swing AND slide.  And…

Amen.