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!

Welcome back!

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.

There are things we often know, but sometimes lose sight of during difficult times.  Today, I had one of the gentlest reminders as my family and I worshiped God.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve accepted (and even marveled) that God has a plan for each of our lives, and like the back of a woven tapestry, we often don’t understand the full extent or the “big picture”  because all we see are a million little threads, each representing moments in our lives, woven throughout.  Over the past few years, my family and I have faced some very difficult situations – things that have tried us and brought us to our knees.  We’ve been so low where the only place we could look was UP.  My faith has been tried over and over again.  And, with each of those times, someone would say:  “Just give it to God.  This is part of His plan.”

At first, those words comforted me.  But, after some really heart-wrenching events I became furious, “His plan?  Well, maybe I don’t like His plan!  Maybe His plan is FOR me to go through (what seemed like) endless trials and to hurt…maybe I don’t WANT that!?!”

Have you ever felt that way?  – Like maybe Joel Osteen has gotten loud* a few too many times?  Okay, so maybe I’m the only one who though “Oh crap.” when our pastor shared a sermon one day about God never promising us great times if we followed Him – and, here I was just hoping for my drink to be spiked with what ever Joel Osteen was having.  Who really wants to hear that God has planned for you to lose your house, possibly your marriage, and maybe let’s throw in a baby too? – And, let’s not waste time, we’ll wad it up in the time frame of just a few years.

Yeh, suddenly that whole “God’s plan” thing just made me want to cry.  Rather than being a thought of comfort, it was more like a threat.  – Especially when nobody knew what to say…except “Give it to God.”

But, today I found an answer in a little devotional book.  Basically, it said:

God made each of us, our desires and passions included.  So, He knows us to our very core.  And, He has awesome things planned for us – not just His idea of awesome, but OUR idea of awesome.  And sure, we’re going to have to go through some REALLY rough things to get to those great and awesome things, but His plan for our lives aren’t CENTERED around those hard times.  His plan is centered around the GREAT THINGS He wants for us.  The bad stuff is just on the way, sometimes it’s what helps us get there and sometimes it’s to help shape us for what He’s prepared for us.

I’m not sure how what’s recently happened fits in exactly, and maybe I won’t ever know…but, it sure as heck is more comforting than before.

*”getting loud” means getting high with really good pot.  I don’t necessarily know this from experience.

STATUS UPDATES:

• lots of crying
• overwhelming sense of guilt over this miscarriage
• I feel like a crazy basket-case, swinging quickly from one emotion to another – despair to hope and back again
• mostly feel like sleeping
• having a rough time being around people
• this blogging is about the extent that I can talk about it for now
• still moments where I forget that I’m not pregnant and…that’s rough.  Definitely not my favorite.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9

I would be lying if I said there weren’t times that I caught myself gently rubbing my tummy, thinking about how far along I am (was), wondering what new had grown.  I’ve cried so many tears that I have a headache that doesn’t want to go away.  I dream about this pregnancy, about this baby.  And when I wake up, I have the slightest thread of hope : Maybe it’ll be like I read about, where the ultrasound tech missed the twins in a woman’s womb (and other stories as such).  And, maybe we did just mess up the numbers and approximates.  Maybe I just am so early.  And, this blood…other women have “periods” and go on to have healthy babies.  Maybe.  Maybe!

But, then I feel my insides twisting on itself and I know.  I know that after this much blood, there’s no way.  I know it’s just hope.  Irrational hope.

I cry when I read about or see death in a film.  I cry when I look at my girls or while looking at Facebook.  I cry every time I read each sweet email or text from a friend.  I even cry when I go to pencil something in my datebook – and I scrub hard at the little numbers I had penciled in that marked each passing week of my pregnancy.

Back and forth it goes, hope to sliver a calm to pure devastation.  At this point, I don’t even know which way is up…

And yet I know it’s improvement, because that sliver of calm is there, no matter how short it is.  It’s there.

A few moments ago, I received my latest hcg numbers (48 hours after the original one of 496): 201.  It’s basically a confirmation of everything I already felt.  My numbers are going down, the baby is no more.  It’s done.  It’s over, and yet it’s not.

For the next week or so (possibly two), I’ll continue to have blood drawn to watch and wait as my levels return to negatives.  The hope for this baby is gone, but I’m secretly relieved by the count.  In some cases, a woman’s hcg levels can rise before they fall even after the baby stops thriving.  I’m so sad for what I’ve lost, but to have had numbers rising to give a false hope and security would have been worse for me.  I’m glad for the waiting to know what’s going on to be over.

My emotions rip through me like a hurricane.  I’m devastated.  I’m worried – what does this mean for the future, will it happen again?  Will I never be able to think about this baby without crying?  Will I always feel a void, a shadow in our family portrait?  Will I ever stop grieving?  And, then…there’s a tiny ray of new hope, just beginning to glow.  It’s still faint, but I’m hoping that God will use this for some good – will I help someone else?  Will God use me to plant a seed of hope and love in a heart as tender as mine is right now?

Because the thought of this baby being taken for no reason at all is just too terrible for my crushed heart to grasp.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.“ –  Proverbs 3:5,6