Please someone tell me that I'm not a bad parent for needing a break from my kid?!?!?! I love my sweet little girl! Aside from meeting The Pte. (and all that came with that), she is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love her smiles, her silly faces, her snuggles, watching her sleep, and on and on and on. But sometimes, especially after a night where she was up 4 or 5 times, I just really need a break. Like, please oh please sweet child of mine, please just nap! And then she doesn't... She doesn't and I really just want to pull my hair out. She's cranky and screaming and aggressively rubbing her eyes because she is tired. I'm cranky and exhausted and overwhelmed because I didn't get to sleep last night either. It's a lethal combination. Okay, it's not a lethal combination at all. With The Pte. on base, my Mom is here to help me out (thankfully). But man, do I ever feel like a bad parent when I just sit at the computer letting her scream from her crib for an extra five minutes knowing full well that she is not going to nap. Eventually my Mom goes up and saves her and plays with her and gives her the love and affection that I would have gotten around to doing eventually. And I sit at the computer, dwelling over the latest example of my less-than-stellar parenting skills. Sigh...
-The Mrs.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Well, I did it. After hours of scouring through my 900+ pins, after a few failed attempts at creations that just weren't meant to be, and after a few half completed crafts that will be finished another day - I found the right pin for me to create!
If you are in the Pinterest world you may (or may not - it's a big realm) have noticed all the homemade white boards. You pretty much take a picture frame, put some cute paper inside of it, and VOILA you've got your very own dry erase/white board. Couldn't get much easier than that and so that is what I did. I created a menu planner for the kitchen with the days of the week filled in and a blank spot to write the main meal for that day. And maybe, just maybe, I will actually use it. And maybe, just maybe, it will help with our grocery budget like all those "frugal" websites say it will.
I plan to add a photo in the future. It is pretty darn cute and certainly worthy of a little recognition. But... I can't find my tape. And when you can't find your tape, you can't tape down all the letters used to spell the days of the week. And when you can't tape down all the letters used to spell the days of the week, they all fall willy nilly around inside the frame. And when they fall willy nilly around inside the frame, he's going to want a cookie to go with it. Sorry, a visit to the used bookstore lead to me coming home with an armload of books - one of them being "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".
- The Mrs.
If you are in the Pinterest world you may (or may not - it's a big realm) have noticed all the homemade white boards. You pretty much take a picture frame, put some cute paper inside of it, and VOILA you've got your very own dry erase/white board. Couldn't get much easier than that and so that is what I did. I created a menu planner for the kitchen with the days of the week filled in and a blank spot to write the main meal for that day. And maybe, just maybe, I will actually use it. And maybe, just maybe, it will help with our grocery budget like all those "frugal" websites say it will.
I plan to add a photo in the future. It is pretty darn cute and certainly worthy of a little recognition. But... I can't find my tape. And when you can't find your tape, you can't tape down all the letters used to spell the days of the week. And when you can't tape down all the letters used to spell the days of the week, they all fall willy nilly around inside the frame. And when they fall willy nilly around inside the frame, he's going to want a cookie to go with it. Sorry, a visit to the used bookstore lead to me coming home with an armload of books - one of them being "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".
- The Mrs.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow I am going to create something that I have pinned on Pinterest. I will not go to sleep tomorrow until I have accomplished this task. Tomorrow.
-The Mrs.
-The Mrs.
Life without The Pte. is running quite smoothly so far. Not to say that I don't miss him and wish he were here - I do, and I do! It's just that I know I won't see him much for the next two months and so I'm living life day to day. I don't think about the numerous days that I won't be seeing him. I just wake up in the morning, complete my daily tasks, and await his evening phone calls. Oddly enough it's almost easier than when he was away for weekends because the day he was expected home was always so slow! And that day would torturously (sp?) happen every. single. week. Now, that day may not happen until August 29th whichissofarawayIcannotpossiblythinkaboutitrightnowwithoutgoingcrazy! Sigh.
In other news, I have been offered a job overseeing a children's craft table at a local farmer's market. It's a 4 hours/once a week gig that seems to be right up my alley. Guess it's about time that I put my Early Childhood Education degree to some use! I did a trial run on Wednesday - face painting/seashell painting. Pretty enjoyable stuff. Luckily I have my Mama around tosave my sanity watch the little one while I'm busy with the shop/potentially working at the market. But how do you not love a face like this:
... even if she is a little rascal!
- The Mrs.
In other news, I have been offered a job overseeing a children's craft table at a local farmer's market. It's a 4 hours/once a week gig that seems to be right up my alley. Guess it's about time that I put my Early Childhood Education degree to some use! I did a trial run on Wednesday - face painting/seashell painting. Pretty enjoyable stuff. Luckily I have my Mama around to
- The Mrs.
Monday, July 2, 2012
The Pte. is back to the base in T-minus 4 hours. Worst case scenario we won't see him for the next two months. Best case scenario they'll let him come home for weekends. With the Canadian Forces, no matter how many times you're told something and no matter the rank of the people telling you - you just never know til the time comes. It just may be a long, sad two months... But I'm trying to hold it together because I know the Pte. has got it worse. Our little miss is growing like a weed and he will miss so much of that over the next two months. Taking it one day at a time though, and gosh, we certainly could use the $$$!
-The Mrs.
-The Mrs.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Used Curriculum Sale
The Pte and I went to a homeschooling used curriculum sale in town last night. We went with an open mind (and a few dollars) to see what they had to offer. There was quite the crowd but luckily we were within walking distance and arrived just as they were opening. There were many religious textbooks (not our cup of tea) and lots of textbooks aimed at older children but we still managed to get a few good finds.
For $14 we bought:
-Little Critter Cowboy (Board Book) - $0.50
-Canada 123 - $0.50
-Canada in Colours - $0.50
-Skill Drills Workbook - Math Grades K to 1 - $0.50
-Rockets - FREE
-Usborne Beginners Sun, Moon and Stars - FREE
-Eyewitness Explorers Human Body, Usborne What Happens To Your Food, and Children's First Book of the Human Body - $2.00 for all 3
-Usborne Internet-Linked Book Of Knowledge - $3.00
-Classroom Helpers Book Reports for Grade 2 - $2.00
-Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader boardgame (Canadian Edition) - $5.00
We are both pretty excited about the prospect of homeschooling Elodie. We are even more excited about the fact that they hold these Used Curriculum Sales yearly so we have another 4 or 5 years to slowly gather books for her schooling :)
-The Mrs.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Homeschooling
Without going into a rant about the public school system, I would just like to say that I hope to homeschool Elodie when she is ready for her schooling to begin. The Pte. at first wanted nothing to do with it but the more I explained my reasonings, the more he came around to the idea. Getting him on-board is my first goal. Becoming confident with my abilities to be the main educator of my baby girl is a close second.
That being said, I brace myself for the doubt that will be put in my head by naysayers. The negative comments I am sure to receive. The concern people will send my way about my poor child's socialization without public school. But then I read blog posts like this: Socialization in Today's Public School and I'm thrilled that at least one other person understands that public school doesn't always offer ideal opportunities for children to create healthy social lives.
I am not a trained teacher. I am not proficient in all the subjects that I plan to offer my child - not by a long shot. Heck, I'm starting my curriculum research now because I'm not even confident that I will be able to teach her everything I hope she will want to learn.
So, what can I do, you ask? Well, I can provide her a relaxed and loving environment. I can offer her hands on learning and not just worksheets. I can tailor her curriculum to her needs and learning style. We can slow down if she's stuck on something or speed up if she grasps a subject completely. I can teach throughout the entire year so that we don't spend the first few schooling months re-learning the things we learned at the end of the previous school year. I can use the things she is interested in to help her learn. For example, if she goes through a frog phase I can use her interest to teach her about the life cycle, the difference between amphibians and reptiles, and even the responsibility of caring for a pet - to name a few. I can offer her a stable schooling environment even if the Canadian Forces deem it necessary to move us.
Every parent has to make a decision about what they think is best for their child. There is nothing wrong with me trying this and having it not go as planned. There is nothing wrong with me opting to put Elodie into public school after the first year, or her ninth year of homeschooling. But, there is also nothing wrong with us trying this and succeeding! I just hope that everyone in our life will allow us this opportunity to succeed without too much negativity.
-The Mrs.
That being said, I brace myself for the doubt that will be put in my head by naysayers. The negative comments I am sure to receive. The concern people will send my way about my poor child's socialization without public school. But then I read blog posts like this: Socialization in Today's Public School and I'm thrilled that at least one other person understands that public school doesn't always offer ideal opportunities for children to create healthy social lives.
I am not a trained teacher. I am not proficient in all the subjects that I plan to offer my child - not by a long shot. Heck, I'm starting my curriculum research now because I'm not even confident that I will be able to teach her everything I hope she will want to learn.
So, what can I do, you ask? Well, I can provide her a relaxed and loving environment. I can offer her hands on learning and not just worksheets. I can tailor her curriculum to her needs and learning style. We can slow down if she's stuck on something or speed up if she grasps a subject completely. I can teach throughout the entire year so that we don't spend the first few schooling months re-learning the things we learned at the end of the previous school year. I can use the things she is interested in to help her learn. For example, if she goes through a frog phase I can use her interest to teach her about the life cycle, the difference between amphibians and reptiles, and even the responsibility of caring for a pet - to name a few. I can offer her a stable schooling environment even if the Canadian Forces deem it necessary to move us.
Every parent has to make a decision about what they think is best for their child. There is nothing wrong with me trying this and having it not go as planned. There is nothing wrong with me opting to put Elodie into public school after the first year, or her ninth year of homeschooling. But, there is also nothing wrong with us trying this and succeeding! I just hope that everyone in our life will allow us this opportunity to succeed without too much negativity.
-The Mrs.
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