All Things Supercinski

We have continued doing our once-a-week homeschool preschool lessons with Josiah and his friend. I have enjoyed planning more involved activities than we would do on our own. I have also enjoyed the weekly playdate and love that Josiah and Andrew enjoy each others company so much–especially since his mom is great company for me, too!

(If you don’t want to scroll through all of these pictures, here are some of my favorite places to go for ideas submitted by other moms. Easy! ABC & 123 and Unplug Your Kids. I am sure there are tons more, do you have a favorite?)

Here are some pictures from some of my recent lessons:
Recently we did a lesson on Cars and Wheels. We did a matching game and a sorting by size game (not pictured). They were both too easy. Maybe I’ll let Annalise try it soon. I did most of this lesson with clipart and markers. :)

Our experiment involved making predictions about whether or not different objects would roll or slide down a little ramp I made. We charted our predictions and the results of our experiments. (Annalise colored on it as we worked.)

Lastly, the boys painted on paper using cars and trucks. Josiah was a ham and took his shirt off and painted his chest.

Another week, but without pictures, we learned about crickets and insects. They learned about the basic anatomy of insects by looking at pictures (head, thorax, abdomen, eyes, antennae, mouth and palps–sung to “head, shoulders, knees and toes”), looking at a dead cricket pinned on foam and identifying its parts, and then making collages of bugs from different shapes I cut out before we started. The boys glued the shapes to make a head, thorax, abdomen, legs, antennae, eyes and mouth. They each had several live crickets in a jar to observe throughout the week.

Many of the weeks that I host school, I make the boys little “BOB”-type books for them to practice reading at home. I write them and draw basic pictures for each week. They only take about 10 minutes to write and draw the very basic pictures, and Josiah loves to practice reading with them. I cover them with construction paper and sew the binding, which takes like 10 seconds. For car week, the books had this little story:

Bob is a car.
Bob sat in the sun.
Bob was hot.
A cat sat on Bob.
Bob gets gas.
Bob can go fast.
Bob hit a big rig. Uh oh!
Bob gets a tow.
The End.

We made a trip to Beaumont last weekend to visit our friends, Elijah and Stephanie and meet their new baby, Moses. Annalise was most excited about “Baby Moses” and loved holding him, which she asked/demanded to do a lot.

We enjoyed spending time with our friends and their neighbors who have also become friends of ours. The three families headed to a small town outside of Beaumont for a carnival. I am not a big carnival person, but it was so much fun since Josiah is old enough and big enough to ride some of the smaller rides. He rode this up-and-down bus ride with Thomas and Drew–who is also four.

Josiah and Drew also rode a helicopter ride and the huge ferris wheel with Drew’s dad. I cannot believe my little boy is big enough to ride a ferris wheel! The kids and I rode the carousel before heading home.

It was a fun and tiring weekend–the perfect way to adjust to a time change. Seriously–the kids have adjusted better than ever before. When we got home, our seedlings in our garden needed watering. Apparently, Annalise thought she did, too.

Blogging has been a little sparse these days. I have been spending almost every spare moment finishing up my lactation educator requirements and they are done! I hope to get them in the mail this week. You can imagine how free I feel! Now I have a few little projects to start (and finish)–taxes, landscaping in the front yard (with the help of Big Event), and repainting the laundry room.

We gave Josiah a bicycle with training wheels for Christmas, but it was a little too big. We put it away since it was too cold to ride anyway and pulled it out two weeks ago. He grew enough for his feet to reach his pedals and is enjoying riding it. He has improved so much in such a short time and is getting better about stopping on his own.

Thomas and the kids enjoyed the snow last week in their non-waterproof winter-wear. They built a little snowman, which Josiah crashed down shortly after it was finished.

And lastly, a cute picture of the kids.

Only three more of these updates to go until she is two. Our sweet girl is very independent these days. The phrase I hear most from her is, “Do it!” Which translated means, “I want to do it myself, don’t help me.” Some things she is doing herself these days include putting on her shirts and working hard on her pants (the backs just don’t come up right!), buckling herself in strollers and part of her carseat, zipping up coats, putting on coats, and wiping herself after going potty.

Yes, you read that correctly. Going potty. I had resigned myself to not even attempting teaching Annalise to use the potty until closer to three after some of our experiences with Josiah. However, this girl has a different plan. She is learning to use it and has been since this weekend. She stayed dry today from the time she got up until her nap. Granted, we went to the bathroom at least seven times, but she is learning. Her new big girl underwear are one of her favorite things.

Annalise loves to dress up, cook in her little kitchen, stand on a chair and “help”/watch me cook, and play with Josiah. Those two can entertain themselves chasing each other around the house for a long time. She loves to play in his room with his Lego duplo blocks and will sit and stack and take them apart for a long time. She still plays with her babies a lot and dotes on Baby Love (whom she no longer calls Baby La, but Baby Luff). She loves to help in the garden and has stomped on almost every little sprout we have out there.

Annalise will sit still for books and loves to read longer books these days. Her favorite this month is “Bumblebugs and Elephants” by Margaret Wise Brown. When we read it, she always points to herself and says “Am-weese. Little.” It is so cute.

6. Birth & Breastfeeding by Michel Odent–This was another lactation educator training book. I chose it from the reading list after recognizing the author as the French guy with great things to say from “The Business of Being Born”. This book was a lot of philosophy, not the kind of practical book I would recommend to any pregnant woman. He has some great ideas along with some very interesting ones that I don’t agree with.

7. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult – I feel like I am always hearing Jodi Picoult books recommended, but this was the first one I read. It was a page-turner for sure and I shed a few tears over this one. I would recommend it if you were looking for fiction to read. It made me so thankful for my children’s health and was one more reminder to enjoy them and love them today. My favorite quote from this book was, “I realize then that we never have children, we receive them. And sometimes it’s not for quite as long as we would have expected or hoped. But it is still better than never having had those children at all.”
I just realized this was made into a move last year. Who knew? I must live in a cave or something… So I rented it and it stunk. Do not see this movie. Read the book. I cannot believe Jodi Picoult let them butcher her book that way. They completely changed the ending and everything. Boo, hiss, rotten tomatoes…

8. SuperFreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner — Thomas and I enjoyed reading Freakonomics a few years ago. It gave me some insight into my good friend and walking buddy, Megan, who now has her doctorate in economics. This book was interesting and a really fast read, but it was a bit disappointing compared to the first book. The last chapter on climate change seemed to drag on forever. The first part of the book was written with a bit more boldness and “in your face” tone than I remember the first book, but I guess that is the story of the sequel.

9. Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot — This was a chick-lit mystery recommended on a friend’s blog. It was cute, entertaining, and a really quick book to read. It was definitely “chick-lit”, but not annoying like some I have read. If this book sounds appealing, you should check out the Spellman Files (and the sequels) by Lisa Lutz. They are hilarious.

10. Size 14 Is Not Fat Either (the sequel to the previous book) by Meg Cabot. It was cute and really fast to read, but definitely a sequel as sequels go–edgier, worse language, etc. to the point that I don’t really care to read the next book in the series.

11. The Coach’s Notebook: Games and Strategies for Lactation Education by Linda Smith — This book was a fabulous resource and I got some really great ideas. I can’t wait to start trying some of them in my latest Bradley class.

Not counting read-alouds of three Happy Hollisters and Charlotte’s Web.

We often get questions from friends about starting their own vegetable garden. While we most definitely aren’t experts, gardening is one of those things that you learn through trail and error. What we do now is far different from what we did a few years ago, and we seem to improve every year. One of the greatest tools for us has been Texas Gardener Magazine. We were given a subscription for Christmas a couple years ago by my dad and Debbi–who are expert gardeners to us and perhaps they were tired of answering our questions–and we have learned so much. What makes this magazine unique is that it is just for Texas and breaks our state into zones so you know what and when to plant for your zone. Planting on time is a very important aspect of gardening, and this takes a lot of guesswork out of it. A great price and a fabulous resource. Perhaps it would be a good Valentines gift for the gardener in your life?

White Whole Wheat Flour – Did you know that there are different types of wheat berries that are ground into flour? The traditional whole wheat flour is made from hard red winter wheat and has a stronger and more bitter flavor. This isn’t always that tasty and your hubby and kids might complain a bit if you use it in everything. You can find flour made from the more mild hard white wheat berries. It is not bleached or stripped of the germ or anything like all-purpose flour, still whole wheat, but not nearly so bitter. I have been using it in just about everything these days and no one in my house knows the difference. It is great in muffins, pancakes, waffles, cake, you name it. I find it in the King Arthur brand at my grocery store. Compare the nutrition labels of the white whole wheat and the traditional whole wheat–they really aren’t very different at all.

No More Trouble Zones workout dvd by Jillian Michaels – First of all, can I just say how much a dislike names like “saddlebags” and “muffin top”? I have enjoyed hearing how many ladies have jumped on the 30 Day Shred bandwagon! I picked up this dvd after I got bored with the Shred. This is a great circuit training workout that focuses more on strength training than on cardio intervals like in the Shred. You won’t be doing any jump squats or mountain climbers in this one–in fact, the only jumping jacks are in the warmup.

This workout is just 40 (actually more like 45) minutes of hammering your “trouble zones”. You do mostly compound moves–squats with shoulder raises, lunges with bicep curls, etc. There are seven different circuits–each with five moves that repeat twice in each circuit. The circuits are: quads and shoulders, chest and abs, biceps and bottom, quads and triceps, abs, upper body bore and lower body core. She recommends using three pound weights. While the workout is long, it is worth waking up a little early to do it. I sweat a ton and definitely feel the burn, and I have seen great results from doing it. And for those of you with a Jillian-aversion, you have the option of doing the workout without her voice, just music. She is a lot easier to listen to in this one and her pointers are really helpful. I saw it on sale at Target yesterday for $10.

(Eek! I just saw that Jillian has a new Yoga dvd set to come out March 2nd!)

Josiah had a pirate party last weekend in honor of his fourth birthday. We originally planned to have his three sets of grandparents present for a small and simply family party, with lots of fun games. Two sets of grandparents were unable to come at the last minute, so we invited our homeschooling buddy. It was such a fun day!

Our little pirate:

Our big pirate:

Yes, Thomas dressed up as a pirate. It was hilarious, and thankfully none of the kids were afraid of him. He borrowed the costume from a coworker.

Josiah and his pal had a lot of fun with the games. We had a bean bag toss into a treasure chest, pin the flag on the X of the treasure map, a coin hunt (coins hidden all around the room, the kids hunted them, this was great for Annalise and her little pal), walking the plank (pictures below) and a treasure hunt. For the treasure hunt, I gave them a clue which led them to their next clue and so forth until they found the treasure. For example, “Even pirates have to eat. Look for your next clue in a place where your family keeps food.” It was taped inside the refrigerator. Their treasure was a chest full of party favors. Here is Josiah walking the plank:

I had too much fun burning the edges of this paper greeting:

The birthday boy with his pirate ship cake.

And another shot of the cake. It was much easier than I expected.

It was so fun! I’m glad we are still keeping the parties simple–I’m not ready to entertain masses of kids yet. Just keeping these two in line was hard enough. :) They are sword-fighting here:

Josiah,
It is hard to believe that you are four years old. You continue to amaze me with the new things you learn, your independence, and your love for others. Your laughter electrifies a room and brings smiles and laughter to all of us. You have such a sense of humor and love to tell us jokes, sing silly songs, and do just about anything for a laugh. You bring us such joy, Josiah.

You have become so brave over the past year. No longer the cautious and shy toddler, you are now a fearless little boy–ready to talk anyone’s ear off, climb on anything and then jump off of it. You love to talk with me and hear stories. You amaze me with your memory. You seem to remember everything from the plot of all of the Happy Hollisters novels you have listened to us read you to the time you threw up on your pillow at Grandpa and Grandma Mary’s house when you were two. This baffles me and makes me realize how important my job is.

You love your sister and play with her so sweetly sometimes. She adores you and wants to be just like you.

You are sensitive and compassionate–aware of others’ emotions and feelings with some strong feelings of your own. Your creativity and love for making things amazes me. I love to see the things your little brain and hands make!

You have gotten so tall lately–I have a hard time seeing the chubby little baby you once were in the midst of these long legs and arms. I keep telling you to stop growing, to which you reply, “but God is making me grow so big!” You are right, and God has certainly given me a wonderful gift in you. I pray that we raise you to love Him with all of your heart, soul, and strength, like your namesake.

I love you, Sweet Boy!
Momma

A few tidbits of hilarity from our oldest child as we near his fourth birthday.

After coming home following one of my Bradley classes, Josiah wanted to hear all about what we did while he was gone.
Josiah: Did you have fun with your teacher friends? (students)
Me: Yes.
Josiah: What did you do? Some wrestling? Tackling?
Me: (Speechless for a moment…) Um, no… we sat and talked about taking care of new babies.
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At Christmas, we spent some time discussing showing thankfulness to people who give you a gift, no matter what you think of it, even if it is clothes. I noticed that the lesson seemed to stick when we heard Josiah say, as he opened a shirt from one of his grandmothers, “Wow! This is just what I wanted!”
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Josiah loves playing with his Lightning McQueen cars, and recently got The King, whom he refers to as McKing. Get it, McQueen, McKing…
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Speaking of cars, we were recently driving and came upon a school zone. I slowed down for the school zone and then even more for some children crossing the street. From the backseat, Josiah asks, “What happened? Did you run out of gas?”
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Josiah loves to create things and seems to enjoy more mediums than mere crayons, paints and paper. The latest craze has been scotch tape, which he uses to make all kinds of interesting projects. Here is an example of one I found on the arms of our desk chair, making it into a rocket ship chair complete with buttons on the top. I have no idea what purpose the little man or golf ball serve, but it was a hilarious sight.

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While walking through the house wearing my running shoes, I heard Josiah say, “Whew! I’m running a half marathon!”
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We were running some errands as a family, and let Thomas out (in the rain) to run into the store to return something.
Josiah: Can I go in there and help Daddy?
Me: No, Josiah. It is raining and he is already in the store.
Josiah: Aw, give me a chance! Come on!

I often wonder how many books I read in a year. I read a lot last year, but our “now reading” part of our blog wasn’t working and I forgot to tell my webmaster for many months. So, I am going to attempt a monthly book review, or at least list of completed books for that month, mostly out of curiosity of how many books I read in a year. One of my goals for this new year is to manage my time better and read more, let’s see how long it lasts.

Breastfeeding and Human Lactation by Jan Riordan – I plowed through this 850+ page textbook in a mere six weeks. I fell asleep many nights with that book in my lap, but I learned so much. I am pursuing certification as a lactation educator, and this was required reading.

The Nursing Mother’s Guide to Weaning by Kathleen Huggins and Linda Ziedrich – another lactation educator book and one that I was interested in reading to gain some encouragement in nursing a toddler, not because I am interested in weaning anytime soon, but for ideas when the time comes. This book met those goals, and could be a good resource to a mother considering weaning at any point in her nursing relationship. I really enjoyed their insight into why Western countries nurse their babies for such a short time compared to the rest of the world. From the authors:

Americans tend to fear their children’s dependence… the same fear provokes questions and warnings from well-meaning people about the wisdom of long breastfeeding, and drives many women to wean before they are ready. We should remind ourselves that American individualism, in many of its forms, is not born of confidence and trust, but of alienation. As Elizabeth Hormann (1982) points out, ‘We are bent on weakening bonds in the name of growth and independence, then spend our adulthoods wondering why we have trouble getting close to other people.’”

Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by Frank Viola and George Barna
I read half of this book earlier in the fall and finally finished it this month. I found this book to be very interesting, but I read it through the lens of knowing the authors’ agenda–the house church movement. Basically the authors are making three points: 1) A great deal of what we do in church today does not come from the New Testament. 2) Much of what is practiced originated out of Greco-Roman customs and traditions (paganism, not Judaism), and/or human-made inventions. 3) Many of these practices actually hinder the church from being what God designed her to be. The over-arching question the authors seem to be asking is: Do the practices of modern institutional churches reflect a God-ordained/inspired development, or are they a departure from it?

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
This was my mom’s group February book. It was entertaining, but I’m not sure if I would recommend it. It only took two days to read it, and I just realized this was made into a movie to be released soon… hmmm… it was okay but I’m not sure I want to see a movie about it.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett — I loved this book and could not put it down. I was so sad when it ended as it was one of those books where you feel like you know the characters so well. Based in Jackson Mississippi during the early 1960s, this book is about three main characters–two black maids (“the help”) and a young white woman recently graduated from college who sets out to write the stories of black maids working in white homes during the turbulent beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement. It was thought-provoking and very well-written. I highly recommend it.

January total = 5 (not counting the four Happy Hollister books I read aloud to Josiah… please, let us move on from Happy Hollisters soon, son!)