Can Babies REALLY Learn to Read? (Crew Review)

  There are a lot of programs out there that claim that you can teach babies as young as six months old to read. This is something I admit I have been very skeptical about as I have seen the advertisements here and there in the recent past. Which is exactly why I was so excited to review a really neat product from Brill Kids called Little Reader. I was enthusiastic to see how the program worked and to see how my toddler would react to the lessons.

Little Reader is a computer based program that’s designed to teach your baby (or young child) to read using a multi-sensory, interactive methodology. The software breaks each short lesson down into 3 parts: Word Flash, Multisensory, and Picture Flash. The lessons are designed to be used twice daily and are very short. Each lesson groups the word list into categories, and your child will encounter the same words over and over again, allowing them plenty of exposure to new words. The lessons are fun, age-appropriate, and engaging. There are a plethora of options available allowing you to customize the lessons by choosing at what speed the screens changes, what pictures accompany the words on the screen, and you can even program your very own voice into the lessons! I only played with a few of these options during our review period, but there are plenty of ways for you to make the program work for you and your child.

We received the download version of this program which did not come with any of the optional additional materials (such as readers and flashcards). I used the software with my 2 year old son and within the first few sessions, he was hooked and even threw a fit wanting to continue doing more of the lessons after we were finished with that days activities. I don’t feel at this point that we have been using the product long enough to actually gauge whether or not he is learning to read with it, but there were several positive things I have noticed about using Little Reader with him. First of all, he was thrilled to have something of his very own to “do” on the computer (just like the big kids). Secondly, he really enjoyed the words and pictures and videos that played on the screen as we went through the lessons, and loved repeating the words that were shown to him. I never had to coerce him into doing the lessons at all. Every day I would ask him if he was ready to do his “baby reading” and he would immediately jump up and down and say, “Yes! Baby reading!”. Third, though I sat with him through every lesson, it was very much an option for me to set the lesson up and walk away if I needed to. That was definitely a very nice perk, especially when we have several times throughout our school days when he wants mommy to entertain him, but I have to help one of the older kids with schoolwork.

One of my favorite features of the software was that it gave me the option to print off picture flashcards for any lesson I wished. I did this for a few of the first lessons and again, Joey thoroughly enjoyed “playing” with the flashcards. Using the flashcards there are lots of fun ways for you and your child to interact with the words they are encountering in the daily lessons. This was definitely a plus in my opinion.

So can this program teach your child to read at an early age? I can’t really give you a yes or no answer to this question, HOWEVER, IF it is possible for a baby, a toddler, or even a preschooler to learn to read, I can see how this program would be an excellent tool to help you reach that goal. The developers of this software have really done their research and utilized it to give you a very thorough and fun way to expose your young child to the world of words. I do think that use of the Little Reader software (along with reading to your child often and as early as possible) is a great way to introduce your child to written language and can easily see how it would give your child a head start in that area. I have now taught 2 children to read (and am still teaching one struggling reader) and can see what a benefit Little Reader could be to every parent.

If you want to learn more about Little Reader, or any other Brill Kids early learning programs, you can visit their website here. The Little Reader program is available in several formats (including the download version) and pricing starts at $149. A free trial is also available here. If you are at all curious to learn more about the Little Reader program, the website is chock FULL of informative videos, screenshots, and information for you to browse through.

 DISCLAIMER: This item was provided free for review purposes through the TOS Homeschool Crew.  I received no other compensation, and this review is our honest opinion.  Click the TOS Homeschool Crew banner above to read more reviews on this and other products by other Crew members.

Weekly Wrap Up – End of Term 1 2010-2011

Weeeeeel last week was a tough week. I think we were all suffering from a bit of burnout and anxious to start our end-of-term break. We didn’t get as much done as I had planned to last week, but we accomplished those things that were really important, so that’s good enough for me!

I spent this past weekend getting started on my long-neglected to-do list. I made some major progress around the house, getting to all those detailed jobs that I just haven’t had time for since we started school. One more very good reason why I decided to shoot for a 6 on 1 off schedule this year. So far I have rented a Rug Dr. and cleaned the downstairs carpet, cleaned and reorganized all my kitchen cabinets, rearranged a few things in the living/dining/school areas, organized and purged Joey’s toys (downstairs and up), reorganized and cleaned the boys’ room, vacuumed the upstairs hall and the stairs, and thrown a  LOT of junk away.

I have one or two more days of intense housework left to do and then I’ll be done (until it gets messy again, which will be about a week). Left on my to-do list is cleaning and organizing my bedroom, putting all laundry away that had managed to pile up over the past few weeks, and cleaning the 2 bathrooms upstairs. Oh yeah, and laundry. Lots and lots of laundry. But I will work on that throughout the week. My goal is to make the biggest dent in it possible and then have everyone pitch in and get it all folded and put away in one night (we will see how that goes).

Sorry, I know I’m boring, but such is my life! Hopefully this video that I have to share will make up for it. A new Joey vid is wayyyy overdue, enjoy!

Blessings,

Weekly Wrap up – Week 5

Let me start this weekly wrap-up by saying this was a tough week. I can’t pinpoint any one reason, I think we are all just itching for our upcoming end-of-term break! It didn’t help that I got sick Friday (stomach bug) and haven’t quite gotten back to normal yet…

This week did, however, have some fun highlights that I am happy to share:

Being that both of the boys are studying plants right now, they were able to collaborate on a science lab this week.

Our lab involved germinating bean sprouts and planting them. The above photos were taken after the beans had been wrapped in wet paper towels and stored in a baggie for 24 hours. It’s hard to see, but on some of them, there was evidence of the shells breaking open in order to let the growing sprouts out.

These photos were taken yesterday before we planted our sprouts in dirt and labeled them to observe over the next week or so. You can see that each bean has a fully formed sprout growing out of it. We did a lima bean, a lentil, and a great northern so we could compare the differences. Now they are in their clear containers. We set them out in front of the patio door for a few hours each day so that they can get the sunlight they need to make food and grow!

Right now, Drew is doing Science the Well-Trained Mind way, utilizing a book called “How Nature Works” and our Usborne Internet-linked Science Encyclopedia. I will be getting a few Apologia books this coming week to try out, and one of them is the Elementary Botany book. So we are excited to try it out! Isaiah is using the “Great Science Adventures” books to do Biology this year. I had never heard of these, but they were recommended via TWTM, and once I saw that they incorporated Dinah Zike’s foldables, I was sold! This past week was his first week, and he really seems to be enjoying it so far. Next week I will show you some pictures of the minibooks he has been working on.

Jazz had a bit of a slow paced week, as I had found some things that she needed some extra help with as I was grading her work last weekend. So we took some time to do some extra practice with divisibility in Math and did some extra sentence diagramming worksheets. I tried to find some fun, different ways to review these things, but sometimes you just need to practice, practice, practice!

Joey has been really good this past week and I think he is starting to adjust better to entertaining himself while we are getting schoolwork done. Daddy was home on Wednesday and Thursday, as usual, and brought some laughter to our evenings…

Friday, we didn’t do school because I was miserably sick. I am still fighting off a mean stomach bug and I’m hoping by tomorrow I will be back to normal. Luckily, no one else has shown any signs of getting sick, so here’s hoping!

See you next week!

It’s Potty Time!

I have been toying with the idea of potty-training lil man now for about a month, but have been hesitant because he hasn’t shown many signs of readiness. Being that Daddy will be leaving in a few months for basic, and he won’t be back until after Baby #5 is born, I have been feeling the need to move things along. I know if it’s left until the baby comes, I will not have the energy to be consistent.

A friend whose two twin boys are one year older than Joey gave me some like-new undies which she had purchased for them but were too small already. So Sunday I decided to keep him in undies all day and make frequent bathroom breaks to see how it went. I figured this was the best way to gauge exactly how ready he was. It took us half the day to figure out that he goes much better on the toilet with a potty seat than in the potty chair. After that we were in business.

Today was our third day with underwear and so far he is doing great! We are taking things very slow being that he is only 26 months old, so right now we are only focusing on peeing into the potty. Once he gets that down we will up the ante and get him to do #2 in the potty. Then once he is staying consistently clean and dry during the day, we will work on naptime and nighttime!

The good news is he is excited to get out of his diaper in the morning and put on his big boy underwear. He is consistently getting excited every time he makes a pee pee in the big potty. He claps and dances, it is so cute! We have not had to bribe him with candy or coax him into going every half hour.

Granted, he has had accidents, but I find that the majority of the time, it’s the result of a few little drips making a small wet spot in his undies, most of the time while he is busy playing and he doesn’t notice until Mommy does. There have only been a few instances of him actually opening the floodgates and letting go while wearing them. So I’m calling this endeavor a success so far!

I will be sure to post some pics soon of lil man in his lil undies – cause to me there’s nothing cuter than a little boy in little underwear!

Blessings,

More about starting a new school year

I wrote my previous post in bits and pieces here and there, and it ended up being quite long. But there were some other thoughts I wanted to share – not so much on the logistics of HOW we are going through our next year of homeschool, but just some general thoughts that have been on my mind as I plan for a new year. So I thought it would be fitting for me to write a few posts to share these thoughts with you, if for no other reasons than to be real and to organize these thoughts into written form for my own benefit.

First and foremost, it really bugs me that I have allowed the boys to fall behind as they have. And then it bugs me that I let it bother me so much! Vicious cycle huh? I know we are behind where I intended on being at this point, but I am not sure if I am overreacting and being too hard on myself.

Granted, we are not behind merely because my boys are not doing well in the work they are given, or even because I have not been trying hard enough. I think the major issue has been that I was totally unprepared for how much a baby/toddler changes things. It’s not as if this was my first time with a baby/toddler in the house, but it had been 8 years between having Drew (now 10) and Joey (now 2). In case that is confusing to you, Isaiah (now 8) is my stepson who I have raised since before he was two. And although I did not experience the joy of bringing him into the world, he is fully mine in every other way. Back to the point of sharing all this – I was unprepared for the chaos, the disorganization, the sleep deprivation that I soon experienced. It became so much more difficult to get anything done throughout the day, That’s ok, I thought, we will make up for it when he is a bit older and has a better schedule.

Well, to make a long story short, Joey is now 2 and the daily challenges have not disappeared, they have just changed. Now instead of sporadic catnaps and teething crankiness, I have to worry about keeping important papers out of his hands, keeping scissors out of his reach, and keeping him occupied for 5-10 minutes at a time so I can work with the boys. Most days I just resort to trying to cram as much work as I can into the 1.5 to 2 hours he spends napping in the afternoon. Why didn’t I think any of these things were going to be issues before he came along?

I had it all planned out. The pretty picture in my mind was quite different than the reality I live every day. He was going to be “trained” early, I said. We are going to do blanket time daily, I said. He will learn to listen to Mommy and play quietly, I said. HA! Who was I kidding?

Not to make it sound like he is a bad baby, he is really well behaved 90% of the time. BUT I still have a very hard time telling him no unless he is in danger or there is another very good reason to. He is my baby! My baby that I prayed for 8 years to be blessed with, My little miracle! And man oh man, can he melt his Momma’s heart (not to mention Daddy’s) with one look, one cry, one pout. Yep, he’s got me wrapped around his lil finger, and unfortunately, I think he is completely aware of that fact.

So I have repeatedly allowed myself to postpone lessons or activities and even rush through things we really needed to spend more time on. And now I’m stuck. We must move forward from this point on with a mission. A mission to get back on track and make getting things done a major priority. And this is the reason behind my frantically searching for a better way. A better way to learn, a better way to thrive in the here and now. This is our reality, our family, our home. I think we need more structure (yuck, I don’t even like saying that word much less typing it) and a schedule that works for us not against us.

I am coming to realize that all this effort is wasted if I do not MAKE it work. I am going to have to teach my lil guy that Mommy cannot always drop everything to cater to his every whim. I think it is time for him to learn that although Mommy loves him very, very much, I also love his siblings very, very much and have responsibilities to them as well. If I am not willing to do hard things, how can I expect my children to follow suit? If I don’t make learning a top priority every day, then how am I communicating to my children that it is important?

I am still in the midst of planning and figuring out the logistics of how all this is going to work, but I am confident that God hears my prayers and pleas for help and guidance. I am trying very hard to hear His voice and follow His will through it all. I know He will not steer us wring!

Stay tuned in the next few days as I ponder more “new school year” questions and ideas (as long as the glimpse into my busy thoughts have not scared you away forever)! Until then…

Blessings!

Life on Fast Forward

Yep, yet again, I have neglected to post any updates for several weeks. Man has it been crazy around here!

First and foremost – I have started a new business venture! A very good friend and fellow homeschool mom and I have started our own online store – Luv2Learn! What's Luv2Learn you ask? You can get all the details here, but the short version is that Luv2Learn is a new online store where you can get lots of great educational resources at rock bottom prices! So far, we only have a few products up for sale, but we are working really hard on writing more and have a lot of great ideas for future resources. We also have a Freebies page on the site, so make sure and check it out!

Obviously, I am really excited about this, it is something we have talked about doing for a while now and finally we decided to just do it and see where it takes us! So this new venture has been taking a lot of my spare time and blogging has gone on the backburner in order to allow me the time to get the site up and running and to co-write new ebooks.

On the home front, this week has been super busy, and it’s not about to slow down! My baby boy is turning 2 already!! We are having his party this Saturday. The best part of these plans is that my Mom and Grandma are coming up from Oklahoma for a visit!! They will be in late Friday evening and I am so glad they will be here for the party. They are gonna stay and visit for 5 nights before they head further north to visit more family for a few days.

I haven’t seen my Momma since my sister’s wedding last August, so as you can imagine, I am counting the hours til they arrive. I really hate that my Momma lives so far away and I really enjoy the times she gets to come visit.

I’ve also been working on making and implementing a new chore/routine system for the boys, which I finished up Tuesday. Today was our second day using it and so far it’s working great, although our evening routines seem to keep falling apart. I will have to work on that!

Mixed in with all this business, I am having a hard time accepting the fact that my baby is going to be 2! He will officially no longer be a baby, he will be a big boy :( I really am not ready. Why does time pass so quickly, no matter how hard you try to savor each and every moment?

He is getting so BIG! He is wearing 4t shirts and 3t bottoms. He has a vocabulary of at  least 40 words, but probably more. He runs, jumps, and “pretends” and is so much fun to just sit and watch. He has a bit of a temper, but is quick to say sorry or give a hug. He’s all boy and is rough and tough. He knows that a pouty lip is all it takes to melt Mommy’s heart. He tells you he “Lusss Oooo” and sometimes you might even be worthy of a sweet kiss. My favorite thing to hear him say right now is “Noom, noom!”, which in case you weren’t aware, is the sound a car makes. Oh, i could go on forever, but AI will spare you and stop here…

I am making his birthday cake and decorating it (with my Momma’s help) myself. We were going to do a very simple Blue’s Clues pawprint cake, but then I found this…

Yep, that’s a tractor cake! It’s not gonna be an easy one and I would never dream of attempting it without Mom’s help. When I was 5 she made me an awesome Cabbage Patch Kid cake from the same type of pan. You know a cake is awesome when a 5 year old doesn’t want anyone to cut it! I can’t wait to see how it turns out, and YES!! I will take pictures and share!

So that pretty much wraps up what we’ve been up to as of late. School is still trucking along, albeit at a much slower pace than I would like, but life happens!

Hope you are enjoying your Spring!

Blessings,

Random Thoughts From My Noggin 3.9.10

The toddler stage is so different from the baby stage! And although I have been down this road before, I am continually amazed at what treasures a day can hold.

We are learning so much more about the same topics we have already studied many times before just by approaching them in a new way (with Tapestry of Grace). And all of us are really enjoying the literature selections, too.

Sometimes I will stretch a literature selection out because I am worried that it will be too much for them or they won’t enjoy the story. I am continually finding that they are LOVING most of the books and that we are finishing them earlier than planned, purely because they end up begging me to read MORE!

I joined the February Organizing Challenge last month and neglected to even begin decluttering my closet. However, I did reorganize all of my kitchen cabinets and made a makeshift pantry for my canned goods.

Dear Hubby is enlisting into the Army (active duty) and he has to lose a little weight so he can pass his taping. He has already lost over 5 pounds by cutting out soft drinks, and working out a couple of days a week (we got him a month-to-month membership at a local church’s fitness center). He plans on gradually increasing how often he works out. I will write a whole post about this big upcoming change in our lives when he reaches his weight goals.

Tomorrow is my Drew’s 10th birthday. It makes me want to cry.

We are planning to have a dual birthday party (Jasmine’s birthday is a little over a week after his) and they both want to have friends sleepover. Lord help us!

My parenting style? Unfortunately, I’m a yeller. Yes, I know I shouldn’t and that I am teaching my children awful habits. I’m working on it. Old habits die hard.

Joey has developed a new fascination with climbing onto the dining table. We are trying to break him of this. He’s a pretty stubborn kid, it’s slow going. He has also figured out that he can slide the safety gate aside and go upstairs whenever he wishes. It scares me to death. We are brainstorming a way to prop the gate so that he can’t move it. The only reason we are concerned is that there is no carpeting at the bottom of the stairs and if he were to fall and hit his head, it would really hurt him. He actually does a great job of traversing the stairs but I’m still a nervous momma!

And for my closing thought? WHY am I sitting here writing a blog post when I SHOULD be getting school started? Ok, ok, I’m going!

Blessings,

: ) Cassie

Awesome Giveaway – Don’t Miss This!

Katrina, who blogs at Sevin Family Blog is hosting an awesome giveaway and I just HAD to share it with you! Want to know what she’s giving away? Check it out!

I don’t know about you, but I would LOVE to have this for my toddler, especially since he has a birthday coming up in May!

Make sure you go to her blog and read THIS POST to find how you can enter and get a ton of extra entries, too.

Good Luck!!

Blessings,

: ) Cassie

Discipline in the Terrible Twos by Sheila Wray Gregoire

I read this great article today from Sheila Wray Gregoire at To Love, Honor, and Vacuum and I wanted to share it here with you!

Last week a number of you asked me to write a post about how to discipline a toddler! I have so much to say about this I don't know if it will fit all in one post, but let's give it a try.
First, a bit of perspective. I firmly believe that the more you discipline a child up until the age of 3 or 4, the less you have to discipline a child around ages 15-17. And it's at 15-17 when they can get into some serious trouble! That's why it's so important that toddlers are taught to respect your authority and to obey.
I know "obey" is a dirty word. We don't want to impose our wills on these bright, impressionable children. But let's not forget that they are "children". They are not adults. They don't know everything. And they need to be taught to channel their energies in the right direction. Besides, it gives them a feeling of security when they realize that they are not in charge of this big, huge world. When they know there are checks and balances, and that Mommy and Daddy will stop them from doing something bad, they actually feel freer to explore this world than when they are given no limits at all.
So let's move into how to discipline.
1. Schedule/Routine works so well. If you can institute a schedule or routine so that the children know what to expect, you are less likely to need much formal discipline. One of the reasons kids act out is because they are confused or overwhelmed because they don't understand what is going on. That's why kids are more likely to act like brats in a new situation meeting all your relatives, for instance. It's an unfamiliar situation.
As much as possible, then, kids thrive with a schedule. Up at 7, play until 7:45, then breakfast. Play until 10, then outing. Home for lunch. Do a craft. Take a nap. Etc. etc. And try to make outings have similar themes! Have toys that you only take on outings. Go to the library at the same time on the days that you go. When kids know what to expect, they are far more likely to relax and enjoy it than to get upset and start acting out.
2. Make Allowances for Them. Kids are kids, and often we expect them to be able to behave better than perhaps we should. When my girls and I used to grocery shop when they were babies and toddlers, I would stick them into the grocery cart and then head immediately to the produce department, where I would buy two bananas. Then I'd go to the checkout and pay for my two little bananas. I'd keep the receipt handy, in my pocket, and I'd let the girls eat the bananas while we shopped. That kept them from fussing or from trying to touch all the food. If they already had food, they were far more likely to enjoy the experience.
It's unrealistic to expect a 2-year-old to sit calmly in a grocery cart in the middle of all that food for half an hour or 45 minutes while you get a huge shop done. Buy them a healthy snack at the beginning, and you get away from a lot of trouble.
Similarly, if you're waiting at a doctor's office, or if another appointment, it's unrealistic to expect them to sit calmly there, too. I always kept a few small toys and several books in my bag, and whenever we were out at stuff like that I'd whip them out and keep them occupied. It works well at restaurants, too.
I know it doesn't look like the first two have much to do with discipline, but I believe that if we aren't unreasonable with our children, and if we have a routine, kids in general will behave better. Now let's turn to the times when they don't behave.
3. Determine the root cause. My oldest daughter, for instance, threw temper tantrums like there was no tomorrow when she was 2. She'd get upset about something--like we had to leave the park--and she'd start screaming. The problem was she couldn't stop. She'd get to the point where her temper tantrum had nothing to do with what set her off. She was just screaming now because she was overwhelmed with her emotions.
It's frustrating as a parent, but much of life as a 2-3 year-old is learning things, and one thing you have to learn is handling emotions. Becca just couldn't do it at the time (she's still working on calming herself down when she feels panicky or upset, but she's much better at it at 15).
If you can see that it's not that she or he is being defiant, but it's just that they're tired or overwhelmed, that can at least perhaps temper your anger. It doesn't mean you don't discipline; it just makes you a little more sympathetic.
I would take Becca, in the middle of these tantrums, and talk quietly to her but make it clear that she couldn't be with the family or with other people if she was going to scream and thrash like that. We'd either remove her from the room we were in, or, if she was thrashing too much, I'd hold her on my lap, not talking to her, until she was able to calm down.
I never bribed her or tried to get her interested in something else. She needed to learn how to calm herself down. That's the main lesson she needed to get out of her temper tantrums, and if I calmed her down by giving her something, like chocolate, than the lesson was thrown out the window. It was frustrating because it's hard to listen to her screaming, but we'd either put her in a room and let her cry on her bed or I'd hold her on my lap, keeping her arms down, so she wasn't a harm to anybody.
4. Keep Discipline Immediate and Quick. Kids don't have long attention spans, and they don't always understand things when there's too much time between infraction and punishment. If they've just bitten somebody, then you must respond right then. If my children were at playgroup, for instance, and they did something horribly inappropriate, like biting or throwing a tantrum, we would leave. They were very upset about that, and it often made the tantrum worse, but they had to learn that they couldn't act that way in that setting.
Kids need to learn that in public there are certain things you can't do, like screaming, or hitting, or being violent. If they were, they lost their chance to play.
If you're going to institute something like this, don't lecture them or be mad. Just treat it like it's natural. "It's too bad we have to leave now, but that's what happens when you bite. Maybe we'll be able to come back tomorrow if you decide not to bite again." Then don't yell at them. You've already punished them. Let them understand that it was their choice to leave, since they did the biting. Next time, if they make a different choice, then you can stay.
But it must be immediate. Don't dilly dally and wait around and second guess yourself, or you've lost the chance. You can always come back another time, and it does help kids learn to control themselves when they see that they lose something important to them.
5. You Must Be Consistent. If you are going to make it a rule that everyone tries two bites of everything on their plate, for instance, then you have to make them. You can't do it one night and not the rest, or you'll have to start from scratch all over again. They'll know they can push the limits.
That's why it's better NOT to discipline or threaten if you're not going to follow through in the same way all the time. If you're going to let it go sometimes, but not others, you just confuse kids, and you actually put yourself in a worse situation. It's better to have small consequences that you always enforce than some big ones you're haphazard about, because you just confuse kids about the rules.
So don't threaten something in anger. Ask yourself, "can I really follow through? Can I follow through like this on another day, too? Is this something I can regularly do?" And if it's not, don't do it. When kids feel there's a CHANCE they can get away with something, they're more likely to push the limits than if they feel like there are no limits at all, if that makes any sense. It's better not to do anything than to do it halfway.
So with toddlers, choose small things to discipline about. Remove a toy. Have them stand in time out for 3 minutes. Take them out to the car if they're acting up in a restaurant. Leave a playgroup. As for spanking, you can do this if you want to, but I never recommend it because some people do spank in anger, and that's dangerous. If you don't spank in anger, and you're controlled and calm, then that's really up to you. I just don't want to get involved in that decision-making chain of yours!
Let me tell you, though, that some research has shown that spanking is much more effective for boys than for girls. Girls often react badly. Boys often react well. Nevertheless, you know your kids, and you choose what is best for them.
One more thing: try not to yell. If what you're doing is just enforcing consequences, you can do it in a nice voice. "It's too bad you can't play with bunny anymore today, but Mommy warned you, and I have to take it away now." Yelling scares kids and undermines your authority. It's not nice, it creates a horrible environment in the home, and it's not necessary except in really bad circumstances. Kids are far more likely to accept a consequence when you announce it in a firm but normal voice than if you go off the deep end.
I hope that helps! Leave your comments and other ideas below, and maybe I'll leave a follow-up post on Thursday!

If you want to hear more just like this post, you'll love Sheila's audio download, "To Love, Honor and Vacuum"! Do you feel more like a maid than a wife and a mother? Do you wonder how to get your home under control--and how to raise your kids well? Listen in to this hour long talk!

Download now.

Wow, what great insights! This is pretty much exactly how I view discipline with Joey (now 20mo). There has to be a good balance between structure and freedom, teaching and training, praise and correction. It’s not always easy to accomplish this, but toddlers are pretty forgiving!

Hoping you have a wonderful week!

Blessings,

: ) Cassie

When Homeschooling is Hard

I enjoy teaching my children at home. I love reading with them, counting with them, drawing with them, and writing with them. Most days, I enjoy the entire process. But this week has been a tough week. Why?

I have one student who has decided that this week was the perfect time to slow things down. To stop and smell the roses. Now I am not against taking your time and enjoying the scenery as it passes you by, but our school days this week have drug on, and on, and on…

Combine that with the fact that Joey, now 20 months old, has discovered a love for climbing. I am constantly taking things away from him, telling him, “NO NO!”, retrieving him from the tabletop, etc. Together, these boys are really wearing me out!

Our plan for the week was to school M, T, Th, F, Sat, but I am seriously considering taking today off. I’m tired. I’m frustrated. I’m lost! I don’t know what to do about my dawdling student! Nothing in our day to day has changed, no curriculum changes, no routine changes. I don’t get it! I am not sure if I should try to cut out some of his work or if I should keep it as it is and wait for him to emerge from the fog. I do know I can not continue to school for 8 or more hours every day and still maintain my home, take care of 4 children, and make meals and snacks. I will not spend 8 hours a day on one child and neglect the others. '

I am also not crazy about the idea of lowering my expectations in order to cater to this child. It does not feel right. I know what he is capable of. I know that he has had no problems up until now with completing his work every day and in a timely manner.

I am not sure what I am going to do at this point. I am open to suggestions, so please share!

For today, I will try to relax a bit and de-stress. Maybe that will help clear my mind and figure out what steps to take to change things for the better.

Not Me Monday – January 11, 2010

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Without further ado…

It was not me who forgot to put the leftovers from last nights dinner in the fridge and therefore had to give it to the dog this morning.

It was not me that heard from her two older boys that they both do indeed, want mullets?! Apparently, they think it’s a happening hairstyle for young men? I will have to try and talk them out of that one.

It was not me that fed my youngest 3 helpings of steamed, seasoned green beans because I was so excited that he was eating a vegetable that wasn’t from the “french fry” group.

I did not get impatient with my 8yo son today because he moved very slowly through schoolwork. I did not tell him repeatedly to focus, stop dawdling, and just get it done!

I did not let my 20mo toddler run around shirtless for a couple of hours just because I like his chubby belly and mini-love handles.

It is not me that chases my toddler down and restrains him daily to pick his nose because I can’t stand seeing boogies clogging his nostrils.

I am not the one who lays my little one down for naps and bedtime watching a dvd of Yo Gabba Gabba or Blue’s Clues. I am furthermore not the momma who keeps the TV tuned into Nick Jr. all morning and afternoon because it might allow me to get school, laundry, vacuuming done for a few minutes here and there.

It’s not me that still hasn’t taken my toddlers pacifier away, even though he is steadily approaching his 2nd birthday.

I am not a cloth diaper flunkie.

I did not have to scrub dry erase marker off of my living room walls because my toddler got a little color happy.

I think that’s enough airing of my dirty laundry for this week. See you next Monday!

Blessings,

: ) Cassie

My Babies Have Rhythm!!

Check out this great video of Joey (and Isaiah for a moment) dancing to MC Hammer’s “You Can’t Touch This”… There *might* be a short scene of me doing the “Hammer Dance” but please close your eyes on that part, LOL!

Joey dancing to MC Hammer @ Yahoo! Video

Blessings,

: )  Cassie

My Snow Babies

We had a pretty decent snow here on Thursday. Which meant the kids were DYINGT to go out and play in it. I was hesitant because I had no clue which box in my closet held all of thier snow gear and we have yet to purchase any of them snow boots this year.

But the hubby helped me dig out their snow pants, mittens, and hats so they could go out. Joey only had a nice warm coat, mittens, and a hat. SO we put sweats on him under bib overalls and pair of rain boots that are 2 sizes too big. Not the ideal outfit, but it worked well wnough for him to go out for a bit. This was the first time he has gone out in the snow. I thought I would share some pictures with you. Some of them are a bit blurry, i apologize. I was taking some from inside the back door through the window. I did not step one foot out in it, I’m not a fan of cold nor snow.

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Funnies From Bloggyland…

I was perusing through my many followed blogs today, and came across a link to this hilariously true post: Lessons Learned from Toddlerhood Check it out for a good laugh!

Blessings,

: ) Cassie

The Toddler Baker (12-17-09)

It has been a while since I posted any new videos. I have not slowed down in taping the kids, I just have not been uploading any to YouTube recently. I went through a majority of all my video on my hard drive this evening and picked a few things out to share. Here is a video from a few nights ago, enjoy!

He really had a good time playing with the dough! Maybe I should think about digging the playdough out for him again. I believe he may just be ready to play with it (instead of eating it)!

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Wedding Fun!

Man have we been busy! My sister's wedding was this past Saturday and Joey was her ring-bearer. I had tons of family come in to be there that I had not seen in years! It was a beautiful ceremony and we all had a ball at the reception. I hope to get some pictures posted soon of the actual wedding, but for now, here is a video of my little man gettin down on the dance floor! Enjoy!

Blessings!

Cassie :)

Daily Report – Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

We had a pretty good day today.  I think we are starting to get used to Daddy being gone all day and most of the evening now. It has been a tough transition for all of us. I take comfort in knowing that right now is the busiest time of year for his company, and it will slow down a bit in a few weeks.
It has been tough figuring out how to get the house straightened up, prepare meals, and do school every day with the little one getting more demanding and impatient since his birthday. But I am slowly learning how to juggle it all and still spend some good quality time with him every day. Granted I am usually exhausted by the end of the day, but it is worth it!
So far this week, including today, we have completed every single lesson I put on the planner last Sunday. So that’s definitely something to be proud of. I am really tired of always being behind and playing catch-up.
Today we took some pictures of various parts of our school day that I thought I would share with my readers….

Here’s a pic of the boys finishing up their Bible work for the day and putting it away in their binders. As usual, Isaiah was taking a bit longer than Drew…

They asked me to put the pictures they colored up for all to see….

Drew’s picture..

Isaiah’s picture…

Drew’s math assignment today required him to complete multiplication problems using a calculator. My boys REALLY love it when they get to use their calculators!

In this picture, Isaiah was using his number line to complete his math lesson. he is learning his fact families thru 18.

What was Joey doing while this was taking place you ask? Well for some of it he was napping. But here he was playing contentedly with a straw. Hmm, I spend hours choosing and arranging toys and activities on the bottom shelves for him, and this is what keeps him happy?

Hey there big brother, can I borrow that pencil for a sec? No? Maybe a crayon then?

Drew taking his English test…

he did a very good job!

He wanted a picture to show how happy he was about his grade! He took this himself…..wow that’s what I call a close-up!

Here is Isaiah practicing his spelling list for this week on spellingcity.com. We are really loving this site, it is free and it makes spelling less of a chore for the boys.

So that does it for our pictures for today. We did a fun science activity too, but unfortunately Joey was not cooperating enough to allow me to take pictures of that as well. We are doing another tomorrow so maybe I’ll get some then! Hope you enjoyed our pictures!

Blessings,

Cassie