Showing posts with label Summertime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summertime. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Alexa's REALLY Awesome Schedule
I did it! I've been wanting to do this for a long time now and I did it! YAY FOR ME!
Okay...what did I do?
Mothers of toddlers, I'm sure you've heard about all the benefits of having a schedule for your little one. Seriously, there are literally hundreds of articles, books, studies, opinions, etc. that you can find about how schedules improve behavior and make everyone's life easier. For me there was just one problem...
I mean, whose life actually can be that way? Some days involve shopping, others involve trips to the library, others involve staying at home getting some cleaning done. Also, Alexa, being 2, is unpredictable from one day to the next. Last week she was a nightmare, this week she's like a totally different child. And some days she sleeps until 9am (rarely, but it happens), and other days she's up at 6:30am, which totally changes our plans for the morning. So sometimes breakfast is at 7am and sometimes it's at 9:30. And sometimes I need her to have nap at 12:00 and sometimes it can't happen until 2:30 (thank you 11:00 church)...you get the idea!
So, when I was reading all these articles, books, and studies, I'm thinking "uhhh, so how do I make a schedule for such an unpredictable creature?" It was very discouraging. After a while the thought occurred to me that "obviously, you need to have events and times in your schedule that can be moved around."
And so it became very clear what I needed to do: MAGNETS!
Everything from the times to each event to the day of the week and even the sun in the corner (I have varying weather pictures depending on what it looks like outside) are magnetic and rearranged daily. It's a great activity to do each morning with my 2-year old and a great resource for both of us to make sure we're not spending too much time in front of the TV or computer and that we're getting adequate amounts of play and work time each day.
Overall this project took me a few evenings, a couple hours at Kinko's, and about $15 for the laminating. Schedule events include the following items:
How exciting that we have this great tool and that it can grow with her. Here is a list (w/ links) to the Dingbat Fonts I used for the pictures (I also recently used them for a potty training chart I made, so I think they will continue to be very useful):
1. Pea Cookie’s Doodles, 2. Pea Delilah’s Doodles, 3. Pea Jokilyn Doodles, 4. Pea Shelley Belley’s Doodles, 5. Pea Stacy’s Doodles, 6. Pea Stacey’s New Doodles, 7. Pea The Bees in Love Doodles, 8. Pea Tisha’s Doodles, 9. Alfabilder, 10. Dingpartment Store, 11. ForKids, 12. Girl Characters, 13. Kawaii Food II, 14. LiveStyle, 15. PeaxWebdesignFreeIcons, 16. Scrapicons, 17. Tombats Three
Once again, yay for me (and you're welcome)! To see more things I plan on do-doing this summer, check out my list!
Okay...what did I do?
Mothers of toddlers, I'm sure you've heard about all the benefits of having a schedule for your little one. Seriously, there are literally hundreds of articles, books, studies, opinions, etc. that you can find about how schedules improve behavior and make everyone's life easier. For me there was just one problem...
practically speaking I cannot do the same thing day after day in the same way
at the same time!
I mean, whose life actually can be that way? Some days involve shopping, others involve trips to the library, others involve staying at home getting some cleaning done. Also, Alexa, being 2, is unpredictable from one day to the next. Last week she was a nightmare, this week she's like a totally different child. And some days she sleeps until 9am (rarely, but it happens), and other days she's up at 6:30am, which totally changes our plans for the morning. So sometimes breakfast is at 7am and sometimes it's at 9:30. And sometimes I need her to have nap at 12:00 and sometimes it can't happen until 2:30 (thank you 11:00 church)...you get the idea!
So, when I was reading all these articles, books, and studies, I'm thinking "uhhh, so how do I make a schedule for such an unpredictable creature?" It was very discouraging. After a while the thought occurred to me that "obviously, you need to have events and times in your schedule that can be moved around."
And so it became very clear what I needed to do: MAGNETS!
(poor lighting in the kitchen means you need to ignore the graininess of the pictures)
Everything from the times to each event to the day of the week and even the sun in the corner (I have varying weather pictures depending on what it looks like outside) are magnetic and rearranged daily. It's a great activity to do each morning with my 2-year old and a great resource for both of us to make sure we're not spending too much time in front of the TV or computer and that we're getting adequate amounts of play and work time each day.
Overall this project took me a few evenings, a couple hours at Kinko's, and about $15 for the laminating. Schedule events include the following items:
Blank Sheets for Writing in Special or Unpredictable Events
Bath Time Bedtime
Room Time Church
TV Time x2 Swimming
James Time Potty Time x2
Playtime Quiet Time
Lunch Soccer
Shopping Dance
Dinner Crafts
Family Time Make Lunch
Breakfast Make Dinner
Chores Friends
Snack x2 Park
Reading Outside
Clean-Up Mom Time
Naptime Library
Daddy Time
How exciting that we have this great tool and that it can grow with her. Here is a list (w/ links) to the Dingbat Fonts I used for the pictures (I also recently used them for a potty training chart I made, so I think they will continue to be very useful):
Once again, yay for me (and you're welcome)! To see more things I plan on do-doing this summer, check out my list!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
My "Do Do" List
If you read yesterday's post, you see that our family has A LOT going on, and so there's A LOT going on outside of our immediate family/vicinity that we simply cannot do. We've really had to learn to say "I'm so sorry, but I just can't" and "We really wish we could be there, but it's just not going to work out."
Seriously, it's been a bit of a drag.
That's why when my friend Megan reminded me that I have so many opportunities that are available to me and I need to take advantage of them! It's my responsibility to share this beautiful world with Alexa and James and to share them with the world everyday! How exciting! Yeah, there's things I can't do, but when I focus on the can-do's instead of the can't-do's I am so much happier, and surprisingly, those around me are happier, too!
Like Jack Donaghey said, "[The world] is made by those who do do . . . I do do."
• Make/Print/Laminate/Post a Really Awesome Schedule for Alexa
• Help Nick Graduate
• Move to New Mexico
• Have a “See Ya Later” Grilled Cheese Party with All Our Colorado Friends
• Stay Up Late Watching Old Movies with Nick
• Finish Reading 15 Books
• Read with Alexa Everyday
• Post on Blog Weekly
• Update the Blog’s Layout
• Leave Uplifting Notes Around Town
• Hang Out with Cousins before We Both Move
• Go to Library Weekly
• Attend City Carnival in June and July
• Make Small, Cute Going Away Gifts for My Friends
• Identify 101 Things that Make Me Smile and Photograph Them
• Be 100% Positive in All I Say for a Week
• Turn a Good Deed Daily for a Stranger for a Week
• Buy Flowers for Myself (and a friend) for No Reason
• Figure Out a Way to Exercise with 2 Kids
• Host a Game Night
• Ambush Nick with Water Balloons (you’ve been warned...)
• Take Nick to that One Indian Restaurant
• Go to that One Ice Cream Place in Louisville
• Play in Shaving Cream with Alexa
• Make a Sign to Welcome Suzy to Colorado from Her Mission
• Do Something Special for My Parents’ Birthdays While They’re in Town
• Make and Eat Jello Jigglers
• Visit a New Park
• Rediscover the Joy in Photography
• Get a Pedicure
Seriously, it's been a bit of a drag.
That's why when my friend Megan reminded me that I have so many opportunities that are available to me and I need to take advantage of them! It's my responsibility to share this beautiful world with Alexa and James and to share them with the world everyday! How exciting! Yeah, there's things I can't do, but when I focus on the can-do's instead of the can't-do's I am so much happier, and surprisingly, those around me are happier, too!
Like Jack Donaghey said, "[The world] is made by those who do do . . . I do do."
With that in mind, here is My "Do Do" List to be completed by the end of August 2013 (some items crossover onto my 101 in 1001 List)!
• Make/Print/Laminate/Post a Really Awesome Schedule for Alexa
• Help Nick Graduate
• Move to New Mexico
• Have a “See Ya Later” Grilled Cheese Party with All Our Colorado Friends
• Stay Up Late Watching Old Movies with Nick
• Finish Reading 15 Books
• Read with Alexa Everyday
• Post on Blog Weekly
• Update the Blog’s Layout
• Leave Uplifting Notes Around Town
• Hang Out with Cousins before We Both Move
• Go to Library Weekly
• Attend City Carnival in June and July
• Make Small, Cute Going Away Gifts for My Friends
• Identify 101 Things that Make Me Smile and Photograph Them
• Be 100% Positive in All I Say for a Week
• Turn a Good Deed Daily for a Stranger for a Week
• Buy Flowers for Myself (and a friend) for No Reason
• Figure Out a Way to Exercise with 2 Kids
• Host a Game Night
• Ambush Nick with Water Balloons (you’ve been warned...)
• Take Nick to that One Indian Restaurant
• Go to that One Ice Cream Place in Louisville
• Play in Shaving Cream with Alexa
• Make a Sign to Welcome Suzy to Colorado from Her Mission
• Do Something Special for My Parents’ Birthdays While They’re in Town
• Make and Eat Jello Jigglers
• Visit a New Park
• Rediscover the Joy in Photography
• Get a Pedicure
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
It Should Have Always Been
This summer Ray worked at a scout camp in Wyoming and along his way up and back down at the end of the summer he stopped by our place for a visit. Back in June he came and went to one of Alexa's swim practices with her and I, and a couple weeks ago he dropped by on his way home from camp with his son, Bjorn. He called that morning and things worked out for us to see them, which was so great! We went on a walk to the park and the creek near our home. We all really enjoyed ourselves!
I think one of my favorite parts about open adoption is that over time it evolves into something that should have always been, but it took a little miracle to forge the friendship. Our relationship with Ray and Melissa is extremely casual and normal that I sometimes forget how extraordinary having a positive relationship and frequent interactions with our child's birth family is a pretty uncommon and uncomfortable idea for most other people.
Silly people. [Shakes her head disappointingly.]
After going down the slide together, sometimes things are a little crazy!
Creek near our home: so beautiful!
Creek near our home: so fun!
Ray and son Bjorn watching Alexa explore the creek
I think one of my favorite parts about open adoption is that over time it evolves into something that should have always been, but it took a little miracle to forge the friendship. Our relationship with Ray and Melissa is extremely casual and normal that I sometimes forget how extraordinary having a positive relationship and frequent interactions with our child's birth family is a pretty uncommon and uncomfortable idea for most other people.
Silly people. [Shakes her head disappointingly.]
Thursday, July 26, 2012
My Summer Vacation in 17,000 Words, and Then Some
(Title Explanation: a picture is a thousand words, and then the words I didn't bother counting. Oh, just read on!)
Every summer Nick's Dad's family goes up to a lake in Washington State for a week of boating, talking, and eating. It's absolutely our favorite vacation whenever we get to go, and this was Alexa's first time there. Going as parents was a new/challenging experience, but so wonderful! Enjoy!
Crossing the ferry to Twin Lakes!
In the lake for the first time with Daddy!
Driving the boat with Grandpa!
Grandma, Grandpa, and all their grandkids!
I'm actually wakeboarding!
Wading in the water with Daddy!
Enjoying Twin Lakes with Mommy!
The family that tubes together stays together!
Nick's sister Cassidy and her husband Jesse about 2 seconds before she flips the tube trying to get away from the water. Yeah, I know...
Cool picture of lily pads.
Playing in the water together!
Yeah, that's partially melted marshmallow in her hair. This was at week's end and she was so gross!
The next pictures were specifically taken to make Nick's siblings who wren't there jealous. Did it work?
Going home! We look happy, but our hearts are breaking a little.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Nelson-Topia, Our Ultimate Summer Getaway
Just in case you were born in a barn, the title of this post is an homage to one of the greatest movies ever!
As of today we will be spending the next week...
enjoying this:
doing some of this:
and doing a lot of this:
all in the best place in the world! Catch ya on the flipside!
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