The Cabbage Patch

What Kind of Bird?

So, can anyone help me?  What kind of bird does this resemble?

Nature Study

I'm awful about nature study.  I hate dislike the outdoors.  I don't like to get hot and sticky and I don't like to be cold.  So, do I keep the kids indoors?  Not exactly.  This past year we spent a great deal of time indoors except for trips to the park on Fridays after mass.  Our street was not conducive to outdoor play either.  There were no sidewalks where we lived, we lived on the bottom part of an incline, and it was a busy street.  With Brother's impulsivity problem, it was too difficult to be out there.  So, we spent most of our time indoors.  Then we moved to my parents' house.  A bit better, but still no sidewalks.  And, it has been about 100 degrees every day. 

Two days ago, it rained.

Now, in many places, this might not be a significant event, but it had been weeks since the last rainfall.  We're hurting here for rain.  It only lasted for about an hour, but it was so nice.  There was thunder and lightening.  It was great.  Then yesterday morning, it rained again.  This time for about 4 hours.  Apparently, this rainfall was part of a cooling front that came through here.  This morning, it was 75 degrees.  I don't think we've felt 75 degrees at 9 am in the morning in forever.  Even Sister commented, "Mommy, the weather is SO nice!"  It was.  So, when we returned from therapy, we ditched our plans for school after lunch and went outside to play.  The kids rode their bikes, Brother rode his scooter, Pumpkin even tried to get on a tricycle.  All in all, a good afternoon.  We even did some nature study. 

This is the mistletoe we discovered growing on the elm trees. 

This is the hole where we found the snails.  I don't think they were too happy to be picked up and well, neither was I, but I'm determined to do this nature study.  I know the kids will enjoy it.  Honey was absolutely captivated by the snails.  She was not at all apprehensive about touching these things.  Sister was a bit more cautious.  Brother wanted to dig around for some more.  Pumpkin was exploring the backyard and getting dirty.

Our last lesson was in remembering to avoid those mosquitos.  We were all bitten in many places.  Sister had the most.  It will be an itchy week for us. 

I should've sat the kids down later to do some pictures of what they saw today, but I think we'll just take baby steps.

Another Birthday!!

Sister came into the world 5 years ago.  She was my easiest C-section.  It's hard to believe she's 5.  Where did the time go?  Happy Birthday, my princess.  I love you.

First Day of School

Yesterday was our first day of school.  I almost hesitated to start on a Monday because our Mondays are hectic.  We have an hour and a half of various therapies in the morning.  Since we live an hour away from our clinic right now, we spend the entire morning until lunch out.  However, I decided to start anyway.

It went pretty well yesterday.  Our school room is in my brother's room.  It's a bit cramped and our table is like a coffee table.  This makes seatwork a bit difficult because of Pumpkin.  Well, she's 15 months old.  Need I say more? 

I'm reading about Maria Montessori's methods.  One of the most important things I gleaned from what I've read so far is to observe the child.  I've come to realize that I haven't paid as much attention to who each child is.  I pay attention to their basic needs, but I've been overwhelmed with autistic Brother that I haven't paid too much attention to who each one of my girls is.  Well, that is one of my goals during this school year.  Who is Sister, Honey and Pumpkin?  How do they learn?  What interests them?  What motivates them? 

Hot, Hot, Hot

Last night, it felt hot.  The kids were sweating before we said our goodnights.  Then I felt the air from the air conditioner.  It was warm.  Uh oh.  Yep, the A/C is on the fritz.  Sigh.  Why don't these things happen during the day on a weekday.  No one works at 9pm on a Saturday night?  It was 100 degrees yesterday for a high.  It's now currently 79 with a heat index of 82.  It's not even 8am yet.  It does not bode well.  However, the A/C guy is supposed to come here today around 1.  Please, Mr. A/C man, come quickly.  If he doesn't I guess we'll make lemons out of lemonade and go to a cool place (Barnes and Noble, here we come) until it's fixed.  Luckily, my dad will take care of everything.  I'm sure glad it's not my A/C I have to worry about.

Planner

Today I received my order from Family Centered Press.  I bought the 3 hole punched big planner.  I placed it in my binder and it's ready to go.  I really like this planner.  It has all the daily mass readings.  For each day, it tells you which mysteries for the rosary.  I never remember that.  One of my favorite sections is the Weblog though.  It has a page where you can put your usernames and passwords for various websites you may need to register for.  I'm so excited about this section because well...I'm awful about remembering.  Thank you, Michele for a wonderful product.

Look Who's 8!

Brother is 8 today.  It hardly seems like more than yesterday that my water broke and we went to the hospital early in the morning.  He came out so big (10lbs 6oz) and surprised us all.  Happy Birthday, Brother!!  I love you, dear boy.

Fabulous Field Day

Dawn has put together another Fabulous Field Day.  If you've been putting off your nature study, this will inspire you to take out your nature journals. 

Real Learning

One website I visit everyday (besides all the blogs I love to read) is Real Learning.  These ladies are so generous with their time, thoughts, ideas, and prayers.  I've had a list of blogs from these ladies on my sidebar since the beginning, but I've been very behind on updating my list.  Well, Lissa of The Lilting House updated the entire list and put it into this file (I don't understand what type of file it is) that I just uploaded onto this blog.  Check out the Real Learning Blogroll.  These are fabulous ladies.  Grab a drink, relax, and read, read, read.

At Bathtime

Overhead at bathtime yesterday:

Honey:  Why did God make me?

Sister:  Because he's nice.