Home Preschool Journal

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2013 is starting with a bang for our family.  It seems every year we've experienced big change of one kind or another, but this year may take the cake.  My husband's enlistment runs up in just a few weeks and we still have no certain plans for where we're going or what we're doing.  We know God has only good plans for us and we're trying our best to trust and remain stress-free!

One thing we do know for sure is we will be homeschooling.  Long term.  Baby Bird is not quite three years old, but this is a lifestyle we've prayed about, researched, and discerned is best for our family.

I'm a teacher by training and by choice which is proving to be both a help and a hindrance.  We've been blessed with some fantastic homeschooling mentors over the last several years - families who have opened their hearts, brains, and bookshelves for us to grill ponder.  I don't think we would feel nearly as confident or comfortable with this choice if it weren't for them (you!).  One challenge for me, given all those years of teacher "education," has been letting go.  I'm glad we're getting a bit of a head start on this... I'm gonna' need it.

It took a whole year for me to realize that it just. didn't. matter. how many letters of the alphabet our daughter knew.  She was ONE.  I didn't have to write it down, or report it to anyone, or worry that she wasn't meeting the benchmarks for her grade.  Yeah, I can be a little stubborn reluctant to change sometimes.

However, as Baby Bird gets closer to compulsory school age I realize we WILL need to keep records of some kind.  It's also nice to be able to look back and remember the funny things she's said or done... or share stories with our family who gets to see her for only short snippets on Skype.

I know from experience that if I write down a lesson plan or even the most general of goals for the week something undoubtedly changes.  I don't want a record of what I thought we'd do, I want a record of what we did.  I've also learned that the more blanks there are to fill in, the less likely I am to fill in any at all.

I've dug through the internet and perused our bookshelves and have yet to find a good way for us to keep records without getting either bogged down with lesson plans (dude, she's TWO) or putting it off till some future date when we can finally pull out all the scrapbooking toys supplies and make a baby book.

So.  I made my own.  And I thought I'd share.  Feel free to print as many as you'd like.  If you share online please be nice and include a link back to this page.  Thank you!

LINK TO GOOGLE DOC

This journal will (I hope!) be the happy medium between needing a record and my laziness desire for flexibility.

We plan to use one journal per calendar year with a goal of filling out one sheet per week.  We might get ambitious and do more, but I doubt it.  Even if we do only one per month it'll hit the high points.  The front page includes a spot for a 4"x6" photo or drawing.  The "Important Things to Share" pages we'll likely put at the front and use to list whatever curricula we choose for that year and major events such as moves.  When we hit the need for more detailed records we'll switch to lesson plans or whatever works for us at that time, but I think we'll use this setup for a few years at least.

It's formatted to print double-sided and either spiral bind or hole-punch for a 3-ring binder.  Apparently my husband can't handle sideways text next to horizontal text so there are two options for the individual journal pages...  A happy hubby makes a happy home :).

Here's hoping we've found the balance!  May this year bring you and your family abundant blessings and joy.

"The Princess and the Kiss: Three Gifts of Christmas" Book Review

 

I purchased this book because our nearly-three-year-old daughter has taken a sudden interest in princesses.  I'm a tomboy through and through so this is all new territory for me.  I was seeking a Christmas story that would interest our daughter and this one caught my eye.  A princess book I might actually be able to stomach AND it's about Christmas?  I figured we'd at least give it a try.

Oh my word.

McDaniels' watercolor illustrations are fresh and delightful but what impressed me most was the story.  Ms. Bishop artfully weaves a fairy tale worthy of any princess storybook... but one that hits home and ever so gently reminds us of Christ and His story during this time of rushing and selfishness that has become such a part of Christmas in the US.

My eyes filled with tears as the princess and her family shared a new (to them) way of celebrating Christmas.  Their gifts are limited, but chosen with care.  They all learn, together, that even the most precious of gifts becomes even more so when shared.

Merry Christmas.

Why you should never trust your GPS in Japan

Distance to Destination:  13 km  (8.1 miles)
Estimated Travel Time: 37 minutes

LIES!!!!!

Actual Travel Time: 61 minutes.

With a cranky two year-old.  In the rain.

This is normal people.  As in everyday occurrence, not unusual, par for the course, expected.

And family and friends ask why we don't travel much...

On Colds and Nursing

I've been battling a nasty cold for 3 weeks and it's kicking my tail.  Unfortunately Baby Bird and Daddy have it too.

When we woke up this morning barely able to talk, my husband announced "We're going to Sick Call."  Yay for family togetherness.

3 doctor appointments, 4 hours, and 5 new meds later, we dragged ourselves in the door and flopped into bed.  Well, Baby Bird and I did - Daddy had to go to work.

One of the meds the doc prescribed for me is Sudafed.  The real stuff, not the over-the-counter stuff that does nothing.  She actually prescribed it 2 weeks ago when I went in thinking this cold was maybe strep (it wasn't), but I've only taken it maybe 3 times.  Sudafed works wonders.  However, it is also one of a small handful of cold meds that can affect your milk supply (Benadryl is fine in case you're wondering).

Baby Bird's already down to a handful of insanely short nursing sessions so any dip in supply could be a problem.  Neither she nor I are ready to stop nursing just yet.  I love that she's getting health benefits that simply cannot be replaced with anything else and it's the one time she sits and cuddles for more than a split second.  Baby Bird begs to nurse at certain times of day (mainly before and after sleeping) and often tosses in a few other random nursing requests throughout the day.  They're short but clearly meeting a need.

Enter Sudafed.

Doc says if I want relief from the coughing and non-stop nose then Sudfed's the way to go.  She knows I'm nursing and recommended staying hydrated, etc. to prevent a supply dip.  After a particularly painful hacking session I give in a take a round of Sudafed.  Just 1, nothing too crazy.  That was at 1pm.

7pm, time for Baby Bird to get ready for bed.  She potties, we read a book, she climbs into her PJ's and settles into my lap for her last nursing session of the day.

"There's nothing there!"  She opens her hands, palm up, and looks at me in surprise.

"Try again, baby."

"There's nothing there, Mama!  Where Mama milk?"

Well, crap.

Baby Bird crawls into bed, a little surprised but not too upset, and drifts off to sleep.

I go straight to the kitchen and down a glass of water.  And refill it.  And drink another.

If we're done nursing, I'm not thrilled about it but it's okay.  However, I am NOT happy that this cold and accompanying meds may be causing a rather abrupt end to an otherwise healthy nursing relationship.  I'll do my best to hydrate, etc. but booger.  Just, booger.

Solar Eclipse

Hubby woke me up this morning with "Eclipse time!"  A bit groggy, I followed him to the back porch and we were treated to this:

He had the brilliant idea to line up several sunglass lenses so we could actually look at the eclipsed sun.

I remember seeing the last solar eclipse as a kid, so this was pretty spectacular!  Baby Bird was a little less enthused:

She liked the pictures afterwards though and kept asking for pictures of the "moon" (i.e. the partially-eclipsed sun).

So cool!

Japanese Advice

One of the many reasons I love living in Japan.  This is an email snippet from our church choir director, who is Japanese:

Please don't catch cold, stay warm and healthy

(drink ginger tea or ginger soup is helpful these days....)

Make a good ginger drink;

Cut couple ginger slice, honey(or brown sugar), lemon(if you like) and add hot water.

Make good ginger soup;

Grated ginger, bonito, chopped long onion, little bit of soy sauce, add boiled water

Easy and healthy..... Stay warm

 I do believe I must now try these :).  Hope you, too, stay healthy and warm!

*Bonito is tiny flakes of dried fish, often used as a flavorful topping or to make dashi stock (mild fish/seaweed broth)

Reset Button

I am terrible at time management.  Always have been.  It's not so much that I don't know how to plan my time, it's that I have virtually no feeling of its passing.  When I was a kid it drove my mom and teachers nuts.  As an adult?  Let's just say it can become a major problem.

Enter The Internet.

The internet has most recently become my biggest time suck.  As in hours of my day gone.  Daily.  I couldn't even remember what it was I was reading.  Drastic measures were needed.

I waved goodbye to Facebook for the last week, swore off email, surfing, and TV, and limited my reading to the Bible and Bible studies I've been woefully neglecting.  A one-week RESET.

I'm here to say I survived.  It was challenging and refreshing.  I wish I could go longer but technology truly is the way we link to our world since a) I don't work outside our home, and b) It is the primary mode of communication both for our local community and our family on the other side of the world.

I'm trying to slowly reintegrate computer usage into my day but with some boundaries.  I started this blog because I needed a place to see my thoughts in print and to keep a little sanity in our crazy life.  It hasn't been working because by the time I wade through emails, Facebook, blogs, and surfing, the baby's crying, the dog's going ballistic, my husband wants to know what's for dinner, and I'm already 15 minutes late for my meeting.  I've been forfeiting peace and clarity for Facebook drama and a list of crafts I'll never finish in 10 lifetimes.

I've neglected friends and responsibilities, I've traded needs for wants, I've turned my priorities upside down.  If I've hurt you because of this I am truly sorry.

I'm moving on.  I'm putting my priorities back where they should be.  I'm (hopefully) growing and experiencing the pains that go with it but I know it's worth it.  That God is worth it.  That my family is worth it.  That my friends are worth it.

Please pray for me and know that I am praying for you, too.

Peace.