Mommy's new challenge...

Well, something new here in our home. Mommy learning how to play computer games other than word games. Games like Go, Ollie! and Midnight Mansion. It's all in the name of research, you see. If I am allowing Jonathan to play either game for some prescribed amount of time, I need to know how to get from place to place, advance to the next level, how not to fall into the hot lava, how to jump over the spiders and scorpions, how to jump and get the coins or fruit, or whatever you have to jump to get. It's all research, I tell you. So, go on, don't expect any blog posts for a little bit while I "do my time" learning these games. Go on, now, go on...

I like this background

After perusing and playing with some different blog backgrounds, I have decided on this one...for today! "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" seems appropriate, as the snow lightly falls (and melts ;-). We're hoping for more, more, more! Even though I don't like skiing in powder, Michael and Jonathan do. Annisia seems to like face planting in it. We went up to our little ski area up in the mountains here last Sunday. Annisia scares the willies out of me. She gets off the lift, gets a little push up the tiny hill to the top of the hill, points her skis and goes. No looking back! Scares the willies...I post and turn down the bunny slope, vainly attempting to catch her, yelling, "You MUST go across the hill. Push your buttons..." (That's something the ski instructor told her. That she had special buttons on the bottom of her rental skis. She needed to take turn pushing down on them. Then she'd go across the mountain, working her way down in a controlled manner.) Oh, where, Oh, where is that ski instructor again? Maybe she'd listen to him...She plowed down one time, veered off into some powder and face planted. BOOM! She landed so hard, she didn't just lose a ski, she lost the ski AND boot! Popped her little SmartWool stockinged foot right out of her boot! Joy.

Blog changes...

OK, so today, I had three different comments posted from "Anonymous". The last one really bothered me. The first two were something benign like some link to something on Amazon.com or something. The 3rd one was disturbing. Info on meth ingredients and other links of a sexual nature. SO! These are my latest changes. You need to have an ID to comment on my blog. No more "Anonymous" comments. This is easy if you have a Google account. I am also moderating all comments. They will be reviewed by me before they are posted. Sorry if the changes affect you too greatly, but I cannot have this garbage on my blog. Thanks for understanding!

Changing backgrounds...

I have discovered several free blog background sites. I am enjoying them! One is Shabby Blogs, another is Hot Bliggity Blog. My original was The Cutest Blog on the Block. So, Happy Valentine's Day. Enjoy the "lovely" background. I'll be changing it again soon to reflect the great winter weather. What backgrounds have you liked the most?

Jonathan starts school!!

So, in May, I brought Jonathan into this GREAT school and talked to one of the teachers about whether he should start school, ie. Kindergarten, this fall. She took him into her office and kind of interviewed him. I stayed in the preschool area with Annisia. She had a great time playing in the indoor sand box (!) ( I was thankful I don't have clean up duty!!) When Mrs. U came out from the office with Jonathan, she said, "Wow! He has a great vocabulary! That's proof you read a lot and talk with him." But her verdict was he wasn't ready for kindergarten because of his pen to paper skills, or lack thereof! She asked him to draw a triangle. Instead, he told her it was a triangle, and did she know that a triangle looked like a sail on a boat, and, know what? Uncle Jon has a boat and we went out on the lake in it, and...(ahem! clearing throat) "Can you draw me a triangle, Jonathan?" You get the picture...that's my son!! She also highly recommends starting kids a little later to give them a better start and a better finish in school. With Jonathan's late summer birthday, she recommended starting him in pre-K this year and Kindergarten next year. This means he'll be older in his class hopefully increasing his maturity in decision-making skills. I like it all. Michael hesitated, but changed his mind once HE had an interview with Mrs. U!
Here's Jonathan by the journal box. Isn't he cute?! I was amazed! They "journal" every day. They have a sheet of paper with their name printed across the top. They are supposed to write their name on the line below that. Then they draw a picture in the empty space below that. Then there are more lines on the bottom of the page. They write whatever other words they want down there. It's really great to see the progress. At first, Jonathan was just writing "Jon" on his papers he brought home. Now he is writing his whole name and he can spell it off the top of his head too!
I made some homemade Koolaid playdoh for the school. Here's Jonathan giving the bag to Mrs. U. (and telling her all about it!! (refer to first paragraph!!))
Then both kids promptly sat down on the bean bags and started reading. Mrs. U was amazed! I don't know why? Don't all kids love books? Or are they all too busy watching TV? I am SO glad we don't have TV...the kids have a great appreciation for books. It's all good.
Rug time! Mrs. U (and Mrs. J) is SO enthusiastic. They have jobs every week. One kiddo says the day and date and places it on the calendar, another does the weather report including finding the word that says the weather (snowy, sunny, raining, hot, cold), another checks the foyer to see if all the coats are hung up and the shoes or boots are neatly arranged, another dusts the computers, another picks up debris on the floor and displays it to the class (!). One of the kids checks the check in area and tells the teacher who is absent from school, another pushes in all the chairs and reports where chairs were left out. One kiddo has the responsibility to hold the flag and lead the kids in the "Pledge of Allegiance". Yes! They can say it at this school!! WooHoo! (sad to think of all the public schools where it seems they don't have the "right" to say the Pledge. It's all very sweet to watch. The kiddos learn responsibility, accountability, respect, care. It's all good...
Then they have a prayer time. All the kiddos can say a prayer out loud or silently. Praying children! It's so sweet. I have listened to some of the prayers if I am still there at this time. Some prayers have the natural things like "thank you for the dolly I got at Christmas." But some show the love these kiddos have for each other like "be with Susie because she's sick today." Since this is a christian school, and they don't seek funding from the government, they can do that. The downside? Tuition. But! Jonathan is happily learning a lot.