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Category Archives: parenting
Pat Morita Lives in Our House
Meet our little Mr. Miyagi
Let me widen the screen a bit on Mr. Miyagi.
Notice anything?
No?
Let me point something out to you.
Our sensei is standing next to her opponent.
Caroline and I were standing by the window looking at trucks outside our house when a fly started to bother us. I walked into the kitchen to grab a towel to swat the fly when I heard a whack, followed by, “I got it.”
A doll, a book, a sword?
No people. She meant she got THE FLY.
I walked back into the room to this.
In all fairness the fly may have been a little slow due to the pest guy spraying the day before but it doesn’t dismiss the fact that my TWO YEAR OLD KILLED A FLY WITH HER HANDS!
All of the waxing and painting I make her do is finally paying off.
Piano Week
Andrew & Alex started piano lessons last week. In an attempt to add to their excitement, we had PIANO WEEK at our house.
What might you ask is Piano Week?
Well, it’s just a week of activities I thought up or found which dealt with music. This was an attempt to give a little structure to our summer days. The focus being on little.
Here’s PIANO WEEK:
Visited: a piano store and received a tour by a very enthusiastic employee
Created: Alex created a power point about John Williams while Andrew made a poster. I originally thought they would choose Beethoven or Mozart but once we stumbled upon John Williams there was no turning back. One morning we spent over an hour watching him conduct on You Tube.
Read Books: 1. Beethoven – A Value Tales book 2. Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney 3. Ludwig van Beethoven by Eric Summerer 4. Keyboards by Wendy Lynch
Made: Thumb pianos – directions found here
Listened: to a Mixed Classical CD from Target in the car all week
Food: We ate SHARP cheese, ate BACHli (I’ll be honest – Derek and I are the only ones who ate the broccoli), talked about fish SCALES while we ate fish sticks, and planned to make cinnamon FLATbread but never got around to it.
We also made dessert PIANOS compliments of Alex. We used ice cream bars but white Kit Kats bars would make prefect piano keys.
Movies: We watched the movie Beethoven with Charles Grodin and Bonnie Hunt. Yes I know it has nothing to do with music but the kids loved it.
We capped off the week with a trip to eat ice cream at Braum’s (BRAHM). I wanted to finish up the week at a piano bar but Derek thought otherwise.
We had some LOWS and HIGHs during piano week but overall it was enjoyable. The boys have enthusiastically practiced piano everyday since their first lesson and can’t wait to find out what this week’s activities will focus on.
What fun things are you doing this summer?
Important Mommy Trait #1
One of the most important traits a mom can have is the ability to silently consume a bag of M & M’s while standing next to her children.
At least in my book.
Heavy Lifting?
While walking through Target the other day I heard an elderly woman on the phone.
“Irma. You tell them you can’t help.”
Intrigued, I quickly pulled over into mens underwear.
My cover was almost blown by Andrew’s not so quiet, “Mom, why are we here? You said we were finished getting everything.”
Shh!
“Irma, I’m telling you . No more heavy lifting.”
“Moooooooooom, what are we doing here,” whined Alex.
Does no one in this family watch CSI or NCIS? I’m trying to gather INFO here people!
Shhhhh!
But it was too late.
Irma’s elderly friend left the underwear section while glaring at the crazy woman suddenly arguing with her children.
Some people are so rude.
Primary Carnage
Andrew went to chapel every Friday at school. One Friday he asked me to attend since chapel would be in the garden. I arrived right on time, located Andrew, and spread my blanket directly behind his class.
Chapel began with a prayer, some songs, and a little scripture reading.
The music teacher, who also doubles as the chapel teacher, began a mini sermon.
Loving God’s creatures and treating them with kindness appeared to be the main message she was trying to convey.
She supported her message by discussing ladybugs and how they are beneficial to gardens. Each of the three teachers then received a clear bucket which contained hundreds of ladybugs.
The children were ecstatic.
They clamored around the teachers trying to obtain a ladybug. Each class walked over to their specific garden and released the ladybugs. The children came back to the chapel area eagerly since they were promised another animal.
Next up, the discussion of earthworms and their valuable contributions to the garden.
Again, the teachers each received a bucket. When the buckets were opened, a few teachers gasped. With obvious displeasure their eyes pleaded with the music teacher, “Must we touch these creatures?”
Once I peeked into the bucket I was never happier to be the parent and not the teacher. The worms were enormous. Definitely larger than your average garden worm.
The idea with the earthworms was the same as the ladybugs. Release them into the garden so they will nourish the soil.
Initially, Andrew declined an earthworm but with a little coaxing from me agreed to hold one.
He giggled with delight as the earthworm moved on his hand. It was lovely to see him enjoying this experience.
Our picture perfect moment ended with a blood curdling scream from a little girl in front of us. She was distraught because someone had stepped on her worm. Other kids rose quickly to look. The quick movement resulted in additional worms being dropped and stepped on. This, in turn, lead to more upset children who also began crying.
The teachers tried to calm the students with soft and gentle voices, “Please don’t move. We’re going to release our earthworms in the garden soon.” This did little to rectify the situation.
Eventually, the teachers managed to ensure every student had a worm to release.
I was glad when chapel was finally over.
Fast forward one week to “Come Plant Your Own Plant Day” in the garden.
Andrew’s class returned to the garden for the first time since chapel. Each student held a flower or herb which they were going to plant.
As Andrew and his friends began digging, they discovered dead ladybugs everywhere. Hundreds of lifeless ladybugs lay on the ground. Apparently, releasing hundreds of ladybugs onto the same plot of soil is not the best idea.
I must say the sermon was a success. The students were quite kind and compassionate while discussing the ladybug annihilation.
Not sure if you can tell but the ladybug carnage is above. I refrained from photographing the earthworm debacle.
The Gift of Mowing?
My 9 year old mowed the lawn as a gift to me.
When he “completed” the job, I mowed the lawn again.
I received several “work coupons” for Mother’s Day. I decided to turn one in this weekend since our lawn was looking quite neglected.
As I watched him cut the grass, I realized he must have a method to his madness but it completely eluded me.
I believe the path he followed was something like this….
Next time, I should probably be more specific with my contractor.
1. Please cut all of the grass. This is not an art project.
2. The neighbors like straight property lines. They’re kind of finicky that way.
Can’t wait to see the results of my “cook a meal” coupon.
Father’s Day Printable
Father’s Day printables are flying around blogland but I decided to create my own.
Alex and Andrew filled out their “All About My Dad” forms and will give them to Derek on Father’s Day along with a story they are writing.
I wrote down Andrew’s answers for him.
If you’d like a copy of the Father’s Day printable please visit my etsy shop.
Thank you.
How are you celebrating those special dads in your life?
Lost Tooth
Right before Andrew turned 6 he discovered he had a loose tooth.
He was obsessed with everyone else in his class losing their teeth. Everyday he would come home with an update and his desperation was clear.
“Nicholas has lost two teeth.”…..”Everett has a loose tooth and he already lost one.”…….. “Mavi lost a tooth last week and she’s only 5. I’m almost 6 and haven’t lost one.”
Roughly five times a day we would receive updates on his loose tooth.
“Still wiggly” ….”not out yet”……. “I can move it with my tongue”
I was ready to yank the tooth out but he refused all offers of help. Even when he stubbornly went to school with a kleenex stuck to his bleeding tooth he still refused assistance.
The morning after the kleenex incident Andrew came running downstairs. “I lost my tooth! I lost my tooth!”
Where is it?
“I don’t know?”
We searched his bed high and low and never discovered the tooth. We determined he must have swallowed it while sleeping. When told the tooth was gone, a look of horror came over Andrew’s face. You could see the wheels turning in his head, “I have waited almost 6 years to lose a tooth, earn some cash, and now I’ve lost it all.”
So…he wrote a note, with some help, to the tooth fairy. He put it under his pillow and prayed for her sympathy.
Turns out the tooth fairy provides generously despite the lack of a tooth. He found $2 and a new book under his pillow the next morning.
Lego Bingo
For Andrew’s 6th birthday party we had wonderful plans…
Early May is typically hot in Texas so we planned on taking the kids to the park to use water balloons and play.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Except…that it turned out to be forty degrees outside and raining.
Therefore, the night before the party, Derek and I scrambled for new inside activities.
One of the activities we decided on was Lego Bingo. Derek created the board template and I inserted the Lego mini figures.
The game was actually a huge hit with the kids. The winner of each game received 2 silly bands while everyone else received one.
The Game includes: 9 different bingo boards & 42 call cards (Cuts these cards apart and use to call out mini figures)
If you would like a copy of the Lego bingo here it is – Lego-Bingo.
If you decide to print, please consider becoming a follower of Big D & Me.
I’ll share more of the party soon – check back for more Lego party ideas!
