Making a change around here (blogwise)

So I have been really slacking on posting lately, this summer has gotten crazy! Our homeschooling summer has been up and down, one good part is the addition to the kid's cousin joining us a few days a week. Having that extra kid around has really pushed me to step up my game on planning and implementing things with the kids.

Dry Erase table with Dry Erase crayons

Homemade Cloud dough (8 parts flours 1 part Baby Oil) 

I've started using more communication methods with Chance although he still doesn't have much interest I'm at least making it available at every opportunity to model using it for him. We are now going to start trialing newer devices that may be more adaptable for him and grow with him. He starts school in a couple weeks and I'm looking forward to him to go back to be with his friends and teachers. He is not a fan of summers especially Texas summers which result in us staying at home almost the entire summer due to the extreme heat.

This is our PODD book I use in addition to our Conversa 

I've also stepped up on my painting. It is a passion of mine and I'm actually getting outside interests in it! Not just my lovely husband complimenting me! I've sold my first commissioned painting and have listed several new ones on Etsy and hope to get more interest soon! http://www.etsy.com/shop/shaunamoreno

I'm going to continue to blog as often as possible but not as many giveaway posts. I do have a couple reviews in the works and hope to have those out in the next week! I'm still new to the blogging stuff so I'm learning as I go and still figuring it all out.

First week of trying summer school

Now that my 1st grader is on summer vacation he is making it very obvious he misses school. I know he loves his friends and teachers but the routine is also so important to him. So since I have been attempting (unsuccessfully) all year to get organized with homeschooling Daniella, I thought this would be a good opportunity to get going again.

So I got some more supplies, planned it all out for our first week. We did fourth of july theme activities and had some fun doing crafts and worksheets.

Chance was more interested in playing bubbles and watching movies but did participate a bit with his ipad apps that went along with our theme.

This next week I'm going to try and do a bit more than last week, I'm still trying to ease in to this routine but hopefully we will have some sort of routine by the time Chance goes back to school! My favorite site I found for printables http://www.overthebigmoon.com/

First days of summer vacation

Day ONE::

Chance is off school now! For the next 3 months I need to keep him busy 24/7. Today we didnt do anything special I'm sure he thinks its the weekend he spent most of the day watching movies in his room. So I've been scouring pinterest for tons of ideas, most of them messy, so that means lots of baths around here.

Isabella is still almost walking , Chance is almost walking and Daniella is always looking for opportunities of mischief. In fact Daniella sprained her ankle 3 days ago pretending to be a dog around the house!

Maybe I will be able to have some big project fun with the kids.

But I've made it my goal to just get through the day. Yeah big goals for summer 2012.

Day TWO::

We spent today at the BEACH! I should clarify before we get too far, my 3yr old Daniella is convinced our boxes of sand are the beach :) Easy to get there ... just outside the front door!! Now my 7yr old with his sensory issues doesnt really play in the beach, mostly because he will eat it, but Today I ventured to keep them busy first we had an all out Dance Party in the living room after breakfast throwing around all our big bouncy balls, but then Chance shortly got annoyed -- by my Dancing I'm sure! So we went outside for a little gardening and beach time!!! I figured I'd give him just enough to feel it on his hands but not enough to just chow down on chunks of sand... and it worked!! Daniella made sandcastles and Chance played in the sand on his wheelchair tray!! Now its bath time then lunch then movies until Speech Therapy... I can handle days like this NO PROBLEM!!! :D

Still trying homeschooling

I'm still plugging away at trying to homeschool  but she is definitely a challenge, I am having my own challenges of getting organized for it too, plus MIL has been here 5 weeks and totally thrown us off what little rythym we had, now D is watching way more TV than I'd like, and Isabella is not quite walking yet so its hard to handle her physically while trying to do stuff with Daniella so I'm kinda failing at it for now, I have 7 more weeks of MIL and I need to get something figured out soon. MIL has been great though, she does all our dishes and keeps the kitchen clean, so you'd think I have tons more time to do fun learning stuff with the girls, C has just started to get in to a good space neurologically so I think it will get better soon, hopefully before summer because all 3 littles home with me for 3 months we have to get more creative or I will lose my mind !! Last summer was great, although we were pretty much with out a vehicle I got through it. I think it will get better if we can move to a better neighborhood, and have a better living space for kids. We just ordered a subscription to a monthly kids craft box. So hopefully that will help jumpstart ideas! I am also hoping I start blogging more, I think this helps get my crazy thoughts more organized LOL ... I guess we will see!

Adventures in homeschooling and balance

Wow, I havent posted in awhile, but my lil sprite fairy D, decided it would be a fun experiment to spill milk out of her mouth on to my laptop keyboard! So I had to wait a while before we could buy another. I have started to explore homeschooling, and we are trying to focus on a homeschool program based on learning the nature and the natural rhythms of the home. I really really like the program but I'm struggling to find the balance in using nature to learn and our need of electronics in our home. We are very mindful of the TV the kids do watch, but at the same time I feel guilty for them watching. I think my struggle comes from the fact that we have C with his complex physical needs I cant always be fully engaged with D all day long, in fact I cant always be in the same room with her and she is still at that age where her curiousity over comes her and all sense of 'this might not be a good idea' goes out the window. So I'm working on balance, making sure when I have the opportunity the TV is OFF the majority of the day and her and I are side by side engaged and mindful of everything we do. I do also struggle with the fact that C needs the cause and effect toys and videos to get his playing done, he cannot handle the sensory effects of paper, crayons, sand, grass, flowers, dirt, etc. So I have to find alternatives things he can put in his mouth or be engaged in visually but not hands on. We are so lucky to have the ipad and the many wonderful apps that can accompany us moving in to a more nature based, mindful lifestyle. It's not perfect, I find some days our lives revolve around staying inside and I'm busy with things the kids cant participate in, we will get there, I have several role models to help.

I've also chosen to homeschool because I've been learning how kids best learn, and how the schools seem to be very counter intuitive to this process. Hours of homework in Kindergarten and Elementary school, Expecting preschoolers and kinder kids to learn to read and do math; which I KNOW I didnt have to learn to do math until first grade, the only math I learned in kinder was to count to 100. I really cant see how putting so much pressure on young children is a good thing. I know if our homeschooling doesnt work out, I will be trying my hardest to get the girls in to a montessori program, I wish there was a waldorf school in town too but I know the montessori school program would suit Daniella really well. For now I will try my hardest at home to nuture a love of nature and the miracles of mother earth <3