Pre-K Activites

The last few days I've tried seeking out a few things that will help to keep Colin entertained while helping Ryan with school.  I figured I'd share a few of them with you.  What I love most about these is that the space needed to store these activities is minimal, and, in the very least, all you need is a printer.

 

 

 

 

File Folder Games by Pre-School Printables.  

 

 

My friend came across these and I'm so glad she shared!!  In the yellow box on the left are a list of all the different games.  All you need for these are a printer, some manila folders, a small envelope, and some self-laminating sheet (optional).  Most of these are various matching games.  All you do is print out the pages (you can print out in color or print in black and white and color them yourself), cut out and glue one set to the inside of the folder, and stick the other set inside the envelope that you glue to the front of the manila folder.  Mine look like this.

 

 

 

 

Matching Game by Pre-School Printables. 

 

 

Just like Memory!  I would recommend printing the pieces on card stock or laminating them for long term use.

 

 

 

 

Alphabet Maze by 1+1+1=1 (An AMAZING site by the way!). 

 

 

If you click on the link it has mazes for A-Z.  I printed them off, put two back to back, and laminated them!  I love the idea of the cookie sheet with the pom-poms (that might be a fun activity in itself for Blaine!), but I'm all about making the things I find reusable and to last as long as possible!  Colin did one of them this morning.  It took a little more time in directing him..but I think after doing a few he'll get the idea...it's more of a matter of him choosing to follow the directions.  :)

 

 

 

 

Spring Race to the Top Game by Pre-K Pages. 

 

 

A blank chart that you can pretty much use for anything!  Again, I printed two, put them back to back and laminated them.  I already have the cubes that they show in the pictures, and plan to have Colin use these for shapes, colors, number recognition, etc.  I'm sure there's a way I can use these for Ryan's phonics, spelling words, or math as well. 

 

-If you are interested in the photo blocks you can get them here or here.

-Then you can either make your own inserts or go to Education Cubes pay a ONE TIME fee of $12.00 and get access to over 200 printable inserts for your cubes, with no expiration on your membership!




Which is Different? (Plus many more!!!) by Home Education Resources.

(Sorry the thumbnail was too small for me to show you a preview.)  A lot of these pages are similar to what you would find inside of a all-inclusive Pre-school curriculum book that you could buy at Walmart, or wherever.  Finish the pattern, find the ones that match, etc.  I'm printing a few for now.

They also have some printable games and activities that you can purchase and print for no more than $2.00 a piece!




If you have any great printables your pre-schooler loves, make sure you share!  Next up, is to find some things for Blaine to do!  (I think I'm going to start with those pom-pom magnets.)

Oh, and just in case you are in the market..I recently invested in this laminator and it has been great!  Avery also makes self-adhesive laminating sheets that will work if you don't have a machine.  They aren't quite as thick, and they take a little more time (especially if you need two sides laminated), but it will get the job done.

First Trimester Fog

I woke up Sunday morning feeling invigorated.  I think the First Trimester Fog is starting to lift!!!  Praise the Lord!!!

 

 

Although, I still managed an hour and a half nap yesterday :), things do seem to be getting better.  My brain has been able to entertain a thought through to it's completion!  The nausea seems to be few and farther in between.  In the last two days alone I've started and finished about three extra projects...plus cooked dinner (that was something other than grilled cheese or hot dogs)!!!  That's quite an improvement!  I've managed to keep up with some of the regular chores the last few days, ran two errands off post, and typed up a few blog posts!

 

 

The first trimester definitely doesn't hit me as hard as it does others, but it still makes a visible impact!  Grateful to be leaving it behind!   Continuing to pray for a smooth, healthy road ahead!

 

 

Homeschooling: Trial and Error

We started the beginning of our Homeschooling Adventure back in July.  We have officially completed 5 weeks and we took one week off last week for VBS.

 

The first 3 weeks seemed to go super smooth.  It almost seemed like I was doing something wrong, or leaving something out.  It helped that we were able to ease into the daily requirements.  IE We didn't add daily reading, or seat work (aka homework), until week two or three.  It also helped that Blaine still had a clear preference for a looooong morning nap which gave me plenty of time to focus on the material I needed to with Ryan.  Plus, when things are new they are exciting.  Ryan was attentive for the most part; very excited for learning cursive.  Much of the material the first few weeks seemed very easy for Ryan as well; a review.  Colin was fairly content just sitting at the table coloring or doing a puzzle in the living room.

 

I guess you can call that the "Honeymoon Period" in a sense.  Easy, sweet, new.

 

Weeks 4 and 5 added some new obstacles.  Mainly in part to Blaine switching (overnight it seems) to afternoon naps.  Blaine isn't really a good "toy-player" at this point...he likes to "destroy".  The destruction stage is my least favorite.  If you haven't experienced this stage it's pretty much where they go into every room and pull out whatever they want to and leave it on the floor and move onto the next room.  It's not always that bad...it takes time to train them.  Time and attention.  Two things that have been difficult while in the other room helping Ryan.  I have a few toy items that I have tried entertaining him with in the same room, but the destruction part of him shines through and he normally plays with it for a second and then gets bored and leaves it on the floor to go find something else.  (More training needed there as well, I know!)

 

Colin will still sit there and color, or I'll give him a few "papers" to do.  If he has papers he requires more one-on-one attention/direction than Ryan does.  Ryan gets easily distracted by him and Colin is happy to distract.  :)

 

It became clear very quickly that the way we had the schedule set up the first 3 weeks, wasn't going to work anymore.  The end of week 4 and most of week 5 was a conglomerate of experimentation with the schedule.  Don't have it figured out yet. 

 

I know it's going to take more work on my part to find constructive things for Colin and Blaine to do as well.  I have come across a few ideas, but am still lacking some of the energy needed to get them prepped.  (This is when I wish I could get like a week off, with an unlimited amount of energy supply, to set up some things that will make the rest of our home run more smoothly.)

 

Ryan has already shown moments of boredom and disinterest.  One of his tests in particular showed a lack of any real effort on his part; messy writing, skipping entire problems.  (This of course left a great opportunity for us to talk about working for the Lord in everything that we do!)  Sometimes it seems like there is A LOT of seat work.  While he has already shown improvement in some areas, there is a part of me that questions whether or not this curriculum is the best for him.

 

Although, I wanted a curriculum that was laid out for me to begin with, my "Type A"/Square personality is also kicking in and feeling the need to complete EVERY little thing and to get it done quickly.  To get it done so I can check it off the list for the day.  I pray that my heart and mind will be better attuned to the bigger picture.  That I can cherish that time with him. 

 

I'm still getting used to maneuvering through the materials and in finding a way of organizing it that works best for us.  I tried pulling out most of the seat work/tests ahead of time and then had trouble finding where I put them when needed.  Better labeling might help...or just leaving them in the books till needed.  Some of the teacher manuals seem choppy...in the sense that I feel like I keep going back and forth between books.  I'm sure it will start to feel more and more normal as we go.

 

We are covering the basics...Bible Memory, Phonics, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.  Science and History will be added in about 5 more weeks I think.  I still feel like there's something missing.  I know I want to spend more time in character training and spiritual training, but I'm not exactly sure what this will/should look like at this point.  I've collected a few resources over the years, just unsure of how to put them into "play".

 

There is also a Homeschooling Group here in Bamberg.  I've met a few of the other HS moms over the last few weeks, but we have our first picnic with the group this Wednesday.  The HS group offers Art, Gym, and Choir once a week.  I would really like to participate in the Art and Gym classes, but not exactly sure how it's going to work with our schedule yet.  The classes are two different days, but at 1 PM.  Blaine's new nap time.  :)  I really want to go and participate, and hope that Colin would enjoy it as well; just not sure how it's going to pan out yet.  I've heard that some of the mom's are willing to help carpool too.  The building where the classes are offered aren't too far away and I've thought about doing some pre-training with Ryan and letting him ride his bike there and back if needed.  I think the last two options are both doable, but neither of them include me being there which I feel bummed about.  Ryan is also signed up for Pee-Wee Soccer this fall, so we might forgo Gym to start with, that way Blaine only has one nap to miss/postpone each week.  This is another area that will be trial and error.

 

The other obstacle that I've been working on/praying about is PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel).  They meet Wednesday mornings from 9-11:30 AM.  From the beginning it has been my wish to do school 4 days a week, without loosing time in the school year.  This would leave a day for catch-up/fun/chores/etc.  Plus it would work great for those weeks that Tim has a 3-day or 4-day weekend.  I'm still in experimental mode though as how to fit 5 days of curriculum into 4.  We tried doing two days in one..which seemed to work in some things, but it was pretty stressful overall.  This week I think we are going to try doubling up in one subject per day and see how that goes.  I just need to find a system to keep track of what lesson I'm on in each subject then.  PWOC Kick-off is this week as well.  I plan on attending to see what classes they will be offering then we will skip out early for our HS Picnic.

 

My heart is very torn on PWOC.  While I have been encouraged by some other HS mom's (not from here) to attend if possible, I also know that there are different season's in our lives and I'm not sure this is my season for PWOC.  At the same time, I yearn for spiritual growth, challenges, and spiritual accountability (little of which we are getting from Chapel).  I know the best thing that I can do for my kids is to seek after God whole-heartedly.  While I know much of that seeking has to be done on my own time, I am looking for a "tool" in pushing me in that direction.  Is PWOC it?  Or will I maybe find it in one of the other HS moms?

 

All that said, I don't regret this decision to HS at all!  I am looking forward to hopefully meeting some more of the seasoned HS mom's and glean from their wisdom and experience (especially the ones with boys!).  I expect most of this first year will be a whole lot of trial and error.  Praying for continued direction.

 

Project of Epic Proportions {Crafts & Projects}

Forgive me for not posting last week.  We were involved with VBS!  Anyone who has volunteered for a week long VBS knows that it is completely fun, rewarding, and exhausting at the same time.  I didn't get around to doing a whole lot of anything last week.  :)

If you are needing to catch up to this "Project of Epic Proportions" you can catch my previous posts via The Challenge, The Supplies, Contacts, Medical, Account Info, Calendar, Budget and Bills, Resources for Roles, Important Docs, and Supplies Re-do.

This week we are going to look at both Crafts and Projects since they go pretty much hand-in-hand.  Again, your folder is your folder and you may not even need/want these.  I'm going to share with you what I use them for.

 

 

For the past few months I have been working on one room in specific.  It's our homeschool/craft/cleaning room.  It's a small room with A LOT of stuff in it.  I'm SO close to being done.  Getting that room together was really my main "push" to do these binders in the first place.  That room has had some more creative/fun projects to go along with it, but a majority of it has to do with organizing.

 

 

While working in that room last week I came across MORE papers that I seemed to pass over when I was sorting out all my stuff in the beginning when I did my "brainstorming" and was trying to figure out what sections were needed.  I found a whole drawer full of craft related stuff.  IE Magazine clippings of projects I wanted to imitate, cards I saved as inspiration for card making, stencils, building plans, and patterns that I have made for certain sewing projects.  I sorted through the pile and got rid of some, but there was still a good amount left I'd like to keep.  Plus...Tim's Grandma (who is just completely awesome by the way!) just sent me two boxes full of Stampin Up stuff; to include lots of printouts of card making samples!  I need a place to keep all this!

 

 

I didn't really think it would fit into one of the other binders, so I'm making it it's own.  Although Pinterest is a place that holds most of my ideas, this will be a place to organize the rest.  Plus, hold my patterns and stencils.

 

 

Another big section of this binder will be for Projects.  Practically another word for crafts, but the function of this section is different.  The other sections will just hold ideas/inspirations and this section is meant to help organize which project is to be worked on. 

 

 

Most of my "daily to-dos" are listed on my daily schedule under Calendar, but this area is more for any long-term projects that I would like to accomplish.  This section helps me to organize my wants/needs and to focus on one project at a time.  It gives me a place to specifically list specific supplies and cost.  If one of my "ideas" finally comes time to be turned into an actual "project" then any notes/papers on it will be moved to the Project Section for me to reference.  IE.  The next room on my list to focus on is the boys room.  I have some plans drawn up to build some storage for under their beds.  Right now that is just an idea.  Hopefully, in about another month, that idea will turn into my current project and I can pull the plans I made and get a specific list of supplies and cost.

 

 

If you are going to make a Project List you might want to use...

• Lined Notes by Life Your Way. Pretty much a blank sheet for you to utilize as you wish.
• Jen at IHeartOrganizing has a few printables Project related you might want to check out.
• The Nest Effect has a Project Planner as well. (It's almost all the way toward the bottom.)
• Project List by Our Portion. A place to list your project, supplies, cost, and what store to buy it from.  Listing the store should help you when getting a list together for running errands.  That way when you have to go to Lowe's (oh how I miss you Lowe's) you can quickly look at your list and get all the supplies you need for three different projects at one time if applicable...instead of going three different times for one item.

 

I will most likely end up with one Master Project List that way I can see everything I'd like to accomplish, as well as a more detailed/specialized list with what supplies I need to finish a certain project.  Sometimes I have one HUGE project that is actually made up of multiple mini projects.  Just like this room I've been working on.  The room as a whole has been a major undertaking, but by making lists and breaking down the smaller projects I was actually able to accomplish something instead of having a whole lot of unfinished projects.

 

 

Sometimes, I have an idea and I think, "Oh, I need to do this right away!!"  But then looking at my Master Project List I can see that it might be more of a want then a need.  I don't have to throw that idea out; it will just be put in the inspiration section and not the project section.  Or those wonderful times when there's a little money left in the budget (it's rare...but it does happen!), I can go to my list or inspiration section and pull out something that I've been wanting to do and make it a project!

 

 

You might not even need this binder.  Or you might want to set it up differently.  Again, the whole idea behind this whole "Project of Epic Proportions" is to be more organized so that things are more functional for you.

 

 

What do you need to do to organize your Craft/Project inspirations and dare I say....your supplies?!  My room is super close to being done...or at least close enough... and I hope to share some before and after pictures soon!  

 

Praying you have a wonderful week!

 

 

 

 

Stranger Danger!

My friend posted a link to this article, "Tricky People are the New Strangers" on Pinterest just the other day.  Sometimes there is a fine line when teaching our kids about "stranger danger".  We want to teach them wisdom, but not instill fear into their hearts.  I thought this was a great article, and something new and different.  Hope you enjoy!

Only Two Wheels!!!

This past weekend after a short bike ride/walk, Tim decided to let Colin try riding his bike without any training wheels.  We had talked about it a bit, just hadn't gotten around to it yet. 

Colin is 3, almost 4, and for a while now we have noticed that his coordination and his balance are much better at his age than Ryan's was at that age.  Ryan got his first try with no training wheels right before he turned 5, and only recently has he been able to completely "master" the starting by himself and stopping normally.  We were still a bit suprised with how good Colin did for his first time!

A Project of Epic Proportions {Supplies Re-do}

Sorry I'm a little late on my post this week!  Even with taking this project one category, one week at a time, I'm still getting behind some.  I'm really praying that I'll get that 2nd Trimester boost of energy in about two more weeks, and can maybe accomplish more than one thing a day!! :)

If you are needing to catch up to this "Project of Epic Proportions" you can catch my previous posts via The Challenge, The Supplies, Contacts, Medical, Account Info, Calendar, Budget and Bills, Resources for Roles, and Important Docs.

So back when I started this project I had it in my mind exactly what I wanted, and I searched out the products, ordered them, received them, in my excitement opened them all up....only to find that they didn't work, and then couldn't return them.  (Half of them.)  UGH! 

I had ordered the nice, sturdy plastic re-writable dividers for my main categories, and other white dividers for my sub categories.  As soon as I started putting my stuff together, I realized that the sheet protectors are wider than the dividers and you couldn't see any of the labels.  Seriously?!!!  That does me NO good!

New solution...I bought these Index Tabs from our PX.  I don't like using the paper inserts cause they always fall out, so I'm just using my label maker and sticking it right on the tab.

And then I got some of these for my sub-categories.

The index tabs aren't really large enough to write anything but one letter/number on, so I made a "Title Page" for each category.  The colored index tabs are attached to it's own sheet protector with the Title Page.  It has the name of the category and then underneath it a list of the sub-categories.  IE:

CONTACTS

A.  Emergency Information

B.  Local Phone Numbers/Phone Book

C.  Address Book

Then on each of the small white index tabs, all I have to write is A, B, or C for it's corresponding category, and attach it to the first page in that section.

I can actually find what I'm looking for now!!!  It's amazing!!

Really wish I would have gone this route the first time around.  (It's much cheaper too!)  I'm praying that with school being right around the corner that I can try and sell some of my dividers on our local "swapping" site.

My Frustration Update

I know a lot of you have been praying for me, so I figured I'd go ahead and post an update concerning my back.

Since my last post I continued to search out various options on what to do for my back pain.  I had stopped doing the stretches the Physical Therapy guy gave me and it seemed to help some, but I was still having pains in my left leg and I even started to limp.  The following Monday I went for my first OB appointment hoping that she could maybe refer me to someone.  According to her, the pains in my leg were due to the fact that my pelvic muscles aren't strong enough.  Uhhhh.......ok.  She gave me an unofficial referral to another physical therapist.  I would of taken on unofficial referral to a chiropractor, but why pay for a physical therapist when the one on post was free and didn't seem to be helping.?.  Another dead end.

I went ahead and set up another appointment with the Physical Therapist on Post that I had been seeing.  I went in at 3 PM on Wednesday afternoon.  He gave me a different stretch to do, and I did probably about 15 repetitions of it in his office.  He agreed that there was probably a pinched nerve, but according to him..nothing he could do about it.  About 15/20 minutes after I left his office, I could tell that my leg was getting worse.  After dinner, I pretty much went back in my room and laid on my bed.  My 9 PM I couldn't put any pressure on my left leg and couldn't walk on my own.  (I can't tell you how grateful I am that my husband is home!)

The following three days were ROUGH!  The mornings were always better, but by lunch I was normally in a lot of pain and just plain tired.  I was still having trouble walking.  Usually once I got up and going I could do it on my own, just with a limp.  Ryan was a great help during the day when Tim was at work to help get me across the living room until I could get to a wall to help support myself.

In the meantime, I had also contacted the local Yoga instructor hearing great things about her and hoping that she could help in some way.  It looked promising at first, but then I told her I was pregnant and again...I got a no.  Another dead end.  She currently does not have her pre-natal yoga training and didn't feel comfortable coming up with a specialized treatment for me.

On Thursday morning, I was able to have a German spouse come over and help me make some phone calls to a few chiropractors.  The first one, and the closest (about 40 minutes away) was on vacation till August 14th.  We called the 2nd closest, in Munich, which is about 2 hours and 15 minutes away.  I made an appointment for the following Tuesday.

On Sunday, I was also finally able to talk to my sister.  My sister is gifted in the medical field and I can't keep track of what she's trained in or how many degrees she has...but she has done Sports Medicine for years, and is EMT certified...about the only two I can remember.  After about 5 minutes of me explaining my pain to her...over the phone...she knew exactly what the problem was (later confirmed by the chiropractor), and in about 10 minutes gave me about 5 exercises to do that should help release some of the pressure on my pinched nerve.  LOVE HER!!  (Makes me less fond of the Physical Therapy guy here.)

Spare you some of the other details in between...a friend and I drove down to Munich on Tuesday and let me just say....I LOVE CHIROPRACTORS!!!!  She wasn't able to give me a full adjustment since I'm pregnant but whatever she did do made a HUGE difference.  It wasn't an immediate fix since I still limped out of the office.  I felt sore that night so I made sure to ice when I got home, but I felt 10x's better on Wednesday, and by Thursday "practically" normal!!!  Best part; I haven't limped since Tuesday! 

I don't plan on going back unless it's gets unbearable again, but I'm so glad to know where they are and to be done with the search of having to locate one.  I'm praying that by sticking with the exercises my sister gave me, and scheduling a daily walk back into my day, it will help to keep the problem at it's minimum.  I really do appreciate all your prayers!  As a celebration of feeling better, we cleaned the house this weekend!  (Something that hasn't been done in a few weeks!)

Baxter Family Live..continued!

Tim decided to pick up the skillet off the stove and give it a little "flip of the wrist".  Little did he know that I had already put oil in the pan in preparations for dinner.  :)

(Doesn't he look good in uniform?!! hehe.)

Every kid hates water in their face during bath/shower time, right?  Tim and I have two different approaches.  I have the boys put their head back and I shield their face with my hand; it works wonderfully!  Tim has taught the boys to spit.  It works as well, but this particular day Tim actually had Colin facing him so he could see his face and this is what it looks like!

 

Just one more!  Ryan entertaining Blaine for a bit while the rest of us were finishing dinner.

Baxter Family Live!

I finally got our Video Camera program downloaded after I had to wipe my computer over a month ago!  We've had a few cute videos lately and wanted to share a few.

In this first video, Ryan and Colin were playing the Track and Field on the Kinect.  The boys of course wanted to take their shirts off.  Blaine was feeling left out and wanted his shirt off and he did his best to "play" as well.

In this one, for whatever reason, Blaine didn't want down and then decided to be a diva about it.  :)

I'm so grateful that we are able to record some of these moments!  We always enjoy going back and watching them.  More to come!!!

A Project of Epic Proportions {Important Docs}

If you are wondering what this "Project of Epic Proportions" is all about you can catch my previous posts via  The Challenge, The Supplies, Contacts, Medical, Account Info, Calendar,  Budget and Bills, Resources for Roles.

My Important Document section will include Car Titles, our Marriage License, Birth Certificates, Passports, Tim's Orders, POA, Will, and a few other forms we were told to have just in case of evacuation.

Whether you are choosing to put your Important Docs in a binder or to leave them in your filing cabinet/box, or wherever it is that you might keep them...this would be the week to organize them!  Again, one of my biggest reasons for putting these into a binder is for some crazy emergency purpose only.  If for whatever reason, we have to evacuate quickly, I can grab this binder and know that all of the documents that we might need are there.

Not a whole lot to this week; just making sure that your paperwork is organized and you know where to find it.  Happy Organizing!!