Summer Camps, restaurant choices, and a little adventure...

In my life this week…
I have the girls' bathroom remodel done except for making curtains for the two open spaces below the vanity. I'm amazed how good the bathroom cabinets turned out by priming and repainting them which was so much more economical than replacing them.

The wanted a Paris themed bathroom...Here's a sneak peek...still adding finishing touches, like photos for the frames...

After doing blogging "lite" during this busy tax season, I am now feeling rather recharged and inspired again!And,  I've decided I need to go back to a blogging schedule. The goal is every week, one homemaking or homesteading post, one homeschooling post, and the rest be ones you will (hopefully) love!

In our homeschool this week…
Mr. Darcy is a CPA and we own our own accounting business so this week is always "homeschool lite" on our calendar. But even if it wasn't countdown to tax day, we would be on homeschool lite so that the kids can take advantage of the gorgeous Spring weather we have been having, which is usually short in duration. We homeschool year round; lots of time to do table work this summer when it is 115 outside. Not to say we haven't been learning...The boys started a new level on Religion books from Catholic Heritage this week, and my eldest daughter finished up 3rd grade Language  Arts!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
Now is the time to investigate and inquire about summer camps for your kids! Some start registration as early as February and can fill up quickly. This summer, our daughters are doing  a Science camp held at our local library, a music theatre camp, and vacation bible school. If you have special needs kids, don't assume you can't find anything for them! I was surprised (and delighted) to learn that while there isn't a camp available for them this summer, one of our local recreation centers IS now doing a biweekly social night for teenagers and young adults with special needs. I was able to sign up my boys for the first one in May, a bingo night (and these are free!).

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
Don't hate me, but I leave for Hawaii this week :-)  A gift from my husband to me and my two eldest daughters (ages 6 and 8). Nothing says quality mom/daughter time like a week of R and R in Maui. My Mr. Darcy is such a keeper.

My favorite thing this week was…
Getting to Monday noon mass this week. Seriously, I am just loving these noon masses at our Parish. And when I feel like I am to busy to get to a noon time mass, that's when I know I probably need to make time for two and not one :-)

My kiddos favorite thing this week was…
The caterpillar in the backyard made a chrysalis.

Things I’m working on…
Organizing. We normally don't have TV, but its NBA season so we get it turned back on for Mr. Darcy. I happened across an episode of hoarders this week and the next day had an overwhelming urge to clean (and clean out) our walk in pantry from top to bottom. Funny how motivating that show is...on an aside, our pantry looks amazing.


I’m cooking…
I'm a vegan so I cook a lot of meals where there is a meat entrée for my family and a vegan alternative for me. My new favorite cookbook love is the new cookbook by Gwyneth Paltrow, It's All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great. Seriously, besides being one of the most gorgeous cookbooks I've ever looked at, so far, the recipes I've tried out of there have been amazing (several were, just by chance, vegan or vegetarian) and all utilize whole food cooking. If you aren't a Paltrow fan, don't bother, but if you are, it is a must have item. It just came out two weeks ago and already I have purchased it three times, once for myself and two others for gifts!

I’m grateful for…
How much progress our boys with special needs (age almost 13) have made this past year. If you are a special needs parent, remember...it's a journey, not a sprint and just because something hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it can't or won't happen.

I’m praying for…
A safe week of travels for me and the girls.

I rewarded my kids this week by…
I took the boys on an outing this week. We went to the bookstore and out to lunch. I let them pick the restaurant. They picked Denny's. I then made a mental note to myself to give them choices to pick between the next time.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…
With this beautiful spring weather, our chickens have been laying eggs like crazy...

This post is linked up with ihomeschoolnetwork and their weekly link up: The homeschool mother's journal.

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HOMESCHOOL: The Face of Homeschooling Interview

So, I decided to not blog about homeschool anymore and within a week, I literally got featured three places for homeschool articles, received a few emails about how much the homeschool information I had shared had helped, and was asked to do an interview...about homeschooling.

 

I think God was trying to tell me something.

So, I will continue the broad scope we have at Brighton Park for now, but with a new updated page bar across the top so what you are specifically looking for is easier to find!

Today, I am being featured over at THE HOLISTIC HOMESCHOOLER and her series "The Face of Homeschooling". I would love for you to follow this link and leave a comment over there.

 

(And she included a photo of my Mr. Darcy teaching a homeschool lesson to the kids over in her interview...in case you're curious!)

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Scripture Sunday: Easter Traditions that bear fruit

I have always loved Easter. When I was a little girl, it was one of two days a year my Dad would accompany me to church and that made it so special. Through my teens, my role in my church grew and I was a soloist. Easter was always a big finale to some song I had practiced  the entire month before. This whole week, just like muscle memory but with words, those lyrics have all flooded back and I've found myself singing everything from Rise Again to He's Alive while I did dishes, tied little ones' shoes, and folded laundry.

We do the Easter Bunny in our house, but he takes a distant second in our family traditions. Yes, he left chocolate bunnies on the table this morning for the kids and we will do an egg hunt in the yard later, but our main traditions include Lenten Activity Books , Reading stories about Easter, Making Resurrection Gardens (see ours above), and attending Mass together. How wonderful to teach my children the story that Jesus couldn't stand the thought of eternity without us, so he died for us. How wonderful to tell them this story ends with an empty tomb.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.~ John 11:25-26.

Have a beautiful and blessed Easter, whatever your traditions may be.

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Homeschool: Using one activity (coloring eggs) for multiple subjects

Welcome to Brighton Park and another week of Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers.

Be sure to school down to the bottom of this post and add your own toddler or preschool themed posts to the linky. This link up is cohosted by myself and three other blogs, so link up once...get seen on 4 sites!

USING ONE ACTIVITY (like coloring eggs) FOR MULTIPLE SUBJECTS

                                                 

Some of  last year's Easter Egg bounty...


With five little ones loving to color eggs, we usually do a couple of different batches over a couple days period, coloring about 7 dozen eggs total. Forget the egg dippers that come with the kits, regular table spoons work great for putting the eggs in and out OR  if you have really little toddlers, preschoolers, or kids with fine motor issues....use a WHISK to color eggs.  So much more maneuverable...less frustration for them, less mess for you...

Coloring eggs, while being a great Easter activity, also worked in nicely with  so many subjects/units! Check it out...

Science:  Do a unit on animals that lay eggs. This was a great end of the week activity for that unit.

Art: It was also a good supplement to the art lesson of the previous week, which was mixing primary colors (red + blue=purple, etc).
This came in handy since Tim's favorite color is purple and there was no purple. My 6 year old daughter was so proud to know a way to help her brother get the colored egg he most desired.

Math: talking about our favorite way we like our eggs prepared and then making a graph of our families' preferences. How many items in a dozen? a bakers dozen? Also, counting the eggs colored.

Life Skills: white vs. yolk, breaking and separating eggs.

TIP:  Most activities can be incorporated into several different subjects. For both typical kids and kids with special needs this is beneficial as it helps them see the same thing in different ways and learn different skills across different subjects.  Be creative and feel good in the fact that activities need not be expensive or complicated to be beneficial and fun!

                                                    My "boss"; Easter Egg hunt last year.

And now its time for you to link up! Now it's your turn to link up! Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers is a link-up co-hosted by FOUR blogs! So when you link up, your post is viewable on the following four wonderful sites. I highly recommend you follow my amazing co-hosts (you're following my blog already, right? *smile*), because they are wonderful resource and fabulous ladies!

 www.teachersofgoodthings.com
www.forthisseason.com
www.brightonparkblog.com
 www.teachingmama.org
 

If you blog about Toddlers & Preschoolers and would like to add your post that include: training tips, crafts, hands-on learning, activities, parenting, devotionals, homeschool, toddler approved recipes and such, please link back to this post, by using a text link or posting a button in your side bar. By linking back, you increase the SEO of your post (and ours).

You can also participate in this weekly linkup, by commenting and sharing your thoughts on the post here. Don’t forget to ‘Pin’ what you like. We all would love to hear from other bloggers and readers, who are encouraged by the post shared each week. I can't wait to read and share what you link up!

Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers #7: Are you in a busy season?

Are you in a busy season?

I am.

My husband is a CPA so by mid-March I am counting the days until April 16th. The days go crazy fast and literally seem to just run, one into the other. It's almost like those movies where the characters can't account for large blocks of time as I look at the calendar and go "It's Thursday already?...what happened to Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday"...
 Here is what I do to ensure I make it through them without losing my patience or my sanity.


Paramount:  Take care of yourself. Yep, during these times I need to come first because I can't take care of others if I am sick, tired, fatigued or feeling unwell. So, for me that means making time to do the following:

1 Eat real meals (healthy ones)

2 Get enough rest (I stick to a reasonable bedtime. I would love to be one of those moms who can stay up until midnight folding laundry and lesson planning and then get back up at 5am, but I'm not).

3 Sneak quiet times in the day (prayer, meditation, 5 minutes of sitting silently in gratitude makes a big difference)  Read my new post on my healthy living website about why busy moms should take time to meditate here.

4 Consolidate (one trip to the grocery store, not three little trips, and group errands)

5 Delegate (this is the perfect time for my kids to have an opportunity to really shine by being more independent with bed making, putting their own laundry away and other jobs I may be tempted to do for them but they can do for themselves)

 (Bonus) *White space*. Even during busy times, I guard the white space on my calendar. Sundays are family days, even during tax season. A lot of extras can wait till a busy season is over, particularly social gathering and volunteering opportunities.

The little years, the toddler and preschool years, happen once and our little ones continue to grow and change and be amazing daily; even during our busy seasons, so be sure that you aren't missing the good stuff...times for stories and hugs, giving smiles and praise, taking time to play with your child even during the busy times. One day you will look back and be so glad you did!

 

Now it's your turn to link up! Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers is a link-up co-hosted by FOUR blogs! So when you link up, your post is viewable on the following four wonderful sites. I highly recommend you follow my amazing co-hosts (you're following my blog already, right? *smile*), because they are wonderful resource and fabulous ladies!

 www.teachersofgoodthings.com
www.forthisseason.com
www.brightonparkblog.com
 www.teachingmama.org
 

If you blog about Toddlers & Preschoolers and would like to add your post that include: training tips, crafts, hands-on learning, activities, parenting, devotionals, homeschool, toddler approved recipes and such, please link back to this post, by using a text link or posting a button in your side bar. By linking back, you increase the SEO of your post (and ours).

You can also participate in this weekly linkup, by commenting and sharing your thoughts on the post here. Don’t forget to ‘Pin’ what you like. We all would love to hear from other bloggers and readers, who are encouraged by the post shared each week. I can't wait to read and share what you link up!




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Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers #6

I have in my life thus far, raised (or am raising still) 5 children through the toddler/preschool age group. And here is what I know about it...

It goes way too fast.

Honestly, I look at my twin boys who will be turning 13 this summer and my eldest daughters who are almost 9 and 6 and wonder...where did those years go? My youngest, Brooke, is almost 3. I have learned to really take the time to enjoy, cherish, and love all those funny, cute, little things she does that makes her uniquely her...even when my patience is being tried. And so, here is my challenge to you today...ABC...

A

ALWAYS remember that these little years are fleeting and they are a "one and done". There are no do-overs and they will not come again. Make sure you are ENJOYING these little years and not just Enduring them.

B

BE present. This is the moment to be in the moment with your child. Pray about your PC time. If you are telling your kids "5 more minutes", "wait just a minute", "as soon as Mommy finished this" and your on the PC, I can promise you this...you may regret all that PC time later when they are older and these years are gone but you will NEVER regret spending time, uninterrupted, special, unplugged, really engaged heart to heart time with your child.

C

CHERISH the little years. The terrible twos and independent threes and the 4s and 5s...well, they just go so fast. You may have several children, but your child only gets ONE childhood. Make a point to make part of it today really special...every day.

 

 

Enjoy these little years,

 

Katie

 

NOW LINK UP WITH US!!!

 

Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers is a link-up co-hosted by FOUR blogs! So when you link up, your post is viewable on the following four wonderful sites. I highly recommend you follow my amazing co-hosts (you're following my blog already, right? *smile*), because they are wonderful resource and fabulous ladies!

 www.teachersofgoodthings.com
www.forthisseason.com
www.brightonparkblog.com
 www.teachingmama.org
 

If you blog about Toddlers & Preschoolers and would like to add your post that include: training tips, crafts, hands-on learning, activities, and such, please link back to this post, by using a text link or posting a button in your side bar. By linking back, you increase the SEO of your post and ours.

You can also participate in this weekly linkup, by commenting and sharing your thoughts on the post here. Don’t forget to ‘Pin’ what you like. We all would love to hear from other bloggers and readers, who are encouraged by the post shared each week. I can't wait to read and share what you link up!


Subscribe to Brighton Park by Email
Join our community on the Brighton Park facebook page.