We hope that everyone had a great Easter. We definitely are blessed to have such good friends and family to share this special time with.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Happy Easter!
"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." ~ John 3:16
We hope that everyone had a great Easter. We definitely are blessed to have such good friends and family to share this special time with.
We hope that everyone had a great Easter. We definitely are blessed to have such good friends and family to share this special time with.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
21 days to change a habit
I've been reading this great book called Creative Corrections by Lisa Whelchel. She talks about different ways we can correct and train up our kids that are well...creative. It takes 21 days to change a habit. We are trying this method with C-bear. We don't want to force him to stop sucking his thumb...it's kind of hard to constantly observe since he only does it while he is sleeping...when we are sleeping ;) It has to be a choice that he chooses to make on his own. So we told him if he could stop sucking his thumb for 21 days, he could go to the toy store and pick out a toy. I don't think it really had an effect on him until we actually took him to the toy store to look around. I kept reminding him of what he needed to do if he picked up a toy that he really liked. Well, when he took his nap that day, he fell asleep without his thumb. I know this because I was watching him as he fell asleep in his car seat while we were parked outside waiting for E-pie to finish her ballet lessons. He had his little Mr. Lion, his lovey for automatic thumb-sucking. He played for awhile with his pants before gazing out his window and falling asleep. I did give him a small instant reward when he got up for not sucking his thumb. I figured 21 days is a long time to wait to get your reward for a little 2 year old. Then, at bedtime, he asked if we could go to the toy store if he didn't suck his thumb. Hubby and I agreed that we would reward him with a trip to the toy store at 14 days if he didn't suck his thumb...but the kicker is it has to be consecutively. If he forgets, we start over. But we'll probably reward him again at 21 days, too. We'll see how it works.
Well, when I was woken up by my daughter this morning at 5:15am (she came and sat in our room) and then again at 6am (she came back). I sent her back to her room to lay down until 7ish. I thought that I should probably get up. I have been trying to work on getting up earlier...like before my children and maybe even my hubby but it's so hard because I LOVE to sleep! I have never been a morning person but I know I need to change that if I am to homeschool because I want to start our day off with me ready for the day, not dragging my groggy rear out of bed because my kids are already up. That is not the way I want to homeschool. So then I thought of C-bear's plan to break a habit and thought maybe I needed this, too. If I slip up and choose to sleep, I start over but I actually do it for 21 days. We'll see if it is true. So here it goes.
We are also using her Sad Jar and Happy Jar idea with the kids to make good choices.
I am really enjoying her book :)
~ H
Well, when I was woken up by my daughter this morning at 5:15am (she came and sat in our room) and then again at 6am (she came back). I sent her back to her room to lay down until 7ish. I thought that I should probably get up. I have been trying to work on getting up earlier...like before my children and maybe even my hubby but it's so hard because I LOVE to sleep! I have never been a morning person but I know I need to change that if I am to homeschool because I want to start our day off with me ready for the day, not dragging my groggy rear out of bed because my kids are already up. That is not the way I want to homeschool. So then I thought of C-bear's plan to break a habit and thought maybe I needed this, too. If I slip up and choose to sleep, I start over but I actually do it for 21 days. We'll see if it is true. So here it goes.
We are also using her Sad Jar and Happy Jar idea with the kids to make good choices.
I am really enjoying her book :)
~ H
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
We love because He first loved us.
We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
(Thanks to my sweet sister-in-law for the idea for the title of this post.)
It's been awhile since I have updated this blog or shared any pictures on any social network. But Valentine's day (or the day after) is a great time to share the love. My husband and I didn't plan on going out to celebrate our love of almost 15 years at a busy restaurant. Instead, we were invited to our church class mentor's home for dinner. C and G are a generation older and wiser than us. At first, the idea of being served dinner alongside our peers wanting to get an evening out and it not costing us a dime was what sparked my interest. C and G turned their home into place of romance for each couple that attended. They had tables for 2 set up in different areas around their house so that each couple could enjoy an intimate dinner together. They adorn the table with their fine china, candles were lit, fireplaces were blazing, and soft music in the background. The ambiance was just so perfect. C and G started to serve us, bringing out drinks, salads, steak. It was actually hard to sit there and have them serve us. In my culture, we serve our elders. We don't get served by them. I just wanted them to sit down and eat with us. They hadn't even eaten dinner yet! C and G told us repeatedly that they wanted to do this for us. We needed this as a couple- an intimate dinner together without interruptions. C shared with us afterwards how another older couple had done it for them when they were where we are now. Kurt and I are reminded of the scripture in John 13:1-7 about how Jesus washed his disciples feet and it was hard for them to let Him do it for them. But this was to teach us that we need to serve one another. I know we will remember it for the rest of our lives and we hope that we can do this for others in the future. It was so wonderful to celebrate Valentine's day with our sweet friends. I just feel so blessed that the Lord has placed such special people in our lives to show us His love. I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day because Jesus loves you so much!
~H
(Thanks to my sweet sister-in-law for the idea for the title of this post.)
It's been awhile since I have updated this blog or shared any pictures on any social network. But Valentine's day (or the day after) is a great time to share the love. My husband and I didn't plan on going out to celebrate our love of almost 15 years at a busy restaurant. Instead, we were invited to our church class mentor's home for dinner. C and G are a generation older and wiser than us. At first, the idea of being served dinner alongside our peers wanting to get an evening out and it not costing us a dime was what sparked my interest. C and G turned their home into place of romance for each couple that attended. They had tables for 2 set up in different areas around their house so that each couple could enjoy an intimate dinner together. They adorn the table with their fine china, candles were lit, fireplaces were blazing, and soft music in the background. The ambiance was just so perfect. C and G started to serve us, bringing out drinks, salads, steak. It was actually hard to sit there and have them serve us. In my culture, we serve our elders. We don't get served by them. I just wanted them to sit down and eat with us. They hadn't even eaten dinner yet! C and G told us repeatedly that they wanted to do this for us. We needed this as a couple- an intimate dinner together without interruptions. C shared with us afterwards how another older couple had done it for them when they were where we are now. Kurt and I are reminded of the scripture in John 13:1-7 about how Jesus washed his disciples feet and it was hard for them to let Him do it for them. But this was to teach us that we need to serve one another. I know we will remember it for the rest of our lives and we hope that we can do this for others in the future. It was so wonderful to celebrate Valentine's day with our sweet friends. I just feel so blessed that the Lord has placed such special people in our lives to show us His love. I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day because Jesus loves you so much!
~H
Friday, February 4, 2011
Happy Chinese New Year
It's the year of the Rabbit! Just wanted to share some pics from our annual Chinese New Year celebration. By celebrating, I mean we go to my parents' restaurant for a late dinner and they whip up all sorts of dishes. Then, I get to enjoy some holiday yummies for awhile :) Love the traditional clothes on my kiddos, too! I can't believe that C-Bear kept his little hat on almost the entire night (even though it was a little tight on his head).
~ H
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Snow Fun of 2011
The snow came down quickly Sunday night and accumulate about 2-3 inches. It was just so beautiful how the snow just seem to be like a perfect blanket over everything. I thought that it would be nice to remember this snow storm of 2011 by recording it in the snow.
The next morning, more fallen snow had covered up the evidence that I had even been outside with another 2+ inches. After breakfast and spending about 30 minutes putting layers on the kids and me, we went outside to play in the snow. It was so soft and flakey that we couldn't really build a good snowball or snowman. E-pie still managed to toss snow at us and they had fun making footprints in the snow. Daddy had quickly built a sled out of a plastic board and some electrical wire but the kids really didn't want to use it. We had to go in when their clothes started to get wet, but we went right back out in 30 minutes when we spotted our neighbor out there sledding. The kids finally decided to use the makeshift sled that daddy made since our neighbor was having so much fun with it. It worked amazingly better than the storage box lid he made before. C-bear loved going down the hill and refused to have anyone ride with him...didn't want to be bogged down with another passenger, I guess. Then, our neighbor, R came over to play until nap-time and I got to spend some time chatting with R's mommy.
Encouraged by blogs of other homeschooling moms, I thought we'd make good educational use out of all this snow fun for day 2. We did a water temperature activity. I got 3 containers and placed cold, warm, and hot water in them. The kids got to touch each one and describe them to me. I asked what they thought the water would feel like if we left them there for awhile. The made their predictions and we checked back after lunch. I had E-pie draw what we did in a little journal kind of like Sid the Science Kid.
The next morning, more fallen snow had covered up the evidence that I had even been outside with another 2+ inches. After breakfast and spending about 30 minutes putting layers on the kids and me, we went outside to play in the snow. It was so soft and flakey that we couldn't really build a good snowball or snowman. E-pie still managed to toss snow at us and they had fun making footprints in the snow. Daddy had quickly built a sled out of a plastic board and some electrical wire but the kids really didn't want to use it. We had to go in when their clothes started to get wet, but we went right back out in 30 minutes when we spotted our neighbor out there sledding. The kids finally decided to use the makeshift sled that daddy made since our neighbor was having so much fun with it. It worked amazingly better than the storage box lid he made before. C-bear loved going down the hill and refused to have anyone ride with him...didn't want to be bogged down with another passenger, I guess. Then, our neighbor, R came over to play until nap-time and I got to spend some time chatting with R's mommy.
Encouraged by blogs of other homeschooling moms, I thought we'd make good educational use out of all this snow fun for day 2. We did a water temperature activity. I got 3 containers and placed cold, warm, and hot water in them. The kids got to touch each one and describe them to me. I asked what they thought the water would feel like if we left them there for awhile. The made their predictions and we checked back after lunch. I had E-pie draw what we did in a little journal kind of like Sid the Science Kid.
I also froze some colored ice cubes using red, blue, and yellow food coloring. Later, we predicted what color would be produced if we put 2 different primary colors together. Then, they used the leftover cubes to "paint". C-bear didn't do this too long since his fingers were too cold and wet for his comfort.
Ways that ice melts- we placed some leftover colored ice in three different containers. In one container we put salt, in the other we added more water, and we did nothing to the last container. The kids predicted which one would melt first. C-bear just agrees with whatever E-pie says. E-pie predicted that the one with water would melt first since she saw that it had more water in it and she understands that ice turns into water when it melts.
Snow melting race- from No Time for Flashcards.
The kids went out and filled 4 same sized plastic containers with snow from our front porch. (This was the only time they actually went outside.) Then we picked 4 places in the house to put the containers: the garage, the living room, the kitchen, and the master bathroom upstairs. We all observed that the ice began to shrink in the containers. Before we went down for a nap, they noticed that all the containers inside the house was beginning to melt but the one in the garage looked exactly the same. After our nap though, the 3 containers inside the house melted so we don't really know which one went first. Although E-pie said that the one in the master bath melted completely first because her mind was taking pictures of it while she was sleeping...hilarious :D
For day 3 of being snowed in, I want to do some of these ideas: Winter themed sensory tubs (from ABC and 123) and making paper snowflakes out of round coffee filters (idea from Helping Little Hands) and hole puncher (No Time for Flashcards). I would also like to see if we can build a snowman. Hopefully, we'll be able to get to it all.
We hope that you are all enjoying all the blessings that the snow has brought :)
~H
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Goals to work on...
So New Year's resolutions don't last very long based on my personal experiences. Hubby told me to call them goals to work on. Well, some things that I would like to work on or continue to work on this year...
- go to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier (which has not been happening as often as I'd like) and be more prepared for the day
- grow deeper in my walk with the Lord by reading the Bible more often, daily prayers, and Bible studies. I just discovered Lifeway Christian Store...whoa! what a gem of a find. love their Children's section.
- watch my tongue...especially around my family. It's so tragic that I am better about watching what I say around others (ok, not all the time but at least I don't lash out) Need to work on using a softer voice to turn away wrath as suggested by Proverbs 15:1.
- Seizing more teachable moments with my kids instead of waiting until I am all organized in our little schoolroom.
What are some of your "goals" for this new year?
~H
Good-bye 2010 and Hello 2011
Happy New Year to all our friends and family! We hope that 2010 ended joyfully and that 2011 rolled in sweetly for you all. We've been busy but it hasn't been stressful. We started this New Year's off by spending time with Hubby's parents' at their lake-home. So basically, I've started off this year not having to cook or clean but taking it easy and enjoying my family. Granny and I took the kids to watch the movie Tangled on New Year's day before bedtime. E-pie had a grin from ear to ear the entire time, even when she had her jacket over her head to protect her from the suspenseful parts and C-bear enjoyed eating popcorn while sitting on my lap stating to me a few times "Me eat all the popcorn". He sat still and watched the entire movie although at the end he told us he didn't really like it. E-pie told us it was her favorite movie besides Peter Pan. I actually really liked the movie and will purchase it when it's released so that Daddy can see it, too.
We also got to celebrate my grandfather turning 85 years old! He is still pretty active. He could probably beat you at a ping pong game.
So going backwards...we spent New Year's Eve morning ice skating with the kids for the first time. I had purchased these groupon deals for the Marietta Ice Center awhile back so we finally got to use them. I was a little worried that the kids, especially C-bear, would not want to step foot on the ice. The rental skates were really uncomfortable, but to my surprise, the kids were willing to go out there and hold on for dear life give it a try. Daddy was a little better with his patience quota than Mommy was. We both took turns with each kid. E-pie eventually could scoot along a bit while holding one hand. She told me she wanted lessons. We'll see. There is a closer place to our home so we might give that a place a try to in the near future and see what the kids think about ice skating the second time around. I think Hubby has some dream that one of our kids will play ice hockey. This got me thinking that we could start a tradition of trying something new for our New Year's tradition. We wrapped up the afternoon with some BBQ and getting lost driving around the Alpharetta, Roswell, Milton area.
I wanted to start the New Year's off with our house cleared of our Christmas decorations so that's what I planned for the evening. However, the kids and Hubby had better plans- play with the new Legos. I didn't argue and I guess it was wishful thinking on my part. I'm pretty OCD about how everything gets put away anyways but thought I would try to include the family. It was a nice sound in the house...quiet...as I was taking things down and putting them nicely away, they were quietly tinkering, building, and playing. Now all the boxes are in the attic, the tree is in the driveway for recycling, and the house has some available space again :)
We took it easy for Christmas, too. Normally, we host but this year since we hosted Thanksgiving, Hubby requested that we take this holiday off. I agreed since my Mom wanted to host at her new home. No traditional holiday meal but good ole hot pot...yum! If you've never experienced hot pot, it is a must try. We had our house all decorated even the outside this year with wreaths. We were going to do lights outside but never had the time...next year. Christmas Eve we went to our church for their special candlelight service. That night, we all opened one gift under the tree. After getting the kids to bed, Hubby was saddened when he realized that kids had forgotten to set out cookies for Santa. So he set them out so that the kids would find the remains the following morning along with a letter from Santa. While the children slept, the stockings were filled and Santa left the kids some really cool presents beside the fireplace. Granny and Pop visited us on Christmas morning and demanded that I did not cook because she knew that I would spend hours getting everything ready and not be able to enjoy the kids opening their presents. So they brought down lunch. I could get used to this.
We spent the day leisurely opening presents and playing with new toys. We got to have Skype with family in Maine. We took naps. We went to dinner at my parents and spent it with my enormous family. The kids got a really nice F150 truck from my parents that they are a little nervous about driving/riding in. E-pie is actually pretty good at maneuvering around in it but is frightened by it's movements. And it SNOWED...on Christmas day!!! How cool is that? The kids got to play in it the next morning.
Other holiday fun pictures...
WOW! What a wonderful way to wrap up one blessed year to begin another exciting year of growing spiritually, physically, and mentally. Here is to wishing you and your family a great one in 2011!
~ H
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| Having fun at Granny and Pop's |
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| Poparuski grill-master |
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| Stripey...new porch pet |
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| Enjoying the sunshine on the new front deck |
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| having fun with umbrellas...and no one got their eye poked out :D |
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| Grandfather with grandkids and great-grandkids |
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| Grandfather with his own kids and their spouses.. my parents and aunts and uncles |
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| Why so serious? |
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| I love this picture with my Mom...Hubby forced her to smile ;) |
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| checking out their surroundings |
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| C-bear before Daddy checks him into the wall |
I wanted to start the New Year's off with our house cleared of our Christmas decorations so that's what I planned for the evening. However, the kids and Hubby had better plans- play with the new Legos. I didn't argue and I guess it was wishful thinking on my part. I'm pretty OCD about how everything gets put away anyways but thought I would try to include the family. It was a nice sound in the house...quiet...as I was taking things down and putting them nicely away, they were quietly tinkering, building, and playing. Now all the boxes are in the attic, the tree is in the driveway for recycling, and the house has some available space again :)
We took it easy for Christmas, too. Normally, we host but this year since we hosted Thanksgiving, Hubby requested that we take this holiday off. I agreed since my Mom wanted to host at her new home. No traditional holiday meal but good ole hot pot...yum! If you've never experienced hot pot, it is a must try. We had our house all decorated even the outside this year with wreaths. We were going to do lights outside but never had the time...next year. Christmas Eve we went to our church for their special candlelight service. That night, we all opened one gift under the tree. After getting the kids to bed, Hubby was saddened when he realized that kids had forgotten to set out cookies for Santa. So he set them out so that the kids would find the remains the following morning along with a letter from Santa. While the children slept, the stockings were filled and Santa left the kids some really cool presents beside the fireplace. Granny and Pop visited us on Christmas morning and demanded that I did not cook because she knew that I would spend hours getting everything ready and not be able to enjoy the kids opening their presents. So they brought down lunch. I could get used to this.
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| excited about their new ride |
We spent the day leisurely opening presents and playing with new toys. We got to have Skype with family in Maine. We took naps. We went to dinner at my parents and spent it with my enormous family. The kids got a really nice F150 truck from my parents that they are a little nervous about driving/riding in. E-pie is actually pretty good at maneuvering around in it but is frightened by it's movements. And it SNOWED...on Christmas day!!! How cool is that? The kids got to play in it the next morning.
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| I like the wreaths but I think our gas bill will be a bit higher this month |
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| snowman made by nieghbor |
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| snow angel made by my angel |
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| snow tractor made by neighbors |
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| surprise attack |
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| got hit herself |
Other holiday fun pictures...
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| making gingerbread cookies with Daddy |
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| Cheese! |
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| my little ballerina |
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| ready for the show |
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| E-pie dancing her winter recital...she did AWESOME! |
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| Snow machine didn't work at the recital so God made real ones ;) |
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| Ten Commandment train ride at the park |
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| decorating Rice Krispie Treat houses |
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| E-pie really wants to eat hers |
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| Proudly wearing their Mutt and Company shirts from the Mainers :D |
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| Can't believe E-pie is 4 years old |
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| This was her at 5 months old. |
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| Watching the videos from PNP.com where Santa talks to the kids...very cool! |
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| E-pie is astounded that Santa knows so much about her. |
WOW! What a wonderful way to wrap up one blessed year to begin another exciting year of growing spiritually, physically, and mentally. Here is to wishing you and your family a great one in 2011!
~ H
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