A plea and two pictures

This evening Little Miss was whining about something.

I don't remember what it was.

I remember that it was inconsequential.

It was one of those times when she was whining because

if she didn't whine then by default she'd be quiet
and surely that wouldn't do!

I was sitting on the floor and she crawled into my lap.
Not nicely. 
She crawled in knees first,
elbows everywhere,
whining mouth directly positioned at my ear. 


I was instantly irritated.
Not nice, but true.
Everything about her at that moment was annoying.
She was hurting my ears, my body, and my brain.


I gathered up the crumbs of my patience and without complaining
I just re-situated her on my lap and said something soothing
so it felt/sounded more like I was comforting a child 
and less like I was comforting a mortally wounded porcupine.


Her response to my soothing was a bratty "eh!"
(which is generally a lumberjack to my tree of patience),
and she turned her head away from me.
But she didn't actually move her body.
She stayed in the snugglish way I had put her,
leaning against me with my arm around her side and draped over her tummy.


I really wanted to stand up
thereby unceremoniously dumping her onto the floor
and tell her that if she was going to
act like that over nothing 
and certainly nothing that I had done
then I wasn't about to sit there with her in my lap
and she could move  her bad attitude out of my face.

But I didn't. 

I got out my ipod and started playing Angry Birds.
And of course she wasn't going to sit there on my lap and not watch.
We just sat there and I didn't talk to her for awhile
giving her time to soften around the edges and make the first comment.
Usually something related to the game like,
"Uh-oh!" or "(you) Did It!"
And that would be my cue that I would (most likely) be well-received into a conversation of the same level. 
And the (eighty billionth) bad attitude moment of the day would have passed.

While I was waiting for that
I shifted the way I was sitting and moved my arm.
And that's when she spoke.


"No, mama! Hold you tighter." 

And she picked up my hand, wrapped my arm around her shoulders, put my hand into her lap again and pushed on it to be sure I got her point. 


I gave her a squeeze and a kiss
and we kept playing Angry Birds. 


And so in the spirit of adorability
here are two pictures of Little Miss today. 

iPod Parenting

I have an iPod Touch that my husband surprised me with in the midst of my Crazy. Holy Shnikes. The thing is amazing. Entirely amazing. I'm a newbie so I didn't know what I was missing. It turns out... a lot! I grew up with PCs (my dad was a programmer so my earliest memories include playing ABC Zoo on great big floppy disks and starting games using DOS)  and somehow I just never realized what I was missing. I have been converted. Now I have visions of MacBooks and iPhones floating in my dreams... 

What I was expecting from the iPod Touch was music. I needed a mental escape/respite during the day that would still allow me to be physically and mentally present with the kids (which ruled out a spontaneous trip to Aruba or regular morning martinis). It worked superbly well for that. It's a cinch to add music either from the computer or straight from iTunes. Being able to pipe music directly into my brain allows me to extend my therapeutic parenting responses and to sit in mellow solidarity with a freaking out child. 

What I wasn't expecting was everything else. I wasn't expecting it to have so many useful purposes in my life and parenting. Crazy. 

Now, I'll show you mine and then you show me yours! (Apps that is.)

Daily Life Helpful

 

1. All Recipes DinnerSpinner: You "spin" the categories and select let's say "dinner", "pasta" and "ready in 45 minutes or less" and then it pulls up the recipes that fit that category. Free

2. Livestrong: This (when I use it) tracks my calories, weight, and exercise. It's easier to use than any other program I've found for the same thing. $2.99

3. iPeriod: This tracks your monthly cycle and fertility. It's extremely customizable and you can program your luteal phase, your basal body temperature, other fertility signs, weight, physical symptoms, and moods. It shows up discretely on your screen just labeled as IP and you can password protect it so a friend/child won't accidentally open it. I'm really impressed so far. There is a free/lite version that you can try first (I did) and then the upgrade was $1.99.

4.  NPR News: Because someday I will be able to sit down and take in the news in a calm and peaceful manner, but until then I'll get my news on the go.

5. Better Christmas List: This is obviously a fancy shopping list. You can enter categories and then people within those categories. I have categories for my family, his family, our family, other people, and then stocking stuffers and within each category I have the people listed. You click on a name, say, Pickle and then you can enter the gift you want to buy, where it's from, how much it costs, a picture, and if you're still shopping, have bought it, wrapped it, or mailed/given it. You can set a budget for each person or for a category. Maybe I'm making it sound complicated, but it's really easy to use. I've used it this year and it's been SO helpful in keeping my shopping organized. I never had to worry about what notebook I'd written stuff down in, what I had bought already versus what I was planning to buy and did I have it with me when I shopped or try and do any math on my own! 

This same company has a general gift app that's set up for multiple events: birthdays/anniversaries/smaller holidays and multiple recipients at different times. I fully plan on getting that one as well once Christmas is over.

6. I also have a fancy alarm clock app that I paid $10 for that so far I'm not impressed with. I'm giving it a few more tries before I get annoyed about it. 

Parenting Helpful

1. Hatch! Plus: This is a game for kids where there is an egg and the child taps the egg and hears a cracking sound. You keep tapping it an eventually it "hatches" and there is an animal/letter/number/friend picture. Then you get a new egg and repeat. Every single one of my kids loves this app. It's been very handy for diversionary and extended waiting situations. You can also control what category of things will hatch so if your child doesn't know their numbers you can turn those off and just have animals on or something like that. This is another one that has a free/lite version and then I downloaded the full app for .99. 

2. iTotCards: These are children's flashcards. I downloaded it to use with Little Miss to expand her vocabulary in a fun way (because she gets to play "the pod"). The categories are animals, food, things, mix it up, shapes, colors, ABCs, and numbers, and each picture is labeled as well. There is a voice that you can turn on or off. If I'm playing with Little Miss we turn it off and then she tries to name the picture and then I tell her what it is if she doesn't know. If the voice it on it says the picture/makes the sound as soon as it appears. You also have the option of Chinese, English, Spanish, or French. Pickle likes this one as well. Peanut finds it boring, but if we were working on a second language with him it would be great review.  This was $1.99

3. Netflix: Seriously, free (with an existing account) streaming cartoons, tv programs, documentaries, whatever Netflix has for streaming you can stream to your ipod. I've used this when Peanut wakes up at 5:30am and there's no way I'm getting out of bed. I think about long delays in airports, waiting for the bill at a restaurant, and when you're at great grandmama's house and Jo-Bob Jr. didn't get his nap and is heading for her collection of glass shards. (Or you can just judge me that I stream cartoons for my kids, I can take it.) 

4. iBooks: This is the app that convinced me I needed a Kindle (honey, are you out there?!) So far, I've only downloaded free books, but it's been so wonderful and convenient! I read the classic A.A. Milne "Winnie the Pooh" to Peanut and many of the Beatrix Potter books. I read "Intervention" by Terri Blackstock. I've currently got a Jane Austen, Philip Yancy, The Bible, and a few others as well. All free! I've sat outside while the kids played and read, I always have a book with me in my purse now without the bulkiness, and when I was waiting in the airport before my last flight I was able to pack the lightest carry-on ever. And since I don't always stream cartoons for my kids sometimes I read books to them as well while we wait. 

5. Video Camera: It's really convenient to have a video camera ready to go with me all the time. I can just take a clip of a video and then upload it straight to youtube for the blog or email it straight to the grandparents and the entire process is ridiculously easy. The lighting isn't great, but it's good enough.

6. There are also about 80 gabillion apps for kids out there that are free or only a couple of dollars. There are a few that I've had my eye on and some that I've downloaded and were way lame (luckily those were free) and I deleted them. 

Goals? What?

It seems strange, but I love that my iPod Touch is helping  me achieve some of my goals. It's just so incredibly handy to have these things with  me all the time, ready at (sorry for the pun) a touch. I don't have to run and get supplies or try to find something  that I've tucked away somewhere. It's all just there inside my magic little iPod. 

1. Spanish LE 24/7 Tutor: This is a Spanish language program that has a few categories: town and country, food/dining, opposites, basic phrases, questions. Then you can be tested through multiple choice, puzzles, write in, and flash cards. It's a good little program. It's a little easy for me, but there have been things that I didn't know or have forgotten. Mostly, it's just the ease of having it available whenever I have a few minutes for me to practice. This was a free program.

2. Notecards Lite: This is just a stack of virtual notecards. You write the prompt on one side and then whatever you're memorizing on the other side. It flashes one side at you and then you say your part and tap the card and it flips it over so you can check yourself. You can create different categories of cards as well so that you can be memorizing different groups of information. It also will track your progress by percentage and will allow you to always do the cards in order, random, focus on your lowest percentages, start with a few and add more as you get better, or start with all and then take them away as you memorize them. It's really simple to use. So far I'm using it to memorize Bible verses. This was also a free app. 

3. World Countries All-In-One 19 Educational Aps: I got this app so that I could be quizzed on the countries and map of Africa. I'm also getting pretty good at identifying country flags. I also find it convenient to be able to pull up a country map whenever I need to double-check something for sewing blankets. It also has historical maps, flashcards, capitals, the CIA Factbook, photos, news, world leaders, holidays, a ton of information and quizzes. There is truly a TON of information here, and I haven't seen most of it. I have had a few "quirks" with the program, but nothing more than slightly bothersome. There is a free/lite version of this app too, but it has way fewer programs in it. This version was .99.

And then there's the random apps I have...

the Constitution, Starbucks, Word A Day, Smithsonian Dinosaur Exhibit, Mega Jump, Bananagrams, Pandora, Mr.AaaahH!!, Angry Birds, and Gilt Groupe.

I mean, seriously, I think this is my new addiction. I love it. It's useful. It's fun. I really do feel like (and I NEVER would have thought that I'd say this) that it makes my life easier. How's that for whacko?! I did grow up watching the Jetsons though so I'm still waiting for my flying car.

So, tell me what I'm missing!!! I'd LOVE to hear what apps you're using in any category. Clearly, I like my apps!

Book Review: It's Too Noisy!

It's Too Noisy by Joanna Cole

Backstory: My mom (Z-Nonna) actually bought this book for the kids at the used bookstore in my hometown. It may be the best used bookstore ever. I cannot walk out of there without at LEAST $25-50 worth of books, used books. Ahhhhh! Books!

Why: Since I didn't pick it up I can't tell you what caught her eye. I'm guessing the title and the fact that it's a nice hardback.

Overview: Apparently this is an old folk tale not something that she made up, but I'd never heard it before. The back of the book sums this one up well so I will quote. "The poor farmer's house is just too noisy. So when a Wise Man tells him to put all his farm animals in the house to make it quieter, the poor farmer thinks he's crazy-but it works!"

Intended Audience: My kids all like this book. None of them get the "moral of the story" without me explaining it to them and talking about it, but Peanut understands it now. The pictures are great and the babies are usually so busy yelling out things they see in the pictures that they might now have actually heard the storyline yet. The text is repetitive so it's easy for Peanut to know what's coming next, and he gets the humor in both the pictures and the storyline of why it's so funny to bring animals inside.

My thoughts: I like this book a lot. I appreciate that it has a message, I like the inter-generational family, I like that it portrays the "happy chaos" that goes along with daily family life...kids squabbling over toys, a baby crying, people singing, messes, etc. I like that the man learned to appreciate his family as it was and really it's just a cute little story.

It's definitely one that I'm happy to read every time one of the kids pulls it out. I also pull it out on my own (which is why it's this week's book review) and I read it with Peanut by himself when he starts to act out toward the babies. I don't call him out specifically about why I'm reading him the book, but we'll talk about how it can be hard to live in a family and what we can do when it's too noisy and the fact that we are indeed blessed to be in a family, even if it's a noisy one.

Score: 5 out 5. Great book. Definitely worth looking into buying for yourself.

LoL/LoL: Christmas Gifts

Welcome to my blog series! Please come in and sit down, ignore your kids, have a cup of coffee and laugh at my life. I'm excited to bring you:

Lots of Littles/Lots of Laughs

For more LoL/Lol check out Diary of a Zookeeper by my friend Katy. We're planning/hoping to have a few more mamas join in with us as their lives settle down a little bit because misery loves company the more the merrier!

Today we're talking about some of the gifts we're giving to the littles for Christmas!

I love Christmas.

I love the joy, depth, and simplicity of the birth of Jesus.

It's amazing like nothing else.

(I also have to say that it's taken on an even more special meaning this year.

I was talking to Peanut last week about the Nativity story and why Jesus was born.

And my brand new four year old wanted to pray and "ask Jesus to be the boss of his heart". 

That day, my cup runneth over.)

So I love the spirituality of Christmas.

But, I also LOVE the presents.

I realize this is not trendy to say, but it's oh so true.

I don't care about getting gifts. I mean I like it, but whatever.

I love to shop for other people.

I love to look around (online) for presents that they will love.

I don't care how long it takes.

I want them to see that

I know what they like, that I took time for them, that they are worth it,

that I want them to be happy, that they are a blessing to me 

and I know it and I celebrate it.

(this would be why I like birthdays too)

My parents did this.

They worked hard. They saved. 

(My mom shopped)

And they piled those presents under the tree. 

I love my Christmas memories.

We'd go around one by one (us four girls, and mom & dad)

and watch each person open one present at a time.

We'd all ooh and ahh over everyone's gift. 

We couldn't wait until we saw people open the gift we had picked for them.

It was just one morning a year, but it was unlike every other morning.

So I put a TON of thought into my kids' presents from stocking stuffers on up. 

I spend hours and hours and hours thinking, and browsing, and comparing, and looking (and wishing because we do have a budget!) and planning and opening every box that arrives as giddy as the kids will be on Christmas. 

And I'll admit that I'm that mother who knows that she knows what her kids would like better than they do.

No shame.

Without further ado, here is a sneak peak at my kids' Christmas this year.

Oh wait...one more ado (can I say that?).

Something that I kept in mind this year was "purposeful".

All the big gifts are family gifts 

and almost all of their individual gifts will be family gifts in a few days.

Plus, I bought things that would help Peanut with quiet time, 

Little Miss still has a fewskill-level delays and so some of her toys address that, 

Pickle's presents require just a little bit of thought instead of complete bashing.

Basically, I have some goals for each of the kids and the gifts support that.

So now no more ado. Here is a visual smattering of our Christmas.
Some of this will be gifted from Nana & Papaw, but came from my list. 

This isn't everything and I certainly didn't buy all of it from Amazon,

but they are so convenient to link to! :) 

Crap. One more ado, last one, I promise, but I have to brag on myself!

Something new this year was that I went nuts about online deals. I mean, wow. 

I did great!

Black Friday is for suckers!!!

I sipped my coffee on my couch in my jammies and racked up some major sales from black Friday through this weekend. 
I think that there were only one or two things I paid full price for and  most things I got for about half price, I didn't pay any shipping, and there are only two or three things left that I missed sales for due to poor planning on my part. 


Gifts that support our 2011 goal of Daily Individual Play/Quiet Time

      
Plus, of course,
every kid is getting multiple books!















Gifts for Skill Development

 

                                   

They are also getting in this category things like construction paper, pencils a  fantastic set of blocks that I got for $9.99 instead of $70!!!, and playdough.

The Take-Apart-Your-Own-Stuff-and-Quit-Dismantling-My-House/Science Category

 

Also in this category, but couldn't find on Amazon for the pictures: an adventure headlamp, and a kid-friendly compass/watch/multi-tool, and three magnifying glasses.

Imaginative/Together Play

  

 Their are also a few other little random toys that they obviously will use their imagination with like a space shuttle toy, a couple race cars, some doll stuff, dress up clothes, I'm hoping to make two more superhero capes and a couple of crowns as well.












 Sensory Control Gifts Disguised as Fun
(I'm repeating some of the gifts here)

 

 So. Looks like a lot right? It is. But I really did get some great deals, plus some of this stuff is from grandparents (but there is also some stuff that wasn't listed, but falls more into the practical category like clothes that they'd need anyway, slippers because we keep our house cold and their toes are popsicly all the time, etc) and this included Pickle's birthday stuff too. We also don't buy toys "just because" anymore. When it was just Peanut we did that pretty frequently. Now? Not so much! We're also done with birthdays until May. Anyway, there you have it.


So, what are you getting your kids for Christmas this year?!
Link up your blog post about Christmas or reply in the comments and don't forget to check out Katy's blog!

LoL/LoL is coming!

I can't believe I'm doing this.

I've been typing up my LoL/LoL post about Christmas gifts for tomorrow.

(anyone want to be a LoL/LoL writer? You need multiple young kids, a sense of humor, and a blog  that you keep fairly updated that's it! Contact me.)

I've been slowly working on it all day, but it wasn't really coming along how I wanted.

Just now at 11:52pm I figured out how I wanted it to be. 

Sections. It needs to be in sections in order for me to like it.

So, instead of hitting "publish" I hit "delete". 

But I'm not redoing it tonight.

Must sleep.

Hopefully tomorrow morning with the help of Playhouse Disney I'll be able to 

whip that post out exactly how I want it

because I know that 

IT WOULD HAVE DRIVEN ME CRAZY

you are a very discerning audience. 

Only the best for you.

At least when you're everywhere but here.

No idea what keeps you coming back here! 

Oh wait, I look like Angelina.

;)

Non-confessional

My brain is such a muddled mess. (that's the part that you already knew, the non-confession)

I long for order, but can't pick myself up out of the chaos long enough to create it.


(and by chaos I just mean our status quo these days)

I envision this Mighty Schedule

that takes into account: my desire to homeschool, the sensory needs of Peanut (and myself), Little Miss' behavioral needs, the unique emotional needs of each child, the need to teach them all (and myself) the virtues of compassion, patience, and self-control, Peanut's need to Investigate, Experiment, Figure Out, and then Explain, Little Miss' need to Connect and Heal and Pickle's  need to Conquer and Snuggle, and all in relatively reasonable ordered fashion.

And I think this is possible.

I do.

There are enough hours in the day for us to do these things (with varying degrees of success).

But in order for me to start I need to be able to plan everything at once.

Doing a little bit every day does not work for me. Every time I have to stop and put it away I lose momentum, I am distracted, and distracted is the enemy.

The inside of my brain is like a pinball machine...lights, and noises, and chaos, and colliding, and random sound effects. In order to do...just about anything...I've got to shut all that (and my kids) up, squash it/them into a soundproof box and lock it/them away so that I can focus.

And each time I have to unfocus means that whatever I did before is not going to work for me anymore and all the time and effort was wasted and I won't know why I even bothered getting dressed this month.

What I need is a "Mommy In-Service Day" like teachers get so they can drink coffee, plan, and prepare.

I think that if I had that, if I could get everything together ahead of time and laid out in a way that made sense to me and was accessible to me then I'd be a lot more successful on a daily basis.

So, how do I sign up for a Mommy In-Service Day?
What are your tricks for planning?