posted by Sun T. on Mar 19
Homeschooling a headstrong 5 year old really takes the starch out of you. I might have to upgrade my coffee machine to one of the lower end espresso machines just to keep up. He is hard to talk to, because he only hears about a third of what I say. He has to be staring me in my eyes and actively listening or he doesn’t get it. He is so fidgety! It really depends on the day, though. The other day he was so focused all I had to do was tell him once and he knew what to do before I finshed speaking. It’s a challenge. I’m ready for my espresso now LOL
posted by Sun T. on Feb 27
My son turned 5 today and I took him on a lovely adventure. Everything was a surprise.
Daddy showed up with a remote control helicopter…the one he has been seeing on television and wishing for FOREVER. He was disappointed that he couldn’t play with it outside as it was raining, but he got to spend some time with his dad before he had to go back to work.
Then it was MY turn to take him and have a good time!
First we went to Toys R Us so he could get his birthday King crown and balloon. He also used his gift card to buy toys he wanted. He was very calculated in his thinking and ended up with 3 toys he is very pleased with …in 20 minutes! I thought we would be at least an hour.
Then we headed over to the bowling alley. We both did the first game together. It was his first time bowling. He got one strike and scored a 75. The second game he did 1/2 by himself then he got tired. He had a 38 and then we finished up his last few frames.
Next we drove over to Bob Evans to get some grub, where my sisters and mom joined us late into our dinner to have a mini surprise party. He had just asked me if he could go visit them, then they showed up. We went to their house to finish up our birthday fun.
It was awesome. He was so happy! All in all a fabulous day.
Happy birthday, my sweet boy!
posted by Sun T. on Jan 27
My son’s favorite word to repeat other than “I’m hungry”. This growth spurt is kicking my tail. I can’t believe how many times a day he says he is hungry. It’s starting to drive me bonkers. I am running out of ideas for what to feed him that don’t include some form of milk. A boy cannot live on cheerios, peanut butter and jelly, and chicken nuggets alone. He is so picky, though, it’s hard.
Now, this whole PLEAAAAAAAAAASE business is also driving me mad. Every time you tell him no he goes on this little tangent of saying it and giving the puppy dog face. I don’t understand it, because in his nearly 5 years of life I have NEVER given in to that face.
posted by Sun T. on Jan 26
Try saying that a few times and see if you don’t turn out saying something like joo joo bees. LOL
Last night we attended a Jiu Jitsu class for children to see if we wanted my son to go on a regular basis. Needless to say, he loved it. That boy was so excited he could hardly stand still. I think next time I will take the video camera so I can record him sparring. He even made a new friend while he was there. His classes begin on Monday afternoon and continue on Wednesday and Friday. The school is Christian based and everyone is very friendly. I am happy to say that we have finally begun his training. This is just adding to all the awesomeness of homeschooling him!
My husband is supposed to go on Tuesday and check out the adults, but I think he already has made up his mind to go to a school in North Jersey instead.
Tags: jiu+jitsu, brazilian+jiu+jitsu, mma+fighting
posted by Sun T. on Dec 3
My son. I don’t know if he is going to grow up to be an architect or not. He gets so into building with his blocks. You would swear someone commissioned him to build Pigeon Forge cabins the way he meticulously goes over every detail. He uses so many different kinds of blocks and items, you just never know where he is going with it till it’s all done. He amazes me with his creations. As he gets older, the buildings are becoming more and more elaborate with towers, windows, doors, walkways, bridges, garages… you name it. He doesn’t leave them assembled for long, because his mind thinks of another way to build it and you can hear him demolishing his creations soon after. This is why we don’t put the blocks “where they belong” anymore. He needs more than one medium at a time to really let his inner architect out. Of course, everytime I think of “the architect” I end up with Matrix on the brain hehe
posted by Sun T. on Dec 2
My son has decided that he should use all his remote controls for the things in his room. This means that things will get wonky at some point or other. He doesn’t know what all the buttons do, but he surely will find out. I went in to check on him the other day and found that he turned on the French dvd subtitle option. I just chuckled and shook my head. I bet you he doesn’t even realize how he did it yet LOL
posted by Sun T. on Nov 26
Among the awesome presents my son is getting this Christmas you will find three educational toys from Learning Resources.
First up is the Gears, Gears, Gears! Lights & Action set. This is made for ages 5 to 10. There are so many pieces I almost didn’t know what to do. Once I figured out the basic idea of how to get the gears together, it was pretty neat. I don’t think my son will have a problem with it. He loves figuring things like this out. It even glows in the dark, which he will find fascinating. It only takes 2 AA batteries.
Next we have the AlphaBall Electronic Word Game. My husband was testing that out. I don’t get why the unit is so big, but I am guessing it is supposed to add to the arcade feel. The game is optimal for children 6 to 10 years old. It has 6 different game modes. The puzzles range from easy to advanced. You can work with words in English and Spanish. That is important, since we are trying to teach our son Spanish. Bilingualism is so important. He will have hours of fun with this once he get the hang of it. I think it will be a nice family game for us to play together. This one takes 3 AA batteries.
Lastly, we have the Jump N’ Jam Jungle mat. I got to play with this. It is for children ages three to 5, but I can see me and my son having a blast with it. There are five game mods for your child to develop their listening, memorization, and following directions skills. Your child also gets to practice their shapes and colors. I think it’s one of the best interactive mats I have seen for a child. It takes the most power, with 4 AA batteries. Not a problem for those of us who use rechargeables.
All in all some really good learning toys. I know that he is going to FLIP when he sees them. I better get some more batteries before Christmas, though. I need MY batteries to take pictures!
Tags: learning+resources, Christmas+gifts, educational+toys
posted by Sun T. on Oct 21
We can hardly watch TV in our house. Every commercial with those things that you normally find in stores marked “as seen on tv“, my son screams “MOMMY You need to get that!”. Then he proceeds to tell me how I can use it in the house. He does the same for things he wants from the commercials. I end up telling him what my mother told me when I would say these things to her:
“We’ll see”
Yes, the dreaded words of childhood. It’s always that or “Go ask your father” LOL
