HappyMama

Our 2-year-old can count to about 16, but doesn’t have any concept of what the numbers signify. Shortly after Easter, I had this conversation with him:

him: “Mommy, I want some jelly beans.”

me: “Okay. How about 5?”

him: “No. I want 2!”

I realized he was ready for the next Montessori math material, “spindles”. Click here to see a “real” spindle box, plus the $65 price tag! I spent roughly $5 on mine. The child simply puts one spindle (or pencil, in my case,) in the cup marked 1, and so on up to 9. The direct purposes of this exercise are to give the child a concept of what the numerals signify, and in particular, to introduce the concept of zero.

I introduced this material to my 2-year-old by setting out the cups marked 0, 1, 2, and 3, plus the cup with 6 spindles. I silently demonstrated how to set the cups out in order, and how to fill them with the appropriate number of pencils. I put the materials away, then asked him if he wanted a turn. He did, but he didn’t put the cups in the correct order, or put the correct number of pencils in the cups. I may have jumped the gun on this material by a couple months. I bet ya, though, that from watching his older brother use these materials, the day will come sooner than I think that he will figure them out all on his own. Every month or so, I will just sit down with him and demonstrate it correctly again.

You may be thinking, why go to the trouble of all this with a 2 or 3 year old? He’s going to learn this stuff in school some day anyway. True enough.

There are purposes to the materials which go way beyond learning simple math. A typical 3 year old is more than capable of learning these concepts, so why not teach him? A 3 year old looks at these materials with great interest, and completely enjoys working with them at his own pace, at his own leisure, and effortlessly. My son is going to teach himself what “3″ means, and the day that he discovers it, he will be filled with joy & confidence. It builds self-esteem. This type of learning is not tedious, and fosters a love of learning that will hopefully stay with him all his life. This material will teach him how to concentrate, and will be an exercise in dexterity & gross motor control, and when I make sure he always puts it away when he’s finished, respect for and care of the learning environment.

Just today I was seriously lamenting the rows of pagan & pointless books on the shelves of our libraries.  I need to learn more about who chooses the books, who pays for them, and why there are so many crappy books on the shelves.

I do know that if you request a particular book, many libraries will purchase it for you.  Amy J shared this Yahoo chat group which emails you periodically with solid Catholic book suggestions, which you can then request from your local library (possibly on-line).  This is a great way to help Catholic publishing companies and evangelize the library-goers of our towns.  Thanks for sharing, Amy!

I like to have the house a little extra tidy for Sundays.  It helps me relax and enjoy the day.  (Hence, if you’ve read my earlier posts on scheduling & priorities, you’ll understand why I schedule cleaning bathrooms & windows on Saturdays.)  This past Sat. night hubby took our oldest child to a ball game, and the infant was sick & sleeping.  I decided to finally get the kitchen floor mopped.  The 2-year-old could “help.”

Everyday (sometimes twice) I sweep the kitchen floor.  It often needs mopped, too, but I have this mental hang-up about mopping unless I’ve first swept.  And if I’m going to sweep in preparation for mopping, I always think, well if I’m going to go to all this trouble then I should wipe the table, high chair, and counter tops first, because you know when wiping them crumbs will inevitably fall on the floor.  But before I can do the wiping, the dirty dishes must first be removed & piled in the sink, the recyclables put away, the trash thrown away, the pb & j put back in the pantry.  And by the time I do all those things, I’m too tired to mop.  So it doesn’t often get done.

Sunday morning was not fun for me, because I had been up most the night with my little one (who couldn’t breathe through his little nose,) but seeing that clean kitchen certainly helped my mood.  I held my breath and waited to see how long it would last.  I didn’t have to wait long.

In the afternoon, I made smoothies.  With blueberries.  Outstanding nutritional value, but prone to staining whatever they come in contact with.  The baby was once again napping, so I crept down stairs for a few minutes while the kiddos enjoyed their snack.  Through the floorboards above me, I heard a lot of naughty giggling.

Five minutes into my respite, I headed back upstairs to see what was so funny.  After what I saw, this is what I imagine happened:

• 2-year-old spills a drop accidentally on the table.  Decides it would be fun to draw in the mess.
• 4-year-old thinks, “hey, that looks like fun!” and not-accidentally spills some of his drink, too.  He finger paints a landscape.
• 2-year-old is watching and absentmindedly wipes his messy hands on his shirt.
• 4-year-old sees the messy shirt and thinks, “hey, that looks like fun!”  And dips his hand in his cup & wipes it all over the front of his shirt.  Also thinks, “hey, mom’s not in here anyway.  I won’t get in trouble.”
• 2-year-old pours remaining smoothie all over the table and rubs it all over to make sure the entire surface is covered.  At this point, hysterics set in & smoothie gets rubbed all over the floor, the high chair, their faces, and their shirts. 
• 4-year-old hears mom coming and says, “quick, run to the bathroom and wash our hands!”  Also thinks, “I’m gonna get it.”
• 2-year-old follows obediently, but trips on the carpet in his hurry and smoothie ends up soaking into the fibers.  Mom witnesses this part.  Dad comes out of the bedroom - he also didn’t feel well and had been trying to rest.

What would you have done?  What should we have done?

I’ve been on the internet more than usual lately, because we’ve been selling things on Ebay (it works! find the stuff in your house you don’t want & get some $ for it!) and 3 times a week I’m getting some Montessori album downloads.  It’s quite tempting to read the news, glance at the weather, and check email, too.  Especially since I hardly ever watch tv.

I realized today, though, that the internet is way low on my priority list, and so I need to better moderate my use of it.  Trying to get back in shape & work on educational things with the kiddos has been taking up a lot of my “spare” time.  So, I made a resolution today, since all of our Ebay auctions are done with for now, to only get on-line 3 times a week to get my downloads & check email.  If time permits and there’s a subject I’ve been wanting to post on, I’ll do that too.  Ciau!

For the 3rd time in my life, I am making baby food & getting ready to baby-proof everything below 3 feet in our home.  This morning our youngest did the army crawl over to the grill below our gas fireplace & pulled it open… I know, I know - I’m supposed to proof the house before the need arises. 

Each time I offer a new food to my child, I’m amazed at how sensitive to different tastes our bodies really are.  He sticks his tongue out at the spoon and with only a touch of the food, he makes a face as if to say, “whoa, mom, what the heck is this?!”  When I have a food I like, I tend to eat several large bites of it… but I need to keep reminding myself to be more like my infant and appreciate the taste of each tiny drop.  (Oh, and quit eating when I’m full!)  Making babyfood is also a reminder to pay attention to the natural taste of food.  What I make is cooked, mashed, and frozen without any added sweeteners, spices, or salt.  Oatmeal, barley, green beans, peas, assorted fruits - all natural.  I should break the habit of constantly adding things to my food before I eat it.

Our 2-year-old is refusing to wear diapers (a good & natural desire,) but also quite reluctant to do his business on the potty chair.  He also has learned to put on his shirts & pants by himself, but when he gets “stuck” on occasion, he screams & bawls until he figures it out, not permitting anyone to help him.  Yesterday he changed his clothes 6 times.  Just because he can.

Occasionally I come across a book that makes me think, “if only I could get every [mom, dad, teen, etc.] to read this.”  If only. 

I recently read just such a book, this one for dads.  (Although mom’s benefit, too.)  It’s called Father, the Family Protector, by James Stenson.  It’s incredible.  Most dad’s I know would look at a book on fathering and think, “I don’t need anyone to tell me how to be a dad.”  And for the most part, that’s true.  But throughout human history, dads have usually been surrounded and supported by other men in their families and communities.  That’s not the case anymore.  Many dads are isolated from the wisdom of men who have gone before.

In this book, the author, who founded 2 high schools for boys, doesn’t preach his own opinions.  He spent 2 decades interviewing the parents of the boys in his schools.  He especially spoke to the parents of the students who exhibited the best character.  This book is  a compilation of all the good advice he heard from these succesful parents.  It isn’t a religiously-oriented book; it’s for all parents.  It’s chock-full of good advice.  I wish I could buy a copy for every dad I know.

A few years ago, I came across a booklet that I loved, and I bought something like 40 copies!  Let me know if you want one, or read about it here.

Busy, busy.

• Easter Triduum - a wonderful Passover Seder on Thursday with hubby after kids went to bed - definitely a new family tradition.  Next year will use smaller wine glasses.
• Still doing my P90X workouts faithfully, with the exception of today.  Haven’t slept in about 3 days and I need a mental break.
• Easter egg hunt after Mass on Sunday morning. 
• Beloved company for a fun Easter dinner.
• Roseola times two.
• Celebrating Fr. A’s birthday.
• Mom visiting for a few days.
• brother-in-law got an assignment to train as a helicoptor pilot for the Marines
• Ordering new Montessori materials - hooray!  I actually think I’m done buying what I wanted for our classroom, in all categories, at least for 2 more years anyway.