A Few for the Win Column!

 Look what my boy did!  His OT presented me with this work sample and I asked, "Did you dictate this to him?  Cover his paper with your hand?"  She said she opened the handwriting pad with the alphabet as a model and he copied it on his own, with little coaching.  I just couldn't believe it.  My son?  Writing in the lines?  On task for an extended period of time?  Wow!  I'm such a teacher nerd, when I said  I'd be sharing this on the blog, the OT remarked that she hated to have marked up the paper.  "No! That makes it better!" I assured her.  Trusty are the marks of a red pen in the hand of a teacher.  I AM SO PROUD.  I just made a "kids' brag folder" in my Dropbox account.  I've got some masterpieces to begin saving. :)

Secondly, we had a major personal victory yesterday.  We've been working on toileting independence for 2 1/2 years with Jay.  It's been a major struggle and to be frank, a tremendous source of stress and even shame for me.  It took me a long time to understand that this would happen later developmentally for Jay, but it would happen.  I'm in the kitchen and I hear the sound of a male child going to the bathroom.  What's significant is that he is going without being told.  I ran in the bathroom, whooped and hollered, got Rachel in on the celebration and called Dad to share.  As I was leaving a voicemail, I almost doubted myself.  Wait... he was throwing bits of paper in the toilet as it flushed.. maybe he was playing... nope, saw him standing, heard the sounds, saw the hiney; he did it!

World, my son is consistently in underwear (Pull-ups, we are never getting back together, like EVER), is night trained, his tummy troubles are much better (not solved completely) and he chose to go the bathroom without Mom's nagging.   JOIN ME IN REJOICING! 

The Lord makes everything beautiful in his time, and this, all joking aside, is beautiful.

My son is beginning to make decisions for himself, because he can. 

Quiet Play Ideas

I've been given or recommended to a few great educational books and apps that I want to share.

1) Lakeshore Learning Apps  Our ST uses the All About Letters app with Jay.  It works on letter sounds, formation, and memory chants.  Memory chants such as those found in Handwriting without Tears really helped Jay learn to write his letters and numbers in a short time.  We also purchased the Beginning Letter Sounds app from LL.  This company also makes fantastic educational and therapy helps.

2) Dry Erase Alphabet/Number Books  Jay was given two large spiral write-on books to practice his letters and numbers.  He loves this and it is self-motivating for him.  I like that fact that he has a model to trace and that I can work on pencil/marker grip when I am working with him.

3) Salt Tracing: A tip for our curriculum suggested using salt to practice forming the number 5.  I poured a heap of salt on a sturdy plastic plate with a raised edge and both kids played and played.  It's one of those things I can pull out before dinner so they don't pull at my leg begging for gummies to eat. 

Those are a few new things we've found to save sanity and keep TV off.  Please share your latest finds in the comment section!

The Little Stories or the Big Story?

I subscribe to a youtube channel called What's in the Bible, a new Bible series & DVD curriculum for children created by Phil Vischer who also pioneered the Veggie Tales series.  These short clips (1:30 and 2:30 respectively) really made me think and echoed other teachings I've heard recently about teaching and modelling our faith to this generation.

Watch these to get the context of my thoughts:

 






It's hard to be good without God. Absolutely.  I can tell my toddler to stop hitting her sister, and tell her sister to stop hitting her back, but until they have the beginnings of a conviction that hitting or lying displeases (and even hurts) God, it will just be a rote directive.  I appreciate how Mr. Vischer admits that while his stories where carefully designed with biblical, moral lessons, the higher aim is to teach our children the WHY behind the DO.  Until the heart begins to change, we will keep missing the mark, the very definition of sin.  God is much more concerned about the motives and condition of our heart than our piety.

Am I trying to teach (my) kids to behave more "Christian-ly" or am I teaching them Christianity?  That hit the nail on the head for me.   I know I often feel that I'm not doing enough to teach my kids the basics of the faith or that I could be doing it in a more systematic way.  What resonates with me is that is if we don't connect great stories of the Bible to the BIG STORY, God's redemptive plan woven from beginning to end, it may be shrugged off as "so what" when our kids are presented with other worldviews as they mature.

This is big stuff to tackle.  We have the tools.  What we need, what I need,  is the dedication to sit down and start the discussion with our littles about the WHYs.

This clip sold me on the What's in the Bible DVDs.  The 12 installments cover God's story from Genesis to Revelation.  I plan to buy the 10th in the series Jesus is the Good News leading up to the Easter season.  I'll jump back on here then and let you know I thought.

Sherlock Recap: The Empty Hearse

I won't go into a play by play because I do have a bit of a life and responsibilities, plus a great one can be found here.  My impression:

*Completely satisfying overall.

* Sherlock comes back as a quasi-leading man.  He's always so curt and dismissive,  but upon rising from the faux ashes, he's debonair, dashing, kissing Molly (!), and playing jokes on Watson.  I guessing tracking down terror cells gives you time to miss your friends.  And get buff.  Dude has guns in the opening sequence as he's being tortured.

* Sherlock has a "mind palace" similar to the brainy character from Community.  I've not read Doyle's short stories, so I must assume Community is paying homage to Holmes.

*Sherlock has very normal parents!  Mycroft is the smarter of the two!  And Sherlock points out that Mycroft's own shortcoming is his isolation, his loneliness.  Might Sherlock be open to a companion, dare I say a romantic entanglement, especially since Watson is to be married?  Prolly not, but they do like to tease us.

*Didn't you love how Sherlock congratulates Molly on her engagement?  He's always belittled her crush on him.  It was nice.


And on to Downton:

*A succinct plot summary can be found here.

* Love the friendship of equals between Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson.  Her giving him that framed picture of his long-forgotten sweetheart.  I wonder if their relationship will remain just that or ever move beyond.  Mr. Carson reminds me of the main character in The Remains of the Day who chooses being married to service rather that taking a chance on his own life.  I'd love to see Carson move out of the shadow of the Great House and live for himself.

*Speaking of Mrs. Hughes, she's kinda like a Big Momma.  Everyone runs to her skirts, even the former hot-head, Tom.  Didn't you love her dressing down Edna?  Girlfriend told her.  Two snaps, Mrs. Hughes.  Don't leave the door hit ya, Edna.  Though I daresay (as Mrs. Hughes would say) that the trollop will make a reappearance, make no mistake.

*Ah, Mary.  Ever the beauty.  Her new love, Lord Gillingham, is lovely.  (I sound like Andie McDowell from Four Weddings and a Funeral.   I have watched way, way too much television in my life).  When he says she'll be in his prayers always, after having turned down his proposal? SWOON.  That is romance, young people.

*Edith "as obvious as a bucket," according to Mary, crosses the point of no return with her not-quite fiancé, Gregson.  Sisters, Sisters. There were never such devoted sisters. Her aunt warns her that though times have changed, not everything does.  I think the guy is on the up-and-up.  Her character seems destined for disappointment, but I hope they cut her a break and don't make this man some double agent or swindler.  He seems fairly noble. Aside from putting her in an awkward position and cheating on his wife.  Details.


Did you enjoy last night?  Any predictions for Sherlock or  Downton Abbey?

Turn on the Telly...

To the BBC! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!  (Name that movie reference.)

It's a double header tonight on PBS: episode 3 of Downton Abbey and the return of Sherlock. 

From http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/

I am so happy.

If you have some time this afternoon, find the series here or on your streaming source of choice. Watch The Reichenbach Fall to set-up the return of Sherlock.

All I can say is it will amaze you.  The psychological intrigue, the twists, the unexpected depth of relationships-- it's all there.  I wouldn't call myself a mystery lover, but everyone loves a good story and this is one.  

Watson to Sherlock: "You... you told me once that you weren't a hero. Umm, there were times I didn't even think you were human. But let me tell you this, you were the best man, the most human... human being that I've ever known, and no-one will ever convince me that you told me a lie, so there. I was so alone, and I owe you so much...."

This is one of the last lines of the episode, and I won't give away why this quote is so powerful if you aren't familiar with the details of the stories.  But whoa.  That's what being human is, right?  To connect.

I rewatched this episode, which runs about an hour and half, this weekend.  I felt all the feelings, just like the first viewing last year.

If you need a story to get lost in, this is the one.

Oh, yes, and Downton's back.  It leads in Sherlock, which begins at 10.  I'm hoping for lots of jazz, doing the Charleston, and Rose behaving badly (just not too badly).  I'm hoping Tom mans up and checks Edna's advances, and that Edith doesn't forgo her virtue to a married man.  Put a ring on it, fella.  When he's speaking the Deutsch and his marriage is legally over.

Wishing you a wonderful day of rest and relaxation.

Recap tomorrow!