OY.

I started writing this post about 2 hours ago while I was shopping at Kroger.  Mainly because I had to get my mind out of that grocery store, where no amount of consoling was calming down my screaming 3-year-old. 

We were having a bit of a throw-the-baby-pumpkin-on-the-ground issue, which resulted in losing the pumpkin beneath the shelves somewhere.  And then I refused to go get another one.  Hence the monster-sized meltdown.  No, seriously, he cried (tears and all) for the last 25 minutes we were in the store, and if we didn’t need food something awful, I would’ve left sooner.  I was already running through it at a Super Market Sweep pace, while occasionally getting a centimeter from Becks’ nose to calmly remind him to please be quiet mommy is going as fast as she can, whispered under my breath.

I’m pretty sure everyone in the store wanted to stare at us, but they couldn’t because they were probably on their phones dialing Child Protective Services to please save this poor child from the wrath of his non-pumpkin retrieving mother. 

Of course, all was right again when we passed the Halloween blow-ups and his mind was taken off of the baby pumpkin mishap.  Sheesh.

Once we got home, I played the whole let’s-see-how-many-plastic-grocery-bags-I-can-fit-on-my-arms game since B was at school and Becks’ is only good for carrying in a bag or two before he gets distracted by the soccer ball in the front yard.  Do y’all do that?  Temporarily risk loss of blood circulation in your arms just for the sake of taking one less trip to the car?  You know you do.

Seeeeeriously.  I need a weekend.  And a tall glass of reisling.  OY.

Well, TGtomorrowIF!

Preschool Line-Up: Workbox Wonders



With all the various studies I had planned for Piper this year, I wasn't sure we would have the time or I would have the energy for any themed work.

BUT the girls and I love the theme stuff so much.

I really didn't want to give it up!

That's when I decided the best plan of action was to use a workbox system for all of our theme activities!

Here's how it goes:

I fill several different boxes with materials for an activity related to the theme and store them in the cube storage unit in our living room.

Then the kids are free throughout the day to take out a box and work on its contents.

Anything that is too difficult for them to do themselves or that requires supervision is tackled when I have some free time to sit and play.

So far, this is working out well for us.

I do have to remind them that the workboxes are available since I think they feel they are off limits if it is not school time.

Also, they do far better with many of the activities if its directed by me.

That's to be expected for a 4 and 2 year old and perfectly ok!

It just means that I have had to be careful to make a point to sit down and work on this stuff with them.

With Piper, this often happens to be after her quiet time when Taitum is still sleeping.

It keeps her quiet a little longer and provides some nice quality time for the 2 of us.

Taitum is a different story.

Any time I see her showing interest in one of the workboxes, I make a point of stopping what I'm doing to spend some time with just her. It generally doesn't last long. She is all toddler now and BUSY!

So the rest of the time I include activites I know she will benefit from and enjoy into our circle time.

Both girls play together and Tait learns a ton from her big sis!

Would you like to see exactly what is in our workboxes?

Here is what we've been up to the last 2 weeks.

The theme was Birthdays!

Gift wrapping: wrapping paper, bows, tape, ribbon and scissors.

Card making: Blank cards, stamps and ink pad

This activity included a printable from Musings of Me birthday unit.

The flat stones are placed in each of the circles on the picture.

This was a favorite of the girls!

Pre-writing practice pages from Musings of Me Birthday Unit.

Lacing cards from Musings of Me Birthday Unit.

Cupcake colors colouring book from 2 Teaching Mommies.

Find the cake game from Homeschool Creations.

Piper loved this game.

You hide the cake under a number and they have to guess which number until they find it.

This one was my own little creation!

Cupcakes made from styrofoam balls, tissue paper and muffin cups.

Each cupcake had a different numbered candle and the kids had to put the correct number of candles (toothpicks) in it.

( If you make them, I recommend cutting the styrofoam balls in half. They wouldn't stand up for us and it was a little irritating!)

We made party hats using an idea from Spell Outloud.

Of course, ours had to be more princess-y...

Piper would roll the dice and had to put the same shaped jewel on her crown as what she rolled.

This was definitely another favorite!

Not pictured is the game you saw Taitum playing in a previous photo.

We had several different colored balloons that I would lay on the floor.

(They were kept in a laundry basket away from little hands since Mama still gets a little nervous about balloons hanging around!)

Then I'd sing this song to the tune of "5 Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree":

5 Little balloons sitting on the floor.

Being nice and quiet 'cause they can't do more!

Along comes Taitum as quiet as can be AND...

Finds the RED balloon!

Its as easy as can be!

I kind of came up with it spur of the moment but it ended up being a huge hit and was good practice for Tait who is learning her colors!

This is our salt box that Piper used to trace the letters we were learning each week.

Although not theme related, I decided I'd include a different letter workbox each couple of weeks since it is suggested in the All About Reading program.

There are so many wonderful pre-writing activities out there and I figured this was the best way to fit them into our day!

That's it!

And although initially getting all the activities together required a bit of work, its been well worth it in that it provides weeks worth of fun and I don't have to be preparing stuff each night!

As time goes on I'm sure I'll be tweaking the whole system a bit but so far I'd say its been a great success in our little homeschooling world!

Preschool Line Up: Nature Exploration and a Cooking Curiousity

One thing I am very adamant about including in our homeschool curriculum is a nature study.

The more I read, the more I am convinced that this aspect of a child's education is extremely important.

There is so much to be explored and discovered in the great outdoors!

The problem is, despite enjoying the outdoors, I know very little about nature.

How exactly am I supposed to teach my kids about it??

So I went on a search for a book that would guide me in the process but that provided ideas simple enough for a 4 year old.

That's when I happened upon The Kids' Nature Book.

It gives you a nature activity for each day of the year!

Although we don't do nature study each day of the week, it provides loads of ideas for what to do!

I discovered too that I am really not that helpless when it comes to nature related knowledge!

This book ended up reminding me of things I already knew but had forgotten.

Also, it keeps me on track according to seasons - when certain things are happening in nature or the best time to try certain activities.

Yay for organization!

And so our walks have taken on a whole new aspect.

We are opening our eyes to the world around us.

Becoming curious investigators.

Discovering fantastic and interesting aspects of this beautiful creation!

Ok, maybe not we.

Just me.

My girls are already good at this!

And we chat and inquire and collect and enjoy all that God has made!

Its becoming one of the most peaceful parts of our day.

After spending a morning collecting wildflowers, Piper, Taitum and I made suncatchers with our findings!

Talk about brightening up a window! :)

Now we are in the process of 'hunting' squirrels and watching them gather nuts.

Here, Piper is watching one that was in a tree we were walking by with an acorn in his mouth!

Then she gathered some acorns of her own - she tells me its for her "lection"...

"Let them once get in touch with Nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life.

We were all meant to be naturalists and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things."

-Charlotte Mason

--------------------------------------------------------------

At home, in the kitchen, we're involved in some more tasty pursuits!

Once a week, Piper becomes head chef and follows a recipe all her own!

She is over the moon!

This book, The Do It Myself Kids' Cookbook, created the most excitement from her when her homeschool books arrived in the mail.

It not only has fun and unique recipes but also provides picture instructions!

Perfect for a child who is not reading yet!

As well, the recipes do not require anything sharp or hot to accomplish!

Yeehaw!

This week was Piper's first stab at one of the recipes: Honey, Berries and Almond Butter on Graham Crackers.

I set out the ingredients and went through the instructions with her.

And off she went!

Measuring, spreading...

Drizzling honey...

And voila!

A culinary masterpiece!

It was oh-so-good!

And Piper was oh-so-proud!

I realize that the recipes are rather simple.

This one probably more so than many of the others.

But I am excited about the skills she is going to learn.

Spreading, chopping, measuring, following directions...

The list goes on!

Eventually she'll move on to greater challenges.

(Like making supper for us? Please?)

But for now I think this is a great start!

And most of all her enthusiasm about getting to 'cook' all by herself is adorable!

Do you have any helpful links related to nature studies or kid friendly recipes?

Please share!

I am forever looking for fun ideas!

I'd love to think of a title but it's late and I've got nothing...

I've been trying to type a post for the past few days now and every time I start, I just can't think of what to say.  

It's so easy for us to focus on the bad in the world.  But there are SO many good people in this world.  I am now experiencing this every single day.  There would be no possible way to even begin to thank every one of you who has reached out to us.   

I am in awe at the support that we are getting and at the amount of people who are following our journey.  I just can't get over the fact that my little boy who has never spoken a single word, has reached out and touched so many lives.  I don't think I will ever have the right words to be able to express my appreciation to all of the people who have been there for us- AND who are still here for us, still supporting us, and still sharing our story and helping me to spread awareness about EB every single day.   

So with all of this, the lingering question in my head has been, "What do you want from me, God?"  Because I know this is happening for a reason.  I know we have this tremendous amount of support and love from perfect strangers for a reason.  What's the message?  There are over 1300 followers of this blog.  Tripp and I have maxed out 5,000 friends on Facebook and I still receive friend requests every single day.  The "Prayers for Tripp" Facebook page that a friend created has over 26,000 people that "like" it.  Another amazing mom nominated ME on babble.com for the "Top 100 Moms that are changing the world" contest, and I am currently in first place.  I cannot believe it. 

AND GET THIS... 

ELMO (yes-THE ELMO- from Sesame Street)'s  personal assistant, Kim, emailed me today.  She said that "Elmo," (Kevin Clash) heard that Tripp loves him... and wanted to know Tripp's favorite things because he was going to write him a song.  

ARE YOU SERIOUS?  

Elmo is going to write Tripp his own personal song??

This may not excite some of you, but to me, this is like bigger than Oprah!!  

This is ELMO- THE Elmo. 

That makes me love Elmo more than ever before.  

And it makes listening to him ALL. DAY. LONG. a whole lot better.  

That is just plain awesome and so absolutely THOUGHTFUL!  Wow. 

People continue to AMAZE me.

Elmo, YOU ARE THE MAN.

Never in a million years or in my wildest dreams could I have imagined any of this. 

 It is the most humbling experience that I will ever go through. 

What is God trying to tell me?  What does he want me to share with each and every one of you who are supporting us and loving us?  I know that Tripp has brought us together in prayer.  I know he has taught some people (like me) the meaning of life, love, family, etc.  I know that he has some of you hugging your babies tighter, praying at night, or maybe saying an extra little prayer of gratitude during the day instead of getting frustrated.  But are we be called for something bigger?  What are we here for?  What is our purpose?  

But I don't want any of you to take me the wrong way... like I'm just "walking the walk" and "talking the talk" over here.  I'm writing this mostly for MYSELF.  I know my life needs to change.  I know that even though I DO devote my life to my son everyday, that I do not devote my life to God in the way that I should.  I don't pray as much as I should.  I let irrelevant things get to me in a way that they can ruin my entire day.  I still judge people.  I still hold grudges.  I still get angry...

No one is perfect.  

I so often wonder what will come out of this?  What will come out of all of this support and all of these amazing people coming together in prayer?  What amazes me is that I hear from people of so many different religions, with so many different views and beliefs.  People from different states and sometimes different countries.  Yet, NEVER ONCE (minus one lady about a year ago) have I received a single negative comment from one single person.  That's just amazing to me.  And some of you might be thinking, "Geez, who would leave a nasty comment to someone with a sick baby?"  But this IS a personal blog- so I do write about my own opinions and my own beliefs... so I personally think that it IS amazing that I get nothing but a complete outpouring of POSITIVE support and so much encouragement.  

And to me, that is just touching on so many levels.  

I feel like a lot of you are my family.  Some of your faces I have never even seen, but have seen your name over and over in my blog comments, e-mails, or Facebook messages... that I honestly feel like I know you.  I feel like you're a part of Tripp... and a part of our journey.  And you are.  Where would I be without my support system? (And by support system, I mean all of you AND ESPECIALLY my angel of a mother who never gets enough credit for what she does for Tripp and me).  Grammy= "Mother/Grandmother of the century" in my book!  Without her and all of you, I'd probably be curled up in a corner somewhere feeling sorry for myself saying, "Oh God, why ME?" and "I can't do this another day!"  But it's not like that.  I admit that I feel tired, frustrated, and just plain angry sometimes... but I try my very hardest not to let that show.  I have so much support and so many people encouraging me each day.  I knew Tripp was special from day one.  Just being in his presence gives me a sense of peace that I could never explain.  And that has made all of the difference in the world. 

Tripp is stable.  He's not even close to his "normal" self from before he got sick.  But he is still able to sometimes feel well enough to stand and drum a little.  He's averaging about 1-3 times a day that he will stand up and play.  Each time usually lasting around 5-15 minutes.  His mouth is still horrible.  We did wound cultures last week and I got the results back today and SURPRISE- there's psuedomonas everywhere.  Could've guessed that one.  Sensitive to only one antibiotic... that I don't want to use unless we absolutely HAVE to.  We actually just got off of it about a week and a half ago.  This week we are going to test him again for the "herpes" virus (like a fever blister) and make sure it's not in his mouth.  

A few of you have mentioned in comments about the GCSF that Sam (who was the first child to undergo the BMT in Minnesota) is currently taking.  I have been speaking with Sam's mom, Marybeth, with Sam's doctor in Nashville, and with Dr. Defusco and we are looking into it.  I will let you guys know if we decide on anything further.  I don't want to go into any details yet, but I AM, of course, VERY interested.  And I will definitely keep you all posted.

I'm not sure if this post even made sense.  It seems like a lot of rambling thoughts.  But I'll leave with this... 

"For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

-Mark 8:38

Are we ashamed?  I would love to think that I'm not... but that's really not realistic.

I don't want to be ashamed.

So what do I do about it?

I want to share with you this post from my dear Patrice.  

I think she's having the same thoughts going through her head about what we ALL can do to make a difference.  Because if you REALLY stop and think about it... 

We only have ONE goal in this "temporary" life. 

And that is to get to Heaven.

And I don't know about you, but I really want to get there... 

Because I KNOW that's where my little man will be.

Probably holding Elmo, a duck or a cow in one hand... and holding Jesus' hand with the other. 

Love,

Preschool Line-Up: Letters, Books and a Zebra

I promised I'd tell you about our homeschool plans this year.

Rather than attempting to squish it all into one large blog post, I thought I'd break it down a bit.

That way (maybe) you won't get bored and I can go to bed a bit earlier tonight!

Good plan?

For starters, I want to tell you about the All About Reading Level Pre-1 program I purchased for this year.

I saw lots of other bloggers talking about it.

Of course, I had to go check it out for myself.

I liked what I saw and so I took the plunge.

I am so happy I did!

So far, this program has been exactly what I was looking for!

You see, I'm not interested in trying to make early readers out of my kids.

If that happens, great.

But I just feel that at this age, gently exposing them to the world of letters and phonics is all that is necessary.

To top it off, this program is FUN!

We sing the ABC song, read a poem related to the letter of the day and do a letter craft sheet.

Piper is really into learning letters and so is sucking this stuff up!

I mean, the girl is delighted to go find the letter of the day on the AAR letter chart!

But the best part?

That would be Ziggy the Zebra!

He is the highlight of our morning school time!

He plays a game each morning with Piper that involves rhyming, syllables, initial sounds, etc.

She talks to him like he is her new best friend.

Rather adorable.

And although Taitum is too young to participate in the games, she loves Ziggy just the same!

I do love the fact that there are aspects of this program that I am able to involve Taitum in.

The craft sheet, for example.

She is more than capable of doing the varying crafty things involved and LOVES that she is doing the same thing as her sister!

Finally, I am thoroughly enjoying how everything is planned out for me.

In fact, that is another reason I decided to order the program.

With another baby on the way I wanted to keep things as simple as possible.

I realize many of the daily activites we do together will likely be set aside for a little while come January but I am hoping that this aspect of their day can be continued until we are back to normal!

Here's hoping!

But in the meantime, we are having a great time learning the alphabet together!

I also am incorporating all kinds of read alouds into our day.

We are still continuing on with the Sonlight P3/4 book list that we used last year.

I love the books included in this list and so do the girls!

Pipe's latest favorite?

The Stinky Cheese Man.

Of course.

I also make an attempt to borrow lots of book that are related to our theme.

(Love, love, love the library!!)

And so we read,

And laugh,

And snuggle,

And have a grand ol' time!

Getting closer...

Today we had our 36 week checkup and the first thing my doctor said was, “I can’t believe we have made it this far!”  We feel the same way.  We are so thankful that thus far we have not had any complications.  We will continue to pray that this little cowboy finishes up the final stages of development without any issues.  It is such a relief to know that within a couple weeks’ time he will officially be considered fully developed.  I gained a pound between the two weeks (good news considering I have been indulging in nachos probably a few times too many) and the baby is measuring right on track.  Our next appointment is next Monday.  Our doctor reported that he will be out of the town for the weekend so we hope we have an uneventful weekend, but he assured us that the on-call doctor is great.  He also reported that at our next appointment we will discuss the induction, if baby does not come on his on.  I have been having more Braxton Hicks contractions and feeling the baby dropping more and more.  My average for nighttime bathroom breaks is probably 5+.  I can’t believe that we are getting this close!!

Life at our house has been pretty mundane the
past few days but I'll share some moments…

Cowboy thought he was big stuff watching his DVD player in "his room." 

Little did he know this was our way of NOT watching Nick Jr for a while.

I hated that I missed out on celebrating both my sister and sister-in-law's birthdays this past weekend.  It was nice to visit with them over the phone and we plan on celebrating with Kallahan once he arrives. 

Happy Birthday Samantha & Tiffany!!

Whirlwind Weekend

Our first week 'back to school' went super well!

Our new routine is working beautifully.

It left me feeling like I'd accomplished something that week.

And, to top it off, the kids seem really content being back into the swing of things!

We got to wrap it all up with an outrageously fun weekend!

Starting with the Exhibition.

Our Friday evening was filled with rides...

A bouncy castle obsession...

Game playing and prize winning...

Belly laughs at the petting zoo tent...



And super sweet treats consumed way too late while dancing to the music!



And as if that wasn't enough, the next day was party day!

A day where all our family gathers together to celebrate our sweet little girls' birthdays!

Of course there was pizza!

And Dora cake that made an almost 2-year-old stare in stunned silence and refuse to blow out the candle...

And a princess cake that made this 4 year old grin from ear to ear!

Today after church we had another party to attend.

Yep, more fun.

And cake.

And candy.

Mama needs a day off!

And my kids need LOTS of vegetables this week!