Muffin Tin Monday... err Wednesday

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Dear Rachel and Abby,

You girls are very picky eaters!  Mommy and Daddy don't know how you survive on the small amounts that you eat.

In the past, I was a sneaky chef who disguised and concealed foods to make sure you were getting all the nutrition you needed.  As you got older, your full, unfinished plates of food became the next meal.  Sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn't.  We also withhold dessert on a regular basis when you haven't eaten enough.  One evening you told us, "That's ok.  I don't mind if I don't have a cookie."  Time to switch tactics.

Yesterday I stumbled across a new blog called Muffin Tin Mom.  She uses muffin tins to creatively present lunch to her children.  She hosts a weekly blog carnival where Moms can share pictures of their muffin tins and what they put in them.  There is sometimes a theme to follow like using rainbow colors, a Spring theme, or holiday colors. 

There is no particular theme this week, so I thought I'd give it a try and link up.  Instead of muffin tins, I used trays from Target.  Our muffin tins are a little grungy.  :)  I'm happy to report that this was quite a hit with you girls!  Picky eaters no more!  You enthusiastically ate almost everything on your trays!  Thanks for the great idea Muffin Tin Mom!

Well girls, we try our best to get you to eat right, but it's not something that we lose sleep over.  We are confident that you won't starve yourselves and that you'll eat when you're hungry.  As long as we present you with healthy options, we know that you'll do fine.  If it helps to serve lunch in a muffin tin, so be it.

Love,
Mommy

Noah's Ark

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Supposedly Noah's Ark has been found. See the link from Fox News.


What do you think? Even if it was found, would your faith be different? If it was found to be a complete hoax, would your faith be shaken? I think the ark has been "found" many times before.


Then I thought - "nope" - 'cause that's not what my faith is based on. :)

Matt

Proof...

Thursday, April 22, 2010

...that I exist. :)

Since I'm usually behind the camera, I thought I'd post a very rare picture of me.  What's even more odd is that I'm by myself!  Well... not completely.  Baby #3 is in there too.  Here we are on Easter at 5 months along.  I'm feeling much bigger now at 6 months.  A month makes such a big difference! I'm feeling great, and I love being pregnant.

Rachel was able to feel some kicks yesterday!  She gets so excited whenever we talk about the baby except when the possibility of the baby being a boy comes up.  Then she adamantly refuses the possibility and tells us that it's definitely a girl.  Her reasoning?  Because she's been praying for "years" for another girl.

Abby doesn't quite understand the concept that there's a baby in there and calls my belly a ball.  Thanks, Abby!  We're a little concerned about some possible jealousy issues she may have after the baby is born.  I was able to hold two cutie newborns last week.  Her reaction?  Crying, screaming, throwing herself on the floor, shouting "Abby lap!", and causing a major ruckus.  Oy!

It's going to be fun!

Heart of Dakota vs. My Father's World

Friday, April 9, 2010

Dear Fellow Homeschooling Mommies in Search of a Curriculum,

As if the decision to homeschool our children wasn't hard enough, choosing a curriculum from the sea of choices seemed completely overwhelming to me!

After talking with other homeschooling Moms and doing HOURS of online research, I narrowed it down to two curricula: Heart of Dakota (HOD) and My Father's World (MFW).

From reading homeschooling forums and reviews, I noticed that a lot of other Moms closely consider these two programs too.  In an effort to save you some time and research, I want to link you to a forum post comparing the similarities and differences of HOD and MFW.  The comparison is clearly written and seasoned with grace and respect for both programs.  It well help you to discern which of these two wonderful programs would best fit your goals, family, and teaching style.

Click here to read the review.

For me, it confirmed all of the reasons why we chose HOD, but it may do the complete opposite for you.  Isn't it wonderful to have many Christ centered programs to choose from?  There are so many more out there too!

What curriculum do you use and why do you love it?

In Christ,
Catherine

The Whiny Complainies

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Hi Friends,

Can you tell what we've been working on in our house lately? Yup. We're getting rid of the Whiny Complainies.

Today marks Day 1 of Operation Crackdown complete with a handy dandy behavior chart and consequence sheet. Whenever Rachel answers us with an inappropriate response, we put an X in one of the boxes on the consequence sheet. Each X takes away 5 minutes of a desired activity. The three activities I included are TV time, computer time, and activity time.

Today I learned that losing computer or activity time "doesn't make her sad". Losing TV time was a SUPER BIG deal though. Rachel is only allowed to watch a 30 minute show in the morning (Dinosaur Train) and a 30 minute show in the afternoon (Dora). She got 3 X's today and really felt the effect of missing half of Dora. She practically drowned herself in tears when I turned it off before Dora wears her butterfly costume and arrives at the crystal castle. Aiy yiy yiy! It was a great opportunity to reinforce why she lost TV time in the first place and how she can improve the way she answers Mommy in the future.

So far it seems to be working! I'm not ready to do a Mommy victory dance yet, but any amount of progress is so refreshing. She seems to be more aware of how she responds and is quick to apologize if she answers inappropriately. So much of it has become a deeply rooted habit (my fault) that will take time, patience, and prayer to break.

In addition to the charts, we are also reviewing two of her old memory verses: Philippians 2:14 and Proverbs 15:1.

The behavior and consequence charts are available for you to download if you'd like:

Appropriate vs Inappropriate Responses

5 Minute Interval Consequence Chart