Integrated Kindergarten

This year, Jaxon is in a full-day Integrated Kindergarten at our local public school.
While I have toyed with homeschooling for the last few years, I gave myself a challenge to homeschool him this summer, and if it was going well, to continue in the fall.

I never even began.

What I didn't realize when I first started my dreams of homeschooling, was that Jaxon and I have some personality conflicts (ei: I don't know how best to parent him) and that taking care of two other children would be a full-time job. Oh, and that I would develop an unhealthy blogging habit. But, that's for another post.

So, when August came around, I called up the Montessori where Jaxon did half-day kindergarten last year. (We think of it as pre-school since his class had children ages 3-6). We were still on the waiting list, and I wasn't even sure that it was the best place for him. Although I LOVE the Monetssori method and materials, there was so much distraction to our borderline ADHD child that I wanted to try something new.

This is how I met Mrs. Michael Fern, principal at Jaxon's school. I sat down with her and explained Jaxon's struggles with impulse control, socializing, and authority. She seemed to understand and recommended that we enroll Jaxon in the I-K program with a relatively new teacher, Mr. West. (He's 1 year YOUNGER than me! Aack!) Intergrated kindergarten combines up to five children with special needs, ranging from mild, like a speech delay, to moderate, like Downs Syndrome or Aspergers, with 10 "average" students. The class has fifteen students with 2 aides and one teacher. So, the student-teacher ration is 5:1, pretty sweet for a public school. Well, any school, really :)

Last week was my first time volunteering in Jaxon's class, although Mr. West and I have met a few times and spoken by phone about occassional incidents like the one involving Jaxon, scissors, and Tessie's hair. It was wonderful to see Jaxon in this class. He was so excited to have me there, he had very good behavior, and I really enjoyed watching Mr. West work with the children.
When I got there, I was carrying 2 heavy sacks filled with glass baby food jars. He offered to take them from me, and then later, I noticed that he had handed them off to two children in his class. I briefly rolled my eyes at his "chivalry."

When we got in the class, Mr. West began the morning routine. They sing a days of the week song (two, actually) then go through attendance, lunch count, rules overview, and planning the day. Then he read to them, pointing out the author, illustrator, title page, cover, and spine. He was very specific and very patient.

After the morning ritual, they went to their desks to draw and write a memory of their own "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (like Alexander's). He went around and helped them write the sounds that they knew, then wrote the phrase underneath their attempts. Jaxon's memory was of losing his broomstick (?!).

The class has 4 tables, with 4 chairs at each. The children put their feet on phone books, because many of them can't reach the floor (even in the tiny chairs!).

After working on letters, they went to the wall and did some exercises, pushing on the wall, stretching, more pushing. The were using their muscles and taking a break from the mind exercises.

When they went out to recess I talked to Mr. West about the exercies, remembering what I had learned about children with sensory disorders, that some need to push and lift heavy items to feel more comfortable.

He said he had learned about helping children exercise more and carry heavy items from an occupational therapist, and tries to have the children do it every day. That was why, he explained, he had handed the children the heavy bags of jars, so they could do their lifting exercise for the day.

Wow. I felt a little sheepish, thinking that he was passing off his duty, but I was really impressed that from the very start of the day, he was thinking of ways to help his students.

I'm really grateful for Mr. West and his aides, Mr. Josh, and Ms. Heidi. They're a great crew and they seem to be able to help Jaxon learn and work with other children in a way that he wasn't able to acheive last year.

I am looking forward to volunteering more in the future!

Are You Watching This?!?!

I just got a call from my nearly-frantic mother-in-law. She wondered how Mark was doing with the huge drop in the stock market today.
Apparently, while I was cleaning out the laundry room and sweeping up the shards of mercury-glass from my TWO broken CFL bulbs, the stock market shattered as well.

From the looks of it, the DOW's largest drop in history was due to a report that Congress would NOT bail out the financial institutions in crisis. Who is to blame and how we are going to get out of this mess remains up in the air.

Of course the presidential candidates are posturing to "lead" (if you can call it that) while the lame-duck President looks even lamer and duckier than usual.

And while I don't understand this mess in it's entirety, Mark has cleared things up considerably on his blog (Don't be offended, there aren't any pictures. He did spend 3+ hours writing that post, including reading the actual bill on the floor of Congress)
I expect he'll update it after today's events.

It looks like we've just begun a scary ride that we can't get off.

So Peachy!

Despite my pessimistic post, my fresh peach pie did turn out!
(and I didn't even burn the first batch of glaze like I usually do)

In fact, this was the best pie ever, because not only did it taste fabulous, but it also STOOD UP LIKE A STORE-BOUGHT PIE! (hence the look of surprise on Jaxon's face)
I usually need a spoon to serve my pies, or should I call them round cobblers?
:)

Indeed, even the last piece was standing (which Asher and I shared).

Hope you like looking at it, but tasting it was even better.

If you live in Mesa, you can go to Superstition Ranch Market (on Main between Greenfield and Higley) to buy a box of Utah peaches for $24.

Here is my pie recipe, well it's Grandma Vernon's (thanks Sara and Andy!)

It comes with the job

You know your husband is the Elder's Quorum President when he helps TWO families move on Saturday (in 100+ degree heat) and makes calls most of the day.
(Obviously neglecting the yardwork).
Oh well. Nobody goes back there anyway :)

Note to Self

When contemplating napping or blogging instead of cleaning kitchen floor, please remember that baby is now CRAWLING.
(looks down and sees baby shove piece of old broccoli in his mouth)
AAAAUGH!

"spit it out. Yuck!"

Updates: Waves and Nie Nie

First, I've changed the settings, so even the UNgoogled can comment here at the Waves of Life. (I hear the hooping and hollering already).

Also, if you don't use google reader (or another RSS reader) and you check more than 1 or 2 blogs, you should. It's the easiest way to see all of the new posts from the blogs that you like to read.
You just have to copy and past the URL into the reader, and it tracks them for you. (I know, more hooping and hollering. Isn't this a good day?)

Lastly, there's a local tragedy that a few of us (me and my friendly die-hard bloggers) have been following. Stephanie and Christian Nielson were in a plane crash August 16th and are still in the burn unit of Maricopa hospital. Christian is awake now, but Stephanie is in a medically induced coma because 85% of her body was burned. Their family is raising money to help this family and tomorrow some friends are having a garage sale.
If you'd like to donate items or shop, you may. I've linked to the donate button on the side of my blog as well.
Garage Sale Info:
When: Sat Sept 27th 7 AM to 1 PM
Where: Agritopia Community Center (Agritopia Loop Rd Gilbert, AZ 85296) NW Higley/Ray

You can read more about Stephanie here (Nie Nie stands for StephaNIE NIElson) and her sister who is taking care of 3 of their 4 children is blogging updates and stories here.

It's a pretty addictive story. Their family is beautiful, and she's even a bigger blogger than me (way bigger) so there's lots of archives of stories to endear you even more to their cause.
I'm amazed at how the online community has come together to support this family. The line-up of benefits is amazing. (click on benefit blog)

As always, thanks to the faithful reader.

I Should Really Give Up

As much as I love cooking (as evidenced by my being part of a cooking blog, see my profile), I really should just give it up.
I've got a yummy box of Utah peaches, and they are the perfect ripeness for a fresh peach pie. Thus, I consulted the internet to find the "perfect pie crust" and then . . .
I failed.
The instructions were uber-precise. "Cut butter into 3/4 inch squares. Freeze 2/3s of the butter for 20 min. Freeze the flour mixture for 30 minutes, etc."
But, I got so into cutting the butter into squares, preparing it for the food processesor, that I forgot how much I had used.
Oops.
So, when I blended the butter and flour, yeah, too buttery. More like chocolate chip cookie dough, less like pie crust.
Then I had add more flour, but just guessed. So, my 1.5 recipe may be doubled by now. I have no way of knowing. I'm sure it will turn out fine, it usually does.
The key to a good peach pie is obviously the peaches, and they are DELICIOUS!

But, this is not unusual for me. Now that it is beginning to cool off here (if cool is 105 at 2 PM), I will turn my oven on again. I love fall baking.

Perhaps that's it. Perhaps I'm out of practice! I just need to bake a little more and I'll get the hang of it.

But, when I can't manage something as easy as pie (HA!) while my kids are napping or at school, what hope do I have of more complicated stuff later on?

We'll see. Just don't ask me to make you a pie. Unless you don't mind the premade crusts. :)

Mercury in the Lights! Really?

So, I try to be "green." I mean, I don't use napkins for paper towels as often as I used to, and I conserve electricity, I buy used, I don't use plastic water bottles, etc.
I also use the new, long lasting light bulbs (halogen, I think?)

However, after reading this comment on a post at Times and Seasons, I'm looking more carefully at exactly what impact my family and I are having on the environment.

Here's the quote:

For examples, CFL’s seem like such a great energy solution, until you find out that CFL’s contain mercury-a neurotoxin that causes brain damage and kidney failure. An MSNBC report from April of 2008 said:
” The amount (in one CFL bulb) is tiny — about 5 milligrams, or barely enough to cover the tip of a pen — but that is enough to contaminate up to 6,000 gallons of water beyond safe drinking levels, extrapolated from Stanford University research on mercury. Even the latest lamps promoted as “low-mercury” can contaminate more than 1,000 gallons of water beyond safe levels.”

Considering that most of the consumers who buy them have NO idea about the mercury, and simply toss them out with the garbage, these “green” bulbs could very well be doing more damage to the environment (and our health) than they are helping.

So, I went to my closet and looked at the package, and sure enough it says, "Contains mercury. Dispose according to local regulations."

HELLO?! What are we doing with mercury in our light bulbs?

Anyway, I just feel frustrated that I don't really know if I'm doing the right things or not.

I guess it's back to regular light bulbs for us. . .

Serendipity

I finally cleaned my paper pile (woo hoo!). I didn't realize how long it's been since I sorted through it.
But, I found a birthday card (January 1st?!) from my parents with $60 cash!
And, that was the night we were having Doug and Brittany over to play Rock Band (they are guitar hero experts, the perfect compliment to my vocals and Mark's SERIOUS drumming skills).
So, I took my b-day bucks to the store and guess how much the extra guitar was? Yep, you guessed it $59.
Ta-da! Such a blessing.
To quote from Seriously, So Blessed!
"SO greatful for the faith I have to pray for the patience to deal with our blessings."

Yeah, we had a great time and Britt brought choc chip cookie dough and we soft baked with and put vanilla ice cream on top and had a spazookie (sp?) like the ones from Oregano's.
Mmmm.

So, we're taking sign-ups for Rock Banders.
Let us know what night you want to come (8-10PM) and if you want to bring the cookie dough or the ice cream ;)
We're in the Rock Band groove, baby.
LET'S PARTY!!

Mommy School

I was the first volunteer to teach our Mommy School for two and a half and three year olds.

Using the letter A, I organized a lesson and activities.

We started with circle time and sang
Old McDonald Had a Farm using animal puppets.
Then we used the animal puppets to have a puppet show from behind the couch.
We learned about arms and used them when we sang the Hokey Pokey.

We made apple smiles (apple wedges with peanut butter and marshmallows or raisins for teeth) and did apple prints (cut an apple in half, dip in paint, and stamp on a paper, it makes a star in the middle)

Each of the children practiced using a crayon or marker to trace a lowercase and uppercase aA.

Then we read a story called, "There's an Alligator under my Bed."

Of course, the kids played for a while, outside and with the train table. We also did some games, including a ring toss.

Good times, and a little education. So, for the next 5 Wednesdays, it's another mom's turn with our kids for 2 hours.

Pretty sweet deal!

Let it Snow!

After practicing for the Primary Program today, we drove by Dana Park which is an upscale shopping center around the corner from our house.
Today was their Grand Opening and they had a snow feature.
So, Jaxon and I went back after we put the babies to bed.
We waited in line for a half hour, dripping with sweaty in the hot sunny Arizona sun. *(I swear it was 100 degrees or hotter).
When it was our turn, Jaxon tried to make a snow ball, but the snow was packed down too hard. He figured out how to kick the snow to loosen it, then shape it into a snowball and throw it at me.
We had a great time.

For about 10 minutes we slid around (wearing crocs wasn't the smartest thing. They're like rubber skis.)
Jaxon used his bum as a sled and got quite a wet seat. But, he didn't mind.

I, however, did mind, so I tried to stay on my feet, while balancing my camera in my hand and purse on my shoulder.

I did pretty well until the very end when we were asked to leave (each group had about 10 min play time). As I started to walk down this steep hill in my slippery shoes, I started to slip, and slid down the last 3 or 4 feet of the hill into the slushy wet snow.
The people in line gasped as I made my exit, but they were just as impressed that I landed on my feet as I was.

Status: Potty Training

One week ago I began potty-training Asher.
I was surprised at how well it went. With Jaxon, I discovered the only way to ensure that he used the potty was to let him run around naked for a few days.

So, last Thursday was Asher's first naked day. He didn't have any pee accidents, and only one poo accident, but the next day the poo and pee all made it into the potty.

Here's a great pic of Ash on his first day, with a game box on his head. It makes a great hat.

It's been 8 days, and Asher is still doing fine peeing on the potty. However, with a few exceptions, the first 2 days, he hasn't pooped on the potty. In fact, he's hardly pooped at all.
My veggie loving, always regular child has constipated himself for fear of the toilet.
About 4 times a day, he'll yell "poo poo!" grab his bum, and run to the potty. But then nothing happens.

He has pooped in his diaper, but those were very traumatic events for him.
So, I've been giving him prune juice and more than his fair share of fruits and veggies, hoping that he'll get through this uncomfortable part of potty-training.

So, Mark's suggestion is that we put him back into diapers (oh, he won't wear big boy underwear, or Pull-Ups, so diapers is what he wears for sleeping and outings) for a while.

But, I'm torn. Will it undo a weeks worth of training?
Or, is this constipation a sign that he really isn't ready?


Oh, and the last two pictures are when Asher got into my make-up.
He's pretty cute, isn't he?

Cinderella in Michigan

A cute email from my mother-in-law in Michigan prompted this post. She reports on her big projects around the house including refinishing her hardwood floor, reupholstering, and yardwork to the tune of removing two large dead trees (!). And that was just a sampling of her list. Sounds like a lot of work? Indeed. She's such a Cinderella.

And, this work doesn't even scratch the surface, she's also busy with their shipping franchise, making calls, preparing invoices, and managing staff.

So, here's a darling bit from her email.

You will have to tell the boys about our groundhog, Albert. He lives under our office and comes out every day in the yard and eats all the sunflower seeds that fall out of the bird feeder. Then he nibbles on the hosta flowers. When he is full, he climbs up the wood pile which is next to the air conditioner and then lays down on the air conditioner which is right outside our window. He stretches, yawns, and then takes a nap right outside of our office with us all working there. Yesterday I looked out the window and was convinced I was living in a Disney movie – birds were at the feeder, ground squirrels were running back and forth in front of the cats by the sliding glass door, a few baby bunnies were hopping around and Albert was on the air conditioner. All I was missing were some dress-designing mice!

Singing, Singing and Crawling

Alisa, this one's for you!




After we recorded this, Asher wanted a turn, so here's his 6 second version.
(Tell me if you can hear, "Don't Eat Jelly Bean")




And of course, here's our first video of Finn crawling. Asher and I got a bit of footage, too. (Note the "Champ" bib that Finn is sporting, very appropriate)

To Microwave or Not To Microwave, That is the Question.

Food for Thought

Because I believe almost anything I read or hear, I have stopped using my microwave (much).
Instead, I cook or reheat things on my stove.

So, I finally did some research about this and here's what I came up with.

Scientists just don't know if microwaving is bad for us.
(pretty lame, I know)

They know that it isn't good for breastmilk, and the negative effects it causes can't solely be from hyperthermia (overheating). And, they know that it uses friction between molecules to heat up food super-fast, but they don't know if there are any other effects.

The best resource I found (that didn't seem biased) was called The Straight Dope. Here's their article.
Hopefully scientists will know more in the future, but for now, I only microwave in glass (because plastic is BAD in the microwave) and I don't do it very often.

Hemophilia Family Camp 2008

Last weekend, we headed south to Oracle, Arizona (near Tucson) and attended the first Hemophilia Family Camp. It was awesome (for pics, see the slideshow on the sidebar).
Jaxon loved horseback riding, climbing the rockwall (even though he fell) and archery.
Asher loved the hiking and being naked (I guess no one told him that it wasn't a naturist camp!)
Mark loved the high ropes course, but didn't love when Asher was awake at 4:30 am, anticipating dawn. In fact, we took a nap that afternoon because we were so tired from our early rising, and we overslept and missed our horseback riding!
I loved meeting more members of the Tucson community (we were the only family from Phoenix) and hearing Jaxon sing, "One Green Jelly Bean" by himself for our talent show.

Thanks go to my mom for keeping Finley so we could have a little more freedom.

It was a lot of fun!

Jaxon and the Beanstalk

A few summers ago, I saw a bean table at a children's play center. So, I made one of my own at home for little 3 year old Jaxon. It wasn't much, just a bin with dried pinto beans and different utensils to play with, a sieve, tongs, measuring cups, spoons, etc.
Jaxon loved that bean table. He would play with it during the cool winter, and when March came around, and we had a yardwork project, I got rid of the bean table, but didn't think much of the beans that were scattered around the yard.
Until, they started to sprout up through the freshly laid sod.
Of course I tried to pull them out, but they kept sprouting everywhere.
And, what do you know, the vines I bought (at $20 a pop) for the fancy lattices kept dying.
So, perhaps it was serendipity, perhaps it was madness, but one day I decided to let a bean sprout keep growing, near a lattice where one of my pricey vines had just died.
And grow it did. Bigger and fuller, and greener than any of my other plants.
It even has beautiful blue blossoms in the summer. And, while it goes into hibernation in the winter, it comes back year after year (even when Mark weed whacks it!)
So, here is my ode to our lovely bean sprout vine.
It surely was a magic bean that Jaxon accidentally planted 3 years ago.

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Today was a good day: here's the scoop.

1. It's Michelle's birthday! Hooray :)
Right now she is in first class on her international flight to Beunos Aires, Argentina. I hope she has a wonderful time and I'm just a teensy (well, maybe a bit more than teensy) bit jealous that I can't be there with her and D'Arcy.

2. Jaxon got a green stamp today, which means he had zero discipline problems!

3. We organized a Mommy School for Asher and his friends. I think it will be a lot of fun. (not as much fun as eating daisies, though)

4. Tonight at my mom's house, Finley learned to crawl! He's been so close for about a week, but now he can get about halfway across a room, we're pretty excited.

5. I cleaned my house. Well, a little bit of it, the kitchen and bathrooms. Still, that's a lot for me. Many thanks to Brittany for our scheduled playdate which encouraged the cleaning in the first place.

6. Katie is having a boy! Exactly what she and Justin hoped for. It's great news for them.

Wow, I didn't realize how many good things happened today until I wrote them down. Sweet.

How Sweet the Irony!

This post is for the other mentally insane, glossy-eyed, blogging maniacs out there.
MY GOOGLE READER IS TOO FULL! PLEASE STOP!!!

but really,
I have an announcement.

My new favorite blog is (drum roll please) . . . .

Seriously, So Blessed!

In case you don't catch it right away (I didn't) it's a parody on the uber-popular Mormon married blogs by so-cute girls who loOove Twilight and refer to themselves as "preggers."
Immensely funny and spot-on, Seriously, So Blessed has drawn a lot of attention from the media and from advertisers.
There's also a link for the author's (TAMN: Tiffany/Amber/Megan/Nicole) store that has a bunch of funny shirts.

Here's a good one:

My Life is a Kick-A Fairy Tale!

And, I found out incidentally that I (hush, hush) am acquainted with the husband of this secret blogger. (yes, you can all whisper your excitement at my good fortune with that connection)

But, I haven't told TAMN that I'm a big fan, yet. :)

Slimey Fingers Car Game

On our way back from Meghan and Brandon's house last night (thanks again for letting us help you eat your 15 lb baby bassinet shaped cake!) we found Asher and Finley playing their first little "game".
Asher would reach out to Finley's carseat and say, "Touch my fingers, baby." Then Fin would reach his slimey little fingers out to grab Asher's hand and Asher would squeal in delight and pull his hand away as fast as he could. Instantly, Finley would cackle his staccato giggle and the fun would start all over again.
It was pretty adorable, and I don't want to forget it.

So Crafty!

I will admit to never having attended a Relief Society craft party (Super Saturday?). I haven't ever found crafts that I liked. But, I saw another ward's table with super cool projects and had to sign up for this calendar.
Although I was out of town for the Saturday, I just finished this fancy calendar with the help of the Voyager Ward's Enrichment Leader (thanks again, Marilyn!). It turned out great, and I found out that my friend, DaNelle, is the one who prints out the vinyl letter/sheet. Here's her etsy page, she has other great stuff (check out the cute sign that says, "Evey Love Story is beautiful, but ours is my favorite."

So, please, admire my craftiness, tell me it looks great, but don't ask when I'll get it hung up on the wall.
That is waaaay too much work!

Two Trips to Phoenix

It takes about 30 minutes to get to Phoenix from my house.

This morning, I loaded up Asher and Fin and took them to visit Emily, my dear friend. We had a great time talking, encouraging our Ashers (yes, we both have sons named Asher) to share trains, and planning our feminist retreat for next March. We finished our visit with a trip to McDonald's, where Emily's ward had a playgroup. She introduced me to her ward friends and explained that I lived in Gilbert. One friend asked how we met. We looked at each other with a bit of amusement and embarrassment as Emily enunciated, "We met on the internet."
Wow, that was funny. I guess I don't say that very often. But, it's true.
So, that was the morning, fun and a little embarrassing (I showed up early and I forgot my wallet, so Emily bought us lunch). But, we had such a great time, it totally made up for my chagrin.

So, you're asking yourself how I could possibly have another trip to Phoenix in the same day?
Here you go:
Jaxon's teacher calls and leaves me a message that Jaxon is very lethargic, falling asleep on his desk in the afternoon.
Thirty minutes later, Jaxon stumbles off the school bus and the girl behind him tells me that he fell asleep on the bus. He walks into the house, throws his backpack on the floor and collapses on the futon (the closest piece of furniture). So, I think, "He had a late night and woke up early. He's just tired."
But then, 45 minutes later when I take him to the car so we can go to grandma's for swimming and dinner, he seems hot, and non-responsive. Immediately, I start to think of his last port infection, and how similar his symptoms are.
A few phone calls and 12 minutes later, we're at my mom's house. I don't even wait for her to use her too-slow glass thermometer to get an accurate temperature. He's too hot, he's too lethargic. I call our nurse/friend/mother of a hemophiliac, Lori (aka Doctor Lori) and she tells me to bring him in. And, she says, if he gets worse on the way, pull over and call 911.
So, Jaxon and I take off, and on the way, he starts to wake up a little. By the time we get there, he's alert, mostly himself and that's good, because there's no parking anywhere near PCH emergency department. We got a spot on the 3rd floor of the parking garage and made our way to the entrance.
The benefits of having hemophilia are that they'll call ahead to the ED and reserve you a room.
It's like having frequent flyer miles :)
So, Jaxon looks pretty good, his fever's not that high. He's STARVING, though, and asks every single person who walks in the room, "Where's my dinner?" And we take that as a good sign.
After they draw blood and give him an antibiotic (and dinner), they send us home.
That whole event only took 3 hours.


So, that was 2 hours in the car today. Quite an eventful day, actually.