Silly Bubbles

I'm not really sure how we got such a spirited and imaginative little girl, but I couldn't imagine life without Bubbles!  On the way out the door today she asks me to put the goggles on her face and says,"I'm a worker and my name is Craylan."  Who is Craylan?!  

"Craylan" singing to Kidz Bop with toothpaste on her chin.

You (whoever might be out there) May Not Believe Me...

but...I'm blogging again!

So, I laughed at myself when I couldn't even remember my blog name...ha!  I am really trying to give this a "go" again.  So here goes nothing!  I WILL commit to this blog for the last time and truly stick with it because it's really fun when I do commit and as an "official" homeschooling family I can link up with other families easily.  I feel like I need to re-introduce myself so here are some things about me and the crew:

1.  We like to have fun!
2.  We homeschool:).
3.  We are a dance, music, and sport loving family.
4.  My goal with this blog is to share life and also share information with others as it relates to faith, family, and homeschooling.

Toodles!
Erika

 

The Power of a Hug

The power of touch is amazing!  You can say a lot with a hand shake, a gentle hand on the knee, or a big ole hug!  Hugs are huge for us in our house.   We give them when daddy comes home, we give them when someone is sad, and we even give them when we're mad.  Yes, when we're mad.  Those are the best and the worst!  The best because they put a smile on your face.  The worst because while in the middle of making your really good point (that's really not that great in the big picture), the magic of that hug has now softened you and makes you think before you speak.  So, I guess they are the best and the best during a disagreement...ha!  

Try it!  I dare you.  The hug was one of the best things we implemented into our lives when we were first married.  My mother-in-law gave us a gift bag of candy kisses and a poem about the power of the hug and I will never forget that simple, but powerful gift.  We use the hug with the discipline of our children and we use it to set the tone for any discussion we need to have as a couple.  Some of the hardest things we've needed to say to one another have been communicated while we were embraced.  It's lovely and it keeps us strong.  

So go ahead, hug.  It's pretty awesome:).

Erika

Speaking Positively About Your Kids

At the beginning of my motherhood adventure I had a conversation with a friend.  We were discussing how we would vow to speak positively about our children.  I have been around several mothers who get asked the question,” How are the kids?" Too often the response is something negative.  "Oh, the kids are driving me nuts with their bickering" or "Oh my goodness the baby kept me up all night." I'm not saying that mothers don't have a right and even a need to express frustrations.  However, I do feel as though I hear this type of response more often than a response of happiness.  The way we respond to the,” How are the kids?" question shapes how people view parenthood and I want to personally paint a picture of happiness.  Is parenthood hard?  Yes.  However, it is happiness and my life wouldn't be full without my husband and our girls.

It is so easy to get into a back-and-forth about the difficulties in parenting.  However, I feel as though speaking negatively about our children hurts our relationship with them.  It's important in any relationship to keep private matters private out of respect and love for one another.  So why would we treat our relationship with our children any differently?  Not only does it keep the negative at the front of our minds, but our children hear and internalize those words as well.

I love my children to pieces and I want them to know that I respect and care about them and their feelings.  One way I know I can do that is by praising who they are and not blabbing about what they do wrong.  Praising them fills my heart with love and compassion for them and I know it will go a long way in the relationship that I desire to have with my children.

How do you answer the question, “How are the kids?"

Erika

This is All I've Got Today

When I'm having one of those days...weeks...this is all I've got!  Elmer's Glue, construction paper, stickers, and scissors.  They are my lifesavers and I don't know what I would do without them...HA!

Erika

Where did last week go?!

So I missed posting on Monday because I've been in a little weather funk, but that's over now.  Although I LOVE fall, when the sky is dark during the day and it gets cooler it takes a little more to get going.  So I took a week to just "be" and do what had to be done and let go of what didn't have to be done:).  Which means I haven't been this overly planned homeschooling mom and I"M OK WITH THAT!!!  

Even though I needed a moment, I couldn't sit still for too long because I had Mimi's Wizard of Oz party that had to be planned (post to come).  So even though I was a bit "off" once Monday hit, I made sure I had the camera handy so I could capture the fun!

 Mimi's 4th birthday

 BFF at story time

 Loo reading to one of her friends

Birthday lunch with Grandmom

 

Wizard of Oz party

Conference:)

 Painting

 ...more painting 

Delivering cupcakes to Nana on her birthday

(Mimi is ALWAYS in first position...haha!)

Silly girls:)

(...or posing with the toe pop...ha!)

Whew!  I'm tired just looking back over the past week.  It was a blast and it just shows you how fast life goes by.  

Erika

Same blog...new name...AND new URL

So I've had my blog attached to an email I do not use anymore and I was just getting SO tired of logging out of my email, logging into the old one to update my blog, and having to comment on friend's blog as anonymous just to keep from having to log back into my new email.  So today I exported my blog and created a new blog under my Gmail account so that I could have an easier time blog hopping and checking email:).  So good-bye "What Up Holmes" and HELLLLOOOOO  "Dancing with Tiny Feet!"

I'm a little sad about this because I was pretty proud of that title, but it's just not as fitting anymore.  This blog, yes, is still about me and my family, but it is definitely more about me and the girls on our journey with homeschool with some sprinklings of other stuff thrown in there...sometimes.  So anyway, I could have left it the same, but I kind of like this new title too:).

Erika