August 2 Months

There are still a few more days to enter the Monster N-tunes headphone giveaway.  Don't miss out on the chance to win a pair of these great headphones.

I'm alive, in case you were wondering.  I know that things have slowed way down in the past year, and while I can't promise that things are going to change, I can tell you that I have been very busy sewing up a Halloween storm/craft fair storm lately.

Meanwhile, this little guy turned two months old.  I can't believe that it has been two months already.  He's been such a great addition to our family.  He's a big little guy, at nearly 16 pounds.  It makes me sad to see him outgrow his clothes so quickly, but it is so fun to see him change.

We've been giving him Baby Gaia Probiotics for a few weeks now, and have some seen some improvement.  His digestive system is still working out some kinks, but he seems to be quite a bit more comfortable than he was.  At his two month check up I talking to his doctor about breastfeeding vs. formula feeding with his sensitivity issues.  He informed me that 90% of sensitive babies do better with breastmilk than formula, and that he'd recommend sticking with breastfeeding, and so that is what we will do.  I'm still hoping to reintroduce some foods into my diet.  Even if I can't get away with chocolate, a bit more variety would be welcome.

Printable Sight Word Parking Lot Sheets

In an effort to work a bit more with Clark on his reading skills, I decided we really needed to start focusing on sight words.  

I saw the idea of creating a sight word parking lot here.  I thought it was a great idea.  Rather than take the time to email the creator, and wait for a response, I thought I'd just make up some of printable sheets of my own.

The idea is that you call out a sight word, and then the preschooler finds the word and parks the car on it.  Using cars really seemed to make the activity more play than work for Clark.  We made five sheets that we rotate through.  He's pretty good at guessing a word, based on it's beginning sound, so I tried to make some of them harder on/one, at/ate, just to help him really learn the words.  He's doing well, and still enjoys the activity.

You can find my printable sight word sheets pdf files here.  Enjoy.


Do you have any favorite early reading activities? I'd love to hear your suggestions.

I also found these printable sight word coloring sheets (1,2).  We haven't tried them out yet, but plan on it soon.

You can find a second file that includes 1st grade sight words, and a blank template here.

A blank parking lot template can be found here, plug in your own words, numbers, or colors.

For additional free resources on sight words and learning resources, check out Sightwords.com .

On My Mind: Shooting for the stars: School and Nature Kids

We've entered into a new stage of our little family's development.  My husband started school today.  He has a bachelor's degree already, but we felt that it was time for him to get to work on his graduate studies.  Grad school has been a part of our plan since we were married, but babies, and uncertainty on career direction, has delayed the process a bit.  It's nice to finally get started on our little journey.  I'm so proud of my husband for deciding what it is he'd like to study.

The path we've taken to get here hasn't been easy.  It's been full of unrewarding jobs, pay far below what he deserves, self doubt, and uncertainty.  I think that we've both grown quite a bit as we've struggled over the past four years since graduation.  Our struggles have ultimately led us to where we are.  Where we are, is a place that we both feel really good about. Unfortunately, the journey that we are starting on will not be an easy one.  He's going to do three straight semesters of intense undergraduate work to prepare himself for the graduate program.  He'll also be working 30+ hours a week, at least that is the plan.  I was awake most of last night wondering how in the world he'll be able to work that much, and find time for all of his 400 level classes.  The time that I didn't spend worrying about his ability to work and do homework, I spent worrying about how we'll be able to support our family if he can't work that much.  I have confidence that we'll be watched after, and that things will work out.  I  really feel that we've been guided to be where we are, and if it is something that is supposed to happen, I trust that there is a way prepared for us to make it through.

Have fun at school Dad, Love Clark

Clark is a bit less enthused with the idea of his dad going back to school.  It is going to mean much less time with his dear old dad.  I am excited that Clark is old enough to witness the time and energy that his dad is putting into going back to school.  I want Clark (and Miles) to learn the importance and value of education and hard work.  I'm so pleased that he has a dad that is willing to provide him with that example.

Clark wants to be an astronaut, and a paleontologist.  I love that when you are a child, you can dream big.  One of my biggest fears, is that somewhere along the way, my realist views, will discourage him from doing what he really wants to do.  Clark is smart, he could be a astro-paleontologist if he wanted, I know he could.  But what do I do to encourage that?

Side Note: I love the way Clark interacts with new kids.  He always introduces himself, and then offers one fact about himself, or immediately asks them a question.  Some of his recent introductions have been:

"Hi, I'm Clark, I'm a shark".
"Hi, I'm Clark, I have a pet fish".
or  my favorite...
"Hi, I'm Clark, did you see the Mars Rover land"?...probably not something that most 3.5 year olds witnessed, but he loved it.


His dad was showing him some footage from headquarters.  He was watching the engineers/astronauts celebrate at it's landing, and he told me...."They can't wait until I'm an astronaut". I can't wait until he's an astronaut, though I'd prefer that he never really went into space, I'm a bit of a worrier that way. Isn't it possible to shoot for the stars without actually visiting them?
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Speaking of shooting for the stars...I have a couple of cousins that I really look up to.  They are brothers, and have always had a pretty clear vision of what they want to do with their lives.  They've worked really hard to develop their skills, and talents.  The oldest of the brothers, Kenny, is a documentary film maker, and has just finished filming a documentary "Nature Kids".  The documentary is all about the importance of kids interacting and exploring nature, rather than being plugged in, and baby sat by the television. It's a documentary that he's devoted 2 years making, and has created using his own funds, and contributions from family members.

The topic of the film is one that I think is so important to parents and children.  How much time do your kids spend watching television, playing video or computer games?  I know that Clark spends more time than I'd like to admit.  Sometimes I have a hard time getting him to go outside and play.

When I think of childhood, I do remember Saturday morning cartoons, but not everyday cartoons.  I remember swimming in the ditch with my brothers, catching caterpillars, jumping on the trampoline, family backpacking trips, canoeing on mountain lakes, and climbing trees.  I was very fortunate to have parents that made an effort to get us outside.  I grew up just off the river, with a large backyard.  While not everyone can live where I lived, there is certainly more that we can do to get our kids outside, exploring their environment.



I encourage you to take the time to watch this short compilation of his documentary.  He's currently trying to finish up post production work on the film, and work on marketing.  He's using Indiegogo, as a way to help with the cost of the post production work.  If getting kids outside, is something that's important to you, take the time to donate a dollar or more to the cause.  What do you pay for netflix or redbox a month, I encourage you to donate your monthly fees to producing this special film. (Tell him Tricia sent you).

You can find his Nature Kids facebook page here, along with several clips from the documentary.
Can't donate? If this is a topic that you feel passionate about, take the time to share this video with your friends and family on facebook!

I really respect my cousins for their ability to work hard, and set their sites high.  Fear of failure has always been my biggest stumbling block.  So often I fear that if I do something, that seems to hard, that I'll fail.  Often I never make the attempt, simply out of fear of failure.  Help this talented filmmaker see the success that he deserves.

Question:  What do you like to do with your kids outside?  What are your favorite outdoor childhood memories?  What do you do to get your kids outside?  How much television do you allow your kids to watch? 

What did you want to be when you were little?  Did you become what you wanted to be as a child?  What do you think that we can do to encourage our children to fulfill their dreams?

I'd love to hear from you?

Summer Parks Tour

School is out, sprinklers are sprinkling, ice cream trucks are parading up and down the streets, and it is summer.  I always loved summer as a child.  I enjoy it now, but am less enthusiastic about the yard work, and don't seem to tolerate the heat like I used to.  

I have fond childhood memories of summer.  I loved walking to the candy store with my brothers and sister, flagging down the Frito Lay man for overdue chips, sleeping on the trampoline, dodging the june bugs, playing softball and soccer, and of course running through the sprinklers.  

I love sewing.  I do it all year long.  I don't however, want my boys' memories of summer to involve watching mom sit at the sewing machine.  I hope that I can help them form fond memories that they can share with their children.  

My kids are still young, but Clark is old enough that he remembers what happened last year, and he's certain to remember quite a bit from this summer.  So, in an effort to make our day to day routine a bit more interesting, I'm trying to make a plan.  My husband's work schedule is different every day, week, and month. He rarely has two days off in a row, so unfortunately many of our regular camp outs and reunions aren't going to happen this summer.  So our plans, are going to be local, and achievable in a day.

I've started writing up a summer bucket list, little things that we can do each day.  I've also compiled a list of all of the local parks in our city.  I'm hoping that we can tour all of our local parks, and explore our own backyard. I printed out a little summer passport. You can find the printable passport here, courtesy of Heather Carson.  We are stamping the passport as we visit new parks.  It's just a little something that we can do to encourage exploration.

Heather provides little shapes that you can stick to your passport, but we are just using Clark's McQueen stamps.  

I've also decided that we are going to visit all (or maybe just the best) ice cream shops in our town.  Ice cream and summer time go hand in hand right?  Anyway, we are hoping to hit a different ice cream shop every week or two.  We're recording our ice cream sampling adventures in the passport as well.

It's not much of a plan, but I really think that it will get us out of the rut that we've been in.  We also signed Clark up for the summer reading program at our local library.  I've been pretty impressed with the incentives that they give the kids: ice cream coupons, passes to local play centers, etc.  It is also encouraging us to read books from different sections than we normally do.

So, what are your favorite things to do with your kids in the summer time?  What do you do in your home town?  I'd love some more suggestions for our bucket list.

Back To School: A Morning Routine Chart

Personalize the chart

I don't have any kids gearing up to go back to school, but I know that many of you do.  My sister has a daughter that will be starting all day kindergarten this year.  She also has a three year old that will be starting pre-school.  They are also preparing to welcome a baby brother later on this year.  As a way of helping her daughters gain a bit of independence and prepare for the school year, my sister asked me if I would help make a chart for the girl's and their morning routine.  

I have kind of put this project on the back burner, but I realize that school is starting soon, and I best get my buns in gear.  The sketches are quick , but hopefully this chart will help my little nieces track their morning responsibilities.  If you have little kiddos that need to adjust to a morning routine, this chart might just help.  

The printable file is 5 pages.  The first two pages are charts.  You can use them separately or combine them to be one large chart.  I have created several small images and accompanying titles for daily tasks.  You can choose which tasks you'd like your children to complete in the morning and glue them to the page.  I suggest glueing the words down to the center of the flower, and keeping the images separate. 


 You can print off your chart, trim it if desired, laminate it, and attach velcro or magnets to the back of the image pieces.  There are also 4 blank pieces so that you can customize your chart if desired. I suggest print the chart on a heavy weight matte photo paper.  


Print your chart off here.

I hope that this is helpful.  Hopefully it will help your children become excited and prepared for the school year.