What is my job?

A couple of days ago I was reading Clifford Gets a Job with the girls. Before we began reading, I asked Amita, "What does it mean to have a job?". 
Amita replied, "Ummm… Daddy has one" 
Aha! My bright girl, I thought, and said, "Yes, we all have jobs! What is Daddy's job?" 
Amita said, "Daddy goes to the hospital and makes people feel better." 
Me: "That's right! Very good. And what is Mommy's job?"
Amita: "Oh, I know!!!" Me: "Yes?" and my sweet angel said, "To do the dishes!!". 

Wah wah.

Our Homeschool Life

We've been homeschooling now for six weeks and I have to say, I think this is the best decision we ever made. The kids are LOVING it much more than I thought they would and our weekly schedule is a thing of beauty. The flexibility we have is something that is, after such a crazy year, something for which I am extremely thankful. 

Let me go into some more detail about each child and myself. 

Amita is thriving on the routine we have set. Our schedule is as follows:

Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays: 

Breakfast around 7:30/8

School: 9-11:30

Snack: 11:30-12

Nap: 12-2 for Ashima 12-1:00ish for Amita

Play/Errands/etc.: 2:30-5:30

Dinner: 5:30-6:30

Get ready for bed:6:30-7

Bedtime: 7

Tuesdays: Toddler Time from 10-10:30

Thursdays: Music class from 9:45-10:15

Tuesdays: 5-5:30 Dance

Sundays: Church 

Soon coming: swim lessons

As you can see, we have quite a few activities throughout the week  so the kids are getting quite a bit of socialization and interaction (you were worried, weren't you?!). For Amita, this is golden. She absolutely thrives on the schedule and knowing what comes next. At the beginning of each day we put our schedule on the fridge next to our homeschool room and talk about what we will be doing. 

This is just how her personality. She is a very type A person and our days goes MUCH better when I let me know what is happening. There is even schedule in our home school routine. I very much like the idea of coming together for tutoring, going apart to work on independent activities, coming together again, etc. It works well so I can have time with both kids, so that's what we do. 

The first thing we do is ring the school bell. It's a two dollar bell I ordered off the internet and took three weeks to come from China. The kids love to ring it, though, and I feel that it is a way to distinguish between play in the school room and learning time. 

We start instruction with circle time where I read 3-4 books. The last two have to do with the topic we are are learning about (I'm doing theme based learning) and the first two are books that the kids pick at the library that interest them - no matter what the subject. I think one of the most important things about learning at this age is to teach a love of reading. We sit in a corner of the room where they are facing only me (to limit distraction) and we talk about the cover of the book and make inferences as to what it might be about. Throughout the book I talk about what is happening and have the kids guess what will happen next and ask them how they feel about what is happening. I stop on almost every page and ask them something. This helps keep their attention and helps with higher order thinking questions. For Amita I might ask her what she thinks will happen next and why she thinks that, for Ashima I might ask her to point to the ball and tell me what color it is. Circle time is also the time that I introduce any new topics (while I have their attention) and we do our daily board. 

This is our daily board where we talk about the weather, days of the week, and days of the month

Our Circle Time corner

After that, I get the kids up and going on some projects and we are off and running! I come and go from kid to kid throughout the rest of the time. 

Ashima likes school too, but I think she likes it more because her sister likes it that anything. I've been working on shapes, color, and letter recognition with her. Because she's still young, I let her come and go as she wants. I don't want to push her and make homeschooling something that is not fun. Besides, she still needs lots of free play. The one thing she sits through, is story time. She loves to have books read to her and identify what she is seeing! It's a joy to see. 

I am also really liking this schedule. At this point, it is extremely flexible. If something happens, I just try to make it up one afternoon or we just skip it. The kids are still pretty young so I feel comfortable with the flexibility.  The kids are also getting plenty of rest and have bellies full of healthy food, something they were not getting on our busy school mornings before. Sometimes I wish I could get a bit of a break here and there (especially to run errands) but honestly, the schedule is so much more relaxed than it was previously that I mostly just find myself thankful to not be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Another thing we are really enjoying is the ability to schedule time around Ridhwi's schedule. If he is going to have a day off, we plan activities he can help with, and/or rearrange our schedule as necessary. There was also a day where the girls were not up for learning. They didn't get a good night's sleep and were cranky. No matter! That's what the movie Frozen is for, right? So instead we watched the movie, went down for an early nap, and did school after the nap. They were in a much better mood and much more receptive to what we were doing. 

It is amazing how much I have seen the girls blossom with homeschooling, in just a couple of months! They are happier, eating healthier (because we are not on the run so much), and are able to tell me so much about what we are learning. Amita asks for school daily. She loves to be challenged and loves the routine. Ashima likes to have the freedom to do some things and be able to play sometimes. It's really been the best decision for our family and we are reaping the benefits.

Amita will turn 4 in May and I have made a decision for her 4-K education. For at least one year, we will be homeschooling through the Central Wisconsin RVA (Rural Virtual Academy). They use a curriculum called Little Lincoln for Pre-K and Calvert for Kindergarten (but have 15 others to choose from if we don't like it). Because of our zip code and they way the RVA is set up, we will be paired with our local school for any and all activities they offer as well as any classes. Once Amita begins Kindergarten she will have the option of taking any classes through the school (art, PE, music, even math and science if I choose) and doing the rest of the sechooling at home. Calvert and the RVA is set up such that there is 160 or so lessons for an entire year - what would be a typical school year after you take out weekends, holidays, parent/teacher conferences, and summer break. As long as she completes the assignments within the year, the RVA does not care how and when I teach them. I have autonomy as to our schedule and she has the benefits of a traditional school. At this point it seems like the best of both worlds! I am excited and looking forward to it. This also works well for me because, as much as I like homeschooling, sometimes the burden of being the person completely in charge of their schooling terrifies me. This will give me the option of working with another teacher and giving Amita what she needs too. Amita will also have the option of working within different grades - for instance she could be in 6th grade science and 7th grade math. My two biggest reasons for choosing homeschooling was that I wanted the kids to be challenged academically no matter at what level they are (neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed) and because I wanted to have flexibility in their schedule for our family. Ideally, this would give us everything we are wanting. Hopefully it is as good in actuality as it is on paper. More updates when it happens. I was not expecting to do a a virtual school, but I am loving the way this one is set up, so this is what we are doing. 

All in all, we are happy. Our schedule is great, the kids are happy and learning, and things are even easier for me. After a year of wondering if this was the right decision or not, I am happy to definitively say that it was the best thing for us. Life has slowed down, in the best possible way. Each day my time is spend loving my children and showing them how to understand the world instead of driving them from one place to another. More than anything, I feel blessed to be able to raise them this way. 

Wherein I Realize I Can Do This

Amita has now been in preschool for several months and to this day I still remain undecided how I feel about it. I put her in school in the summer so she was mixed with two year-olds for the first several weeks - until three year-old enrollment went up enough to warrant separating the classes and and moving the three year-olds to their own classroom. At first I was very disheartened because I didn't feel she was learning much - just playing all the time. I stay at home so I really don't feel it is necessary to pay for a daycare (which was essentially what I was doing at that point). However, once she went to the other classroom I started to feel better. She came home with weekly lesson plans and I would get updates from her teacher - a lovely woman with the patience of a Saint - about how she was improving: drinking from a big girl cup, eating her lunch, and, about a week ago, she played with someone in the classroom (a big deal for her)! She also really school and her teacher. 

HOWEVER.

She has been in school for almost three months and has only been able to tell me one new thing she learned (the recognition of a bongo drum). Everything else the kids are doing are things Amita already knows. Also, by the end of the week, Amita is D.O.N.E. with school and life in general. She goes from 8-12:30 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, so she has to get up earlier than she is used to in order to eat breakfast and get ready. Then, by the time she gets home and calms down enough to sleep she barely gets a nap. I find myself spending all afternoon on Thursday and all day Friday trying to get her back on a schedule. Then, by the time she is a nice and wonderful child again, I have to start all over. I also have to wake Ashima up early to take Amita to school and she can be cranky throughout the day as well. 

My struggle is knowing where to draw the line between learning good social skills and learning academic material? Which is more important? Eventually, if I didn't put her in school, she would have learned these skills anyway, so what is she really gaining by being there?

I knew going into preschool that we were sending her essentially for social skills but I have to admit that I am rather disappointed by the lack of academic learning she has gained. I'm not expecting too much - I am simply expecting her to tell me anything that she doesn't already know. 

One day I was browsing on amazon and happened to see a butterfly kit for sale, where they send you caterpillars and you can follow them through their entire life cycle to chrysalides and finally butterflies. It was only $30.00 and I knew the girls would love it! Once I did that, I started looking at the library website online and came up with a lot of books and movies related to the butterfly life cycle. Then, I searched the internet, and came up with even more ideas! After that, my teacher brain took over and I started thinking up other lessons for different topics, including multi-media, art, nutrition, reading, and science. It was awesome! You can find the unit here. 

For the first time since I started this homeschooling journey I really felt as though I had it under control. I felt as though I could do it, for both kids, and I did! I am immensely proud of myself. Because the kids are still young and Amita is in school, I didn't push anything but rather fit in extra learning when we had the time - at most 20 minutes a day. 

I think for now we are going to have to find a balance between homeschool and preschool. We bought our house and have scheduled our move for the 6th of October and are trying to get some work done on the house before we move. In other words, things are crazy and honestly, it works well for me to have Amita in school so I only have one kid to take on house errands with me. We are doing enough at home that I am happy she will be learning new things academically.  While we are moving in our new home and getting settled I will keep Amita in school but I will most likely begin full-time preschool for 4-K. 

Another new development in my homeschool journey is that I attended a local homeschool moms gathering. It was very, very enlightening and made me feel much more confident about homeschooling to speak with other moms and find out how each person plans their day and what type of homeschooling they do (umbrella schools, online public school, unschooling, unit studies, online curricula, etc.). I have given it a lot of thought and really think they type of homeschooling I feel most comfortable with will include elective classes like art and music at a local school and the core classes like reading, science, and math schooled at home. I need to look more into the state laws regarding this, but, thanks to a great friend (that's you, Linda!) I have found a school that combines all of this with Calvert homeschool education. I finally feel I have found the right mix of home and school activities. I am still speaking with the representative and finding out more information, but so far I am liking what I am finding out.


So, this is where I am. I am barely keeping my head above water regarding the upcoming move, but I am feeling very confident about our schooling options going forward. We are going to leave Amita in school for now but are looking forward to starting a new preschool/K-12 curricula when I feel I am up to starting it - well after we are moved in and I am organized enough to begin.

This year has been a year of changes and everyone in the family is taking time to adjust. Things might be hectic right now, but they are a good kind of hectic. The kids are healthy and happy, my husband and I are in love, and we have a beautiful house we will soon be moving to. It is an exciting time in our lives and I am looking forward to our next (and final) move and being settled in our new home.

The Disillusionment of Going Back To College

I had an interesting experience a couple of weeks ago when we went to Madison for Ridhwi's work. He (Ridhwi) happened to come back to the hotel early and we decided to go out to dinner. We were celebrating one of our anniversaries (we have several, but that is another blog post) and decided to go some where semi-nice. I say "semi" because we had the kids in tow and you can only go to semi-nice places without people hating you for bringing them. We googled the area and found a Brazilian place that looked good. Our kids are definite meat eaters and we thought with the salad bar options we could find some thing for everyone in the family to be happy. It was a great dinner - minus a plate that fell on the floor and almost broke. Our waitress even helped make some sort of ghetto sippy cups out the the glasses with lids and masking tape she found in a basket (we really appreciated it). 

After we had finished eating we needed to walk off the copious amount of meat we ate and decided to walk around a bit (as you do after going to a Brazilian restaurant). We were happy to see that the downtown area had some neat shops and was pretty active. We imagined ourselves to be explorers (much like Dora) and headed toward the action. We thought it would be fun, new, and exciting. We thought that our kids would be angels with full meat bellies that would walk idly beside us only occasionally pointing out an interesting sight or amusing us with a small anecdote. What really happened is that their full meat bellies turned them into animal-children with no sense of concern for their personal safety. We made it about 12 feet before Ashima laid down in the parking lot and Amita refused to hold hands so we decided that additional safety measures must be taken. 

Now, before I tell you what happened next, I'm going to preface my actions with a justification. Twice Ashima has run away from me and onto a busy road; once I had to run into the road to stop the car that was scarily close to hitting her. After that incident, with tears in my eyes, I decided that I needed to get some sort of restraint for her when she is not in her stroller and we are in a highly trafficked area. She does not listen to directions, does not like to hold hands, and runs with no sense of self-preservation. So, I bought some "bracelets" that attach to both their wrist and my wrist. They are elastic so it's actually pretty good for the kids. They have a sense of freedom but they are not in any danger. I've always thought I would never be the sort of mom that put a leash on her kid but I guess I am. Ashima's safety is just too important to me. There is nothing that changes your mind about safety as your child almost getting hit by a car.

So, back to the story, we were walking and the kids were NOT behaving. I pulled out the leash for Ashima and Amita decided that she wanted one as well. Interestingly enough, Amita really likes her "bracelet". I think it makes her feel a safe connection to me while not holding my hand. All the better to explore with, and Amita loves to explore - just like Dora. ("Come on, Vaminos! Where are we going? To walk around!"). We chose buddies and started walking. The was the first time we were out in public with the leashes er… excuse me… "bracelets". We got a lot of knowing smiles from parents and a few strange and judgmental looks from what I'm assuming were non-parents. More than anything, though, I felt a huge sense of relief that I got to walk without having to constantly keep an eye on whether Ashima was going to run into traffic. It was nice and enjoyable, for a while. 

We eventually wandered onto the University of Wisconsin campus (which is beautiful, by the way). I went to the University of Kansas for two years and Emporia State College for two years (with a semester for studying abroad in England). Ridhwi did his 6 years of medical school at Katsturba Medical College at the Pokhra, Nepal, location. Both of us really enjoyed our college years and happily reminiscing as we were walking, whispering as we needed to for the parts we didn't want the kids to hear. We turned away from the University and found ourselves in a residential neighborhood. This is where I started to feel a bit self-conscious. You see, the evening classes had just gotten out and the sidewalks were full of headphone-wearing college kids hurrying home from class, scantily-clad females heading out for the night, and a pair of computer programers talking about code (we overheard their extremely nerdy conversation and snickered). We were also on the road containing sorority and fraternities for the University and the students were outside in the front yard playing horseshoes, listening to music, and drinking beer. 

It has always been a fervent wish of mine to go back to school and get an advanced degree in either english or education. However, life happens and Ridhwi's job is the one that pays the bills so residency and all that comes with it took precedence - and there is no way I could go with the kids as young as they are. A lot of people successfully do it, but I'm not sure I could. Since it's not necessary for anything at this point, it just hasn't happened. Maybe one day, though. 

The campus life at U of W looked like a lot of fun! I found myself wishing I could join in the game of horseshoes, thinking about whether I could transfer credits to the University, and generally daydreaming about college, when suddenly I felt a pull on my "bracelet" as Ashima wrapped herself around a tree. I was literally yanked out of my reverie to attend to my crying one year-old who desperately wanted to look in the drainage system on the side of the road. So these young college children, unaccustomed to hearing the cries of children, turned off the music and stared at us. It was that exact moment - when I felt the staring eyes of quite a few college students - that I realized I was an interloper and longer belonged in that crowd. I would no longer be able to hang out until 2 in the morning at my neighbor's apartment drinking beer, or smoke hookah and discuss literature (and gossip) with my classmates. I no longer had common interests with these people staring at me(unless they had some strange fascination with potty training and couponing). With this revelation in mind we kept walking around the neighborhood but it was not the same the same as it was before. Instead of imagining the students as my brethren - friends my own age with similar interests, I felt like a walking example for birth control. When we passed egg heads talking about their classes and intellectual pursuits I wanted to tell them that I used to be smart but I'm pretty sure that motherhood makes you lose some of mind (for real, it happens with pregnancy and never returns), and when we passed the students playing games and hanging out in front of their dormitories I wanted to tell them to enjoy drinking while they could because after one glass of wine nowadays all I want to do is go to bed and I still manage to feel hungover the next day. 

As I lay in bed that night (at the very late time of 10:00 pm), my head resting on Ridhwi's chest and the kids asleep in the bed next to us, I reflected upon what it was like going back to the University. While I enjoyed thinking about the good 'ol days and pretending for an extremely short period of time I might still fit in with that crowd, I realized that I wouldn't change what I have for anything. It is still a dream that some day I might go back to college for an advanced degree, but for the time being, I'll enjoy being a mommy and everything that comes with it, "bracelets" and all. 

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the campus (so I had to use this stock one) but the campus was beautiful. We enjoyed walking around, even if we felt awkward part of the time.

The Wonderful Gift of the Second Child

I write a lot about Amita on this blog. She's the first child, so I am sort of "figuring things out" with her. She's also the only one old enough to do any sort of schooling, as Ashima is only 20 months right now. However, Ashima is always here adding her little baby opinion on how I run things and what she would like to do. The other night I was giving her a bottle (yes, she still takes a bottle *insert eye roll*) and stroking her little face thinking about how incredible she is. When I was pregnant with her, I often wondered what she would be like. Would she look like Amita? Act like her? I think most the pregnancy didn't seem "real" to me in the way that Amita's did. I obviously knew I was pregnant, gave up caffeine and alcohol, took my prenatals, and pretty much expected another Amita. I thought I knew exactly what to expect. 

Let's not even get into the completely different unmedicated (against my will) labor that was only 5 hours long. We were lucky we even made it to the hospital. The doctor arrived 3 minutes before she came out. When I first got a glimpse of Ashima, I was shocked. I'm not sure what I was expecting and it seems stupid now, but she looked nothing like her sister. She weighed more, she cried differently, she didn't have the abundance of hair that Amita had, she was just different. Her own little person.

During pregnancy, deep in the recesses of my heart, I had silently wondered if I could love Ashima as much as I loved Amita. It might make me a bad mom to say that, but I did. However, I shouldn't have worried. The second she was born, I learned that God does not take away the love you have for one child to make room for another, nor do you love one less. Instead, He makes your heart bigger for your next baby. I love them both an unimaginable about - but in two different ways. It's like the song lyrics to Murder in the City by the Avett Brothers:

"I wonder which brother is better/the one our parents love the most/I sure did get in lots of trouble/they seemed to let the other go. / I wondered what my dad would say/he said, "I love you and I'm proud of you both in so many different ways."

Don't get me wrong, first kids are amazing too. After all, they are the ones who make you a mother. They teach you how to be a parent. All of their firsts are your firsts too and that is an incredible experience. 

However, the second child (insert sigh). They are so similar yet distinctively dissimilar. They are the ones who help perfect your parenting skills or teach you that, in fact, you know nothing. They are just like their sibling, but nothing like their sibling. I still am amazed how how Amita and Ashima are different - yet strangely similar. Ashima has picked up on weird sayings of Amita, copies almost all of her sister's actions, and will often have sympathy tears to offer up when Amita is crying. She is loving and compassionate, strong and cuddly, and a definite leader. Ridhwi and I joke and say that all of the "bad" ideas that the girls come up with are Ashima's idea. She teaches Amita how to misbehave and then Amita tells on her and gets her in trouble. Ashima does not hold grudges, though (like Amita), she still loves her sister and they are good friends just minutes later. Ashima is easy to smile and just as easy to anger, and immensely fun to be around - she's the life of the party.

When I was pregnant, I would pray to God asking for a baby who liked to cuddle and boy did he give it to me! When Ashima was a baby she would only sleep if I was holding her. I don't know how many times the first couple of months when I would prop my arm up on a blanket, lay down, and take a small nap with her because it was the only time I would be able to sleep. Even now, at 20 months, she frequently cries and wants to come and sleep in Ridhwi's and my room in her portable crib. She loves to be held, loved, and cuddled, and I love the opportunity to do it.

One amazing thing about Ashima is that she just learns things. I feel like with Amita, ever since her speech problem, I've been constantly trying to think of things to teach her or she asks me to teach her things things - she gives me a clear path. With Ashima, I'll be reading to her and she will say words or point to things that I had been teaching Amita the day before. She already knows how to count to 10 and say three word sentences! It's truly amazing, especially when I think that Amita wasn't even saying a single word at this age. When I teach Amita, I teach Ashima too. 

I also feel like I've had more of a chance to "enjoy" Ashima. With Amita, at least during her baby phase, I was so worried about doing everything "right" and figuring out the technical details that the first few months passed by incredibly quickly (not only because we moved across the country). But with Ashima, we were settled and I purposefully asked that we don't get too many visitors right away. I already knew how to nurse, change diapers, give a bath, and generally what to expect. I was much more calm and had more time to just enjoy the baby phase. It was hectic with a 15 month-old and a newborn, but God doesn't give us anything we can't handle, and I did. It's neat to watch Ashima go through the same phases Amita went through and see if she acts the same or does something new. 

Perhaps one of the neatest things about having a second child is giving the oldest child automatic playmate and partner in crime. I love that the girls are close (for the most part) and that they play together. They are incredibly close in age and I'm guessing when they are 15 and 16 they will have some similar friends and be able to "hang out" together. I can only imagine when they are 30 and 31 and have families of their own. They will presumably start them around the same time and be able to have someone to support them and someone to lean on. At least, this is my hope. I am so happy to have been able to give them an automatic support system in life.

Having two children is wonderful, and I have found that each one is a gift in their own way. We intend to have one or two more children and I can't wait to see what surprises they have in store. I can't wait to see what their personalities are like and how they act. At the end of the Avett Brothers song I mentioned above, they sing, "Always remember there's nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name." It is such a powerful lyric - and completely true.  A family is one of God's greatest gifts, and I am so thankful to have been blessed with an abundance of love from my mine.

Parking Lot Safety

One of the hardest things about having two kids (at least for me) is dealing with getting them in the car, and then unloaded at our next stop. We live in an apartment complex and I am always worried about them running around when I'm not looking. The same goes for the grocery store which is a VERY busy grocery store with small parking spots and it can be easy to lose them when they run away.

Well, the other day I was surfing the internet, and saw a post on Pintrest that lead me to this link: http://www.parkingpalmagnet.com/Parking-Pal--Only-899_ep_7.html.

Apparently, someone had the good idea to put a magnet with a handprint on in and when you are putting one kid in the car, the other keeps their hand on the magnet. I don't particularly want hand magnets on my car, but I LOVED the concept and ran with it. I always put Ashima in the car first (because she has a harder time following directions) and so Amita has to keep her hand on the circle where the gas tank goes. She doesn't seem to mind and I don't have to worry where she is at all times! It was such a great idea I had to share. 

As My Trial Period Comes to an End...

The time is coming where my three month trial with The Learning Box is up. I have decided not to renew for a while - we are going to be having family up for Ridhwis' graduation in June and then we're moving! I am also a little behind. As motivated as I was with my new organization system (which is working really well), I am still lagging a bit. I think I need to find a better time to do the activities because if I have anything going on during the afternoon homeschooling seems to get pushed back and then doesn't happen. 

I'm thinking I'm going to take the summer "off" and I have a couple of reasons for this. The first is that with homeschooling I'll be able to take lots of random breaks whenever I want. It also lines up with summer and since we'll be moving to WI we need to enjoy the outside and the warm weather when we can! Also, just because I'm choosing to stop using The Learning Box does not mean I can't teach: trips to the zoo and a trip to Niagara Falls are plans for the near future as well as practicing letters and shapes with sidewalk chalk, fine motor skills and speech with blowing bubbles, swimming, bicycle riding, long walks, time at the park, etc. There are TONS of summertime actives which promote learning and I look forward to exploring them. I'll be sure to post the things I feel work well! 

I think that when I go back to The Learning Box in the fall I'll be in a much better place to be successful - I'll have the option of help if I would like it, I'll have MANY more activities (YMCA, summer camp, dance, music lessons, etc.) the girls can be involved in, and I'll have a lot more room since we'll be in a house instead of an apartment. Maybe I can even having a corner/room for homeschooling, the prep time would be SO much easier because I wouldn't have to get it out and organized every time.  

We are coming upon some big changes in our family and our life and I look forward to experiencing all the goodness the next couple of months hold. 

That's Important to Me

I've always been a rebel at heart, a person who likes to go against "the man" and do things my own way. I've always held my convictions very strongly to my chest and have no problem sharing them. However, I've noticed in the last couple of years I've gotten pretty mellow in terms of my mood, feelings, and emotions. I'm more sensitive than I used to be, more accepting than I used to be, and just generally a more relaxed person. It's not like I was trying to be high strung earlier, I'm just not, now. About two years ago I was hanging on to something petty - still angry and hurt about it nearly a year after it happened. I also had a hard time after Amita was born adjusting to motherhood and the move to Michigan and I never really got over that either. I remember thinking to myself, "Am I being the person I want to be?" and "Is this the best you've got to offer the world?" I realized it wasn't, and I didn't like that about myself.

Over time I've been working on being a better person - the person I want and strive to be- and it has made me infinitely happier. I'm not sure if it was quitting my job, becoming a mom, moving away from family, getting older, or a combination of all of those (most likely), but I've come to really enjoy where I am in life. That's not to say that everything is perfect all the time and I don't get stressed out. It's just to say that when I close my eyes at the end of the day, I am happy. Happy in a way wasn't "before". Before what, I'm not sure. I just know that I didn't use to feel like this, and now I do. Since moving I have been really concentrating on things I feel are truly important - things that make me happy and give me peace - and trying to weed the "junk" out of my life. 

Inspired by the song "That's Important to Me" by Joey + Rory (the best singer/songwriter duo in country music, in my humble opinion), I have compiled a list of the things that are important to me, large or small. The things/beliefs/attitudes that make a difference in my life - things that mean something to me. So, without further ado, here are the things have affect me and make me happy, in no particular order.

Family. I love them "with a love that is greater than love", to borrow from Poe. There is nothing more important to me than them. Nothing.

Television - or lack thereof. I gave up TV once Amita was old enough to start paying attention and it has been one of the best things I've ever done. I don't need that crap and neither do the kids. I let them watch a show or two on Netflix every now and again but they don't constantly watch it. I am never up to date with current events but I don't care. Ridhwi and I watch one show a night (usually a series) and that's it. I could do without that too but Ridhwi likes TV so we do it together. If I don't like what he's picked I just read a book. I don't miss it at all.

Yoga. Yoga calms and relaxes me. It makes me more in tune with my body. When I lived in Platte City, MO, and went to class with Jackie, it was like a religious experience for me.

Candles and incense. I like them. This might sound like a small thing, but there are few things greater in life than lighting a cinnamon Yankee Candle, making some hot chocolate, and watching a movie in the fall. It's the little things.

Having good finances. Staying out of debt (the bad kind) and living within our means is very important to Ridhwi and I. We might have to make sacrifices, but we do it.  

Living somewhere I can "breathe". I am not a big city person. I get claustrophobic. Sure, I like visiting our family in New York City but I couldn't live there. I want a place with a bit of land for a garden, where I can sit on a porch and watch the sunset, and watch my kids run in the yard.

Music. I really like 90's Country, 70's rock, Americana, and Bluegrass. My favorite bands are the Avett Brothers and Joey + Rory (they speak to my heart). Again, it's the small things.

Being a mom. It is important to me that I am the best mom I can be. My children deserve no less. It doesn't mean that I am perfect or that I have completely given my life to my kids, it just means that I want them to be happy, healthy, intelligent, and kind people, and I try to make that happen.

Loving my husband. Few things in life are worth the time and investment as a marriage. A healthy, strong marriage is such a beautiful thing and I am so thankful that I get to be a part of one. That doesn't mean that Ridhwi and I don't work at it, we certainly do. Each day we make sure they other person's needs come before our own and we have to make communication a priority, but the rewards that come from that are amazing. I'm so in love with Ridhwi.

Cooking. Not only do I find it relaxing, I enjoy giving my family something that I lovingly made for them.

Books. Nothing is better than getting caught up in a good book.

Believing that you get out of the world what you put in. Being slow to anger, understanding others, forgiving quickly, and loving in abundance, are very important to me. It's not always easy but I do my best and make conscious decisions to change my thoughts/behavior to be a better person. Do I find myself thinking that the girl next to me shouldn't have worn that outfit? Sure, but I keep it to myself. The energy we put out in the world returns to us. Why put unnecessary negative thoughts and feelings in the world? Enough bad energy exists without unnecessarily and consciously adding to it, thank you very much.

Opening the windows in the spring. Ridhwi doesn't understand this one but I'm telling you, the crisp air, the gentle breeze, the sounds of nature, it's something I look forward to every year, allergies be damned.

Spending time with God - in any form. During Ridhwi's residency we have not been able to go to church as much as I would like and strangely enough, my spirituality is at an all time high. I think the more time you spend in prayer (from where ever you might be), the more the Holy Spirit fills you and helps you spread that peace to others. We pray with the kids daily and I do daily meditation before bed.

Doing what you enjoy every day. I really enjoyed teaching but I didn't enjoy dealing with some of the kids and politics in the school. I also really want to spend these years with my kids. I am lucky enough to be able to be a stay-at-home mom and have come to really enjoy it.

Some times it is better to be a nice person than to be "right".  Some people get so caught up in being right that they don't realize they are being offensive and hurting people. I'm not sure why they feel the need to do so, but being a good person is always the road we should choose, even it means accepting that other people are allowed to do things differently from you. Just because you may be "right" or "telling the truth" doesn't mean you're not being an ass.

No longer feeling as though I need to make other people think/feel the same things I feel. You know what? We're all different. It's not my job to worry about the state of your eternal soul or your conscience.  It is more important to be nice and respectful, and do the things that bring everyone peace. You want to commune with aliens on your head in the desert? Go ahead, if it makes you happy. We are all allowed to have different ideas (as long as they don't hurt anyone else). It's what makes us all unique and interesting. Let's just live in peace with each other.

Realizing that I am the only one in charge of my feelings/actions. Am I feeling hurt, stressed, emotional? I can choose to feel differently. My emotions are not out of my control. This has not been an easy realization, but it is true. It is not always easy to do, some times I want nothing more than to flip off a bad driver (and there are plenty in Michigan) or dwell on something that hurt me or makes me angry. But you know what? Those negative emotions and feelings affect me, no one else. I feel much better when I choose to forgive someone and move on, or choose to assume the best of a person (they must be driving their pregnant wife to the hospital to deliver a baby, right?). I don't let people walk on me but I do consciously choose to see the best in the world and dwell on positive things.

I want to be a good person. To enjoy life as best I can while I'm here. To love my family with abandon.  To live in a house that I have made a home and is filled with things I love, to show others how much I love them, and enjoy the simple things life has to offer. These things are the things that are important to me.

Not-Just-For-Easter Egg Hunt

My husband had to work the entire Easter weekend - Saturday until Sunday afternoon in the hospital. Because of this, we had our own family egg hunt late Sunday in the front of our apartment so Daddy could partake in the festivities. 

One thing I learned having my own egg hunt instead of going somewhere - egg hunts are AWESOME! Do you know how engaged my kids were? First, they ran around for a long time. Then, they sat very nicely while we opened each egg and put the jellybeans in a bag. For Amita, it was also learning experience. She was identifying colors and counting each jellybean. They also behaved after that for a long time. The whole hunt took about an hour. The only downside was protecting the eggs from the 5 year-old neighbor hoodlums-in-training who told me that if I put the eggs on the pavement they would run over them with their bikes and then eat the candy. They then kept a close eye on our activities until the eggs were picked up.

I'm thinking I could do several educational things:

1. Puzzle pieces - put the puzzle together at the end
2. Pieces of paper with letter or words. Once they are old enough to read they could put sentences/stories/poems together using the words
3. Magnetic letters - I could have them match the upper to the lowercase as well as just identify them
4. Pictures of Animals - we can talk about each animal and the sound it makes
5. Fill them with clues (when the kids are older) of where a bigger "prize" is hidden
6. Coloring book pages

And some non-educational things:

1. Stickers
2. Jelly bracelets
3. Goldfish crackers or some other snack- make 'em work for their food, ha!
4. Rocks. For some reason Amita has a weird thing about rocks. She really likes them. Poor Ashima probably wouldn't enjoy this one very much.
5. Nothing- you gotta keep 'em on their toes!
6. Their own toys - they'll be like new again!
7. Hair ties - they love them
8. Band aids - Amita thinks they are the newest craze in fashion
9. Crayons

My sweet babies. 

Awesome Alphabet Learning Circle

I was on pintrest the other day pinning a bunch of recipes I want to keep. While I was there, I saw a pin about putting the alphabet on the floor. Since we've been working pretty hard on lower case letters (Amita only knows upper case) I decided to do it. What I couldn't imagine is how much the kids love it. Mommy for the win!

I used painters tape so it comes off easily. Also, let me tell you, I've never had greater appreciation for letters like X, T, and Z. Those round letters can be difficult and I hope they don't come off if the kids step on them. Also, if I had thought of it, I might have somehow pre-spaced my letters. I went from thinking I had too much space to having too little. I am not going to redo it, though, I had just enough tape so I'll have to take it as it is.

Possible games/activities I've thought of using the circle: 

1. Assigning each kid a letter - when I read books they have to sit on that letter while I read (also keeps them from crowding me and pulling each other's hair as I read - definitely a great idea!). 
2. Musical Letters - dancing/marching around the circle when music is on, turning it off, and having them run to a letter. 
3. Having them trace the letters with their fingers.
4. Placing corresponding objects on the letters - plastic eggs on the letter E, a bear on the letter B, etc. 

Can you think of any games? If so, please comment and I'll add them to the list!

Learning to Love Being a Stay-At-Home Mom

Growing up, I never thought I would be a Stay-At-Home Mom (SAHM). I wanted to be Teacher of the Year. I wanted to inspire young minds, excite kids about reading, teach eager young minds the wonders and joys of a great novel, help students become awesome readers, writers, people, and citizens. I wanted to change lives.

Two weeks after Amita was born in 2011, we moved to Michigan for Ridhwi's residency. At that time, we faced two decisions: I could work or stay at home. If I worked, I needed to begin applying for jobs immediately. I didn't have a Michigan teaching license or daycare lined up. I also took a really long time to heal from Amita's birth (three months) and wasn't feeling particularly up to being up and around, let alone working. The move was hard enough! The thought of going back to work? It was difficult for me, to say the least. I was also completely in love with my little baby girl. I was scared to be a first-time mom with no family nearby and I was even more scared at the thought of putting her in a daycare and not seeing her.

So Ridhwi (who is such a supportive husband) and I went over the numbers and figured out we could wing it. We both liked the idea of me staying at home, and we were excited about doing it. 

I decided that if I was going to be a SAHM, I would be the best SAHM mom I could be. I would be a pintrest-worthy mom. I would make my own laundry soap, make my own baby food, have a perfectly clean house and my children would grow up to be awesome!

At first, it was wonderful. It was like I lived in a dream, a perfect world where I could sleep in, read, watch TV, practice cooking - anything I wanted! After teaching while pregnant, giving birth, and moving across the country, I really enjoyed the break. I took the baby for walks, got a library card, and explored the community. I was happy. However, it was only about two months before I got sick of daytime TV, I didn't want to read all day, Amita was growing and not allowing me the blocks of time to do the things I had been doing, and winter was coming so walks were no longer an option. I started to become restless. Suddenly, only talking to the check-out person at the grocery store didn't hold as much appeal as it did before. I missed all my friends. I missed my husband (who was always gone for work). I missed my family. I missed having intelligent conversations. I missed making lessons plans and my visiting with students.  However, I would look at my little baby's face and I couldn't imagine being anywhere but with her - she was worth every bit of the sacrifice. I wanted to stay at home with her more than I wanted good conversations (although, I will tell you, baby Amita could be a pretty good conversationalist too). I wondered what was wrong with me. I should be so thankful and lucky to stay at home - I should be glad we were able to do it financially.

I was also married to a man who was in his first year of residency. I counted once that he went seven days without seeing Amita because he got home after she was asleep and went to work before she got up. He consistently worked 16-17 hour days and when he was home he needed sleep. I was basically on my own, night and day. 

It was hard. I loved my kid and wanted to spend time with her but I missed working too. Then, when Amita was six months old, I found out I was pregnant again. I knew I wouldn't be going back to work, at least not during residency. My paycheck would barely cover the cost of daycare so it wasn't practical. I also couldn't imagine working and keeping up the house completely by myself, which I would have to do. I was much like a single parent. The more Amita grew, the less lonely I felt and the more work was needed to care for her. I was also very sick during my pregnancy and had a growing belly and doctor's appointments, so that took my attention too. 

Eventually I learned the names of the check-out people at the grocery store and they learned mine. A fellow resident-wife and I had started a mom's group and we met once a week. They were a great source of support. I also stared Parents as Teachers. I was busy and feeling happy and… important. I hate to use that word, important, but it's the right word. I had been feeling unimportant before. When I realized it, I thought to myself, "how could you be feeling unimportant, you're growing and raising human beings!" It didn't change the way I felt, though. I missed feeling like a professional. I missed human interaction. I hated that sometimes, the only person I would talk to all day was Ridhwi. 

With time, and as the kids get older, I've come to see exactly how much I do and how important is is to our family. We really would not have been able to get through Ridhw's residency without me staying at home. Now that the kids are older I am constantly busy I find myself longing for the early days with Amita where I had time to work on personal projects and only one kid. I don't get frustrated because I do things over and over again that never seem to be finished - like laundry and dishes. Instead, I think about how good of an example I'm setting for my children, I'm showing them how to make a home. There are still days where the only person I talk to is Ridhwi. But he is always there for me to talk to and he lets me talk endlessly about my post office frustrations (or whatever I need to talk about). He constantly tells me how much he appreciates all I do for him and the family. He loves me and understands me and this helps tremendously. 

The biggest thing I've learned about being a SAHM: It's a completely different way of thinking. Instead of feeling good because I made a good lesson plan, I feel good because the girls give me hugs and tell me they love me. Instead of staying up late grading papers, I stay up late folding laundry. Instead of getting up early to commute to work, I get up early with my wonderful children and feed them a healthy breakfast. 

Now that we've decided to homeschool, I think I will get some of that professional satisfaction back (it is NOT the reason we decided to homeschool, for the record). When I think about what I wanted with my life: to be Teacher of the Year, inspire young minds, excite kids about reading, teach eager young minds the wonders and joys of a great novel, help children become awesome writers, people, citizens, and to change lives - I realized that I will be doing ALL of those things. Instead of doing them with other people's children, I'll be doing them with my own! This was an incredibly exciting realization for me. 

I've never become a pintrest-worthy mom. I've yet to make my own laundry soap, I tried making my own baby food once and decided it wasn't worth it when Ashima spit it all over my face, and my kids are not always perfect and the house is not always clean.

When I told my mom I was going to stay at home with the kids, she told me that some days I would do little more than hold my kids and some days would be incredibly productive. I've found that to be a very true piece of advice. Some days the house is a mess and I don't get a shower until the kids nap and other days I've gotten more done before 10:00 than I did the entire week before. I have learned to take one day at a time and enjoy each moment with my children. 

It has been a little bit of a rough transition for me, learning to love being a stay-at-home-mom. I feel bad when I'm with my husband's coworkers and feel I have nothing to add to their conversation except that I found a really good coupon this week or to talk about Amita's success with potty training. I'll never get a promotion or win any awards, but I've realized that that is okay. I'm doing one of the most important things in the world - raising my children. 

Every day I am so proud of them. I am proud of the people they are and the people they are becoming. I am proud of them on the bad days and the good days. And you know what? I've come to realize that is all the professional satisfaction I need. 

Why We Should All Be Card Holding Members of the "Moms Club"

It started when I  got pregnant. At first, I chalked it up to the fact that it was my first pregnancy and people wanted to help. It got worse as the pregnancy progressed: strangers would ask me personal questions and everyone made sure I knew their opinions on everything baby related. Then, I had Amita and I became intimately familiar with the Mommy Wars.

What are the Mommy Wars? Mommy Wars are the fighting, bickering, judgments, and superior attitudes that moms show other moms, especially in relation to topics about nursing, vaccinations, schooling, sleep habits, and diet. Oh, and just about everything else.

Why do we as mothers feel the need to pick each other apart and put each other down? Do other people really think they are the perfect parent? 

We, as parents, all try to do the very best we can. We make decisions for our families based on the needs of the family. So why does everyone feel the need to judge others? Parenting is hard. What we should all do is show support for other parents. For those that choose to bottle feed their babies instead of breastfeed, who cares? The baby has a full belly at night and lots of love - that's what's really important, right?  One mom uses the cry it out method to get her child to sleep, so what? How does that affect you and your sense of right and wrong? If it gives that mother peace and makes her life easier, then good for her. We all need a little more peace in our lives and should encourage other mothers to have the same.

I used to be a part of a Facebook group called Mommy Support. This was the least supportive group I have ever been a part of. At first, before I realized the group was extremely unhelpful, I invited all of my friends to be a part of it, a request for which I would like to publicly apologize. I'm guessing all it did was make my friends angry and upset, bring down their self-esteem, or make them think they are the worst parent ever, like it did me. Sorry, really. I have since left the group because I figured I would soon be put on high blood pressure medication if I didn't. I think they should re-name the group Mommy Judgment: How to Judge Other Moms Who Are Different From You. That would be an accurate name.

I, personally, like to operate by what I call the Pioneer Woman Parenting Attitude. This is how it works: if you are wondering about something parenting related, you ask yourself, "is this something a pioneer woman would care about?" Often times, the answer is no, unless it's really important, like "should I feed my child?" In that case, if a pioneer woman would care about it, the answer is "yes!". Let's do another example."Should I use a sleep sack or a blanket?" Would a pioneer woman care about using a sleep sack or a blanket? NO. She would be thankful that her children are warm at night. Would she care about what brand of shoes her child has, or if they are soft soled or hard soled? NO. She would be glad simply to have shoes to put in his/her feet. This is how I wade through was is really important in parenting and what is not. That's not to say that I don't have my own opinions on these things but I don't feel like they are the most important parenting decisions I'll make. What's really important? Raising polite, motivated, decent human beings. Those things matter - not how long a person nurses their child, or how they choose to educate their children, what they feed them, or how they get their kids to go to sleep at night.

The only thing we should ask of other mothers: to be the very best mom they can. Until we find an example the perfect parent and that person writes a parenting manual we can all agree to follow, we should stop judging. Here's an idea: how about instead of chewing out someone we've never met on the internet, we take the additional time and spend it with our families? We should not tell others what to do (unless they are doing something to harm their child). We have no right to judge someone until we've walked in their shoes.

One very good piece of advice my mom gave me when I was pregnant? She told me that no one hugs you like your mom. It doesn't matter if she holds you a different way, or if she puts her right hand over her left of vice versa. The hug feels good simply because your mom is showing you she loves you. We all may do things differently but you know what? We're all similar in that we love our children and want what is best for them.

So let's all be card holding members of the Mommy Club. Let's support, uplift, help, and encourage other moms. We don't have to agree with another mom's decision to see she is trying her best. And you know what? That's okay. It's okay for someone to do something different, it's all a part of this wonderful, amazing, and tremendous gift of parenthood we've been given.

Book Review: Mudpies to Magnets - A Preschool Science Curriculum

I give the book a 10/10. I originally rented it from the library but ended up purchasing it for future use. It is available here.

Mudpies to Magnets is divided into eight categories: science center activities, circle time activities, construction and measurement, paints and prints, science for a special place (meaning messy activities), health and nutrition, outdoor science, creativity and movement, and hodge podge.

Lessons include key words, materials, directions, discussion questions, and ways to expand the "experiment". Lessons are broken down and explained clearly. I had no trouble understanding what I was supposed to do.

Each lesson is labeled with its corresponding age, 3 year-old, 4 year-old, or 5 year-old, so parents don't have to read the entire lesson to determine if it is age appropriate. A definite time saver!

The lessons are very creative yet rooted in important scientific concepts. They are not overwhelming to do with a young child and don't seem to create too much a mess. Additionally, they don't need more than basic prep work: some time to gather materials (mostly what we have around the house), and time to read the directions.

This is a winner, for sure!

Things I Anticipate Personally Struggling With

There are some things I anticipate struggling with (personally) in regards to homeschooling.

1. Not having enough personal time and/or feeling stressed out.

Some background: We moved to Michigan when Amita was two weeks old not having any family nearby and not knowing anyone. When she was six months old, we found out I was pregnant again (oops). I was pretty sick while pregnant with Ashima and then when Amita was 15 months old, she was born. My mom stayed with us for a week and then she left and Ridhwi had just started the night shift. We basically didn't see him for a month. To say it was hard would be an understatement. Ashima was very colicky and I was up every 2-3 hours nursing, then up with Amita during the day. Only when Ashima got to be about 7 months old did I feel like I was getting back to myself - I was sleeping at night, I had energy, and the thought of basic household errands and chores didn't make me overwhelmed. Luckily I have an AMAZING husband who did as much as he could to help, even with working 80+ hours a week and dealing with his own exhaustion. Have I mentioned I love him? Marriage is truly a gift from God. But, I digress.

I am someone who needs personal time. I don't need to do anything in particular or go anywhere, just some quiet time every day to process, relax, and be by myself. Currently, I get this when I take a bath every night. It's about 20-30 minutes and my husband commits to making sure the kids are okay so I have some time to myself. Sometimes, I can even get a few minutes during nap time if the kids behave. Additionally, I get random evenings/nights when my husband is at work. I guess it makes me a good resident's wife because I'm okay with being alone even though I miss him.

I have no desire to feel stressed out again if I don't need to. I don't want to feel like I am giving up anything for homeschooling -that it is a burden or something that takes away from me personally. I want it to fit seamlessly into our lifestyle and have everyone in the family be happy.

The key (I think) is to hire a babysitter to help for a couple of hours several times a week. I would really like to lose some baby weight and get back to my "pre baby" body. I would also like to be able to go to the grocery store and post office without a baby posse. It would give me "me" time and I would feel better for exercising. Another plus is that it would set a good example for the girls about how to care for yourself.

Stevens Point has a Teachers College through UWSP (University of Wisconsin Stevens Point) and I think that would be a good place to look. They might even be able to help with homeschooling and give ideas!

2. Enforcing a schedule even when the kids are crabby.

When we first got married, Ridhwi and I both thought that I would be the "enforcer" when it came to parenting. Turns out, I'm only good at enforcing other people's kids in the classroom - my own kids are a different matter. That's not to say I let my kids get away with bad behavior, it just means that I'm not as strict as I thought I would be and I choose not to fight some battles. Since I stay at home, I don't want to be constantly disciplining my kids nor do I want to fight all the time. Sometimes I turn on Veggietales while they are eating dinner to have them be quiet. Some times I turn on BabyChannel when they won't stop whining. I'm not proud of it - I want my kids to be able to eat dinner without entertainment - but sometimes I just don't want the fight. I've also not been good about trying new foods because when I'm home by myself I just want them to eat and be happy. We save the new foods for when Daddy is home. Because of that, Amita in particular, is pickier than I would like. 

It is easy for me to give in when the kids want to do something else. I don't let them walk over me, but sometimes it's just easier to allow it. It's not such a big deal when they are 1 and 2 and easily distracted but it will be a big deal if I let it continue or if I don't keep a firm homeschooling schedule and make sure we stick with it. It will be a personal challenge for me. However, I think if I can come up with creative lessons and make learning fun, school will be something they look forward to and not something they don't want to do - like eating peas. At least I hope so. 

3. Spending "quality" time with the kids.

I get a lot of time with my kids. However, when I analyze how much time I'm actually spending one-on-one with no distractions (phone, computer, TV, needing to do some household chore, etc.) I realized a while ago that there is not a lot of actual honest-to-goodness quality time. It was something I immediately felt bad about and tried to rectify. It's not easy, though. One of my goals this year is to spend much less time on the computer and internet. 

I've thought about closing my Facebook account but we use it as a way to connect especially with our families. I also do most of the networking for both of my husband and myself - often logging on to his account and contacting people for him when he's busy at work. It really is not a feasible option to quit it. Additionally, with homeschooling, I've been spending significantly more time online reading articles and looking for books to help me learn. It's a double edged sword - I want to homeschool and spend time with the kids, but I have to be removed and do research. That's another reason why I like The Learning Box, it takes out a lot of the grunt working trying to find activities for the kids. That being said, I've found that actually closing my laptop and turning of notifications on my phone has helped me the most. If I don't hear the ding of a new message, notification, or email, I can wait until before and after the kids are asleep to do most things.

I am on the library waiting list for a book called Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!. I am hoping that it will have some insight and help me balance everything.

All in all, I anticipate I'm going to like homeschooling. That does not mean it will not take some adjustment and I'm sure I'll learn things as we go. However, I think being open and honest with myself (and all of you) by identifying my weak points and try to navigate around them will help avoid any potential areas of conflict. 

A Day in the Life of a Mukerji Child

This is our typical schedule:

8:00 kids wake-up (I'm super lucky my kids are sleepers)
8:00-9:00: Change diapers, get dressed, breakfast
9:00-12:00: Free time to play. Sometimes they want to play with Mommy, some times they don't. I use this time to write my emails, drink coffee, read, and play with the kids. I purposefully try to keep it as a "quiet" time so we can all have a relaxed morning.
11:30-12:00 Snack before nap.
12:00-2:00 Nap. The kids both sleep for a little over an hour, but they do it at different times. Ashima goes to bed right away and wakes up a little after 1 while Amita needs 20-30 minutes in her bed to relax and calm down before she falls asleep and wakes up right before 2.
2:00-3:00 This is when they have a snack and we do our educational activities. Amita always takes a while to wake up so she appreciates some time before we go out and do errands
3:00-5:30. This is typically when I do any errands I have to do: run by the dry cleaners, go to the library, go to the gym, the grocery store, etc.
5:30-6:30. Dinner
6:30-7:00 Free play
7:00 Get ready for bed - change in to jammies, brush teeth, read one book for each kid, prayers, and bedtime!

There are always appointments and things that require schedule changes but I try to keep it as close to this as possible. I would actually prefer the kids get up a little earlier - we would have more time to do stuff in the morning but alas, they are good little sleepers, so our mornings are usually just quiet time to be together and play.

This is our day. :)

Literacy Based Helpful Websites, Links, and "Stuff"

A while ago, I went to a Parents as Teachers literacy meeting. The meeting was all about how to encourage a love of reading in children. I found it very interesting and thought I would share some of the information.

Websites:

• Storyline Online. At this website, you can choose a book to be read to your children by a famous person. Just looking at the first page, they have readers like Haylie Duff, Betty White and Elijah Wood. I like putting this on when I'm trying to make dinner and need the girls to sit still for a while. 
• Robert Munsch. Robert Munsch is a very popular children's book author. My favorite book by him is called "Love You Forever" and I swear it makes me cry every time I read it (I'm not talking a lady-like cry either - I'm talking about a nasty, ugly, must-call-my-husband-and-cry-to-him-even-though-he-just-rolls-his-eyes-and-tells-me-to-get-over-it kind of cry). At his website, if you click on the "books" tab, you can choose books and listen to an audio file of Robert reading his own books. 
• Star Fall has all kinds of materials for pre-reading, phonics, letter recognition, and phoneme practice. Additionally, if you click on the Learn to Read tab, you can choose from a variety of early reader books the child can practice and play with. 

Some good authors for young children:

• David Shannon, most famous for the No David books. Funny anecdote: After this conference, I went to my public library online and requested some of the books mentioned thinking that I was an awesome Momma. I go to pick up the books with the girls making a very big deal about all of the fun books we were getting. By bedtime, Amita could hardly sit because she was so excited about the books. I let her pick which one she wanted and she picks the No David book. I sit down, put the girls on my lap, and open the book only to find out that it was in SPANISH! That's right, Mommy of the Year requested the Spanish version. (((Sigh))). We just made up our own story for the night but I got the distinct impression that Amita was a little underwhelmed after how much I had built up the new awesome books. I still haven't read her the actual book. 
• Mo Willems, talked about in my post earlier for his awesome book Knuffle Bunny. He also writes the Pigeon series. 
• Jan Thomas writes Can You Make a Scary Face? and Rhyming Dust Bunnies, among others. 
• Iza Trapani has some good books with great illustrations.
• Gail Gibbons has some really neat non-fiction books. 

Some good series books for children:

• Good Dog, Carl
• Pete the Cat (one of Amita's favorites)
• Knuffle Bunny (another favorite although we haven't branched into the other books in the series)
• Piggie and Elephant

Some other gems from the meeting:

• Don't forget about the importance of non-fiction with early readers. It is important for them to have a wide base of knowledge - a lot of which can only come from non-fiction. I mean, it's not like they come across Bengal Tigers and the French Alps in daily life - but it is still important to know what those things are. National Geographic for Kids has a magazine for kids. Time Magazine also has Time for Kids with some great resources. I've thought about getting my kids a magazine subscription but have just assumed that Ashima will tear it up and eat it. Maybe when they are a bit older. 
• Scholastic also has a lot of resources. Remember those book fairs when we were kids? They were awesome!
• Remember Highlights? It was one of the best things about going to the Doctor's office when I was a kid. Again, I've thought about getting this for my kids but want to wait until Ashima is past the paper eating phase. 
• Rereading books to kids is a lot like listening to your favorite song over and over. This phrase has given me the ability to read Night Night Little Pookie about 8,000 more times than I would have other wise. I had, at one point, also hidden some books around the house that I swore up and down I just couldn't read EVER AGAIN. I dug most of them out and gave them back to the kids feeling only mildly guilty for hiding them in the first place. 
• Rhyming is very important for early reading. It helps kids make connections. Say, for instance, they are sight reading a word they haven't seen before: Hat. If that have also seen the word Cat, and know that they rhyme from reading the Cat and the Hat, it will be much easier for him/her to figure out the new word than it would if they didn't recognize the rhyme. 

The biggest thing I took away from the meeting: literacy in children starts with us, the parents. We need to be open to reading (and rereading and rereading and rereading) books to our children. We need to be the ones to show them the joys of a good book. We are the ones who plant the seeds and then watch them grow as the children grow. 

If any other mommas/educators have more links/helpful material, please comment on this post and I will add it. Let's all share the great information we have!