My Favorite Days

Here I sit at my desk sipping coffee in my "office" (the school room) while the kids pretend to be princesses at the beach and I have found myself thinking about how much this room means to me.  One of the best things my husband and I did to our home was to change the formal dining room to a dedicated homeschooling room. For so long we were in a tiny apartment and to have such a space is important to me. 

The kids come in here throughout the day and play with blocks, puzzles, games, read books, color, paint, or have pretend play. It is as though this room has been touched by God in some ways - like something special happens to all of us when we come in here. There are very few melt downs or tears. There are plenty of games, toys, books, and activities for each girl, and they have never complained of being bored (yet).  It is right off of the kitchen so snacks and hot chocolate are never far away. There are two large windows and in the Wisconsin late spring, summer, and early fall, I open the windows and we hear the birds chirping, the fountain in our front yard, and the wind whispering to us as we read and learn. The scent of fresh air and the peony bush outside our window tickle our noses. We can feel the breeze across our faces.  We listen to piano and jazz music to add to the symphony outside. We learn, grow, play, love, and listen. We pray and talk. We discuss our world and I help them to understand it. I listen to their thoughts, ideas, and ambitions. I talk them through difficult things and we high five and give hugs for a job well done. Sleepy snuggles are given close to nap time. These mornings are sacred to me, and I have such joy in my heart for the ability to experience my children in this way. 

I have tried to leave all errands, tasks, or things on my to-do list for nap time and the afternoons. The mornings are for us: for learning, thinking, growing, loving, and spending time as a family. They are sacred. They are my favorite days. 

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. 

Why I don't like Elf of the Shelf

Amita is three and really starting to understand the concept of Christmas. I've been looking forward to putting up the tree, making cookies, going to Christmas mass, singing songs, and making our own family traditions - and most of all, seeing her reactions to everything. One thing that I've seen on Facebook and Pintrest that I thought would be fun for a new family tradition was Elf on the Shelf. I saw many cute pictures of Elves in all sorts of neat poses and I could imagine how magical that must be for children. Excited at the prospect of doing this for my kids, I started doing research. What I found was surprising. 

The Elf (every family names their own) comes with his own book that explains the story of Elf on the Shelf. The Elf is sent by Santa to watch over children and report their behavior back to Santa, presumably to help determine if they go on the naughty or nice list and whether or not they will get presents. The Elves are not to be touched by the children and get their "power" when named. Every night the Elf flies back to the North Pole to report on the children's behavior and then comes back and hides before the family wakes up (hence the funny poses).

Maybe because it's a pet peeve of mine, but I was a little surprised to read the meaning behind Elf of the Shelf. I hate it when people tell the girls that they need to be good because Santa is going to come. Do you want to know why? It's because I expect them to be good all the time (within reason) - simply because it is the right thing for them to do. The act of giving Christmas presents does not include a check list I tally to determine the number of presents to give my kids - and I never want them to every think that it might. 

I thought of the things I wanted to teach them about Christmas, and a few things came to mind. The first is love. Love for God, love for others, love for themselves, and love of the Christmas season. I wanted them to practice kindness, gratitude, generosity, and a spirit of giving. I wanted them to get along with each other, and to spend quality time as a family. 

So, I came up with my own idea. This year, we introduced the Kindness Elves. I bought two generic elves on the internet (cheaper than Elf of the Shelf!) and wrote a letter to the kids from the elves. The first day caught me by surprise because we had just gotten back from traveling, so I had the kids start off with the simple action of giving each other a hug (it took them a half an hour to both do it so I think it was a pretty good starting point). The Elves have had them do things to prepare their hearts for the true meaning of Christmas including: making banana bread for our friends and neighbors, hugging family members and helping caring for them when they are sick, making Christmas cards for friends, giving one of their toys to children in need, reading Christmas books as a family, and generally spreading Christmas cheer. It's been a lot of fun to watch the kids look for and find the kindness elves and see what act of kindness we are doing. 

It's been a great tradition for us - one I plan on keeping around even after they no longer believe in Santa. Christmas is about much more than presents and Santa, it's about the love of a family, the traditions that bring us together, and kindness towards others. The elves have helped all of us (myself included) keep that in mind during the holiday season. It's been wonderful to spend time doing meaningful things with the girls while still keeping the magic and whimsy of Elf of the Shelf. It brings my heart so much joy to see them starting to understand what is important in life - and enjoying the process. I'll mark this down in the "win" column!

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.

Eye Infections, Visitors, and a New Dog - A Busy Month

Wow. The last few weeks have absolutely flown by in a series of events that have taken our complete time and energy. Next week will be no different, so for this moment (today and tomorrow), I'm going to enjoy a bit with the kids and try to have some time to relax and let them rest a bit. 

One of the reasons Ridhwi decided to go into hospital medicine (besides the fact that he loves it) instead of doing a fellowship/subspecialty is because he was tired of sacrificing family time. His schedule is now that he has one week "on" and one week off. That means from Tuesday to Tuesday he works from 7am-7pm (but usually 8-9) and then have one week completely off from work. We really like the schedule because of the amount of family time we now have. It also gives him a lot of flexibility in terms of extra activities and work - extra shifts on days of his choosing, locums at other hospitals, or working as a faculty teaching medical students. It also means that on his weeks off we are very busy trying to get everything we can fit into the week, like doctors appointments, errands for him, things that require him to be present (setting up bank stuff and house buying) etc. While it can be hard during the "on" week - it is certainly no harder than residency and the best part is that there is an end in sight. 

So far we haven't had an "off" week that was normal or relaxing. The day after Ridhwi's first week of work, Ashima woke up in the morning with a swollen eye. It looked like either a bug had bitten her or maybe she had hit it on her crib. I woke Ridhwi up and we tried to decide what to do. We couldn't decide if it was something that needed to be looked at or something that would go away on its own. We also had another problem - we had enrolled with our insurance company but had not received cards and we were not even sure the paperwork had gone through so we had no idea what to submit if we were to go to the doctor. We waited an hour and saw that her eye was getting worse and decided to take her in. Ridhwi then spent the rest of morning and part of the afternoon on the phone with the hospital HR rep (a VERY nice man) who helped up figure out our insurance as best we could and Ridhwi spoke with an opthamologist who also recommended bringing her in. During this time I put the kids down for a nap. When Ashima woke up, we were shocked. Her eye was huge and swollen. She could not see out of it at all - it had completely closed. Alarmed, we called the doctor and changed her appointment time and got her in right away. After a very sad baby had to get her eye poked and dilated, it was decided that she had preseptal cellulitis - an infection in her eye that was in danger of becoming septic. Ridhwi had been exactly right in his diagnosis after she woke up and I am so thankful he pushed to go to the doctor as much as he did. It was explained that in adults, preseptal cellulitis follows a clear path of infection, first the eye lid, then the duct, then the eye, then the brain (or something like that, forgive me, I'm not the doctor). However, in children, it is much more dangerous because the infection can spread in an unpredictable pattern. In other words, the infection could go straight to her brain. The opthamologist said we had two options - we could hospitalize her to get her antibiotics through an IV or try taking her home and giving antibiotics at home and see if it helps and if it doesn't - straight to the hospital. After some discussion, we decided to take her home. We were worried about the trauma of getting an IV in her - she would most likely have to be sedated because she would never keep an IV in. That comes with it's own risks and besides - Ridhwi is a doctor and we live a block from the hospital. By the time we left the doctor's office we were getting worried and wondering if we made the right decision. Then began a huge fight with the pharmacy because of our insurance problems. Ultimately, after an hour of waiting and many tense words between Ridhwi and the pharmacist we paid $450.00 in cash for the medicine so we could give it immediately and would worry about the insurance reimbursement at a later point. We got Ashima home and (literally) shoved the medicine down her throat and put her to bed. We set our alarms for every hour throughout the night and checked on her. The next morning it was not better. We went to the doctor again and he said that since it had not been a full 24 hours yet we again faced the decision of whether to hospitalize her. She was  not yet showing signs of the infection becoming septic so we decided to keep her until the afternoon and if by the evening her eye was not better - a full 24 hours after giving the medicine - we were going to the hospital. Fortunately, after Ashima woke up from her nap, we could see an improvement. We were SO relieved! The next couple of days were full of making sure she rested, ate, and dealing with the side effects from the medicine: lack of appetite, upset tummy, diarrhea, sun sensitivity, and a rash on her face, and trying to be reimbursed for her medicine (which, thanks to the horrible pharmacy, we still ended up having to pay quite a bit for out of pocket) that the days just flew by. We were relieved that her infection did not become more serious and happy and thankful to a healthy baby.

That Sunday, I got a text from my older brother asking if we wanted to have our 9 year-old niece, Elizabeth come and visit for a few days. I was super excited. When we lived in Kansas and Missiouri, we used to see my brother's kids once a week or so. We miss them terribly (and my other twin nephews that live in New York) and hate living so far away. I was very happy to spend some quality time with Elizabeth. We drove several hours to Sheboygan, WI to pick her up. Since moving to the state, I haven't had much of a chance to see it and let me tell you, I had no idea how beautiful Wisconsin is. Aside from one episode of vomiting from Ashima (who was still on antibiotics and feeling nauseous), it was a very enjoyable ride. Elizabeth spent the next few days with us and I intend to write a much more detailed blog post about the visit because I learned quite a bit in that time. I learned about my niece, who, I realized, I didn't really know anymore. I learned about Amita and how she acts with other people around, and I learned what it might be like when the kids are older. During that time we explored some parks, visited a cheese factory, talked a lot about Harry Potter, watched movies, painted some pottery, and had fun. At the end of the trip we drove to MN to meet my mom who was going to take Elizabeth home. We played in the pool, had some family time, and had a lot of fun. I was very lucky to have a beautiful ride home with some sleepy girls. It was enjoyable. 

While Elizabeth was visiting, we heard word about a dog in Kentucky who was needing a good home through a rescue organization called Pawsibilities Unleashed. Alli was a rescue who had been trained as a service dog to help those with PTSD. However, she was nearing 1.5 and had not been adopted so they opened the adoption to any loving family who would have her. We lost our beloved Maxwell several months earlier at the age of 17 and were looking for that hole to be replaced. While we realize that another dog won't completely fill Maxwell's shoes (paws), we were looking to have a family friendly dog who we could love and give affection to and who would be good with the kids. We were confident that Alli fit the bill. We decided to pick her up the following week. So, last week, we packed up the kids and set off on a 9.5 hour drive to get our next baby - Alli. The second we met her we fell in love. She is so sweet and nice yet playful and energetic. She is still very "puppyish" but follows commands and is great with the kids. After a 14 hour drive back - thanks to an accident on the highway, we finally got her home. She has been a great dog and we are really enjoying the dynamic she brings to our family. We are very saddened by some obvious signs of abuse to her neck and belly and we are committed to giving her a cushy life and lots of treats - and she is committed to giving us lots of love and licks in return. It's a pretty good relationship. 

That leads us to today. We start another "on" week. Next week on our "off" week we are going to Madison for three days for Ridhwi to complete some work so that week will be very busy as well. 

The last several weeks have been crazy, to say the least. I am looking forward to things settling down in the near future (hopefully) and to get in some sort of schedule. We are trying to decide what to do with the kids - whether Amita is needing some sort of formal "schooling" at this point and what that would look like. She also also considering the fact that we are closing on our house in September and moving again in October. There are many changes for us as a family this year - and many of them have been a bit unexpected. While they are mostly good changes, they are also calling for us to change our ideas of what we want and need for our family. I plan to write a few more blog posts this week about some of the more detailed changes (specifically about Amita), and outline some of the educational choices we are making for her. However, each day I am thankful to have happy healthy kids and a new loyal dog by my side. We are excited about the future and trying to find our own slice of peace within this crazy world!

How I've felt the last couple of weeks

Here We Are: Thoughts on "Arrival", House Buying, and Schooling

I sit here typing in the kitchen of our "hospital house". After several weeks of traveling, unpacking, and getting settled, we are starting to get into a new routine. Ridhwi started work this morning and while I enjoyed the family time we had together, I was ready for things to return to normal, as was Ridhwi. 

The last couple of weeks have been great. When we lived in Michigan, I felt as though we were living from one day to the next, sometimes one hour to the next with the thought that "it will get better". These last few weeks I feel I've been experiencing the "better". 

We chose Wisconsin because of the people. We interviewed in 6 states and 10 hospitals over the course of six months. Originally we wanted to go somewhere in the south - somewhere warm. When we came to Wisconsin, however, it felt like coming home - like we had been friends with the people here forever and it was the place we wanted to live and raise our family. We have since found out the made the right decision and have experienced  numerous acts of everyday kindness: friends and neighbors stopping by to see how we are settling and welcoming us to the area, the post office going out of their way to find my phone number and calling me when I left my iPad there, texts from the very nice couple from the moving company about community events, directions to kid friendly parks and pools, etc., and invites to dinner from new friends. We truly feel welcomed into the fold of this town. 

Our "Hospital House". It is a house owned by the hospital provided to us until we are settled. 

The girls LOVE having a back yard!

Another big change in our life is that we put an offer on a home and it was accepted! We had the inspection over the weekend and it went well. We are not planning on closing until mid-September because we don't want to move again right away but we are really excited. Our new home will be 40 minutes away from the Hospital where Ridhwi will work.  The drive might be difficult for Ridhwi in winter but we both feel the house more than makes up for it - after a few updates (tile in the entry, paint, and some furniture purchases) it will be our dream home. I will post more pictures once we close on it and it is officially ours. 

The kids loved it. Amita kept asking to go back to the "other new house".

I am feeling "settled" for the first time in our marriage.  I've enrolled Amita in piano lessons and plan to enroll in a gymnastics class in the fall. Ashima loves the extra room in the house to run and play and is in high spirits. I'm happy to have room with the kiddos and room for all of our stuff. The two bedroom apartment got REALLY small at the end. One of the things I love most is that we have a back yard and garage area and the kids love to run and play. We also bought a kiddie pool which has been used almost every day.

Since our offer was accepted on the house, I have been giving schooling a lot of thought and trying to honestly evaluate myself in the role of homeschooler. When I did all of my research into schools in the area, I did not include the area to which we will be moving. During the time when we interviewed, it was part of my itinerary to visit the schools (I requested to do so) while Ridhwi was interviewing at the hospital so I felt like I have a good grasp of what the schools in the area are when I decided to homeschool. I did not think they were awful, but I didn't think that a curriculum where children only get one hour of science, recess, art, and social studies a week is ideal. I do not want my children to be able to only take math and english tests, I want them to be able to be free thinkers - and the arts and sciences are necessary for that. To be completely honest and fair to my kids I feel that I need to look into the private and possibly the public school that is close to our new home(I've always thought I wouldn't send them to public school but I've heard positive things from many people in this area). We still have several months on our one year trial and I am planning on trying new things to see if it will help with homeschooling. I'm going to try a new reading curriculum for Amita and I have also emailed a few members of the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point School of Education faculty to see if they could recommend a student in the program who could come for a few hours a couple of times a week to help with homeschooling. This might make things more manageable. One of my biggest struggles is feeling like I have individual time with each kid. Ashima is now ready for some instruction, and Amita is beginning reading readiness and when I try to sit down with one kid the other one whines and wants to join in. The problem is that I can't seem to get anything done when I have both of them, and I have no way to separate them either. I am hoping that trying new curricula and possibly having a little help, as well as looking at the schools in the area where our new home will be will help to give me a more clear path forward. I have been reminded quite often why I chose secondary education instead of early childhood and elementary.

There have been a lot of changes in our lives the last couple of weeks. As a good friend recently said, "The Mukerjis don't do regular moves". It seems to be true. When we do things, we do them in a major way. I think I need to do more research into the new area we will be living in before I come to any firm conclusions about schooling and take each day at a time. The kids are still young and I have time. Until such time, I'll enjoy my babies and take each day as it comes, doing what I can.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Back After a Long Hiatus!

My husband and I have been traveling the last two and a half weeks (one of those with the kids) and are finally back! I have received my preschool curriculum I ordered and I look forward to beginning it with Amita and posting about how I like it!

It's great to be back - there's truly no place like home. :)

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. :)

Lesson Plan - Making Valentines for Family Members

With Valentine's Day coming soon, I decided to have Amita make some Valentines. This was one activity that she LOVED!!!! She sat in her high chair for an hour and a half actively involved while listening and following directions the WHOLE time. Momma for the win (throws hands in air)!!!!

She also got to work on her scissor skills, which she thinks is awesome. Here is what I did:

1. Get supplies ready. I used a bunch of stuff I got for a dollar at Wal-Mart including: markers, heart confetti (which I just had her glue down), stickers, construction paper, sparkly glue, and regular glue.

2. I wrote the message to family members for her on regular white paper. 

3. I had her practice cutting out hearts. She wasn't able to do it very well but she had a lot of fun trying!

4. I had her color the paper with markers and then glue the hearts and put the stickers on. Lastly was Amita's favorite part - the sparkly glue!

5. The finished result:

I'm mailing them today and I'm sure our family members will love receiving them as much as Amita loved making them!

Skills: letter recognition, shape recognition, color recognition, new vocabulary (glitter, glue), animal recognition (when putting down stickers), animal sound practice, gross motor skills, fine motor skills.