Got a second ...

That's right - That's all I've got.

Baby Sprinkle's is gurgling in her crib, Sweetness needs her teeth brushed, and Precious is heading out the door with daddy.

But a second (or maybe two or three) is all I need to brag a little about my little munchkins.

Brag # 1 - Baby Sprinkles is sitting up, squealing, and bouncing like a jack rabbit in her exersaucer.

Brag #2 - Sweetness has begun her first swimming lessons and is the "perfect" student - no kidding. She happens to be in a class with a bunch of rowdy boys so that aids in the angelic student image.

Brag #3 - Precious conquered the diving board for the first time and is helping to do "chores" around the house. Give her a cloth and a spray bottle and that kid is good to go for a good 10 minutes!

Proud of you girls - Mama loves you!

My Little Evangelist

The other day, the neighbour boy was over. Precious and he were grabbing a snack from the kitchen. In between grabbing a snack and racing off to the train set sprawled out on the living room floor, Precious started to tell the neighbour boy about God. She got her simple truths out in about 7.5 seconds:

~ You should go to church so that you can learn about God.

~ You are special because God made you.

~ God made the whole world.

I was around the corner listening to this one-sided conversation and smiled at Precious's urgent tone and sincere words.

It made me realize that we don't need to wait for the perfect moment to share a little about God. Any time can be the perfect moment if we just open our mouths and share what we know is true.

Funny words that made me smile . . .

When I asked Precious, "Guess what?",
She responded, "You want to keep me forever."
~Sure do kiddo.

When daddy told Sweetness not to go pee when playing in the backyard,
She responded, "If you put a sign up that says "No peeing", then I won't go pee in the backyard."
~There's now a "No Peeing" post-it note stuck to the backyard fence.

When making cupcakes the other day, Precious said, "This is the most fun I've EVER had!".
~Cupcakes are fun, but I think the sugar from the icing and gummy worms may have been blurring her memory a bit.

When referring to "today", Sweetness will wake up in the morning and ask "Is it tomorrow?" because usually the day before, I had said "Tomorrow we're going to ...". I respond and say, "Yes Sweetness, Today is tomorrow but now tomorrow is today."
~Did you get that?

Why Nana Can't Breastfeed . . .

When I feed Baby Sprinkles I use a large pillow to help position her properly. Little did I know that my 4 year old's interpretation of the usage of the pillow was so vital to Baby Sprinkle's nourishment ...

While on our way to drop Precious and Sweetness off at Nana's and Papa's house for a 2 night sleepover, this conversation took place:

Precious: Is Baby Sprinkles staying at Nana's and Papa's house too?

Mama: No, she's going to stay home with Mama and Daddy.

Precious: Why?

Mama: Because Nana can't feed Baby Sprinkles.

Precious: But Nana has boob boos.

Mama: Yes, but ...

Before I could rationalize and explain the wonders of a mother's breast milk, Precious had a sudden revelation!

Precious: Oh! But Nana doesn't have the pillow!

Precisely!

What my girls are doing now . . .

This last week I have been very blessed. Baby Sprinkles is sleeping through the night! She is 4 and a half months old and decided to sleep through the night for the past 4 eves. Bless you child.

Sweetness has also been showing some progress in life. She is mastering the pedalling of her tricycle. Sweetness is a wee petite so reaching those pedals has truly been a challenge. She is no longer just pedalling backwards but has got the forward motion happening too.

Precious ... hmmm ... she has recently learned how to tie a knot. That's an important life skill!

But more importantly she has been memorizing scripture. She has Psalm 119:11, Proverbs 3:5,6, 1 Peter 5:7 and Philippians 4:13 hidden in her heart. She is presently working on Genesis 1:1. There is nothing sweeter (or convicting) than listening to a 4 year old tell you to "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all you ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.".

Roast What?

Sitting around a crackling fire.
Enjoying an outdoor meal of semi-charred smokies.
Roasting marshmallows in preparation for gooey smores.

Lately Precious asked me, "Can we have a roast beef in the back yard?". It took me a moment to interpret her request. She was really asking, "Can we have a wiener roast in the back yard?". Her request would have been more appropriate, I suppose, if wieners were really made out of real beef! :)

Wow! What Cute Kids I Have!

Yes I know, I'm biased. But I'm allowed to be, I'm their mother!

Here's some cute things they've been doing lately:

Precious (4.5 yrs) ~ You know how sometimes adults will use their fingers to count off their points when they're really trying to drive a verbal message home? They'll say, "First of all... and, second of all... and lastly,..." all the while holding down their pinky, ring man and middle man. Well, Precious has started to drive her points home this way too. It is truly hilarious seeing a 4 year old mimic her (cough) mother in such an accurate manner.

Sweetness (almost 3 yrs) ~ This crazy kid loves putting her shoes on. When she puts her first shoe on she asks, "Is this the right foot mama?". I answer with a "yes" or a "no" and she puts the shoe on the correct foot. She then picks up the second shoe and starts to put it on THE ONLY OTHER FOOT SHE HAS and asks again, "Is this the right foot mama?". Aaaaahhhh yes honey. You don't have too many choices there!

Sprinkles (11 weeks)~ She's only 11 weeks old so basically everything she does is super cute. Most recently she has started to smile a lot, especially under her mobile, and she has started to respond to her big sisters tactics by giving a little laugh. Super cute!

Making a Splash!

Precious, my 4 1/2 year old, is presently enrolled in swimming lessons at the "Floaters" level. This is her second time around as a "Floater". Yes, my daughter failed (politically incorrect mama here). She still got a sticker in her little swimming report booklet, but it was a small one with a little note saying "Please re-enrol". She will not become part of the much distinguished "Gliders" until she is able to glide forwards and backwards at least 3 metres.

Well, today was a break through for my Precious One. While the instructor was guiding floats and glides with other individual students, my daughter was "practicing" near the side of the pool by paddling like a maniac. This is otherwise known as treading water!!!!! Not only did she tread water for a large part of her 30 minute lesson, but near the end of her lesson she went from treading water like a maniac into a perfect Star float position all by herself!!!!! I usually am a very modest mother - I know that my kids are not "exceptional" in all that they do. But I feel I have the right to brag about this rather exceptional achievement for Precious at this time. It won't be long and she'll be gliding her way with the best of them! Mama's proud Precious.

Aaaaah - That's Sweet

While making french toast for dinner, I overheard this conversation between Precious and Sweetness:

Precious: Why do you always get so excited when Baby Sprinkles wakes up?

Sweetness: Because me wuv her.

Precious: I love her too because she's so small.

Sweetness: Me wuv her too because she's so small.

Sounds like a lot of lovin' is going on because "she's so small"????

Question from a Preschooler

My 4 year old usually asks her best questions while on the road. Coming home from swimming lessons we had this conversation:

Her: Mama, what will happen if I bite my finger off?

Me: Well, you'll be short one finger.

Her: But my fingernails grow back.

Me: There are some parts of our bodies that grow back when they get cut off like our fingernails and our hair. But most of our body parts dont't grow back.

Her: silence . . .

Me: thinking . . . Did I have thoughts like this when I was 4?

Preschool Activities - Computer Geek Toddler

My oldest daughter was 3 years old before she was exposed to "technology". We didn't have a TV or a computer in our home so opportunities for popular culture exposure were limited to visits to Nana's and Papa's house. At 3 years old, the computer arrived along with the DVD disc drive which now provided a bounty of exposure to Dora and Diego. My innocent 3 year old was easily motivated to learn how to manipulate the keyboard and the mouse so that she could do her favorite "buttons". The motivation has been even greater for my second daughter, who is now 2 and a half, and can manipulate the keyboard and mouse like an expert! Sometimes I wonder if this is "ok", but at the same time I am fascinated at how adaptable kids are to the world around them. I have to admit that I am intrigued with many of the preschool directed websites. I love it when I happen upon a really great site. Here are a few that are mine and my kids's favorites:

Peep and the Big Wide World - Each day this site has a new 2-5 minute animated video featuring Peep, Chirp, and Quack. The videos are usually related to Science type topics.

Treehouse TV - Preschool Kids Activities - Just a whole lot of stuff!

Playhouse Disney - Lotsa Fun!

British Council - Learn English for Kids - This site sounds really boring but my kids LOVE the songs and videos.

ENJOY!

Preschool Activity Bags - Numbers up to 10

Creating preschool activity bags is super simple! I love making them for my kids to use. Each activity bag contains the materials for one open ended activity that focuses on a specific skill. Each Friday I will be posting one activity bag idea that I use with my kids. A list of materials will be provided as well as a photo of what the activity looks like (hopefully). I hope that some of you moms will find this a blessing especially if you are considering the homeschooling route for your family.

Skill: Number Correspondence 1-10

Materials:
1 Ziploc bag
10 small squares of cardstock each labeled with a number from 1-10
55 counters (counters can be anything from bingo chips to dried kidney beans)

Directions:
Lay out the labeled number cards from 1 to 10 on the floor or table. Place the corresponding amount of counters on top of each number card.

Note:
If your child is just beginning to learn his/ her numbers, then start with the number cards 1-5 rather than 1-10.

Questions from a Preschooler

Often one of my least liked moments of motherhood is loading the kids from the front door of the house to their car seat in the van. I know that I could be more strict about this, but I'm ok letting them go outside and walk around the yard or driveway a bit while I load up the van. When I open the doors of the van and say, "Ok girls, time to get into the van," they usually look at me, smile, and go running around the van. It's fun for them - not for me! Usually, my 2 year old is pretty easy to grab and plunk down into her carseat while my 4 year continues to investigate puddles, discover new rocks, or travel around the van in a frantic manner. However, typically once her younger sibling is whining in her car seat, my preschooler is ready to climb into hers.

Yesterday was no exception to this little routine. When it was my 4 year old's turn to get into her car seat, she decided to run around the van one more time. Not considering the icy driveway, she wiped out and bruised her bottom. I came around the van and said in my very know-it-all mother voice "You deserved that because you didn't listen to mommy." She looked at me and asked with all seriousness, "Did God make me do it?". Too funny!!!!! "No honey, God didn't make you do it, the driveway is just icy. You need to obey mommy. Let's get you into the van kiddo!"

Thoughts from a Preschooler

Last night my daughters and I were in Zellers using my $50 gift certificate (I got a new crock pot- Wahoo!) and buying a birthday gift for my 6 year old niece. Often, I make my own cards, but I decided to buy my niece's birthday card this time around. While looking at the kids birthday cards, my daughter noticed a more adult type birthday card displayed right beside the kids cards. The card was labelled for a "humorous guy's birthday" and had a picture of a lady in a bikini looking over her shoulder on the front of it. My daughter noticed this lovely card and asked, "Why is that lady showing us her bum?" My response? - "Aaah . . . good question . . . I'm not sure". And truth be told, I'm not sure. How do you answer questions like these?!?!?!?!

Comments from a Preschooler

When asked what she would like for CHRISTmas, my 4 year old replied, "Surprise me." I hope this sweet innocence doesn't ever get lost!

We don't promote Santa Claus in our home. Although the girls are fully aware and fascinated with who he is, they have zero desire to sit on his lap! lol. In our home I want to promote other aspects of CHRISTmas beyond the arrival of Santa Claus. I remember as a kid, CHRISTmas was very much about Santa and gifts. When the reality of Santa's non-existence was revealed to me, I was devastated - All of a sudden a large part of what CHRISTmas had been, no longer existed.

So for CHRISTmas this year, my preschooler (and my toddler) will both be "surprised". They are getting simple gifts from mama and daddy. But these simple gifts are things that they will LOVE!

My preschooler is getting: a flashlight, a play make-up kit, a Tinkerbell purse and wallet, and a set of Polly Pockets.

My toddler is getting: a flashlight, a piggy bank, a Princess purse and wallet, and a My Little Pony set.

I usually budget around $100 for each girl, but this year the gifts only came to around $45 each! Surprises are wonderful things!

Question from a Preschooler

Here's a keeper:

Will Grandma still be old in Heaven?

Questions from a Preschooler

Here's a tough one!

How big is God? Is He bigger than a giant? Is He bigger than the sky?

Questions from a Preschooler

What animal is a giraffe afraid of?
What animal is a bear afraid of?
What animal is a horse afraid of?
What animal is a hippopotamus afraid of?
What animal . . .

Questions from a Preschooler

Well, it looks like my 7 days of consistency are non-existent. But at least I seem to get on here on Mondays. It must be because it's the start of a new week or maybe it's because the kids haven't woken up yet. Either way, here's the question that was posed yesterday in reference to an earlier conversation that confirmed that cars don't float:

Why do cars sink when they go into the water?

Questions from a Preschooler

How many animals are in the world? . . . Can you tell me them all?