Here is the story of the Good Samaritan as told by Jaylyn during lunchtime. 

"Who were the people that took the clothes away?"

The Robbers

"Ohh, robbers took his clothes away.  What else did they take?"

Food

"The robbers took the man's food and clothes away.  They were NOT being nice...............Why weren't they being nice?"

I'm not sure................

"The other man didn't help him."

The temple priest didn't help him, you're right.

"But the man helped him.  What was he called?"

Samaritan

"The Samaritan helped the man.  The robbers took his clothes and food.  They hit him.  They fight.  They were NOT being nice.  The Samaritan picked him up just like this (cupping her hands).  He put him on his donkey."

You're right.  He took the man to a house so they could doctor him. 

"Why weren't the robbers being nice?  They fight and hit him."

I'm not sure...........they were just not being nice to the man.  They took his clothes and food.

"The Samaritan took him home to see the man's mommy.  She doctored his boo-boos.  She gave him band aids and more food.  The Samaritan was being nice.  The mommy told the robbers to be nice.  They obeyed."

I don't think that's quite how the story ended, but I really enjoyed her version of the story anyway. 

Well, it's been awhile!  I had to take a little blogging break.  Things were just so busy and stressful around here.  This past weekend, hubby took the CFP exam.  That was a LONG test!  He's been studying for over a year.  He took the six classes, the review course, and then the test.  He was so ready to be done with studying!  But I think I was even more ready for him to be done with studying!  Now we just have to wait for the test results.  He should know something in 6-8 weeks.  So, say a little prayer that he passed the test and doesn't have to retake it in December!!!! 

Now that the test is over, we've been enjoying some family time and lots and lots of swimming!  Here are our little pollywogs!

Jaxon enjoying his key ring and floatie

The family

Jaylyn swimming all by herself!!

And Jaxon enjoying the freedom from his floatie 

Here's an article advocating less deskwork in preschool and kindergarten. 

I've heard that children cannot learn to read (or should not be forced to learn) until after they can do activities that cross their body's midline (such as skipping).  They need both sides of the brain working together to be able to process words in order to read them. 

Play time is such an important aspect of learning!

One of Jaylyn's little chores around the house is to help with laundry.  She takes clothes to the hamper, unloads the washer to load the dryer, and unloads the dryer and puts the clothes on the bed.  Sometimes I let her help me sort the clothes (only when I don't mind the extra wrinkles........)  So, here is mommy's little helper at work.

Cheerfully loading the dryer (hear the sarcasm??)

Now she's helping

Play time in the hamper!

Breakfast time!

Banana Muffins

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 mashed bananas

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup sour cream

2 egg whites

2 cups wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add cinnamon

Combine butter and sugar and beat well.  Add banana, milk, sour cream, and egg whites.  In separate bowl combine flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir.  Add to creamed mixture, beating until blended.  Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. 

I've received some really great feedback on the WHYS.  So here's our plan for tackling them:

1)  Obedience comes first.  Obey and then we'll discuss why.  For most things, I want her to understand our reasoning behind things.  I also don't want to stifle her natural curiosity. 

So now Jaylyn will come to me, "I obeyed.  What is our discussion?"  It's so funny!

2)  Sometimes she really doesn't need to know the reason why because she's just asking to try to drive me crazy!  So sometimes I just tell her she doesn't need to know WHY, she just needs to obey. 

3)  I realized she was using the WHYS to try to manipulate us and be in control of the situation.  She is asking why, and she already knows the answer to many of the questions!  So, obedience comes first and then our discussion time.  In our discussion time, I ask her to tell ME why she was told to do whatever she did.  Her immediate response is, "I don't know.  Tell me Mommy."  But I hold out and guess what?  She gets the answer right almost 98% of the time.  She really does know why we do the things we do.  This proves that she does, in fact, listen to me!!!  So when I know that SHE KNOWS the answer, I make her give it to me. 

Wow!  What a difference this has made.  No more whiny WHYS and I can tell that she's listening!  And she loves our discussion time after the obedience when she is free to question away.  She learns so much during that time. 

"Because I said so, that's why!"  "Because I'm the mom!"  I so want to use those answers to the endless question of WHY???  Jaylyn just yesterday started asking WHY? over and over again.  "Please put your shoes in your closet."  WHY?  "It's bathtime."  WHY???  "Brush your teeth please."  WHY?  "Finish your dinner."  WHY?  "Don't talk with your mouth full."  WHY??? (as her food falls out of her mouth...........)  Ahhh!  They WHYS are driving us crazy.  How do you respond?  If I ignore the 100th WHY, then Jaylyn will say, "Speak Mommy!  Answer me!"  That's when I want to ask, "WHY????"  I try not to tell her the standard response of, "Because I said so."  But isn't that the truth?  It shouldn't matter why she needs to put her toys away, or why she needs to take a bath, or why she needs to chew with her mouth closed.  She should simply obey, right?  If it were only that easy.......until then, I better have lots of answers ready because I think the WHYS may stick around for a while.

And while we're on the topic of the WHYS, why do we have to buy the latest and greatest most expensive toys for our kids?  They are so easily entertained and can be so creative if given the opportunity.  Today, Jaylyn spent over 30 minutes playing with a ketchup packet.  She named the ketchup packet and had many conversations with him.  Together, they searched for the ketchup packet's mommy (I told her the mommy was a tomato).  Then she followed me around the house with the packet asking me all kinds of questions about what I was doing, but all my answers had to be directed to "ketchup" not Jaylyn.  Then she sang songs to her ketchup and went over to Jaxon to show him the ketchup.  Hmmmm, I had no idea that ketchup packets could be so fun.  Tomorrow, I might give her a mustard packet and see what she can come up with........maybe ketchup and mustard could be friends. 

My husband's birthday was a few days before the 4th of July.  So, we plotted with some of his co-workers and planned a little surprise for him!  My grandma made goodies, my mom arranged them on trays, and we picked up balloons and the goodies and headed up to his work.  We had the stroller, 3 trays of goodies, balloons, a party hat, Jaxon, Jaylyn and her princess crown, the diaper bag, and me.  Boy!  Was that a stressful trip!  But we surprised (and embarrassed) Daddy with all his birthday treats.  And his co-workers enjoyed the mini-cheesecakes, brownies, and cookies.  They were gone before the end of the day.  I would have taken a picture at the office, but as you can tell, my hands were just too full!  So I snapped one as he came walking in the door after work.  Isn't he cute??? 

Happy Birthday honey!!!

Happy Independence Day!!!!!

My mom and baby Jaxon

4th of July Princess

Parade stroller

Ready for the parade

Parade Float (keep in mind this is just a neighborhood parade--not a city parade)

Parade dunebuggy..........hmmmm

And this entry..........I'm not sure what it has to do with the 4th of July......How did they make it into the parade?  It sure is cute though!

The parade was so fun but soooo very hot!!!!

We have a little gelato shop not too far from our house.  Sometimes I wish we hadn't discovered it.  I'm so addicted!  When I was pregnant I craved the Caramel Apple gelato, then it was Cinnamon, then it was the Peppermint, then it was Peach Mango-- now it is Blackberry and I'm not even pregnant...  Jaylyn LOVES gelato and she thinks all ice cream is gelato.  Even Jaxon has had a few tastes. 

We made a little trip to the gelato shop this evening.  It was so good!  As we were leaving, Jaylyn started to get cranky.  Get in your car seat please.  "I don't want to!"  It's time to go home.  "I don't want to go to bed!"  Then she asked for her little computer that she plays with in the car.  We waited until she asked politely.  She turned on her computer and it started talking (keep in mind that this phonics computer is probably the most annoying toy ever invented).  "H says hhhhhhhh.  Press the letter H!"  From the back seat, "But I don't WANT to press the letter H."  The toy was turned off then dropped to the floor.  The front seat was laughing uncontrollably.  It may not sound funny, but at the time it was soooooo funny.  (Bedtime followed shortly after our arrival home.  It had been a LONG day!)

Kindermusik is so fun!  Jaylyn and Jaxon have been attending a sibling class with me.  Jaylyn enjoys running around the room and, since our class is held in the train station, watching for trains to come by.  Jaxon just enjoys eating the little bells and shakers.  During the cleanup time, Jaylyn always takes Jaxon's instruments to the teacher yelling, "They're drooly!!!  Clean them!!"  And yes, the teacher does clean them after each class--I've seen her do it.  The theme for our summer class is "Under the Sea."  The teacher is great and each week she gives us a print out with fun activities for us to do at home.  This week, we made a whale with a lunch sack stuffed with newspaper.  He turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself.  Introducing Wally the Whale!!!

We decided to throw a half-birthday party for little Jaylyn.  She never got a "real" birthday party because we were in the hospital with her little brother on her birthday.  Jaylyn loves art, so we planned a party at the local art center.  I spoke with the director and the teacher and we planned activities.  Jaylyn was sooooo excited!!!

Well, we survived the party and the kids all had a great time.  But I had a few complaints.........First, the room was WAY too small to accomodate 8 kids and their parents (I gave the center the final head count).  Second, the room was dirty and most counter tops were covered with paper or stacks of supplies.  There was no where to put the presents and the finished projects.  Third, the teacher did not interact with the kids at all.  She asked a few questions, handed out a few paint colors, and then stood back to watch.  My mom, my husband, and I had to make sure everyone had paint and brushes.  Fourth, the teacher did not do any of the projects we discussed over the phone.  The kids were supposed to make a mixed media collage and do different types of painting.  She gave them sheets of paper to color and cut up a potato so they could make potato prints using the potato as a stamp.  Needless to say, I was so disappointed.  But at least the kids had a great time, the cake was great, and Jaylyn had a blast blowing out her candle and opening her gifts!

We've had so much fun with our jungle theme.  We have made several visits to the library and our favorite books are:

The Seals on the Bus by Hort--A funny take on the song The Wheels on the Bus.  It ends with skunks on the bus and all the people on the bus saying HELP HELP HELP!!  Jaylyn runs around the house screaming, 'There are skunks on the bus!  Help me!!!"  And Jaxon laughs hysterically every time. 

Cha-Cha Chimps by Durango--In this book the little chimps sneak out for a night of dancing and meet lots of animals doing all kinds of dancing.  Then........EEE EEE OOOHH OOOHH AH AH AH the chimps do the Cha Cha Cha.  Jaxon LOVES this book!

Chameleon's Colors by Tashiro--Chameleon is always being overlooked by the other animals because they never see him.  The other animals are envious of his ability to change colors, so chameleon offers to paint the animals. 

To continue our theme, Justin and I planned an animal safari for Jaylyn.  We gathered up all the stuffed animals and hid them throughout the house one night after Jaylyn was in bed.  Then I printed off a picture of each type animal that Jaylyn should look for during her safari.  When she woke up, I told her about her safari adventure.  She dressed in a hat and grabbed her binoculars.  I gave her the safari list and off she went to search the house.  After finding the animals, she rehid them (in all the same places....) and went and found them again.  The second safari was MUCH shorter than the first.  Ever since our little safari, Jaylyn has referred to herself as the "Animal Girl" and she pretends to find animals everywhere.  Then she changed her name to "Cinderella Animal Girl Baby."  Her names keep getting longer and more complicated.  It makes my brain hurt!!!

Our new little unit study has been all about jungle animals.  We've made several zoo visits and had so much fun seeing the animals.  I printed the names of several farm and jungle animals.  Jaylyn then categorized the animals and pasted them into the correct columns.  She even got most of them right on the first try!!!

We also painted with cotton balls.  They make fun sponges!!  I used clothespins to attach cotton balls and she painted away.  Very unmessy sponges!  (I'm not sure what this has to do with jungle animals, but it was fun).

Then we had an idea!  We cut out a giraffe shape and used a cottonball to sponge brown spots all over the giraffe.  Sooooooo, it did apply to our unit study after all!

Then we took a break to do a little "field work" and we fed our resident jungle animal.  He really enjoyed his lunch!!!

I just have so many disasters in the kitchen.............I borrowed my grandma's double boiler to make some dessert for my hubby as a surprise.  Well, my double boiler fused together, so of course, he knew what I was up to when he saw the double boiler in the sink.  I would have washed it and put it away but I couldn't get it apart!  It was stuck together for hours, and I tried everything I could think of to unstick those two pots!  I did not want to return it to my grandma fused into one big pot.  Thankfully, I searched the internet and learned that if you reheat the bottom pot and throw ice and cold water in the top pot, they pop apart.  But, I stressed all day about those dumb pots and about the fact that seeing them in the kitchen sink would ruin my surprise.  One day, I'm going to break something big, I just know it.................

Here's an article that I saw on another blog (I can't remember which one though..........).  The article examines math and when math should be introduced.  I had never heard of waiting until after age 10 to teach math, and I never realized that historically, math was taught at later ages.  Something new to consider.............

Here's a recipe for our favorite blueberry muffins. 

1 and 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup applesauce

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 cup blueberries 

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Add applesauce, egg, and milk.  Mix.  Fold in blueberries. 

Topping

1/4 cup sugar

1/6 cup flour

1/8 cup butter cubed

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Cut in butter with fork and then sprinkle on top of muffins, lightly pressing down topping into batter.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. 

mmmmmmmm

And here's Jaylyn's muffin after she hacked into it with her knife..............I can still smell them!

Thanks to those who have sent me the link to this website. 

After hearing about this site, my husband and I have begun reading through the site.  (He actually read parts of it and I was so impressed!!!)  So, after some long discussions we began trying out some of the suggestions.  Wow!  We must not have green thumbs.  

Now, it probably wasn't the best time for us to just suddenly change tactics.  A few days after we began our "new" techniques, Justin headed out of town.  Jaylyn was not a fan of the new rules or the new discipline techniques, so she has tried to buck the system in every way possible.  She has also tried to test me to see if I'm really serious about everything.  (Yes, I am serious about it, by the way).  So, I know given time, that things will begin working.  I did see the light at the end of the tunnel the other day though................

Jaylyn was throwing a terrible tantrum and I was standing my ground.  It made for a very long 20 minutes while worrying that her screaming would wake Jaxon.  Finally, I wrapped her in my arms and refused to let her go (I was tired of being pelted with toys, taking them away, and dishing out swats).  After a GOOD 10-15 minutes of holding her while she screamed, "Let GO!!", she changed her tune and began screaming, "It's no use!!!!"  Aha!!!  I'm getting through.  I outlasted her on that one.  Amazingly, for the rest of the day she was sweet and compliant, helped with laundry, and picked up her toys. 

Sooo..........thanks again for the website.  It really does work as I've started to notice.  It's just going to take some time and lots and lots and lots and lots of patience.  But we're getting there and things are getting better.  We just have an incredibly stubborn little drama queen on our hands and it makes life pretty interesting around here.