We had a tough week full of emotional and seemingly hormonal toddlers and overflowing toilets. Plus we are still trying to shake the last effects of that cold we got a couple of weeks ago. Anyway, at the last minute, Christian decided that we were going to get a babysitter and we were going to have a few hours away from the girls on Friday.
We picked up some food and drove to a hill at UCR and had a picnic as the sun went down. It was so peaceful. We were in between two hills so the noises from the city and freeway were muffled. After we ate, we walked up to the top of one of the hills that overlooks the city. I can't believe how much it has changed since we used to go to school there. Where there were dark spots, you can now see city lights as far as the eye can see. It's not as pretty as it used to be. Then again, neither is the campus which is nearly unrecognizeable in some areas.
Christian and I met and UCR and that hill is actually one of the places we first went to together. We had a nice evening.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tagged
I was tagged by my friend Denise, to write down 6 random things about myself. I hate these because I find it really hard to answer, which is strange since who should know myself better than myself? Anyway, here goes...
1. My favorite place to go is the mountains. Everything is so clear, peaceful and beautiful there.
2. I love watching movies (at home).
3. I love baking anything and everything.
4. I hate doing the dishes.
5. I used to love cooking, until I had kids.
6. I love curling up on the sofa to read a good book.
Now I'm tagging...Raena, Cindy and Emilee. (Denise didn't tag 6 people, so, I'm not going to either!)
Here are the rules: These are the rules which need to be passed on:
1. Link to the person who tagged you on your blog.
2. Post the rules of the tag on your blog.
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of the post.
5. Let each of the people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let tagger know that your tag entry has been posted
1. My favorite place to go is the mountains. Everything is so clear, peaceful and beautiful there.
2. I love watching movies (at home).
3. I love baking anything and everything.
4. I hate doing the dishes.
5. I used to love cooking, until I had kids.
6. I love curling up on the sofa to read a good book.
Now I'm tagging...Raena, Cindy and Emilee. (Denise didn't tag 6 people, so, I'm not going to either!)
Here are the rules: These are the rules which need to be passed on:
1. Link to the person who tagged you on your blog.
2. Post the rules of the tag on your blog.
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of the post.
5. Let each of the people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let tagger know that your tag entry has been posted
A Pox on Wednesdays
I've come to really dislike Wednesdays. Wednesdays are minimum days for Emily's kindergarten school. She gets out an extra 1 hour and 15 minutes. It's the day the teachers get together to brainstorm or collaborate (i.e. whatever the teacher's equivalent of milling around the water cooler to discuss the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy, etc.).
Okay, okay, I'll stop. I would hate to insult the few really good teachers left out there. The education system would come to a halt without them. Sorry, people...I didn't mean you.
Anyway, it would really be easier to get into the groove of the new school schedule if it didn't keep changing right in the middle of the week. I literally, dropped Emily off this morning, drove to the bank and the market, came home to get some lunch when I had to turn around and pick Emily up again. It's quite aggravating.
On the bright side, I don't need to deal with the letter recognition thing for the Early Steps to Reading program anymore. Emily finished it all. I was going to post a picture every day with her new crown but I got lazy when she got her orange one and she got cheated her blue crown yesterday so here is the final one. She got a little whistle for completing them all. They could have saved money on supplies if they just tested her on all the cards all at once instead of sending them home with her one by one. She could have rattled them all off from the beginning.
So my dilema now is, since she clearly does not have very much of a challenge at school in learning (nor in church since she apparently is still getting sunbeam lessons since her CTR5 class is combined with sunbeams), what do I do to engage her mind? Do I just teach her to read and do simple arithmetic myself? Or am I just going to compound my woes regarding the educational system by keeping her ahead of her class mates?
If so, do I then just let her coast through life without challenges to her mind so that it atrophies? And then when the other children catches up to her, will she freak out because she will be so unused to the challenges and rigors to her mind?
I clearly have a problem. Not the one described above, but the fact that I just think and worry too much. I think I just need to chill out and let her enjoy herself...but apparently, it is against my character to do so. I think I need professional help!
Okay, okay, I'll stop. I would hate to insult the few really good teachers left out there. The education system would come to a halt without them. Sorry, people...I didn't mean you.
Anyway, it would really be easier to get into the groove of the new school schedule if it didn't keep changing right in the middle of the week. I literally, dropped Emily off this morning, drove to the bank and the market, came home to get some lunch when I had to turn around and pick Emily up again. It's quite aggravating.
On the bright side, I don't need to deal with the letter recognition thing for the Early Steps to Reading program anymore. Emily finished it all. I was going to post a picture every day with her new crown but I got lazy when she got her orange one and she got cheated her blue crown yesterday so here is the final one. She got a little whistle for completing them all. They could have saved money on supplies if they just tested her on all the cards all at once instead of sending them home with her one by one. She could have rattled them all off from the beginning.
So my dilema now is, since she clearly does not have very much of a challenge at school in learning (nor in church since she apparently is still getting sunbeam lessons since her CTR5 class is combined with sunbeams), what do I do to engage her mind? Do I just teach her to read and do simple arithmetic myself? Or am I just going to compound my woes regarding the educational system by keeping her ahead of her class mates?
If so, do I then just let her coast through life without challenges to her mind so that it atrophies? And then when the other children catches up to her, will she freak out because she will be so unused to the challenges and rigors to her mind?
I clearly have a problem. Not the one described above, but the fact that I just think and worry too much. I think I just need to chill out and let her enjoy herself...but apparently, it is against my character to do so. I think I need professional help!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Green level
Today, Emily brought home the green crown for passing the green level letters. She put in no more effort in learning these letters than the ones before. She also brought home the orange set. The result was the same. I actually think they are getting easier. Apparently a couple more kids got the yellow level today. None other than Emily has gotten the green.
Now Emily has always been too smart for her own good, so I tested the yellow level on Caitlyn who is much more of a happy go lucky kid who acts more of her own age. She got every letter except 2 variations on the lower case "a."
I am not encouraged.
My Rant on Schools
Okay, so Emily has been in school for a few weeks now and she still loves it. She loves the whole socialization thing mostly. Most of my rants have been about how unorganized they are and how little they respect parents and their time. I'm amazed sometimes that they get it to work at all.
After taking Emily to school and picking her up again for these past weeks, I remember what miserable people most of the school employees are. They hate their jobs, they hate your kids and they hate you. Okay, maybe I am exagerating a bit on some accounts but I'm not that far from the mark in others. And this is nothing against Emily's teacher who seems okay. But from my own experience and watching these miserable souls walk back and forth skulking through the school grounds, I shudder to think of what the effects of their misery have upon our kids. If the children learn and succeed, it will not be so much because of the efforts of these people, but despite them. So when you run into a really good teacher who loves what they do and really puts effort into teaching your kids (and I can probably count the number of really good teachers I've had K-12 on one hand), don't forget to show them some appreciation. Everyone needs a pat on the back now and then for their efforts.
Enough of that, my real rant is on the kindergarten curriculum. Now, I know they are just 5 year olds. They are just kids starting to learn. But from what I have seen of the curriculum of a kindergartener, there is also very little expectation. Their idea of math is shape sorting and things that are the same and different. What exactly does that have to do with math exactly? Or maybe there is some counting involved here and there of things 1-10. My 3 year old can count whether there are 3 squares here or 7!
Their idea of social studies appear to be just learning the basic rules of sharing and class rules, like not talking while the teacher is talking or taking turns.
I asked Emily what they taught in class the other day and it was the letter "I." Okay, maybe I am mistaken and just don't really know what else they are teaching in class. I mean, communication is NOT one of Emily's strong points.
So here was Emily the other day getting a little crown for testing out of her letters. Apparently some yahoos
from the University of Minnesota created these Early Steps to Reading. Letters (both upper case and lower case in different styles) are grouped and put in a certain order. Supposedly, if you learn each stage (identified with a color) in a certain order, it will help kids recognize letters and learn to read faster or better...not really sure I understand the whole idea.
So you pass each level and move on to the next. I took out the first set of letters from her envelope and asked her to identify them. She did so without blinking and she took it back to get the next set. Of course, the first sets of letters are supposed to be the easiest and will get progressively more difficult so I didn't think that much of it. They quized her and she passed and got her little award. I tried to sound excited and I should be proud and happy since she was only 1 of 2 children who got it from the get go but she honestly didn't have to put any effort into it. If she worked hard in learning it and passed, that would be a different matter.
So I am conflicted on whether I should be really excited and happy for her achievements even when it took no effort on her part since it helps build confidence or will these "achievements" that take no effort just make her overly confident and complacent?
After taking Emily to school and picking her up again for these past weeks, I remember what miserable people most of the school employees are. They hate their jobs, they hate your kids and they hate you. Okay, maybe I am exagerating a bit on some accounts but I'm not that far from the mark in others. And this is nothing against Emily's teacher who seems okay. But from my own experience and watching these miserable souls walk back and forth skulking through the school grounds, I shudder to think of what the effects of their misery have upon our kids. If the children learn and succeed, it will not be so much because of the efforts of these people, but despite them. So when you run into a really good teacher who loves what they do and really puts effort into teaching your kids (and I can probably count the number of really good teachers I've had K-12 on one hand), don't forget to show them some appreciation. Everyone needs a pat on the back now and then for their efforts.
Enough of that, my real rant is on the kindergarten curriculum. Now, I know they are just 5 year olds. They are just kids starting to learn. But from what I have seen of the curriculum of a kindergartener, there is also very little expectation. Their idea of math is shape sorting and things that are the same and different. What exactly does that have to do with math exactly? Or maybe there is some counting involved here and there of things 1-10. My 3 year old can count whether there are 3 squares here or 7!
Their idea of social studies appear to be just learning the basic rules of sharing and class rules, like not talking while the teacher is talking or taking turns.
I asked Emily what they taught in class the other day and it was the letter "I." Okay, maybe I am mistaken and just don't really know what else they are teaching in class. I mean, communication is NOT one of Emily's strong points.
So here was Emily the other day getting a little crown for testing out of her letters. Apparently some yahoos
from the University of Minnesota created these Early Steps to Reading. Letters (both upper case and lower case in different styles) are grouped and put in a certain order. Supposedly, if you learn each stage (identified with a color) in a certain order, it will help kids recognize letters and learn to read faster or better...not really sure I understand the whole idea.So you pass each level and move on to the next. I took out the first set of letters from her envelope and asked her to identify them. She did so without blinking and she took it back to get the next set. Of course, the first sets of letters are supposed to be the easiest and will get progressively more difficult so I didn't think that much of it. They quized her and she passed and got her little award. I tried to sound excited and I should be proud and happy since she was only 1 of 2 children who got it from the get go but she honestly didn't have to put any effort into it. If she worked hard in learning it and passed, that would be a different matter.
So I am conflicted on whether I should be really excited and happy for her achievements even when it took no effort on her part since it helps build confidence or will these "achievements" that take no effort just make her overly confident and complacent?
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Palm Desert
Since Christian was going to be working, over the weekend, I decided to take the girls out to Palm Desert where my sister was currently staying and meet up with my brother's family as well. This was the scenery outside her unit.
The girls had a blast swiming day and night. It's pretty much all you can do there at this time of year. It is oppressively hot. So you either swim and stay cool, or go inside the air conditioned resort. And since my girls have energy to spare, it was better to take them swimming than have them bounce off the walls inside.
Here are the girls hanging out by the pool...
One of the girls' favorite things was the waterslide...
And they also had a little water park in one area where water shoots out and you can play in it. That was the coolest water there. The water in the pools was not that cold...unless you dared climb into the jacuzzi in the evening, then the rest of the pools felt cold again.
It was all very fun, although Palm Desert was quite a bit farther than I anticipated. Thanks again Wendy for inviting us over.
Here is a little 30 second video of the girls swiming.
The girls had a blast swiming day and night. It's pretty much all you can do there at this time of year. It is oppressively hot. So you either swim and stay cool, or go inside the air conditioned resort. And since my girls have energy to spare, it was better to take them swimming than have them bounce off the walls inside.
Here are the girls hanging out by the pool...
One of the girls' favorite things was the waterslide...
And they also had a little water park in one area where water shoots out and you can play in it. That was the coolest water there. The water in the pools was not that cold...unless you dared climb into the jacuzzi in the evening, then the rest of the pools felt cold again.
It was all very fun, although Palm Desert was quite a bit farther than I anticipated. Thanks again Wendy for inviting us over.
Here is a little 30 second video of the girls swiming.Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Labor Day Weekend
Labor Day weekend...A weekend to Labor. Don't we labor enough during all the week days of the whole year? Why do we need to dedicate a extra long weekend to Laboring?
What? You say that it is supposed to be a day of rest from our labors?! Uh, oh...nobody better mention that to my husband who labored all weekend long. So some of you may wonder what he is always working on in his little side projects, which are by no means always "little."
We spent the weekend with our best friend out towards LA. Christian made her a new door since the existing door for her back room was being held closed with bungy cords. This was her door:
The doggy door was disintegrating from time and exposure to the elements. It was heavy with all the louvered windows and was not very secure. Seemed like a pretty straightforward project except it turned out that the the existing door was never framed and the opening was um, less than square on more than one plane. In other words , it was not square and twisted to boot. But as we were not prepared to rebuild the side of the house, Christian had to frame the entry way so that he could actually install the door.
So, the old door was removed. The casing was removed. A new frame was built and installed in the old doorway. A new door was built and installed with all the new
hardware and doggy door.
This is the resulting door, although in no means complete since the casing still needs to be made and put in and all of it repainted but that will have to be for another day....
The door is all hand made with through mortise and tenons in true eighteenth century craftsman style...except for the panel (which is made of plywood to keep the door affordable) and the doggy door...which didn't exist.
Here is Pepper checking out his new door.
Did I also mention that it was hot? The girls had a blast trying to monopolize all of our friend's time and attention. Sorry about that Marian! We all ate way too much...I think I gained some more weight!!! And we are glad it is over...for now.
What? You say that it is supposed to be a day of rest from our labors?! Uh, oh...nobody better mention that to my husband who labored all weekend long. So some of you may wonder what he is always working on in his little side projects, which are by no means always "little."
We spent the weekend with our best friend out towards LA. Christian made her a new door since the existing door for her back room was being held closed with bungy cords. This was her door:
The doggy door was disintegrating from time and exposure to the elements. It was heavy with all the louvered windows and was not very secure. Seemed like a pretty straightforward project except it turned out that the the existing door was never framed and the opening was um, less than square on more than one plane. In other words , it was not square and twisted to boot. But as we were not prepared to rebuild the side of the house, Christian had to frame the entry way so that he could actually install the door.
So, the old door was removed. The casing was removed. A new frame was built and installed in the old doorway. A new door was built and installed with all the new
hardware and doggy door.This is the resulting door, although in no means complete since the casing still needs to be made and put in and all of it repainted but that will have to be for another day....
The door is all hand made with through mortise and tenons in true eighteenth century craftsman style...except for the panel (which is made of plywood to keep the door affordable) and the doggy door...which didn't exist.
Here is Pepper checking out his new door.
Did I also mention that it was hot? The girls had a blast trying to monopolize all of our friend's time and attention. Sorry about that Marian! We all ate way too much...I think I gained some more weight!!! And we are glad it is over...for now.
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