Wired For Noise

Reading: All About Frogs - Jim Arnosky

After we looked at a couple frog books I thought we could try an art project and make a frog. Something simple and not too messy.

Its pretty easy. Paper plates, green pom-poms, wiggle eyes, red and green crayons, red pipe cleaners.

It took all of 5 minutes to make, he was entertained, and it didn’t take anything I didn’t already have in my supply box. Now the glue is drying while he eats lunch. Graham crackers, grapes, cheese, and OJ. Yum!

Technorati tags: frogs, children, crafts, preschool,

A YEAR OF CELEBRATIONS: WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK
AND LA LECHE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL’S 50th ANNIVERSARY

USA (Month, 2006) – La Leche League in the United States of America will observe two special occasions in 2006. World Breastfeeding Week and the 50th anniversary of La Leche League International will be celebrated with hundreds of activities around the country. These festivities will include walks, runs, concerts, picnics, auctions, prize drawings, children’s activities, and much more.

Breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition at no cost and live antibodies that protect a child against illness. Recent studies show that breast cancer and postpartum stress are reduced among mothers who breastfeed. In fact, a 2001 American Academy of Family Physicians’ Position Paper recommends that “all babies, with rare exceptions, be breastfed and/or receive expressed human milk exclusively for about the first six months of life. Breastfeeding beyond the first year offers considerable benefits to both mother and child, and should continue as long as mutually desired.”

La Leche League is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization that offers mother-to-mother support, encouragement, and information to women who want to breastfeed their babies. La Leche League also provides continuing education to healthcare providers and is a founding member of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA). WABA works to promote breastfeeding’s importance world-wide. La Leche League in the USA is a totally volunteer organization. Contributions are tax-deductible and can be made at https://donate2lll.org/indexSecure.htm.

For more information about La Leche League or to find a local Group, call 1-800-LA LECHE or visit the web site at www.lalecheleague.org and/or www.lllusa.org.

Technorati tags:
breastfeeding, Nursing, LLL

I got a package yesterday that I only just was able to open. A good friend sent me a couple books on thrifty living. Miserly Moms and The Tightwad Gazzette. Yay me! For quiet time today before nap I curled up on the couch and flipped through them to seemw aht I could gleam. E poured over the pictures in a gorgeous book I checked out about the wetlands. Must dig through the photobox and find the pictures from last year’s trip to Lousianna, lots of good swamp photos in there.

I dug through the old bathtub toy bucket and found 5 rubber duckies. I think I’ll perform 5 Little Ducks at bathtime, this may become a new bathtub ritual for us. *giggles*

I began sorting through my scrap material box and realized that I have an abundant amount of girly prints. I’m not sure why, perhaps hopeful wishing on my part during my pregnancy with A. Ah well, seeing as how I’ve got a house full of boys I pulled out several good sized pieces and began trimming them up to make a fairly good sized quilt. I’d like to back it with some bright pink fleese since that is the dominant color. Maybe I can sell it on Ebay and make a few dollars. Now to find the pink fleese. Good thing I have a JoAnn’s coupon.

Technorati tags: family life, children, quilts, thrify, books

Earth*School curriculum packets

From the webite:

What is The Earth*School Curriculum?:
A nature and seasons based curriculum for young children and their parents. It is specially designed for homeschooling families, and can be used with one child or many children. The activities in the Earth*School curriculum are suited for a wide range of ages. Young toddlers will enjoy the art activities right along side their older siblings. The recommended stories can be shared with toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners, but are also great for cuddling up and reading aloud to your older child. The cooking activities will readily be enjoyed by all members of your family, regardless of age! The Earth*School Curriculum is divided up by activity type. It includes original songs and movement activities, set to familiar tunes. Other areas included in each unit are science, math, nature table crafts, creative art,language, recommended books and places to go and people to see. There are six original activities to be found for each area.

Cost: $10 digital, $12 for printed version

I bought Unit 18: Down at the Pond printed version, the next day I received an email letting me know it was mailed aqnd I received the packet 2 days later (free shipping). Now it wasn’t what I expected, though that isn’t a bad thing. I suppose in my mind I saw something rather formal, do this on this day and this on the next sort of thing. What it was instead was an organized listing of various activities all related to the pond theme and sorted into subject groups. It is very open allowing you to pick and choose what you want to do and what you don’t, and it is full enough that I can repeat it next year and possibly the year later without it feeling like a reveiw to E.

If you’re creative enough to come up with lots of ideas then this might be boring to you. However if you sit at the table trying to think of fun things that aren’t repeats it might be worth it to get. It is suppose to last 6 weeks, though I can see how some might finish everything much sooner. still though, for the cost it is worth it.

I plan to buy the Alphabet and the Day and Night units next.

Technorati tags: homeschool, curriculum, homeschool curriculum, Earth*School

We never did make to the art fest yesterday. A very large and booming thunderstorm rolled in, complete with pounding rain and flashes of light. I sat out on the porch and watched as E danced gleefully in the rain. Ahhh, the simple life.

Today we made a special trip to visit the much larger library in the city and get a few books on ponds and pond life (reason why later). I have to say I was disappointed. It is a much, much, much larger library than ours and what few times I have been there seems very nice. But today was the first time we visited the children’s area. Wow, it is much smaller and has a very small selection of books. Our local libray uses the entire basement as the children’s area, with tons of books and tables and a play area. There’s has 2 shelves, 1 table, and a nice rug. Hmph

After left the library we visited the Hobby Lobby that was having a rather nice sale today. Sadly, we are nearly broke. So many craft projects, so many art supplies, so many ideas. *sigh* I did plurge and get a pack of large paper for E’s eisel and a few sheets of scrapbook paper for myself. Now to find the time to scrapbook.

Technorati tags: children, craft supplies, sale, library

On a personal bragging moment let me say that 1) I got into my old size 9 jeans this morning (does happy dance) and 2) E not only willingly let me wash his blanket but actually put it in the washer himself. This is huge, that blanket has been attached to his side since about 5 months old. I’ve never washed it without some covert, special-ops, Mission Impossible styled battle.

Anyway, tonight the local community college is hosting an art fest. They have a small Art Camp for older kids during the summer and this is for them to show off their work. There will be paintings, computer graphics, music, sculptures, small scenes from plays, and more. The admission is free, though it in another town so I have to factor in the price of gas. I think we’ll do it though. E is very into art right now, painting and coloring and playdough are his obsessions.

Technorait tags: art, events, children, community

A cluttered home makes a cluttered mind, at least for me it does. And E’s room is more than cluttered. I need to tackle his room sometime soon, declutter it and get rid of some things. His bed can stay of course, and his dresser though it’s really so alrge I’m tempted to see if I can trade it for a smaller one, there’s the rocking chair and night stand that we honestly never use though I can’t bring myself to get rid of. Every child’s room needs a rocking chair, right? The book shelf is a must, he has so many books and other things that I keep on those shelves for him. HIs art eisal has been moved into his room, though if I can get a smaller dresser I can arrange it better to fit. There’s the giant workbench that he uses more as a playtable. That I want to pass on, it’s so big and in the way and he doesn’t use it for anything that he can’t use the coffee table or his desk for. The toy bins, well that can stay but I really do need to straighten things out and clear out some toys so that it looks less like a messy pile in the corner.

Once I’ve got his room tackled and organized then I’ll radiate out to the rest of the house. But right now the clutter of his room seems to suck the energy out of me every time I step in.

Technorati tags: children, clutter, Productivity, organised, Cleaning