Hello Friends,
This is just a quick note to say a big thank you to John over at Apple support. In February My sweet hubby bought me a new mac computer and Up until now I had been struggling with the site I use for this blog. Not because they did something, but because I couldn't get my new screen reader to work with the programing. So, anyway, I am back and this next few hours I will be posting all the blog entries I hadn't been able to post since then.
Thanks for your patience and I apologize for the inconvenience.
And as always, God bless and make it a great day!
Friday, May 18
Unschooling our way
Have you ever wanted to spend a day at the beach, in the park, or just watching TV?
I think we all have days like that. but what if days like that could be center of your child's education?
In September I posted an article about our homeschool schedule, but since things have been so hectic around these parts lately; I have sort of dispensed with the schedule and watched what happens.
WHat happened truly was a surprise.. My children continued to learn, grow, and they actually enjoyed it. Instead of setting times and tasks (which meant fighting to keep everyone's attention), I simply put on educational videos, set out art supplies, and even some story books. I can't even tell you how shocked I was to see them all playing with the same playdough
set, listening as "big Brother" read a story, and discussing amongst themselves just exactly how it was that an egg is like the layers of the planet Earth.
I am hearing that there is a name for this; it's called unschooling? I don't know if this type of learning falls in that category, but it is working for my bunch of babies.
In my opinion, they just seem to learn better when they take an interest in what is around them. Even the times when I start a project I'm almost certain they won't care about, the cherubs are eager to help mom and they learn a skill or 2 in the process.
"How do you teach the basic academic skills then?"
After phonics and basic addition, subtraction multiplication and division facts are memorized (usually via flash cards) I don't have to. THe basics come from reading labels, signs, and even captions from the TV. *Close caption or subtitles are a huge help* Math comes from working out everyday problems, such as grocery shopping, table setting, recipe measuring, and household inventory. History comes from discussion, film, and book reading (silent or listening). Field trips such as, zoo, museum, and other places after time spent on a particular subject give the kiddos a great memory to go with the spark of interest that started it all.
Now, don't think I just let it go and let them wander free. i set out materials according to what they need to learn, and let them discover them for themselves. They just don't know that part. lol
WHile this may not be ideal for every family, it's what works for mine. And if you happen to spark an idea from it; then my job was done right today. :)
I hope this post has helped you in some way, but now I have to go feed some hungry tummies.
So until next time, as always; Take care, God bless, and Make it a great day!
Back burner blog
Hello again friends,
Over the passed few months this blog baby of mine, has been set on the back burner to make way for Birthdays, broken bones, and blessed holidays. After that, surgery, recovery, and that has lead the Pineda family 5 right in to the final week of the 1st quarter of 2012.
While all this has gone on I've not had much of a chance to keep in touch with friends or extended family, to do what I had planned for the "new" year, or even to keep up with house chores and other obligations. It's been a bit of a roler coaster ladies and gents. But, over the passed week, things have finally come together. And I am caught up (ok, for the most part) with my house work.
I successfully decluttered my kitchen, bedroom, living room, and even my linen closet.
*I'm so proud of me. :)
I am a beginner bloger I don't have give-aways, advertising competition, or even readers that comment on my posts; but I write from the heart, and from my life. No, my grammar isn't perfect, my wording isn't always right, but I share my stories, experiences, and knowledge with those who are interested in the hope of offering some person out in weby land a sense of "someone else' has been there too."
so, here I am, on this Sunday Afternoon, writing my 27th post, and I wanted it to be a better one than just me raving on about these passed couple of months. So, what i will share with you today is; How I Decluttered Our 2 Bedroom Apartment after my recovery.
To begin my tale of tasks unwanted, I had some complications at the beginning of this year that lead to an operation in the 3rd week of February. Supposably it was only going to be 2 weeks recovery but when all was said and done, it was a full month before I felt myself again. This meant that I had laid/sat on my bum for 4 straight weeks. This also meant that my house basically sat on it's bum for the same amount of time; except for hubby's help with laundry and dishes. *can we say ugh?
So, as you can probably imagine; it was going to be no spring picnic to get us ship shape again.
I began with what was around me and just had 2 containers, a find a place, and a trash container. What ever didn't belong where i was got tossed in either one of these receptacles. Once they were full, they got emptied. Trash of course went in the trash, and other stuff found it's proper place. If it didn't have a place, it went in a "bye-bye" bag. (This has yet to be taken to the local church but is in the works)
And, so has been my passed week, but over all it had to get done, and it did.
Confession: I've never been a super cleaner, I always just did what I could get done perfectly with the time and energy that I had, (a mistake as I would learn because to quote the FlyLady, "even housework done incorrectly blesses your family") but more importantly I learned a valuable lesson; that less really _is more. The less I have to pick up, fix, or just deal with; the more time I have to spend with my family. And kids _really _do grow up way too fast.
On a personal note; I learned another very valuable lesson, and that is in all the years I've been married, my husband has given me everything in his power, and what he asked of me I had completely missed. I had asked him many many times what it was he wanted most, and each time he had no materialistic want to be fulfilled, but almost everyday he would ask me to clean our room/kitchen/etc, and I would find some reason not do what he asked of me. Now, I see that his desire isn't the hottest app, the newest big screen, or even the smallest camera; it's a clean and comfortable home. What I don't know is why it took me so long to see what I should have known from the beginning.
The only answer I have at all is, that God moves in His own time. Thanks my sweet hubby for being so patient with me through all these years.
Well folks, I've shared what I have for this week, and God willing I'll be back next week to share something else with you.
Until next time, God bless & Make it a great day!
Tuesday, September 6
More cleaning fun
In my last post, I wrote about a few games my cherubs & I play to help get the jobs of household cleaning done & keep smiles on all our faces.
Here is the post I promassed with the game instructions.
1. Laundry Basketball:
Have children search for any dirty laundry they can find. Set a line where they can stand & toss the clotheing into a hamper or basket. (try searching online or department stores for an Over-the-door basketball hoop hamper)
2. Room Clean Relay:
Set all out of place items in a pile. Have children take turns in relay fassion running each item to it's place. Time them & try to beat their previous record. This teaches team work, & helping others since the mess in each child's room is handled by everyone.
3. The Vacuum Dance:
Have children take turns vacuuming different shapes on the floor. For while they dance behind the vacuum. Toddlars may enjoy a short ride on the fromt of the vacuum while mom vacuums in a few shapes.
4. Mop Hocky & Scrub Skating:
For mop hocky, simply soak a rag in mop solution, place it on the floor & have small children push it with the mop to every corner without it stopping in the middle. TO Scrub Skate, take 2 shop towels or rags, dip them in mop solution, have kids stand with 1 rag under each foot, then skate from 1 end to the other. (the children can take turns or simply take care of another floor)
5. The 15 Fling Boogie:
(I left this for last because its my adaptation of The flyLady's "27 Fling Boogie")
Have children scan the room & pick up 15 things 1 at a time, to put or throw away. Make it even more fun by turning it into a race, or relay.
These are just some ideas that work for us. What Ideas do you keep up your sleeve to make chore time more fun? Please share them with us in the comment section below. I hope you & your family enjoy these as much as we do.
Until Next time;
Take care, God bless, & Make it a great day!
Here is the post I promassed with the game instructions.
1. Laundry Basketball:
Have children search for any dirty laundry they can find. Set a line where they can stand & toss the clotheing into a hamper or basket. (try searching online or department stores for an Over-the-door basketball hoop hamper)
2. Room Clean Relay:
Set all out of place items in a pile. Have children take turns in relay fassion running each item to it's place. Time them & try to beat their previous record. This teaches team work, & helping others since the mess in each child's room is handled by everyone.
3. The Vacuum Dance:
Have children take turns vacuuming different shapes on the floor. For while they dance behind the vacuum. Toddlars may enjoy a short ride on the fromt of the vacuum while mom vacuums in a few shapes.
4. Mop Hocky & Scrub Skating:
For mop hocky, simply soak a rag in mop solution, place it on the floor & have small children push it with the mop to every corner without it stopping in the middle. TO Scrub Skate, take 2 shop towels or rags, dip them in mop solution, have kids stand with 1 rag under each foot, then skate from 1 end to the other. (the children can take turns or simply take care of another floor)
5. The 15 Fling Boogie:
(I left this for last because its my adaptation of The flyLady's "27 Fling Boogie")
Have children scan the room & pick up 15 things 1 at a time, to put or throw away. Make it even more fun by turning it into a race, or relay.
These are just some ideas that work for us. What Ideas do you keep up your sleeve to make chore time more fun? Please share them with us in the comment section below. I hope you & your family enjoy these as much as we do.
Until Next time;
Take care, God bless, & Make it a great day!
Our Homeschool Schedule
Summer is winding down & we’re picking up the homeschool pase & getting back in our groove. This year, I’ve made a few adjustments to our schedule, method, & adopted a few dreams to work on through the year.
The 1st change I made was to bring in the “workbox” method. Except that I sort of tweeked it to fit my family’s needs. Here’s how.
While shopping for school supplies, I happened across a Crayola lapboard thingy, (I’m sorry, I don’t know the exact name for it) it’s a storage clipboard for lack of a better explanation. Anyhow, I bought 3 of them. I print off the worksheets for the week & any other materials from our A2 Curriculum CD, an instruction letter (with a touch of love of course), detailing the assignments & put it all in the storage portion with any colored pencils or tools they may need. (Note, the storage portion is thin, so it only fits a few utencils at a time.) This is worked on Agter our morning prayer & announcement circle; during the 3 sections of our morning lesson time; Math, writing, & reading.
After lunch we work on household chores (AKA “living Skills”), which is a time to teach tasks, etiquette, team work, etc. We try to make it as fun as possible by incorporating games like laundry basketball, mop hocky, vacuum dance, Room cleen relay, & who could forget the not-so-old fassion 15fling boogie. Now let’s give credit where credit is due; the 15fling boogie is my modification of The Flylady’s 27fling boogie.
I’ll post a subsequent entry on these games & their rules emmediatly after this one.
The 2nd change was to adapt my Iphone to keep us on track. I’ve used the alarm feature of the world clock app to set alarms for each section of our day with sounds that best correspond to the upcoming activity. This gives my cherubs & I an idea of what to expect instead of just jumping up every time we hear the beep/bell.
While we have time set for paper lessons, I try to structure the day so that we’re always learning something. Whether it's a dinner-table discussion about american history, or a round of brain-teaser questions in the car or taxy cab; I try to keep our brains from turning in to spiderwebs. lol
I love kinesthetic learning techniques since a little fun helps get learning done. But I think our favorite tool of all is the wonderful world of video. A huge thanks to Hubby who did some searching & (over time) purchased some of the best video teaching tools from our own childhood. Anyone remember schoolhouse Rock, or Bill Nye The Science Guy? Ok, how about The Magic School Bus? Those were some of my favorite shows as a kid, & still are.
Homeschooling is a trial & error, have it your way, family fed but most of all _1 _of _a kind experience.
I’ve taken bits from here & pieces from there to create a schedule and method that best fits my family. I’m happy with it. I think the cherubs will really benefit from it (provided we can keep little attitudes in check).
I’ve learned so much from reading ideas that other mom’s have posted on their blogs & I’d really like to thank them all, There are so many of them though, that I’ll have to post my thank you list another time
But, until next time; a huge thank you to all the moms who blog their homeschool, life, & other experiences so that people like me can learn & grow from them.
&
As always:
Take Care, God bles, & Make it a great day!
The 1st change I made was to bring in the “workbox” method. Except that I sort of tweeked it to fit my family’s needs. Here’s how.
While shopping for school supplies, I happened across a Crayola lapboard thingy, (I’m sorry, I don’t know the exact name for it) it’s a storage clipboard for lack of a better explanation. Anyhow, I bought 3 of them. I print off the worksheets for the week & any other materials from our A2 Curriculum CD, an instruction letter (with a touch of love of course), detailing the assignments & put it all in the storage portion with any colored pencils or tools they may need. (Note, the storage portion is thin, so it only fits a few utencils at a time.) This is worked on Agter our morning prayer & announcement circle; during the 3 sections of our morning lesson time; Math, writing, & reading.
After lunch we work on household chores (AKA “living Skills”), which is a time to teach tasks, etiquette, team work, etc. We try to make it as fun as possible by incorporating games like laundry basketball, mop hocky, vacuum dance, Room cleen relay, & who could forget the not-so-old fassion 15fling boogie. Now let’s give credit where credit is due; the 15fling boogie is my modification of The Flylady’s 27fling boogie.
I’ll post a subsequent entry on these games & their rules emmediatly after this one.
The 2nd change was to adapt my Iphone to keep us on track. I’ve used the alarm feature of the world clock app to set alarms for each section of our day with sounds that best correspond to the upcoming activity. This gives my cherubs & I an idea of what to expect instead of just jumping up every time we hear the beep/bell.
While we have time set for paper lessons, I try to structure the day so that we’re always learning something. Whether it's a dinner-table discussion about american history, or a round of brain-teaser questions in the car or taxy cab; I try to keep our brains from turning in to spiderwebs. lol
I love kinesthetic learning techniques since a little fun helps get learning done. But I think our favorite tool of all is the wonderful world of video. A huge thanks to Hubby who did some searching & (over time) purchased some of the best video teaching tools from our own childhood. Anyone remember schoolhouse Rock, or Bill Nye The Science Guy? Ok, how about The Magic School Bus? Those were some of my favorite shows as a kid, & still are.
Homeschooling is a trial & error, have it your way, family fed but most of all _1 _of _a kind experience.
I’ve taken bits from here & pieces from there to create a schedule and method that best fits my family. I’m happy with it. I think the cherubs will really benefit from it (provided we can keep little attitudes in check).
I’ve learned so much from reading ideas that other mom’s have posted on their blogs & I’d really like to thank them all, There are so many of them though, that I’ll have to post my thank you list another time
But, until next time; a huge thank you to all the moms who blog their homeschool, life, & other experiences so that people like me can learn & grow from them.
&
As always:
Take Care, God bles, & Make it a great day!
A Quick Update
Hello Friends,
Here we are at the beginning of September & this summer like much of the 2011 year has flown by.
This summer has had it’s ups & downs for the pineda family. We’ve seen the doctor almost every week, swam to our heart’s content, the boys experienced summr camp for the 1st time, hubby took some much needed time off work, I’ve been swamped in paperwork, & life is good. Lol
We’ve gotten back in touch wit some childhood friends, & ended some long time friendships. But, over all we have much to be thankful for.
The boys really enjoyed their trip to Camp Ronald McDonald For Goodtimes. It’s a camp for children & siblings affected by cancer. They spent a week there & had a wonderful time. I missed them so much it was hard to get through the week but that week was a super busy one which did help some. They’re both looking forward to winter camp now. Daughter didn’t get to go because the age requirement is 9 years & up, but I’m hoping to pull a small event together for her & her Missionette friends in the fall.
Thanks to my awesome Mom, we were able to spend a good portion of the mid-summer swimming; which was a lot of fun for us all. Daughter ditched the life jacket with a little encouragement & gained a bit of self confidence in the process. I’m proud of her.
But the best thing about this summer without a doubt is the growth, experiences, & love that we’ve all shared that helped us through all these ups & downs. I know we can make it through anything as long as we have each other. & that friends is a blessing you can’t buy anywhere. So, as I bring this update to a close, I wish you all the love, & blessings in the world.
As always, Take care, God bless, & Make it a Great day!
Here we are at the beginning of September & this summer like much of the 2011 year has flown by.
This summer has had it’s ups & downs for the pineda family. We’ve seen the doctor almost every week, swam to our heart’s content, the boys experienced summr camp for the 1st time, hubby took some much needed time off work, I’ve been swamped in paperwork, & life is good. Lol
We’ve gotten back in touch wit some childhood friends, & ended some long time friendships. But, over all we have much to be thankful for.
The boys really enjoyed their trip to Camp Ronald McDonald For Goodtimes. It’s a camp for children & siblings affected by cancer. They spent a week there & had a wonderful time. I missed them so much it was hard to get through the week but that week was a super busy one which did help some. They’re both looking forward to winter camp now. Daughter didn’t get to go because the age requirement is 9 years & up, but I’m hoping to pull a small event together for her & her Missionette friends in the fall.
Thanks to my awesome Mom, we were able to spend a good portion of the mid-summer swimming; which was a lot of fun for us all. Daughter ditched the life jacket with a little encouragement & gained a bit of self confidence in the process. I’m proud of her.
But the best thing about this summer without a doubt is the growth, experiences, & love that we’ve all shared that helped us through all these ups & downs. I know we can make it through anything as long as we have each other. & that friends is a blessing you can’t buy anywhere. So, as I bring this update to a close, I wish you all the love, & blessings in the world.
As always, Take care, God bless, & Make it a Great day!
Wednesday, July 27
special needs in public
Recently I was reading my facebook feed & happened upon a question that got the wheels in my head turning. A question to the tune of "what not to say to a parent of special needs child/ren.
Hmm...
The following is what I posted in response to this question, what comes next are my thoughts that came after that particular post was already sent.
There is so much to be said on this subject. I think that being a blind parent of 3 children 1 vision impaired, 2 has an auditory processing disorder, & my 3rd is typical; people are inclined to stare, whisper, or even yell their questions in to my & my husband's faces (he's also vision impaired). I've been blind since age 2 due to cancer tumors in my eyes which were passed from my dad to me & then to my son, & hubby was born with congenital cataracs. People can really be rude but I can tell you as a now grown child with special needs, I would much rather answer a genuine question about my disability than deal with someone screaming "HOW'w'W AAARe YOOOOUUUU" in my face. (when I say in my face, I mean literally 2 inches from my face) I think the other thing I would suggest to those who really want to help, ask how you can help before just pushing us out of the way. I say that because as friends, relatives, & even my own parents have done in the past; the thought process is "I can get it done faster" while it may take us more time to do something, it only makes our frustration that much greater. I once had a gentleman pick me up & cary me across the intersection. I'd much rather walk on my own thank you. :)
With things the way they are in society now, awareness has come a long way, but we're nowhere near where we should be. The comunity around us has no idea what our day to day life is & I personally feel that a day spent in sensory deprivation may just bring the light of awareness that much closer.
When I began the early childhood program at the Blind Children's Learning Center in Santa Ana California, my parents attended a lunch event. This event was held for the parents of blind children. Parents had to eat their lunch blind folded. Most parents were in tears by the hour's end because they were unable to complete the meal with out a spill or even at all.
In my own parents's words,"you never know until you walk a mile in a person's shoes. & every person in the world is different. What is easy for you may be hard for me & everyone is different."
I was blessed with parents who didn't hold me back saying I couldn't do something I was always given the opportunity to try. My parent's are responsible for the person I am today. I don't give up easily, I don't take no for an answer if it's something I feel I _can achieve, & although my financial status may not be as great as that of others (I am richer in blessings than I am in finances), by no means am I poor.
If I made a mess, it was my job to clean it up. If I needed help, they were there to help me, not to do it for me.
I asked my own parents what they thought the worst thing a person could say was & to be honest I have to whole heartedly agree,
Poor baby, s/he'll never ... I'm sorry"
There is no way to really show a person what it is like to be autistic, or to have any number of developmental disabilities; but if we start with the physical ones we may just break the ice & teach the "normal" *what is _normal anyway?* people what our everyday lives are like.
Most people that stop & stare have a question that is genuine, but once a person knows the answer, they no longer wonder & thus they no longer feel the need to stare. I believe that _everyone has a special need of some sort. Maybe you have a weak knee, maybe a lazy eye, maybe even an alergy? All of these are special needs, something you have to make an adaptation for; is a special need. Some needs are bigger than others & believe me it truly is a small world after all.
I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have; you can post them in the comments below & I'll try my best to answer your questions to the best of my ability.
I really do hope to hear from you,,It wasn't until I spoke to an adult friend who has an auditory processing disorder that I was able to understand more of how to help my son make the adaptations he needed.
As always; God bless, & Make it a great day!
:(
Hmm...
The following is what I posted in response to this question, what comes next are my thoughts that came after that particular post was already sent.
There is so much to be said on this subject. I think that being a blind parent of 3 children 1 vision impaired, 2 has an auditory processing disorder, & my 3rd is typical; people are inclined to stare, whisper, or even yell their questions in to my & my husband's faces (he's also vision impaired). I've been blind since age 2 due to cancer tumors in my eyes which were passed from my dad to me & then to my son, & hubby was born with congenital cataracs. People can really be rude but I can tell you as a now grown child with special needs, I would much rather answer a genuine question about my disability than deal with someone screaming "HOW'w'W AAARe YOOOOUUUU" in my face. (when I say in my face, I mean literally 2 inches from my face) I think the other thing I would suggest to those who really want to help, ask how you can help before just pushing us out of the way. I say that because as friends, relatives, & even my own parents have done in the past; the thought process is "I can get it done faster" while it may take us more time to do something, it only makes our frustration that much greater. I once had a gentleman pick me up & cary me across the intersection. I'd much rather walk on my own thank you. :)
With things the way they are in society now, awareness has come a long way, but we're nowhere near where we should be. The comunity around us has no idea what our day to day life is & I personally feel that a day spent in sensory deprivation may just bring the light of awareness that much closer.
When I began the early childhood program at the Blind Children's Learning Center in Santa Ana California, my parents attended a lunch event. This event was held for the parents of blind children. Parents had to eat their lunch blind folded. Most parents were in tears by the hour's end because they were unable to complete the meal with out a spill or even at all.
In my own parents's words,"you never know until you walk a mile in a person's shoes. & every person in the world is different. What is easy for you may be hard for me & everyone is different."
I was blessed with parents who didn't hold me back saying I couldn't do something I was always given the opportunity to try. My parent's are responsible for the person I am today. I don't give up easily, I don't take no for an answer if it's something I feel I _can achieve, & although my financial status may not be as great as that of others (I am richer in blessings than I am in finances), by no means am I poor.
If I made a mess, it was my job to clean it up. If I needed help, they were there to help me, not to do it for me.
I asked my own parents what they thought the worst thing a person could say was & to be honest I have to whole heartedly agree,
Poor baby, s/he'll never ... I'm sorry"
There is no way to really show a person what it is like to be autistic, or to have any number of developmental disabilities; but if we start with the physical ones we may just break the ice & teach the "normal" *what is _normal anyway?* people what our everyday lives are like.
Most people that stop & stare have a question that is genuine, but once a person knows the answer, they no longer wonder & thus they no longer feel the need to stare. I believe that _everyone has a special need of some sort. Maybe you have a weak knee, maybe a lazy eye, maybe even an alergy? All of these are special needs, something you have to make an adaptation for; is a special need. Some needs are bigger than others & believe me it truly is a small world after all.
I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have; you can post them in the comments below & I'll try my best to answer your questions to the best of my ability.
I really do hope to hear from you,,It wasn't until I spoke to an adult friend who has an auditory processing disorder that I was able to understand more of how to help my son make the adaptations he needed.
As always; God bless, & Make it a great day!
:(
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