poor little popi. yesterday i didn't get much done, hence the missing anthro post. she was not going to let me put her down for any amount of time, can you tell?
my ever expanding world of scooters, my kids, my husband, and our small wanna-be urban farm.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
cranky baby
at 5 months old, popi has a hard time conveying her feelings to me besides smiling and crying. mostly it is smiles, giggles, and kisses. since yesterday it has been needy cuddles, cuddles, and cuddles, oh and breastfeeding. I don't think she's feeling well. I'm a genius. usually she shares sleep at night between her co-sleeper next to me and
my arms. last night it was just my arms, and tonight here she is, nestled in the crook of my right arm, head resting on my breast, hand on my chest. it is my favorite spot for her. she is always happy and content right here. I never have to worry, we both sleep like "babies."
my arms. last night it was just my arms, and tonight here she is, nestled in the crook of my right arm, head resting on my breast, hand on my chest. it is my favorite spot for her. she is always happy and content right here. I never have to worry, we both sleep like "babies."
Sunday, January 9, 2011
To Crib or Not to Crib?
"Supposing I said there was a planet without schools or teachers, where study was unknown, and yet the inhabitants—doing nothing but living and walking about—came to know all things, to carry in their minds the whole of learning; would you not think I was romancing? Well, just this, which seems so fanciful as to be nothing but the invention of a fertile imagination, is a reality. It is the child's way of learning. This is the path he follows. He learns everything without knowing he is learning it, and in doing so he passes little by little from the unconscious to the conscious, treading always in the paths of joy and love."
—Dr. Maria Montessori, MD
if you haven't figured it out by now, i am a huge maria montessori fan. june started primary montessori education at the age of 4 and beila started at 3. beila has been there just over a year and can read now, write her name, write lots of things. juniper can read and pronounce anything i set in front of her. they both know all the continents, types of land masses, life cycles of animals and insects, the list goes on and on. daily, i am amazed at what they know, the power they each have at their finger tips, the potential they each have is amazing. i am very lucky they are able to go to their school, i realize not everyone has the same opportunities that they do.
here i am, going on and on about the girls' awesome school, and you might not even know what a montessori school is. people are often confused and have the wrong idea about montessori, so here is a quick rundown...
montessori is"a method of seeing children as they really are and of creating environments which foster the fulfillment of their highest potential - spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual - as members of a family". teachers are "guides", they guide the children in their multi-aged classrooms. they all work together to learn and to teach. there are rules, and they are enforced, consequences to actions is a gift many kids don't know anything about, montessori kids know that every action has a reaction. they are treated with respect in the class. shoes are taken off, snacks eaten if one is hungry, bathroom breaks are on a need be basis, water drunk when thirsty, the floor used as a desk if a child wants...all these things are things one might need to be comfortable in a day, to make learning comfortable, to enhance the experience. all those things i was not allowed at my public school.
okay, where am i going with this all, and what does it have to do with a crib? montessori learning starts at birth, and i want to make sure my Greek goddess has it all, that she grows up, like her sisters, to be bright and curious. maria montessori suggests the crib is an inhibitor for the learning baby. she suggested floor bedding instead. it is so simple really, a mattress on the floor in a baby proof room. the child sleeps when sleepy because of the access to the bed, wakes and explores when he wants and in the process learning about things. if we keep our child in a crib, what exploring can one do? it all makes sense. i think june and beila would both done great on a floor bed. they are both wonderful at independent play. i might have gotten more sleep if they had control over their sleep. so this is where i am wondering, to crib my popi, or not to crib? a total baby proof room, a mattress on the ground that rolling off of would do no damage, toys at baby level, and a gate to keep her in and other things out. and this is where i am at, confused because i don't think cribs are bad, we have a lovely red crib, but i want what is best for my baby. hmmmm, i have some mulling to do.
oh, and p.s., if you think montessori is hokey, or if you don't "get it", guess where the founders of google went to school as children. that's right, montessori.
—Dr. Maria Montessori, MD
if you haven't figured it out by now, i am a huge maria montessori fan. june started primary montessori education at the age of 4 and beila started at 3. beila has been there just over a year and can read now, write her name, write lots of things. juniper can read and pronounce anything i set in front of her. they both know all the continents, types of land masses, life cycles of animals and insects, the list goes on and on. daily, i am amazed at what they know, the power they each have at their finger tips, the potential they each have is amazing. i am very lucky they are able to go to their school, i realize not everyone has the same opportunities that they do.
here i am, going on and on about the girls' awesome school, and you might not even know what a montessori school is. people are often confused and have the wrong idea about montessori, so here is a quick rundown...
montessori is"a method of seeing children as they really are and of creating environments which foster the fulfillment of their highest potential - spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual - as members of a family". teachers are "guides", they guide the children in their multi-aged classrooms. they all work together to learn and to teach. there are rules, and they are enforced, consequences to actions is a gift many kids don't know anything about, montessori kids know that every action has a reaction. they are treated with respect in the class. shoes are taken off, snacks eaten if one is hungry, bathroom breaks are on a need be basis, water drunk when thirsty, the floor used as a desk if a child wants...all these things are things one might need to be comfortable in a day, to make learning comfortable, to enhance the experience. all those things i was not allowed at my public school.
okay, where am i going with this all, and what does it have to do with a crib? montessori learning starts at birth, and i want to make sure my Greek goddess has it all, that she grows up, like her sisters, to be bright and curious. maria montessori suggests the crib is an inhibitor for the learning baby. she suggested floor bedding instead. it is so simple really, a mattress on the floor in a baby proof room. the child sleeps when sleepy because of the access to the bed, wakes and explores when he wants and in the process learning about things. if we keep our child in a crib, what exploring can one do? it all makes sense. i think june and beila would both done great on a floor bed. they are both wonderful at independent play. i might have gotten more sleep if they had control over their sleep. so this is where i am wondering, to crib my popi, or not to crib? a total baby proof room, a mattress on the ground that rolling off of would do no damage, toys at baby level, and a gate to keep her in and other things out. and this is where i am at, confused because i don't think cribs are bad, we have a lovely red crib, but i want what is best for my baby. hmmmm, i have some mulling to do.
oh, and p.s., if you think montessori is hokey, or if you don't "get it", guess where the founders of google went to school as children. that's right, montessori.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Apple Butter
is it a good thing that when my babies ask for something we don't have to eat i make it. bee wanted apple butter on her toast, so instead of telling her "hows bout some jelly?" i made her apple butter. is that a good thing, or a bad thing?
Friday, January 7, 2011
20 Weeks
popi is getting so big, well, big for her. this week it is like she just realized she has control over her voice volume, and she loves to hear herself. she has been LOUD for a week now. still drooling, that's why we put an amber necklace on her. it seems to lessen the drooling oddly. loves chewing on sophie. that was beila's sophie, she had a hard time letting her little sister have it, but as you can see, popi has a death grip on it. she just smiles and coos away. she is working on sitting up, we are not quite there yet, but you can tell she wants it. no solid foods yet either. maybe in a couple weeks or so. the girls love for bed time when they each get a turn with popi by themselves on their bed. they are such good big sisters.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Sadness and a Lesson Learned
Clementine, who was sick a week ago, and Sourpuff died yesterday. 2/3 of my ameraucanas are dead. i moved tootsie, the living one to the big coop in hopes of companionship and warmth. please other chickens, don't kill her! i don't know if they are cold weather hardy like my others, they are originally south american chickens. it kills me to have our chickens die. it is something i have to come to terms with as a "farmer." we have lost chickens due to dogs, possums, vanishing into thin air, and now negligence on my part. i vow never to get chicks in the fall again. spring chickens are for me, raise them through the summer so they are mature for our winters. this sucks. i guess i need to start a chicken grave yard. i know i will loose more eventually. chickens are a part of my life now, i can't imagine living without them.
new creatures are coming to our "urban farm" this summer. i am taking beekeeping classes with the NEOBA. i have been wanting bees forever. i have just been scared of my hive dying. i took the leap though, i have to get over the death of my animals. More on my bee adventures...
new creatures are coming to our "urban farm" this summer. i am taking beekeeping classes with the NEOBA. i have been wanting bees forever. i have just been scared of my hive dying. i took the leap though, i have to get over the death of my animals. More on my bee adventures...
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
New Shoes
aren't these the dorkiest and most adorable things you've seen?
just sitting here with my family surrounding me, all asleep but me. watching bad television with a glass of wine, while stringing an amber teething necklace for my Greek goddess. this is as relaxed as my life gets right now, pretty good, no?
juni started horseback riding lessons monday, bee starts ballet tomorrow or tuesday, haven't figured that one out yet. we went to our local shoe store today for ballet tights, shoes, and a leotard. it reminded me of when i earned my toe shoes as a girl and my mom took me to the same store to get fitted for them. it was one of the best days of my life. the dress code for bee's little class is all pink, so cute. while there i found those clark wallabees on sale. i needed them. i found out at the register that they were basically free to me because of the shoe buyer card i had filled up! whee! so what i look like a middle-aged nurse wearing them, they are so awesome. i swear.
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