Sidewalk Chalk

Since having kids, I've considered sidewalk chalk a fun, cheap, easy way to entertain my children during the summer. And best of all, you aren't ever really to young or too old to enjoy it!

With this as my view of sidewalk chalk I, of course, bought a huge box of it at the beginning of the summer. Since it is such a great activity, last summer we went through multiple boxes of it. So, I stocked up. The problem is, I no longer have a fenced in back yard. If my kids are going to go outside, I have to go with them. And we live in humidity! Yuck! If you have never lived in humidity, be grateful. It's awful. But I digress...

Earlier this week Z discovered the huge box of chalk. And why wouldn't he? It was stashed high on a shelf in a box and forgot about it. I should have see this coming.

Since he had sidewalk chalk and no sidewalk, he just made due.

Have I ever mentioned we only have one room in our house with carpet? Well, we do. And its the really short kind of carpet, so sidewalk chalk draws on it nicely. Just ask Z and W.

When I entered the play room to find drawings all over the floor and treadmill, I was not a happy mama. What was I to do? Have Z clean it up, of course!

Now, if you know Z, you know that he is a rambunctious little boy with lots of energy and not much fear. Except when it comes to lawn mowers and vacuums! Yep! Even at age 3, he screams and cries every time the vacuum goes on and he is in the room. Maybe he just didn't see it in use enough during the first few years of his life. Oops!

Back to the story.

I pull out the vacuum and grab Z. He is upset before the cleaning even begins. But I am not going to let him slide. I've done that too many times lately, and he needs to learn there are consequences to his actions.

I plug it in.

Put Z's hand on the vacuum, holding it in place.

Turn vacuum on.

The frightful humming is accompanied by screams of horror.

I can still see it now: Z in his red shirt, arm outstretched as far as it can go, holding the vacuum handle, me trying not to make too big of movements so he can hang on, his little arm moving back and forth causing more of a hindrance than help. But he sticks to it. He doesn't even fight me.

Push, pull, push, scream, pull, push, pull, scream!

We vacuum the part of the room that has no toys covering the floor and the chalk in this manner.

It only takes a few minutes, but I'm sure it seemed like hours to my boy.

He is exhausted from fear.

My floor is basically clean.

Done!

Bed time!

He has learned his lesson, right?!?

Wrong.

Next day, chalk all over my wood floors.

We try the vacuum again, but this time it doesn't do much good.

Get the spray mop.

I have Z help at first, but he thinks it is way too much fun to push the spray button.

I just finish by myself.

Later that day, I have spray mop cleaner all over my floor.

Glad he learned a lesson!

I'm sure he will never again draw with chalk inside the house. At least until he finds and climbs to the chalk's current hiding place. Let's hope it lasts at least a week or two. Longer if I'm really lucky!

When I got discouraged, I just reminded myself: At least it wasn't marker.

Comprehensive Literacy Class: Assessment and Intervention

I have been taking a Comprehensive Literacy Class to renew my teaching certification, and the final assignment was to share my understanding about assessment and intervention using some form of technology, like a blog. So here we go!

During this final section of my class, I had to do a lot of research about No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Common Core. You would think, with all of the scouring I did on the internet, that I would feel like I have a grasp of each of these topics. But I still feel lacking. The hardest part about researching these topics is that everything I find is political! There are always people for or against each legislation, and their voices are loud. It is hard to avoid or not listen to them.

As I researched these topics, I tried to look at everything from an objective perspective. I really didn't know much about RTTT or Common Core, other than what so-and-so posted on Facebook that one time. I also tried to go right to the source. I used the official web page for Common Core, and the presidential summaries of RTTT and NCLB. They were all informative. The web site was especially great to navigate. I would recommend looking at it to any of my family, friends, and readers that have kids or just want to know about Common Core. Here is a like to the site: www.corestandards.org.

So on to what I've learned.

Most importantly, I've learned is that as a teacher (which I might be one day) and a parent, we don't get to make the laws for assessment, but we do have to abide by them. So we might as well take advantage of the good parts they have to offer. For example, I interviewed my mom while researching this topic. She told me about a lot of amazing changes that are happening at her school, including the introduction a lot more technology in the classroom. Each teacher in her school is going to have an iPad next year and will receive training on how to use it in their classroom. That's awesome!!! The students are going to love it and they are going to learn from it. Double awesome!

One thing that I have decided that I like about Common Core, at least in how it is being implemented in Idaho's standardized testing, is that the reading that students are doing is of value. I remember doing the ISATs and reading passages about nothing that had to do with anything. In fact, I can't even remember an example to give you. Now, with the SBAC, students are reading passages about things like history that really is important. That seems extremely obvious to me, have students read something of worth when we are testing them, but it wasn't done before.

I also love that students are actually having to write something when they are being tested. They don't just do a hundred multiple choice questions. They have to think deeply about what they have read. They have to understand the content. They have to form opinions and build a foundation for their life long learning process!

In school, I was pretty good student. But I was never the best, and I was never a fast reader. I remember taking the ACT and I didn't even come close to finishing the Reading section. I was so embarrassed, even though I knew no one would know unless I told them. Just the idea of not finishing was horrible! But, I still got a pretty good score because my understanding was high. We don't need to have fast readers, we need to have good, thinking readers. I would rather have my child be a super slow reader that understands what she is reading that a super fast reader who has no idea what the last 5 pages were about.

 

Now, as with any sort of mandate, legislation, etc..., there are things that I don't like about Common Core, but ranting about them here isn't going to change them. I believe in advocating change. If you feel strongly about something, do it! But the point of this blog post is not to sway anyone in one direction or another. It is to expound on my personal understanding, and for me I learned a lot of possitive things I wasn't aware of before.

 

As far as intervention goes, we as parents and teachers should not be afraid to get that help for our children. There are options for intervention. Not only in school, but at home. In a day where technology is rampant, it is so easy to find a web site or an app or something that can help our students succeed. And the best part is, it is fun!!!

Kids LOVE technology! Z can sit on my Nook for hours playing letter, number, color, rhyming, and any other kind of game he can find. He is only 3 years old, but he knows how to get the Nook to read him a book.

Just yesterday, we were driving by some construction and he said, “Mom, what is that?”

“A back hoe, I think.”

“No, it's an excavator!”

How did he know that? Star Fall. An app on my Nook that my sister-in-law told me about.

Assessment and intervention seem like such daunting terms, but they shouldn't be.

We need to assess the situation of our children. We need to intervene if necessary. We need to facilitate learning!

No Child Left Behind.

Race to the Top.

Common Core.

These are all things that are in our lives, like it or not.

Yes, you can advocate for change if you don't like it. But, until it changes, as it most likely will since politics are involved, find the good in it, deal with the rest, and teach your kids!

Pictures

If you are a parent, then you know that the pictures you want to take versus the pictures you get are often drastically different. Here are some fun examples of just what I mean!

 

Nothing like a butt in your face

 

Who needs a teddy bear when you can have...a cucumber!

 

 It is amazing to me how fingers seem to fit perfectly in our noses.

Poor W just wanted to run away, not do "Thriller!"

 

Z often puts his cars to bed.

BOOGERS!!!

 

 Don't ask me what is happen here. Z doesn't seem to know either.

In this case, what I thought I was getting, and what I got turned out to my benefit. S in the back after dressing up Z...priceless!

We love Daddy, yes sir-ee!

This picture is one of my favorites!

You Have How Many Kids?!?

I went to Kmart this week to let the kids pick out a Father's Day present. Since it is easier to contain all four kids at once if all or most of them are in a cart, I pulled a cart over to the van and started the unbuckling/unloading process.

As I put W in the cart, I noticed a lady waiting for me to finish so she could get in her car, which was parked right next to me.

"Sorry." I tell her.

"No problem. I've been there."

Great! No Hurry. She has kids. She understands.

Unload S.

Lady moves forward, as if thinking I must be done and she can get in her car, then pauses as I unload Z.

"Wow!" She exclaims wide eyed, seeing three kids in the cart.

I can't help it. I smile, then say, "Oh, the babies still in there!" I anticipate some fun reaction while  walking around the van to unload B. It takes a significant effort on my part not to laugh.

Shock and awe ensue.

Silence.

"Good for you!" is all she can come up with.

Yep! I love the reactions I get taking all four kids places. I think it is one of the reasons I take them places. It is just too much fun! And having my four kids really is good for me! They give me purpose. And I wouldn't trade them for anything!

Some of the "fun" reactions we have had (the best of which have happened since we left Utah and have really become a novelty):

• "Are they all yours?" (This question is usually directed towards Michael. I'm always tempted to say something like, "Well the blond we aren't sure about, but the others look somewhat like him, so we are pretty sure about them." or "They are actually handing them out for free at Walmart. Just walk around and find one you like!" but I haven't been that brave yet).
• "You know how that happens, don't you?!?" (Ummm...No, would you mind explaining?)
• "Are you going to have more?" or "Did you plan that?" (Since it's your business, lets chat about it for a while).
• "Oh there's four! I thought there were only three!" (I get that all the time, and it is usually the first thing they say to me. Sorry you can't count people! Lucky for your there aren't five or we'd have a real problem).
• "Two boys and two girls. You planned that just right." (Actually, its like I tell my kids, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." No planning involved).
• "How old are they?" Or some other form or "How far apart are they?" (Always said in a tone of shock or terror because they are all so little. Side anecdote: When I was pregnant with W, I was talking to my Granddad, and this subject came up. He said he was once asked how far apart two of his girls were and he replied "Nine months and one hour!" He said that quieted the questioner right away! Way to go Granddad!!!)
• And so on... I'm sure you have a list of your own.

Some people hate all the questions and prying from complete strangers. I did too, at first. Now, they are a good conversation starter. I can avoid answering the question they asked if they really are just awkward or rude and steer the conversation towards something more pleasant, I have had several fun conversations with first time grandparents while waiting for a table at Bob Evan's or with mothers of grown children in the line at Walmart because I'm quite the sight with my four kids. Then, on my own or with my husband, I laugh about the encounter and, if it's a new "fun" reaction to our kids, I write it down! I've decided it much more fun to laugh it off then to take it personally.  People don't mean to be rude, for the most part. They just don't see many families with four small kids running around. So when they do, make it memorable for them! Or at least a pleasant encounter.

Mommy Day

Postpartum depression and the baby blues were never things that I had dealt with before. After having my first three kids, I had become very aware of friends and family members who struggled with it. But I never really had any issues with either.

A week before Baby B was born, Michael got a job offer that would move us from Utah to Ohio. Not only was about to have a baby, but it was a week or two into November and the holidays were coming. I decided not to worry about it too much before B came and we were done visiting and hosting family for different events that were happening.

The day after my parents left, I remember laying on my bed with B and just crying. We had all but decided to move and I was beside myself. I didn't feel like I could even function. It was horrible.

I put myself together as best I could and moved on. I packed up my family and moved across the country. We both felt strongly we should move, and I knew things would just work out.

After we had been here a few months, I realized that I still wasn't really functioning like a normal person. Michael would often come home to his family all still in their pajamas, a messy house, and dinner not even thought of. I tried doing things to help me feel motivated. I have a little business that I tried to work on. I tried to exercise every day, which is hard with four little kids there to help. I tried all different things and nothing really seemed to help.

One Sunday, I was in the mother's room feeding B and talking to another mom. I told her a little bit about my Baby Blues. B was 6 months old and I just didn't feel like things were getting any better. She suggested I have a Mommy Day! She said to ask a young woman from church to come baby sit once a week. Then I can go shopping, run errands, etc... That same day, I talked to a girl at church and every Tuesday since has been Mommy Day.

It isn't the only reason that I am doing better, I've also continued to exercise, have turned off the T.V., forced myself to get dressed, etc... But let me tell you, I LOVE Tuesdays! D comes at noon every Tuesday and stays for a couple hours while I go do whatever I want. I usually take myself out to lunch and have discovered I love going out to eat by myself. Sometimes I go shopping for clothes, sometimes for groceries. Sometimes I go with a friend, and sometimes I go by myself. Sometimes I have things I need to get done. And sometimes I just waste some time being out. No matter what I do, it is the shot in the arm that I need to get through another week.

Not only do I love Mommy Days, but my kids do too! They are always ecstatic to hear that Mommy is leaving so D can come play. I think they get sick of me and need something different as well.

I am learning that in order to take care of my kids, I first need to take care of myself. And sometimes that means leaving my kids for an hour or two, and there is nothing wrong with that.