hide-n-(sensory)-seeking

             Olivia always wanted an invisible leg...              ok, 1.) She sat there and let me do it!! 2.) She left it in for like seven whole minutes!!!!     A bag of limas under each arm...now where's that pot I wanted?                  Terrific Tuesday to All!

"More."   This is the first sign I have taught all my children, including ones who weren't mine, but spent time in my care.   This sign is a priceless tool to a baby. It is one of the most powerful gifts a parent or caregiver can bestow. Especially, since babies develop control of thier hands much earlier than the numerous muscles required for speech. But their minds develop even earlier! They can understand even sooner.   That one little word lays a foundation for back and forth conversation. Reduces both the child's as well as the caregiver's frustration. And it teaches the child that there is a way to communicate that allows him/her to remain more in control emotionally. This is very important because no one really likes to feel out of control.   °°°   Have you ever lost your voice? Did it make you feel somewhat insecure? Or even occasionally panicky?   Likely, you were able to make your needs known through writing, texting, or ...

Funny thing about toddlers...they don't seem to care that mom is trying to rest, or have a laid back/light work load kind of day. Nope, they just carry on with their big plans. Because, you know, isn't it really all about them?     Who exploded flour all over the kitchen?     Just follow the footprints. The ittly bitty ones.     The suspect was covered from head to tiny toe!     Then not even two minutes later!     "Look Mama! Somebody spilled pretzels all over the floor!"     "I'll help."     Hmmm...wonder how this happened...     They always return to the scene of the crime!     Oy! 

Welcome to Wordy Wednesday! Todays subject: PERTINACIOUS I found this word while I was searching for a better word to describe a particular characteristic of Grace's. Because stubborn just didn't seem to cut it. And lo and behold, I stumbled upon this gem of obscure English adjectives. Definition: (via dictionary.com) pertinacious[ pur-tn-ey-shuhs ] adjective 1. holding tenaciously to a purpose, course of action, or opinion; resolute. 2. stubborn or obstinate. 3. extremely or objectionably persistent: a pertinacious salesman from whom I could not escape. That could very well simply read Grace, Grace, Grace. That's not to say at all that she isn't charming, and sweet, and thoughtful, because she most certainly is. But, she is also, sometimes more often than we appreciate, pertinacious. Let's face it. Artsy people can be very moody people. Notice, I'm not saying that ALL are, just that some, even perhaps many, can certainly be...passionate. Well we a...

Well, he finally did it! A few weeks ago, Zak became the official owner of an iphone 3gs. And while that sounds very fancy, it won't sound so by the end of the next paragraph. First, it doesn't operate as a phone. We have no plans to activate it any time soon to enable it to make or receive calls. Second, we also have no plans to activate any sort of data plan on it any time soon. We have Wi-Fi here at home, but if there's no Wi-Fi, there's no internet. Third, he still has to earn electronic time in order to use it, and like all the rest, he must ask permission first. So he pretty much has a four year old ipod. He made a deal with his dad that he could buy it for forty dollars. When he finally earned it, we explained to him the above rules. And we pointed out to him that he was already using the phone in this manner. So we made it clear to him that he could save his forty dollars, and still continue to use the phone as he had previously been. He was adamant however ...

Somebody forgot to check their pockets. Our dryer is now a lovely shade of melted green crayon. Don't know the extent of damage to the clothes yet. But it was mostly jeans so probably not too bad. Just another day here at the nut house.

Well, we had our first official ER visit.   And not with the either of the kids we would have expected.   It was Giddy Grace! Yup. Last night when she was dancing around the living room, Big Sister slipped, and fell backwards hitting her head on the hard floor. She cried, we hugged, and after a few minutes she was back to giggling.   When she came back in the kitchen a couple more minutes later I noticed a little blood in one nostril. She wiped it, and no more appeared. But I, of course, started googling.   Because it was so brief, and she was acting otherwise completely normal I took my normal wait and see approach. Aside from also getting bonked on her forehead by her brother's elbow, she seemed totally fine. No uneven pupils, dizziness, so I gave her ibuprofen for her head "that hurts on boff sides now!"   I checked on her several more times before she fell asleep. She was feeling better.   Then around 5:30 this morning she come...

... you see your toddler is about to puke and you cup your hands under her chin to catch it. ... your toddler's diarrhea leaks out onto your lap, but you clean her up first. ... your not even grossed out by puke or poop anymore. ... you fully expect any projectile vomit to land squarely on you. ... a shower feels like a spa treatment. And clean clothes make you giggle when you smell them. ... you celebrate not having to wash her hair or yours for the fourth time in a single day. ... you actually go over the logistics of burning the couch instead of cleaning it. ... your lightning quick reflexes intercept and prevent any food item that isn't completely bland from entering her mouth. ... you walk around with a pot and towel like a bird of prey ready to strike any living thing that moves and catch any expelled bodily fluids. It's as if you can smell it. EVERYWHERE! (As you probably gathered, we got hit with a stomach bug over the weekend. So far, only Kit has had it, ...

Here in our house we do school all year.   In fact, we probably do more school in the summer than any other season. This is because it's nearly 100° and 99% humidity for large portions of the day for several months. I keep the kids inside on most afternoons in the summer and send them out after five. It's still hot and muggy, but the sun is far less intense and its much more tolerable.   So with kids inside for large portions of each day, I learned early on that I needed to give them stuff to do. Having it be schoolwork is an easy and beneficial solution. We always have what we need, they always know what to do, or where to pick up from where they left off. And I don't have to sizzle my last remaining brain cells trying to scrape together new and appealing activities to entertain them. It also helps keep a semi-consistent routine.   This does not mean that they don't get time off. They get plenty of time off. They get days and even weeks off whenever we ne...

How many times have I uttered the phrase just this once . But when I analyze that statement, when I am really honest with myself, I know that's not a truthful statement. Really, all it is, is a desperate plea in the moment to restore things to my liking, routine, or expectations. Honestly though, those are just words. Empty words. I know this because what I really mean is from now on or from here on out or each time this happens. Just this once seems good in the moment , diplomatic, but it doesn't do much for the long run. And I'm sure it's frustrating to the people we are saying it to. Because, really, they know we don't mean it either. They know what we really want is for them to do it this way always. To change. And it overwhelms us because change is hard. And I think kids and adults alike are afraid to do something just this once, because inside we are afraid that it means we will be expected to do it from now on . Because so often, that is really w...

When I was a teenager, I used to clean the kitchen late at night after everyone else had retired to their respective nighttime abodes. My family was ever gracious and indulgent of my teenage-ness. I would play mournful country love songs loud enough to almost make me feel like my voice blended in. And of course, played the same songs over and over and over again. Wow...were my mom and sisters tolerant! But it never really occurred to me then how special that time was to me. It was a gift they gave me, allowing me to just be myself, doing things my way, my alone time for the day. Somewhere in the era of newlywed bliss, I let that habit slip away. And then babies and breastfeeding, and the sheer joy of the children of the house FINALLY being asleep and not wanting to disrupt in any way the whole house being quiet, further removed me from that wistful daily refuge. And while over the years I occasionally slip away, and do manage to carve out periods of alone t...

Last night, in the beautiful silence of the big kids being in bed and Victor giving Kit a bath, I sat down to take a few minutes and just do something completely unproductive but fun. I had a sink full of dishes and laundry to fold and piles of stuff to go through. But I ignored them, and played Candy Crush instead.   I've been working on the same level for days, and was unsuccessful in completing it last night as well. And as I read the message on the screen a light bulb of sorts went off in my mind. About encouragement. Specifically in regard to our children.   You're probably scratching your head saying she's nuts. And that's probably true, but I'll explain.   The message on the screen when a level is not completed reads: You failed! You did not bring down all the ingredients. (Or get rid of all the jelly. etc.) Yes, the exclamation mark is really there!   So why does this make me think of how we encourage our kids?   Because i...

I'm sorry for kind of disappearing for a few days. It has been a busy, and at times overwhelming couple of weeks. I think I will be able to get back to my regular weekly features starting next week, but today I'll share what kind of derailed me, but at the same time got us going in the right direction. And to my family and friends, please don't be angry with me for not telling each of you in person, I've barely had energy to function. I certainly don't mean anything ill-spirited. By sharing it here, I can give everyone a much more thorough explanation one time, rather than a hit-and-miss explanation twenty plus times.   ***       Approximately eight or nine months ago, I was busy filling out every symptom questionnaire I could find on everything from ADHD, to Giftedness, to Autism, and finally Sensory Processing Disorder. It was this last category that with question after question I saw my children of concern ...

Well, I plead illness.  I felt terrible last weekend. Then, Kit was sick for several days. So a lot of things got put off this week.   On Monday though, my sweet Mom came down and once again saved me from being drowned by the laundry. She also did several lessons for school with Grace which freed me up to tackle a pile that has been sitting (and growing) on one corner of our bench for weeks.   I didn't get any pics of that one though, sorry. But it consisted mainly of boxes that contained items set aside for giving away, misplaced toys, several user guides to miscellaneous appliances, and a lot of items waiting to be hung up (I detest hanging things up, I have no idea why, but it is seriously my second least favorite chore, my least favorite being ironing. Oh the irony!!)   Well, that was the first, and last productive day of the week. Kit came down with what I am now 99% sure was Roseola. But her fever broke, and stayed gone in time for us to sti...

  My goodness! The kids sure think so. You parents out there know exactly what I'm talking about. Some days you ask a kid to make a bed, or pick up a spray bottle and the looks vary from outrage to broken hearted, tears and all.   Nevertheless, we are a community, and we all need to be good citizens and do our part. So like it or not, at some point we all must pay taxes! Right?   Well that certainly doesn't help improve the reputation of chores does it?   Well, let's think about it for a minute. There are some pretty valuable benefits that taxes provide and the same can be said of chores. Let's take a closer look.   1.) Efficiency     The most obvious benefit, of course, is that chores make a home more efficient. As in, more time to spend doing fun stuff because there is plenty of clear space to do it. Plus, no one is wandering around searching for that one critical component that always seems to get misplaced, i.e. the ...

We have imperfect children. Our children, have very imperfect parents. And aside from our vertically challenged genes, our kiddos have inherited (or learned) a few other things from us as well.   The eye roll. The shoulder shrug. The growl. Each one is signature Kit. But you know what? They are signature me as well. Uh-oh. It's not just her either. Zak's sigh. The way he snaps suddenly. And the way both he and Grace set their jaw in the "I'm listening, but I'm not going to like it" mode. Grace's hands on her hips. Yeah, regrettably, all me to a T.   Not that they don't also take after their dad. It's just that my flaws tend to be a little bit more...um...   Loud. If I'm lightning, then Victor must be coals. Steady, but still capable of shaping steel. Our kids have a little (and sometimes a lot) of both of us in them. It's true, our munchkins are strong willed, stubborn, persistent, and crafty little boogers. But thos...