Tuesday, February 28, 2012
My little loves...
Brandon had to work on Valentine's Day, so I took my "little" loves out instead. I love spending time with them and being silly at dinner. And guess what...they ate free!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Fun Friday Facts and Happenings
1. Grayson ate pretzels, fish sticks, applesauce, and a small cookie for dinner. So far going Gluten-Free is working. Small worries about him also being allergic/intolerant to rice, but trying to take it one step at a time :)
2. Thursday marked day 42 of my Run Streak. I have clocked at least one mile 42 days in a row. Hoping to continue my streak until I officially start training for my half. That training plan starts in April.
3. Today will mark 2 weeks in a row that I easily surpassed 20 miles.
4. My research class is a killer. The amount of sleep I get at night is definitely decreasing.
5. Griffin recently read aloud the book Super Fly Guy. I had to help him with a word here and there, but he read most of it.
6. Hunger Games (the movie) comes out one month from yesterday. I. cannot. wait.
7. My baby turns three years old soon. My baby. Sigh.
8. I absolutely love my Kindle. The only downfall...I can't read in the bathtub. It would only be a matter of time before I dropped it.
9. I took a Tabata class last night. Super fun and such a great workout.
10. I will attend my third Zumba class tonight. Not the greatest workout for me, but it is SO fun.
11. Brandon is working an insane amount of hours right now. I don't know how he manages to function, yet somehow he keeps putting in 14+ hour days.
12. Currently, my church is doing a series called "Raising Amazing Kids." Definitely taking away nuggets of information.
13. Life is full. Life is hectic. Life is GOOD.
2. Thursday marked day 42 of my Run Streak. I have clocked at least one mile 42 days in a row. Hoping to continue my streak until I officially start training for my half. That training plan starts in April.
3. Today will mark 2 weeks in a row that I easily surpassed 20 miles.
4. My research class is a killer. The amount of sleep I get at night is definitely decreasing.
5. Griffin recently read aloud the book Super Fly Guy. I had to help him with a word here and there, but he read most of it.
6. Hunger Games (the movie) comes out one month from yesterday. I. cannot. wait.
7. My baby turns three years old soon. My baby. Sigh.
8. I absolutely love my Kindle. The only downfall...I can't read in the bathtub. It would only be a matter of time before I dropped it.
9. I took a Tabata class last night. Super fun and such a great workout.
10. I will attend my third Zumba class tonight. Not the greatest workout for me, but it is SO fun.
11. Brandon is working an insane amount of hours right now. I don't know how he manages to function, yet somehow he keeps putting in 14+ hour days.
12. Currently, my church is doing a series called "Raising Amazing Kids." Definitely taking away nuggets of information.
13. Life is full. Life is hectic. Life is GOOD.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Just Write
I'm overwhelmed. Reading labels is time consuming. Constantly worrying about whether or not he is eating is making my head spin. Calling manufacturers to check if something really is gluten free is something I never thought would be in my future. I know I am his mother, and I shouldn't complain, but man, this is harder than I expected it to be. Add that to the stress of my current research class, and you get one crabby person. Even Brandon told me I was crabby :(
Thankfully my children and husband remind me in other ways that I can get through this. Griffin wants to have dance parties each night. Grayson wants to snuggle with me on the couch. They both ooze with excitement at the chance to go swimming together at the YMCA. Brandon empties the dishwasher when he comes home at 11:00 at night. Despite working an insane amount of hours, he knows that putting away dishes helps me out. So he does it. Without being asked. It's the little things that keep me going. Reminding me that while life can get overwhelming, it is so worth it. It is beyond worth it. Being a mom, a wife, a teacher, a student. It's all worth it.
Click here to read a post from the originator of JUST WRITE.
Thankfully my children and husband remind me in other ways that I can get through this. Griffin wants to have dance parties each night. Grayson wants to snuggle with me on the couch. They both ooze with excitement at the chance to go swimming together at the YMCA. Brandon empties the dishwasher when he comes home at 11:00 at night. Despite working an insane amount of hours, he knows that putting away dishes helps me out. So he does it. Without being asked. It's the little things that keep me going. Reminding me that while life can get overwhelming, it is so worth it. It is beyond worth it. Being a mom, a wife, a teacher, a student. It's all worth it.
Click here to read a post from the originator of JUST WRITE.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Happy Half-Birthday, Mr. Griffin!!!
Today, Griffin is five AND A HALF years old!!! It's true, I had the honor of becoming a mother 5.5 years ago. And seriously, what an honor it is to be blessed by this little man.
School is still going quite well for Griffin. He loves recess (of course!) but loves "stuff inside the classroom too!" I am amazed on a daily basis because of how much he is learning. I am completely intrigued about what he learns in regards to food. He now frequently asks if something is healthy for him before he eats it. Or he will say, "Mom, which one is better for me?" After reading off the wall at school that chocolate milk has more calories than regular milk, he told me that he is only going to choose chocolate milk once in a while :) While we talk about the importance of exercise on a daily basis, we rarely talk about healthy foods beyond the need for fruits and vegetables. I don't know exactly what they have talked about at school in regards to nutrition, but I love that he has already started to apply his knowledge without prompting from us.
His reading and writing skills also continue to bring a smile to my face. Just this morning, he typed me a note on my kindle that read, "We are goin to the mal toda." And the other day, I was brought to tears when I recorded the video from below. Each day, he brings home a book that is at his reading level. He can keep the book for as long as he wants, but he chooses to get a new book every day (this is completely separate from the books he is allowed to check out from the school's library). The books are designed so that kids can learn new words through patterns and repetition. The also contain sight/high frequency words. When I busted out the video camera, it was Griffin's second time through the book. Unfortunately my battery died before he finished, but you get the idea.
Basketball and swimming continue to be his activities of choice. (Let's be honest, though, he would be in swimming lessons whether he liked them or not. ) At lessons on Monday, I watched him swim freestyle across the entire length of the pool. He had to stop and catch his breath while treading water in the middle (he hasn't quite figured out the whole breathing thing), but he made it without touching the ground or grabbing onto the side. His form needs a little work, but I don't concern myself with that. I just want both of my boys to be strong swimmers. I could care less if they swim competitively; I just want them to be strong swimmers from a safety standpoint. And for now, Griffin truly does enjoy swimming lessons and learning different strokes. In terms of basketball, Griffin's favorite activity is a game called sharks and minnows. He is constantly telling me that he hopes to play it at practice.
Griffin is my happy-go-lucky kid. Even the nurse at school says he smiles more than any kid she knows. (Griffin visits the school nurse each day for daily asthma/allergy medicine...twice a day when his asthma is acting up). He definitely likes routine (like his mother), and he is a great older brother. He currently loves salad and ranch dressing, and he would put an entire jar of mayo on his sandwiches if we let him. The two of us also share a passion for mustard pretzels.
And that is just a little update on Mr. Griffin.
I just can't believe he is five and a half years old!!!
School is still going quite well for Griffin. He loves recess (of course!) but loves "stuff inside the classroom too!" I am amazed on a daily basis because of how much he is learning. I am completely intrigued about what he learns in regards to food. He now frequently asks if something is healthy for him before he eats it. Or he will say, "Mom, which one is better for me?" After reading off the wall at school that chocolate milk has more calories than regular milk, he told me that he is only going to choose chocolate milk once in a while :) While we talk about the importance of exercise on a daily basis, we rarely talk about healthy foods beyond the need for fruits and vegetables. I don't know exactly what they have talked about at school in regards to nutrition, but I love that he has already started to apply his knowledge without prompting from us.
His reading and writing skills also continue to bring a smile to my face. Just this morning, he typed me a note on my kindle that read, "We are goin to the mal toda." And the other day, I was brought to tears when I recorded the video from below. Each day, he brings home a book that is at his reading level. He can keep the book for as long as he wants, but he chooses to get a new book every day (this is completely separate from the books he is allowed to check out from the school's library). The books are designed so that kids can learn new words through patterns and repetition. The also contain sight/high frequency words. When I busted out the video camera, it was Griffin's second time through the book. Unfortunately my battery died before he finished, but you get the idea.
Basketball and swimming continue to be his activities of choice. (Let's be honest, though, he would be in swimming lessons whether he liked them or not. ) At lessons on Monday, I watched him swim freestyle across the entire length of the pool. He had to stop and catch his breath while treading water in the middle (he hasn't quite figured out the whole breathing thing), but he made it without touching the ground or grabbing onto the side. His form needs a little work, but I don't concern myself with that. I just want both of my boys to be strong swimmers. I could care less if they swim competitively; I just want them to be strong swimmers from a safety standpoint. And for now, Griffin truly does enjoy swimming lessons and learning different strokes. In terms of basketball, Griffin's favorite activity is a game called sharks and minnows. He is constantly telling me that he hopes to play it at practice.
Griffin is my happy-go-lucky kid. Even the nurse at school says he smiles more than any kid she knows. (Griffin visits the school nurse each day for daily asthma/allergy medicine...twice a day when his asthma is acting up). He definitely likes routine (like his mother), and he is a great older brother. He currently loves salad and ranch dressing, and he would put an entire jar of mayo on his sandwiches if we let him. The two of us also share a passion for mustard pretzels.
And that is just a little update on Mr. Griffin.
I just can't believe he is five and a half years old!!!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Takes After Me...
So apparently Griffin is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to school. Hmmm...I wonder where he gets that from?
Today was his second Kindergarten Conference. I am still in love with his teacher, and so is he :) But she shared that Griffin has a hard time with trying new things for fear of being wrong. For example, if he is asked to try reading a new word, he might say, "I don't know." But when she prompts him to just try and sound it out, most often he can read it. Or when he was being tested last week on sight words, he only got 12/22 correct. But it was only because he didn't attempt them all. If he came to a word that he had to think twice about, he would say, "I don't know." Yet today, when I tested him, he knew all 22. But my test came after a long talk about how it's okay to make mistakes, and that when we learn to read, we don't always get things right. Thankfully his teacher knew that his score wasn't really indicative of his ability. (The next day when he was asked to spell the sight words, he could spell them all).
For now, we just have to work on reiterating the fact that making mistakes is a part of learning.
A lesson I could remember now and again myself :)
Today was his second Kindergarten Conference. I am still in love with his teacher, and so is he :) But she shared that Griffin has a hard time with trying new things for fear of being wrong. For example, if he is asked to try reading a new word, he might say, "I don't know." But when she prompts him to just try and sound it out, most often he can read it. Or when he was being tested last week on sight words, he only got 12/22 correct. But it was only because he didn't attempt them all. If he came to a word that he had to think twice about, he would say, "I don't know." Yet today, when I tested him, he knew all 22. But my test came after a long talk about how it's okay to make mistakes, and that when we learn to read, we don't always get things right. Thankfully his teacher knew that his score wasn't really indicative of his ability. (The next day when he was asked to spell the sight words, he could spell them all).
For now, we just have to work on reiterating the fact that making mistakes is a part of learning.
A lesson I could remember now and again myself :)
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