On our way back from our Indiana summer trip a few weeks ago, I jotted down (with dictation of course) a few of the ways my silly boys kept me awake and on my toes during the long drive. My sister accompanied me, just because of how far into my pregnancy I was, and despite driving in the daytime (without a DVD player, tablets, or any electronic devices beyond the radio) the boys did a great job. The trip was just over 12 hours, including about 66 minutes worth of stops, and a bit of wondering around when we lost our map signal and tried to take a short-cut in MD/WV/VA. Along the way the boys:
Noticed something in the engine. Elijah proclaimed this every time we drove up and down my mother's dirt road the entire trip.
Noticed about ten "time tunnels" each and every hour (these are overpasses, which they warn me as we "approach").
Asked why we were crossing every bridge. Whether one crossing a tiny creek, an overpass, or a large river. Every. Single. Time. Elijah.
Noticed lots of rocket-ships (electrical transformers).
Warned me every-time we passed a "deer crossing" sign. Theodore.
Completed a "road sign" scavenger hunt. Theo loved this and it really kept him busy.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Third Time Around: Third Trimester Update & Gender Prediction
So I can't seem to sit down and get any posts typed out. Perhaps because typing over my big belly is becoming uncomfortable, or possibly because every time I sit down the baby gets really active rolling around making crazy movements. And I get a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions whenever I sit down and relax. So it's not exactly relaxing.
Maybe I'm just not really ready to face the birth of this child. As excited as I am to meet this one, I'm not really ready for to have my third c-section. Or recover from it. With two boys and a house full of stairs. And I know as soon as this one comes life is going to speed up as summer disappears and school starts for the boys. And if this ends up being my last pregnancy, I'm not really ready for it to end. Though, at the same time, I'm anxious to have my body back and be able to get around easily again. I'm basically full of contradictory feelings. But, with at most 19 days left of this pregnancy, here's where we are at:
Differences: Everyone asks if this baby feels any different, trying to help them guess if it's a boy or girl. I feel pretty much the same, with a few differences. I'm not noticing nearly as much swelling this time, I could probably even keep my rings on most days. I've got barely any heartburn, while I had a lot for Theo, and a little for Eli (making me a firm believer in the "hair" wives' tail). I have felt like my joints and muscles aren't doing as well this time, I feel like I pull a different muscle every time I get up. Blaming this on age I guess, since I was in better shape when I got pregnant this time. I've gained a bit more than I did with the boys, but I also started at a lot less weight too.
Food: I still NEED something sugary every day, but I'm definitely wanting to eat lots of small meals throughout the day rather than large ones, as I'm out of room in there. I'd eat a baked potato with sour cream every day if I could. And bread. I'm craving fresher foods now too though, strawberries and corn-on-the-cob and tomatoes and salads, rather than all the fried stuff I really wanted last trimester. It's helpful that all the summer produce is cheap and tempting right now.
Big Brothers: The boys are starting to count down to this baby. They love to say good-morning and good-night to it each day. Elijah spends a lot of time cuddling up "skin-to-skin" with my belly and even Theodore has been patient enough to feel all the kicks now that they are so obvious. Theodore has picked "Rhino-charge" for the middle name. Which, is the only option we have right now for boys. I just can't focus on thinking of a boy name, though I've got a couple girl names in mind (mostly family names). Not knowing the gender is really making it easy to procrastinate on this whole name thing.
Speaking of which: I thought it would be fun to list out some of the wives' tales gender prediction methods and see where we are at.
And, here are my weekly photos. 27 Weeks to 37!
And based on the predictions, feel free to send me some boy name ideas, we just may take them! Theodore and Elijah are both "three syllable names with two syllable nicknames that do not change the spelling at all," but that's not a hard and fast rule I want for all my kids. Just happened to work with the first two.
Maybe I'm just not really ready to face the birth of this child. As excited as I am to meet this one, I'm not really ready for to have my third c-section. Or recover from it. With two boys and a house full of stairs. And I know as soon as this one comes life is going to speed up as summer disappears and school starts for the boys. And if this ends up being my last pregnancy, I'm not really ready for it to end. Though, at the same time, I'm anxious to have my body back and be able to get around easily again. I'm basically full of contradictory feelings. But, with at most 19 days left of this pregnancy, here's where we are at:
Differences: Everyone asks if this baby feels any different, trying to help them guess if it's a boy or girl. I feel pretty much the same, with a few differences. I'm not noticing nearly as much swelling this time, I could probably even keep my rings on most days. I've got barely any heartburn, while I had a lot for Theo, and a little for Eli (making me a firm believer in the "hair" wives' tail). I have felt like my joints and muscles aren't doing as well this time, I feel like I pull a different muscle every time I get up. Blaming this on age I guess, since I was in better shape when I got pregnant this time. I've gained a bit more than I did with the boys, but I also started at a lot less weight too.
Food: I still NEED something sugary every day, but I'm definitely wanting to eat lots of small meals throughout the day rather than large ones, as I'm out of room in there. I'd eat a baked potato with sour cream every day if I could. And bread. I'm craving fresher foods now too though, strawberries and corn-on-the-cob and tomatoes and salads, rather than all the fried stuff I really wanted last trimester. It's helpful that all the summer produce is cheap and tempting right now.
Big Brothers: The boys are starting to count down to this baby. They love to say good-morning and good-night to it each day. Elijah spends a lot of time cuddling up "skin-to-skin" with my belly and even Theodore has been patient enough to feel all the kicks now that they are so obvious. Theodore has picked "Rhino-charge" for the middle name. Which, is the only option we have right now for boys. I just can't focus on thinking of a boy name, though I've got a couple girl names in mind (mostly family names). Not knowing the gender is really making it easy to procrastinate on this whole name thing.
Speaking of which: I thought it would be fun to list out some of the wives' tales gender prediction methods and see where we are at.
Morning Sickness: BOY
Cravings: GIRL
Chinese Calendar: BOY
Baby's Heartbeat: BOY
Daddy's Weight: BOY
Sleeping Side: GIRL
Carrying: GIRL
And, here are my weekly photos. 27 Weeks to 37!
And based on the predictions, feel free to send me some boy name ideas, we just may take them! Theodore and Elijah are both "three syllable names with two syllable nicknames that do not change the spelling at all," but that's not a hard and fast rule I want for all my kids. Just happened to work with the first two.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Going on a Bear Hunt: Camping in Shenandoah
So the weekend before the Fourth of July we finally made it out to camp in Shenandoah National Park. We have never been able to get reservations before, but decided to just wing it and try a first come first serve site. Apparently they actually have a lot of these sites that are not reservable. The night we arrived the area had a thunderstorm and flash flood warning in effect, so the campground was pretty open. We realize we're a little crazy for that. But I felt like we'd have some good luck weather wise.
We headed to the nearest campground from the North, which is the Mathews Arm Campground located about 20 miles inside the park. Needing a close bathroom for the pregnant lady and almost potty trained two year old, we picked a spot in the C loop immediately opposite the bathroom. And the water spigot. Apparently, Theo's favorite thing to do when camping is filling any water needs at the spigot.
Cavern: There are several options for caverns around the Shenandoah area. We stumbled across a group-on just a couple days before our trip, so we definitely went with that one. We only paid for one ticket for all four of us. The Shenandoah Caverns were the first time either boys had been to an underground cavern. The one hour tour was just about perfect for them, though I was terrified they would touch some of the structures which is against the law. They are famous for their "bacon-like" features that were pictured in National Geographic years ago, and have popcorn walls as well. Elijah pretended to eat most of the cave. The location also had some other random exhibits including old animated store windows and a huge barn filled with parade floats. It was odd, but the boys liked just about everything they saw. Their soda fountain restaurant was also surprisingly cheap and good for a tourist place, though it was pretty packed with minimal staff.
Ice Cream: We don't consider ourselves on vacation if we don't have ice cream. We found a good place on Lurray's charming Main Street called Stephan's Sugar Shack and each enjoyed a cone of their Hershey ice cream (except Eli, who still doesn't realize he missed ice cream while napping).
Hiking: While I was pretty nervous to set out on a big hike with me being 32 weeks along, and Elijah still being accustomed to being carried occasionally or having a stroller to jump in and out of, I had faith we could accomplish one last big hike before the baby comes. Since it was right off our campground, and should be beautiful after two nights of rain, we chose to hike to the tallest waterfall in Shenandoah, Overlook Falls. We found the trailhead for Mathews Arm Trail at the back of the group camping sites, and took off. It indicated we were 2.0 miles to the falls. Eventually, we turned onto the Tuscarora/Overall Run Trail and continued downward to the falls. The boys had a great time re-enacting "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" (that book never gets old in our house) as we sludged through mud (just a little), climbed over logs (none really covered the path), and carefully danced across rocks over a brook (that actually did cover the trail at one point). We found just about every color of mushroom possible as Theo is very interested in them. Elijah was excited for all the "eggs" he found (Brian called them gulls) while Theodore made sure to tell everyone about a bear sighting one of the other hikers mentioned to us at the beginning of the trail. We, however, did not see one this day.
Eventually we came upon a pretty large waterfall, but not a 93 footer, so we kept going. The last 0.5 miles of the trail were the steepest but led to a huge payoff as the view at the top was gorgeous. And then you turn and see a beautiful waterfall! The dog and I were fairly nervous one of the boys would fall off the cliffs surrounding this area, but luckily we got in a few photos and just enjoyed the cooling rushing winds as we rested all in one piece. We made it from the trailhead to Overlook Falls in about two hours. Despite stopping to snack on our way back UP the trail (and Brian carrying both boys at the steepest parts) we actually made it back to the campground quicker. Overall, we spent about four hours out there.
Views: Being up on a skyline ridge, the whole 100+ miles of Shenandoah National Park offer wonderful views of the surrounding area. Except when it's foggy and rainy and you can't see much. But during the sunny parts of our visit we enjoyed pulling off and wondering around some of the different scenic overlooks. At one point in the drive, we actually saw our first black bear as one crossed the road right in front of us. We were much happier to see it while in the car than if we had been on foot.
More Ice Cream: We ended our visit with a stop at the Apple House in Front Royal for some soft serve ice cream and a taste of their apple cider donuts. Elijah slept through the stop again, even with a train passing right by us as we waited on the ice cream. It was a good ending to a slightly exhausting, but great trip together with our two boys.
And even though we knew to expect rain, the weather was some of the best June weather we could ask for. We planned to tour an underground cave and do inside activities on the rainy day and enjoy perfect hiking weather of about 65° on the sunny beautiful day. Some of our favorite parts of our trip were:
Campfire: Theodore was in charge of the s'more making, while Elijah kept up a cheering section for Brian as he tried to make fires with damp wood.
Cavern: There are several options for caverns around the Shenandoah area. We stumbled across a group-on just a couple days before our trip, so we definitely went with that one. We only paid for one ticket for all four of us. The Shenandoah Caverns were the first time either boys had been to an underground cavern. The one hour tour was just about perfect for them, though I was terrified they would touch some of the structures which is against the law. They are famous for their "bacon-like" features that were pictured in National Geographic years ago, and have popcorn walls as well. Elijah pretended to eat most of the cave. The location also had some other random exhibits including old animated store windows and a huge barn filled with parade floats. It was odd, but the boys liked just about everything they saw. Their soda fountain restaurant was also surprisingly cheap and good for a tourist place, though it was pretty packed with minimal staff.
Chip Factory: While I normally have to stay away from potato chips because I have absolutely no self-control in regards to them, being pregnant is a pretty good excuse to have a few chances to snack on some. We kept seeing signs for the Route 11 Chip factory and had to stop by since it was right beside the caverns. They weren't frying during our visit, but if they had been you can view it all from the retail shop windows. As it was, it was neat seeing all the machines used. We sampled just about every variety they have and each left with a (small) bag in hand.
Ice Cream: We don't consider ourselves on vacation if we don't have ice cream. We found a good place on Lurray's charming Main Street called Stephan's Sugar Shack and each enjoyed a cone of their Hershey ice cream (except Eli, who still doesn't realize he missed ice cream while napping).
Hiking: While I was pretty nervous to set out on a big hike with me being 32 weeks along, and Elijah still being accustomed to being carried occasionally or having a stroller to jump in and out of, I had faith we could accomplish one last big hike before the baby comes. Since it was right off our campground, and should be beautiful after two nights of rain, we chose to hike to the tallest waterfall in Shenandoah, Overlook Falls. We found the trailhead for Mathews Arm Trail at the back of the group camping sites, and took off. It indicated we were 2.0 miles to the falls. Eventually, we turned onto the Tuscarora/Overall Run Trail and continued downward to the falls. The boys had a great time re-enacting "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" (that book never gets old in our house) as we sludged through mud (just a little), climbed over logs (none really covered the path), and carefully danced across rocks over a brook (that actually did cover the trail at one point). We found just about every color of mushroom possible as Theo is very interested in them. Elijah was excited for all the "eggs" he found (Brian called them gulls) while Theodore made sure to tell everyone about a bear sighting one of the other hikers mentioned to us at the beginning of the trail. We, however, did not see one this day.
Eventually we came upon a pretty large waterfall, but not a 93 footer, so we kept going. The last 0.5 miles of the trail were the steepest but led to a huge payoff as the view at the top was gorgeous. And then you turn and see a beautiful waterfall! The dog and I were fairly nervous one of the boys would fall off the cliffs surrounding this area, but luckily we got in a few photos and just enjoyed the cooling rushing winds as we rested all in one piece. We made it from the trailhead to Overlook Falls in about two hours. Despite stopping to snack on our way back UP the trail (and Brian carrying both boys at the steepest parts) we actually made it back to the campground quicker. Overall, we spent about four hours out there.
More Ice Cream: We ended our visit with a stop at the Apple House in Front Royal for some soft serve ice cream and a taste of their apple cider donuts. Elijah slept through the stop again, even with a train passing right by us as we waited on the ice cream. It was a good ending to a slightly exhausting, but great trip together with our two boys.
Day Trip: Frederick, MD
Despite a rainy day, we recently met up with one of my best friend's since middle school who was traveling through the charming town of Frederick, Maryland. Just a couple counties away, we took the back way and enjoyed a beautiful drive passing beautiful properties, antique stores, roadside stands, and several strawberry patches on the way up to meet them. I've only stopped in Frederick once before several years ago (BK: before kids) so everything was new for us. We picked a few places to explore that were definitely worth mentioning:
Fractured Prune: This donuts place was a pregnant girls dream. Hot, fresh donuts designed however you'd like. I went with most of their specialty donuts, before designing a cherry glaze with peanut topping. The owner said he'd never made that one before, which was surprising to me because it was the perfect combination.
Monocacy National Battlefield: Theo has been on a Civil War kick lately, so this was a great stop for him. You can read more about it in an upcoming post about all things Civil War.
North Market Pop Shop: While normally I try and visit breweries or wineries while visiting new places, being pregnant changes my game a little. This place sounded fun, so we stopped in and left with several bottles of pop as well as having an ice cream treat as well.
I also got pretty excited to see Volt--- I think I actually lost my breath for a moment. We have talked about going up there to eat forever (I'm a big Top Chef fan of Bryan Voltaggio), but have never made the investment. One day we might, but just seeing the building was pretty cool for me.
One other place that looked visit-worthy was the Roads and Rails Museum, which was unfortunately closed the day we visited. The boys would have loved it though. Maybe next time we're driving through...
Fractured Prune: This donuts place was a pregnant girls dream. Hot, fresh donuts designed however you'd like. I went with most of their specialty donuts, before designing a cherry glaze with peanut topping. The owner said he'd never made that one before, which was surprising to me because it was the perfect combination.
Monocacy National Battlefield: Theo has been on a Civil War kick lately, so this was a great stop for him. You can read more about it in an upcoming post about all things Civil War.
North Market Pop Shop: While normally I try and visit breweries or wineries while visiting new places, being pregnant changes my game a little. This place sounded fun, so we stopped in and left with several bottles of pop as well as having an ice cream treat as well.
I also got pretty excited to see Volt--- I think I actually lost my breath for a moment. We have talked about going up there to eat forever (I'm a big Top Chef fan of Bryan Voltaggio), but have never made the investment. One day we might, but just seeing the building was pretty cool for me.
One other place that looked visit-worthy was the Roads and Rails Museum, which was unfortunately closed the day we visited. The boys would have loved it though. Maybe next time we're driving through...
Civil War Buff
Recently, Theodore has accidentally become very interested in the Civil War. Really, all wars, but due to our location the Civil War has become the one he is learning the most about.
It started when we stopped by Manassas (Bull Run) National Battlefield while my mother was visiting in late May. We had never been, and they had a neat little visitor center as well as interpreted trails of the actual battlefields. Theo braved the movie "Manassas: End of Innocence" in the visitor center, and learned all about the two battles that were there (Elijah slept through it). The canons outside and the Henry Hill Loop Trail (pet friendly) we walked led to many, many follow-up questions from him about the battles and war in general. Adults pay an admission fee of $3 here.
A few weeks later while in Frederick, we stopped by Monocacy National Battlefield on a rainy day. The interactive relief map that described the battle there really captured Theodore's attention, and their visitor center was actually quite a bit larger and more interactive than Bull Run's. It was interesting to compare this battlefield in the North to Bull Run which is in the South. We walked along the railroad trail there, though there are several other options for trails at the along the other auto tour stops. No fee for admission here.
Another stop at President Lincoln's Cottage at the Old Soldier Home in DC while Brian's brother's family were visiting brought up more information for our little Civil War buff. He's starting to learn all about Lincoln and the idea of slavery. We had read "Henry's Freedom Box" earlier in the summer, and Theodore is starting to get a grasp of these things. After shielding him from the horrors of humanity on the nightly news every night, it's hard for me to start letting in these parts of history. But, he's so interested in them that I feel like I have to indulge it a bit, just being sure to keep it at a level he can grasp (if not completely understand). Adults pay $15 for a tour, school-age children pay $5. Younger are free.
Theo really wanted to visit the Virginia Museum of the Civil War while we were at Shenandoah last weekend, but we ran low on time. Frederick also has The National Museum of Civil War Medicine that I skipped (I think I would need to preview that before taking young kids). And there are several other battlefields nearby, including: Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania, Antietam National Battlefield, Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park, and of course Gettysburg which we visited a couple years ago.
If Theo's interest keeps up, we may end up at one of those before the summer is over.
It started when we stopped by Manassas (Bull Run) National Battlefield while my mother was visiting in late May. We had never been, and they had a neat little visitor center as well as interpreted trails of the actual battlefields. Theo braved the movie "Manassas: End of Innocence" in the visitor center, and learned all about the two battles that were there (Elijah slept through it). The canons outside and the Henry Hill Loop Trail (pet friendly) we walked led to many, many follow-up questions from him about the battles and war in general. Adults pay an admission fee of $3 here.
A few weeks later while in Frederick, we stopped by Monocacy National Battlefield on a rainy day. The interactive relief map that described the battle there really captured Theodore's attention, and their visitor center was actually quite a bit larger and more interactive than Bull Run's. It was interesting to compare this battlefield in the North to Bull Run which is in the South. We walked along the railroad trail there, though there are several other options for trails at the along the other auto tour stops. No fee for admission here.
Another stop at President Lincoln's Cottage at the Old Soldier Home in DC while Brian's brother's family were visiting brought up more information for our little Civil War buff. He's starting to learn all about Lincoln and the idea of slavery. We had read "Henry's Freedom Box" earlier in the summer, and Theodore is starting to get a grasp of these things. After shielding him from the horrors of humanity on the nightly news every night, it's hard for me to start letting in these parts of history. But, he's so interested in them that I feel like I have to indulge it a bit, just being sure to keep it at a level he can grasp (if not completely understand). Adults pay $15 for a tour, school-age children pay $5. Younger are free.
Theo really wanted to visit the Virginia Museum of the Civil War while we were at Shenandoah last weekend, but we ran low on time. Frederick also has The National Museum of Civil War Medicine that I skipped (I think I would need to preview that before taking young kids). And there are several other battlefields nearby, including: Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania, Antietam National Battlefield, Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park, and of course Gettysburg which we visited a couple years ago.
If Theo's interest keeps up, we may end up at one of those before the summer is over.
Rockets, rockets, and more rockets (and Elijah's Rocket Reading List)
So June came and went quickly (as did the Fourth of July)! I haven't gotten anything blogged lately, even though I've started several posts. We'll see how many I can get done in the next couple of days.
June seemed to be full of rockets for us. Elijah has become enamored with them lately. He can't get enough of them. So, I went on some idea hunts and came up with a bunch of activities to start our summer with rocket play. I wanted to share our collection, and an official reading list since it's been a while since I've done one.
2. Full size puzzle sheets, with some or all of the shapes outlined.
3. Full size puzzle sheets, with only the perimeter outlined. There are often multiple solutions for these kinds of puzzles.
4. Smaller scaled sheets showing all the pieces used, the last page of this packet has two rocket versions.
5. Similarly, you could create your own rocket, take photos, and have students recreate them from here.
Here is Theo's:
Here is mine (Elijah added the purple piece because it needed a door).
Here is Brian's:
6. To have your pre-schooler practice counting when finished with a specific rocket, you can use the Pattern block recording page here.
2. I Want to be an Astronaut: by Byron Barton. I like this one for it's simplicity, as the illustrations and text are very simple and can be memorized fairly quickly by an interested two year old.
3. Space Boy and His Dog: by Dian Curtis Regan. This one has the most "story" out of these books, about a boy looking for a missing cat, with or without his sister.
4. Zoom, Rocket, Zoom! by Margaret Mayo. The teacher in me really likes the vocabulary in this book. Multiple nouns and verbs are used in the sentences describing what rockets do. Satellites, orbiting, astronauts, command module, lunar module, space station, weightless, and rovers are some of the vocabulary Elijah has heard or picked up during this rocket obsession.
5. If You Decide to Go to the Moon: by Faith McNulty. Fans of illustrator Steven Kellogg will be drawn to this book about what it would be like to go to the moon. And return to Earth, which we should be thankful for. There seems to be a bit of an earth conservation theme at the end of the book.
6. On the Launch Pad: A Counting Book About Rockets: by Michael Dahl. This beautiful counting book starts at twelve stars in the sky, and counts down until the rocket blasts off. A great book for those learning to count.
7. Roaring Rockets: by Tony Mitton. Another cute book about astronauts going out into space, though these illustrations are animal astronauts rather than human ones. There is a nice glossary of rocket parts on the last page.
8. DK Readers Level 1: Rockets and Spaceships: by Karen Wallace. This little non-fiction book is a good addition to a rocket collection, and introduces young readers to features of informational books that will be important as they start reading more of them. (This one missed the photo, it is probably hiding under a bed.)
Hope you can enjoy some of these ideas if you ever have a rocket-obsessed guy (or girl) in your house!
June seemed to be full of rockets for us. Elijah has become enamored with them lately. He can't get enough of them. So, I went on some idea hunts and came up with a bunch of activities to start our summer with rocket play. I wanted to share our collection, and an official reading list since it's been a while since I've done one.
- Build a rocket out of cardboard boxes. Big brother enjoyed adding lots of details to all the control panels inside. Hours of dramatic play have been had with this box.
- Blast off a real rocket outside. We got this one for Theo's birthday and finally got it out to try. Alternatively, you could try this design from NASA.
- Watch Rocket to the Moon, Word World edition. Theo was a huge fan when he was younger, and now Elijah loves it.
- Chant rocket to the moon! Miss K at the library does this rhyme every week, and it has always been Elijah's favorite thing during book club.
Zoom Zoom Zoom*Then, we have another verse where we are going back home because we don't want to be stuck on the moon.*
We're going to the moon
Zoom Zoom Zoom
We're going to the moon
We'll climb aboard a rocket ship
And go upon a little trip
Zoom Zoom Zoom
Were going to the moon
5. .4. .3. .2. .1. . Blast off.
- Put yourself in a rocket! Theo made this at school, and Elijah really wanted one of his own. So, we created one and Elijah spent the most time I have ever seen coloring his rocket with markers. He was so excited to have his own rocket.
- Go to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museums. The annex located in Northern Virginia has the Discovery Space Shuttle, as well as bunches of rocket models to be impressed by. The original museum in DC has several full size rockets as well, and plenty of exhibits on space travel.
- Blast off a rocket inside. This balloon rocket idea looks like a fun, quick project.
- Even our church got in on the action, as they are planning a space themed VBS. The boys were so excited to see this spaceship adorning the side door.
- Use pattern blocks to free build rockets, or fill in rocket puzzles are great spatial recognition activities. There are many different ways to use pattern blocks:
2. Full size puzzle sheets, with some or all of the shapes outlined.
3. Full size puzzle sheets, with only the perimeter outlined. There are often multiple solutions for these kinds of puzzles.
4. Smaller scaled sheets showing all the pieces used, the last page of this packet has two rocket versions.
5. Similarly, you could create your own rocket, take photos, and have students recreate them from here.
Here is Theo's:
Here is mine (Elijah added the purple piece because it needed a door).
Here is Brian's:
6. To have your pre-schooler practice counting when finished with a specific rocket, you can use the Pattern block recording page here.
- Finally, read lots of rocket books. Elijah has gotten really good at finding them at the library, and I requested just about all of the pre-school age books our library system has. Some of our favorites include:
2. I Want to be an Astronaut: by Byron Barton. I like this one for it's simplicity, as the illustrations and text are very simple and can be memorized fairly quickly by an interested two year old.
3. Space Boy and His Dog: by Dian Curtis Regan. This one has the most "story" out of these books, about a boy looking for a missing cat, with or without his sister.
4. Zoom, Rocket, Zoom! by Margaret Mayo. The teacher in me really likes the vocabulary in this book. Multiple nouns and verbs are used in the sentences describing what rockets do. Satellites, orbiting, astronauts, command module, lunar module, space station, weightless, and rovers are some of the vocabulary Elijah has heard or picked up during this rocket obsession.
5. If You Decide to Go to the Moon: by Faith McNulty. Fans of illustrator Steven Kellogg will be drawn to this book about what it would be like to go to the moon. And return to Earth, which we should be thankful for. There seems to be a bit of an earth conservation theme at the end of the book.
6. On the Launch Pad: A Counting Book About Rockets: by Michael Dahl. This beautiful counting book starts at twelve stars in the sky, and counts down until the rocket blasts off. A great book for those learning to count.
7. Roaring Rockets: by Tony Mitton. Another cute book about astronauts going out into space, though these illustrations are animal astronauts rather than human ones. There is a nice glossary of rocket parts on the last page.
8. DK Readers Level 1: Rockets and Spaceships: by Karen Wallace. This little non-fiction book is a good addition to a rocket collection, and introduces young readers to features of informational books that will be important as they start reading more of them. (This one missed the photo, it is probably hiding under a bed.)
Hope you can enjoy some of these ideas if you ever have a rocket-obsessed guy (or girl) in your house!
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Penny Pinching Post: Ibotta
My latest "nesting obsession" this pregnancy has been trying to become more frugal with our everyday expenses. I've been keeping up an accurate record this year of where all our money actually goes, and not surprisingly, the most expensive section each month is our grocery bill. Feeding two growing boys, one man that can still eat like a teenager, a dog, a cat, and a pregnant lady is expensive! I'm talking $665 a month on average. And that's not accounting for a meal or two each week from restaurants, ($57.50 a week on average). Or, the fact that we get a ton of fresh meat from my parents for free.
After I spent a good amount of time comparing prices at stores during my "stock up" obsession, I started looking for ways I could get our grocery dollars to stretch farther, since almost 10% of our income is being spent in this category. And I found... IBOTTA! I love this app. I'm talking, tell-everyone-about-it-because-it-is-awesome, LOVE IT. I really love saving bits of money. So, here is my first of several posts coming to you about ways to save a little bit of cash, in case you have the time and inclination to do so.
Ibotta is a simple app you can find for free in your app store. There are three main steps to using the app:
1. First, find products, unlock them, and add to your grocery list. I check the app when I am making my grocery list each week, and I unlock any items that I would normally buy anyway, and consider stocking up on anything know I will use them in the future. While lots of the items are "name brand" products that give you higher rebates, there are plenty of "any brand" items that you can purchase as well for smaller rebates. To unlock the rebate, you will complete a simple task, like watching a video clip, answering a survey question, or learning a fact about the project. Very quick, but can take a few minutes if you find lots of products to unlock. Most products can be purchased anywhere, but Walmart shoppers will be especially pleased as they have many products exclusive to their store. They seem to have extra specials and bonuses around the holidays, and I joined right before Memorial Day so I took advantage of many of them.
Some examples:
If your grocery is one of their preferred partners, all you need to do now is shop. You won't have to do step 2 or 3, as your shopper's loyalty card will send the information on to Ibotta and you are done! My store, Food Lion, works this way. But, when I head to Target or Wegman's on occasion, the following steps are needed.
2. Shop and scan! While shopping, or after you get home, you will simply scan in the items that you want to redeem, using your phone. I suggest doing it while shopping if you are by yourself, but if you're shopping with two little boys you may want to wait until you're home for this part.
3. Send the receipt. Using your camera on your phone, you will simply take a picture of your receipt and you are done. Within a few hours I normally get confirmation that the rebate has gone through and the money is in my account. Once you get a certain amount, you can cash out or trade in for gift cards (I'm redeeming for Amazon gift cards, as it's quicker and pretty much like cash to me).
Some of my receipts:
I just signed up for this a few weeks ago, and I earned over $40 back in my first month! I'm hoping it's not just beginner's luck, and that I can continue to find products that fit into my family's diet.
Some tips from a new user:
Bonuses: Check the bonuses! You can get extra dollars or extra rebates offers just by keeping an eye out for bonus offers.
Rebates Return: The rebates come back! I've noticed sometimes the rebates will reappear in my list after I have already used them. Especially for the "any brand" items like milk, cheese, pasta, and produce. So you can use them several times. But do watch the expiration dates.
Coupons: Add coupons! Lots of the name brand items being featured also have coupons out at the same time, especially if they are new or seasonal. I print coupons off from websites, and stacked with the Ibotta deals they are way cheaper than buying off brand items.
Beyond Food: Going beyond food specifically, there are lots of rebates for non-food items too. Some deals you can only get online, like spending over $100 at Nike, and getting $20 back!! Hurry before that deal expires.
Some restaurants even offer rebates, like one of my favorites, Quiznos (and you can use coupons here!)
Since we're Potty training, I saw these Pampers Training Pants and realized I'd have to get them. I found a coupon online for a couple dollars off, got $3 off using Ibotta, and found the best price for these at Target. Ended up paying less than half price for them, and made my monthly bonuses! And having Thomas on them is way better than the generic varieties in terms of motivating my toddler. And cheaper in this case!!! I used this rebate twice!
Teammates: If you connect through facebook, you should find a list of teammates who already are using the app from your facebook friends. Working together, you can earn up to $10 in bonuses each month with no extra effort (at least May was that way, we'll see about next month's bonuses).
So, go get money back on the food you're probably already buying, by following this referral link if you want to get started!
After I spent a good amount of time comparing prices at stores during my "stock up" obsession, I started looking for ways I could get our grocery dollars to stretch farther, since almost 10% of our income is being spent in this category. And I found... IBOTTA! I love this app. I'm talking, tell-everyone-about-it-because-it-is-awesome, LOVE IT. I really love saving bits of money. So, here is my first of several posts coming to you about ways to save a little bit of cash, in case you have the time and inclination to do so.
Ibotta is a simple app you can find for free in your app store. There are three main steps to using the app:
1. First, find products, unlock them, and add to your grocery list. I check the app when I am making my grocery list each week, and I unlock any items that I would normally buy anyway, and consider stocking up on anything know I will use them in the future. While lots of the items are "name brand" products that give you higher rebates, there are plenty of "any brand" items that you can purchase as well for smaller rebates. To unlock the rebate, you will complete a simple task, like watching a video clip, answering a survey question, or learning a fact about the project. Very quick, but can take a few minutes if you find lots of products to unlock. Most products can be purchased anywhere, but Walmart shoppers will be especially pleased as they have many products exclusive to their store. They seem to have extra specials and bonuses around the holidays, and I joined right before Memorial Day so I took advantage of many of them.
Some examples:
If your grocery is one of their preferred partners, all you need to do now is shop. You won't have to do step 2 or 3, as your shopper's loyalty card will send the information on to Ibotta and you are done! My store, Food Lion, works this way. But, when I head to Target or Wegman's on occasion, the following steps are needed.
2. Shop and scan! While shopping, or after you get home, you will simply scan in the items that you want to redeem, using your phone. I suggest doing it while shopping if you are by yourself, but if you're shopping with two little boys you may want to wait until you're home for this part.
3. Send the receipt. Using your camera on your phone, you will simply take a picture of your receipt and you are done. Within a few hours I normally get confirmation that the rebate has gone through and the money is in my account. Once you get a certain amount, you can cash out or trade in for gift cards (I'm redeeming for Amazon gift cards, as it's quicker and pretty much like cash to me).
Some of my receipts:
I just signed up for this a few weeks ago, and I earned over $40 back in my first month! I'm hoping it's not just beginner's luck, and that I can continue to find products that fit into my family's diet.
Some tips from a new user:
Bonuses: Check the bonuses! You can get extra dollars or extra rebates offers just by keeping an eye out for bonus offers.
Coupons: Add coupons! Lots of the name brand items being featured also have coupons out at the same time, especially if they are new or seasonal. I print coupons off from websites, and stacked with the Ibotta deals they are way cheaper than buying off brand items.
Beyond Food: Going beyond food specifically, there are lots of rebates for non-food items too. Some deals you can only get online, like spending over $100 at Nike, and getting $20 back!! Hurry before that deal expires.
Since we're Potty training, I saw these Pampers Training Pants and realized I'd have to get them. I found a coupon online for a couple dollars off, got $3 off using Ibotta, and found the best price for these at Target. Ended up paying less than half price for them, and made my monthly bonuses! And having Thomas on them is way better than the generic varieties in terms of motivating my toddler. And cheaper in this case!!! I used this rebate twice!
Teammates: If you connect through facebook, you should find a list of teammates who already are using the app from your facebook friends. Working together, you can earn up to $10 in bonuses each month with no extra effort (at least May was that way, we'll see about next month's bonuses).
So, go get money back on the food you're probably already buying, by following this referral link if you want to get started!
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Change is coming, Theo's First Graduation
I can almost smell the changes coming to our life. Since we moved to Virginia almost two years ago, we've had a pretty consistent life. During the school year, I walked Theo to preschool and Elijah rode in the stroller. We ate dinner almost every night with dada around 7 o'clock. Whatever we did between those times was up to us. Saturdays were ours to do with however we pleased (other than a few scheduled soccer or T-ball games), and Sundays were spent in church and sometimes shopping at the farmer's market.
Then this happened today:
But big changes are coming this fall. Elijah will become potty trained (fingers crossed) and start preschool. The new baby will arrive and Theodore will begin kindergarten. Instead of Elijah riding in the stroller to the preschool every other day, it will be the new one riding and Elijah will be walking alongside, holding the hand-hold, checking traffic with me and pushing the crosswalk button. We are hoping the bus stop time is convenient so we can drop Theo at the bus stop on the way to preschool two days a week. Since he could talk, every day Elijah would pop his head into Theodore's classroom and yell "bye bye bubba!" and it's going to be so strange to have him instead waving good-bye to Theo as he gets on the bus and then kissing his little brother/sister good-bye as he enters his own classroom.
But, I try not to think about it yet. I counted, and we've got 101 days of summer to get ready for all this. And, we've got quite the summer bucket list to keep us busy. Coming soon...
Then this happened today:
This school year, with Theo in school an extra day and Elijah being mature enough for more activities, and since we had a second car, we added a bit more to our schedule (and took naps out of the schedule, sadly). But it still stayed the same for the most part. We got to explore a lot more of our local area, go to book club at the library every Wednesday, and I could join Mops. I am happy to say we were not busy most of the time. And I'm okay with that. We were just (trying to) living in the moment and trying to thrive, rather than survive a hectic schedule (as I'm sure will come back to us in time, as the boys get older). This has actually been a very peaceful time in my life, compared to the decade previously.
 |
| With his family on graduation day! |
But, I try not to think about it yet. I counted, and we've got 101 days of summer to get ready for all this. And, we've got quite the summer bucket list to keep us busy. Coming soon...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)