Just playin'

Note to self: A child's work is PLAY! When I'm building in the block room,
Please don't say, "I'm just playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play
About balance and shapes.
When I'm getting all dressed up,
Setting the table, caring for the babies,
Don't get the idea I'm "just playing."
I may be a mother or a father someday.
When you see me up to my elbows in paint,
Or standing at an easel, or molding and shaping clay,
Please don't let me hear you say, "He's just playing"
For you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm expressing myself and being creative.
I may be an artist or an inventor someday.
When you see me sitting in a chair "Reading" to an imaginary audience,
Please don't laugh and think, "I'm just playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I may be a teacher someday.
When you see me combing the bushes for bugs,
Or packing my pockets with choice things I find,
Don't pass it off as "just playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I may be a scientist someday.
When you see me engrossed in a puzzle,
Or "plaything" at my school,
Please don't feel the time is wasted in "play."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm learning to solve problems and concentrate.
I may be in business someday.
When you see me cooking or tasting foods,
Please don't think that because I enjoy it, it is just "play."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm learning how my body works.
I may be a doctor, nurse, or athlete someday.
When you ask me what I've done at school today,
And I say "I played,"
Please don't misunderstand me.
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm learning to be successful in work.
I'm preparing for tomorrow.
Today, I'm a child and my work is play.

Tiegan's Friday morning conversation...

Tiegan: (6:30a.m. upon waking up) I need to pee.

Mommy: Okay, then you better get in there. I'll start making your breakfast.

Tiegan: (excusing herself from the breakfast table) I have to go poop now.

Mommy: Um, okay... go ahead... take care of your business.

Tiegan: (7:30a.m. before heading out of the door) Mom, I have to pee one more time.

Mommy: Really? Okay, then you better go before we leave for school.

Tiegan: (grimacing) Guess what, Mom? THAT is an A-B-A pattern.

Mommy: (Laughing hysterically! Because I KNEW EXACTLY what she was referring too) You are so right!

Can you guess what they are working on in math? As I laughed and hugged my girl... I realized how important it was for me to take in THIS wonderful moment with her! We laughed all the way to school. She asked me not to tell her teacher this story/conversation. (She didn't say anything about sharing it with you, and you, and you.) Isn't learning great!

Here is a recent picture of my silly girl. Her Kindergarten class wore their pajamas on Friday for spirit day!

Mother of the year award?

Kennedy was invited to Raeya's 4th birthday party yesterday. I decided to take Kennedy with me to pick out the birthday gift. On the drive to the gift store, we talked about who we were there to buy a gift for. (It was my attempt to mentally prepare her to avoid any meltdowns. I am not one of those mother's who buys the kids something everytime we go into a store.)

Happy and excited to spend the day with her friends, she grabbed my hand and we skipped our way into the store. After about 30 minutes, she finally made a decision on which gift she wanted to buy. So we headed toward to the cashier. She happily put her items on the counter. Whew! Then out of the corner of her eye, she spotted an Ariel phone that she wanted. Of course, I quickly reminded her that we were there to buy Raeya's gift. In my motherly voice, I asked her to give the nice lady the toy phone, so that we could pay for the "other" stuff. I could see her eyes start to tear up, but she did as I asked her to do. We walked out holding hands. As we left, I watched the passerby's faces. Most looked at Kennedy and could see that she was sad. They passed me without saying a thing, just a pouty lip as if they felt sorry for the poor girl. And all I could think was, what about the poor mother who is trying to teach her child the value of money, appreciate giving to others, etc.? Next time, I am going to wear a sign that says, "Mother of the year!"

How many of you would have given in and bought "it" anyway?

(By the way, she had a blast @ the "princess" party!)

Braden's 1st haircut

Look @ the new haircut Mommy gave me.

Mommy's secret crush finally gets his FIRST haircut. This was a long time a comin'. I had to come to terms with the possibility of losing his baby curls. The whole process lasted two minutes from start to finish. Whew! And he's still my handsome secret crush.

I have been tagged on Facebook by my friend, Aprill. So I thought I would also share this with all of my blogger friends and family.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

Here goes... enjoy!

1. I am the oldest of six brothers and sisters.
2. I am a retired military brat. Go, Air Force!
3. I hesitate to admit this one… Old enough to probably know better, I believed that our family German Shepherd could actually jump on a pogo-stick. Can you say, GULLIBLE? Thanks, Dad!
4. I learned to double-dutch in the 5th grade. I can still hold my own with my 6th grade class/students today. I have the “COOL” teacher factor, now.
5. I have never broken a single bone in my body, but I have bruised a bone and pulled a rib from my vertebrae. OUCH!
6. I twirled the baton in middle school; won States and Western Regionals.
7. I had my first child @ 32.
8. Being a mom has made me a better teacher. And being a teacher has made me a better mom. Figuratively speaking, I SEE things through DIFFERENT eyes.
9. German police stopped me because I was riding my bicycle on the sidewalk. I guess that is not allowed in Bonn.
10. I got out of a “ticket” for doing a California stop because I was brutally honest.
11. I still cannot prove why a circle is a circle. Uh… because my Kindergarten teacher taught me so? Geometry did not bring out my best!
12. I survived a 360 on the freeway! And NO, I was not the driver.
13. My longest childhood friendship has endured 31 years of great memories.
14. I hope to see all seven wonders of the world one day!
15. One day, on my list of Mommy things to do… is to take all of my children to my birth place.
16. If there is one weather element I could live without, it would be the wind. And I do not like to feel cold.
17. I CRY! I cry over other people’s happiness. I cry when any of my kids make me proud. I cry over movies. I cry when I cut up an onion.
18. People often ask me if we are done having children. Can’t say yes or no. Hmmm, what does that mean? Seriously though, I am one of those mother’s who gets VERY SICK during pregnancy. And although it is temporary… it scares me. It is probably a good thing, otherwise, I would probably have a baseball team.
19. I want a smartboard like Aprill.
20. Originally, in my “professional student” college days, I pursued a career in medicine to become a pediatrician.
21. I have no regrets…
22. I hope to write a children’s book one day … illustrated by Karin Schwettmann, my baby sister. (She is the artist in the family.)
23. I look @ life as the “glass is half full.”
24. I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY! I have about two dozen pictures from MY childhood. My children, on the other hand, have about two million photo memories @ this point and they are only 5, 4, and 1. Do you think there is any relativity to why I capture every moment on film?
25. Whew… this was an eye-opener. Not an easy task to write about me.

Please do share a few random things about you!