Boy haircuts

The boys have had numerous haircuts. When Lane was born, Andrew took them to get their hair cut and I was less than pleased. I think it was the insane hormones but I wasn't happy with the change. They had very short hair when they came to visit me at the hospital. Given that they were almost 3 and 5 years old, they still looked adorable. However, I allowed their hair to grow a little longer.
Alex has very think, straight hair like I do. It's tough to find a haircut that is suitable for him. If his hair is too short, then his hair sticks up all over the place, no matter what we do to it. If it is too long, he looks very young.

Ove a month ago. we took him in for a haircut and he had a huge transformation from little boy to big boy. As usual, I almost cried. Gone was the little baby face I had grown accostumed to and in its place was this emerging little man. He is only six so we have a while before we reach the age of moving away but I know it will be here in the blink of an eye. When I put the photos next to each other, it looks like another child.
Last week I took the kids to the child development center for Alex and the nurse looked at the photo in the file to see which child she would be working with and she looked at Gabriel and said, "hey Alex, let's weigh you first." This caused a lot of laughter among my children.
I looked at the photo and my Gabriel was indeed getting beyond the surfer hair look and crossing into the baby, girly hair look. About a year ago, he decided that haircuts were scary and he no longer wanted to go in for them. It has saved us money but apparently I only know one haircut and it does look like I put a bowl on their head and trimmed.
Gabriel never had problems with getting his haircut and I have to admit that it was something I was happy about - many people I know have boys with autism and they do not like to get their cut. They all have different reasons but it comes down to no one wants it done. When he first got nervous about a haircut, I honestly thought it was a silly phase and it would stop. It did not. He had a new and solid fear.
Today we went to another area of great Orlando and Gabriel told us that he wanted to go into the barber. Great!
He changed his mind as we walked to the chair. I showed the barber an autism card so he would know what he was dealing with and he thanked me. I offered to sit on the chair with him but we couldn't use the cape. I was able to entertain Gabriel with a game on my phone while the barber clipped away.

Gabriel's hair fell all over my clothing, phone, arms, everywhere. It was ITCHY and uncomfortable. It was worth the effort. Gabriel's bravery was outstanding. The barber told Andrew that I need a vacation. (he got a large tip)

School Uniform Policy

Our county has a dress policy for the students K-12.
Here is the policy from our school's web site:
Uniform Policy
The Osceola School District adopted a mandatory uniform policy for all students. This includes:

- Navy blue or khaki pants, walking shorts, slacks, skirts, skorts, jumpers, or similar clothing made of twill, corduroy, or denim fabric. (A small logo is acceptable)
- White or navy blue shirts with collars such as a polo, oxford, or dress shirt (A small logo is acceptable)

- Harmony has added both Royal Blue and Burnt Orange as possible shirt choices since they reflect our official school colors.

Uniforms are easy. I wake up in the morning and pick out two shirts for the boys from their hanging polos, pick out a pair of shorts or pants and they are ready to go. Easy, peasy, lemon squeazy. I have liked the idea of uniforms since I was in sixth grade and I would have been find with wearing them.
I've heard an argument that uniforms take away from student's creativity. I haven't seen that yet. In fact, I'm told from many people that my children are extremely creative. Clearly clothing choice hasn't affected their creativity.
On certain days, the kids have dress down days. They still have certain rules to follow on these days and they usually have to pay one dollar for this priviledge. I like the dollar donation because it is given to a local charity.

On hat day, Alex wore his Grumpy hat. There is quite a bit of humor in this hat. He tends to be the grumpiest person in this house in the morning.


Today the boys had another dress down day. They could wear a college jersey, a career outfit, or be a twin. Since people used to stop us in Miami and ask if we had twins, it was an obvious choice. TWINS!

Harmony it is. Really.

I love where we live. It was one of the best decisions we have made in a while. Period. When we moved here last July, I wasn't sure what I would think about it.
Harmony is just over half an hour from the east coast and 40 minutes from Disney. It's 8 miles from the nearest city. It's a nice city but it's small. If you know me, this is a big difference from where I've lived in the past. We were much closer to city living in Washington DC, Miami, and Minneapolis. The only things here besides a school and houses are a restaurant that is open during the day and the weekends and a gas station. Even the gas station is outside of the community.
Until the past month that is all that we had near us unless we drove the 8 miles "into town". I haven't said, "drive into town" since I was in high school and lived in the country. Not that it was a bad thing, just different than what I am used to.
We had to move due to the school in our last town. We had just moved cross country a year previous and the idea of finding roots was unsettling, to say the least. Since we only moved 40 minutes away, no one said "good bye" to us when we moved. That's good, I didn't want to feel like we were moving far away but it really is pretty far for people who live here. Maybe I didn't have any deep friendships where we lived. I don't know whic it is, to be honest.
In any case, I love Harmony. At this point in our lives, it is a great place for us to live. Tonight Harmony had their ribbon cutting and grand opening for the new businesses that have opened. We now have a wine bar, a physicians office, a pizza place, a small market, a nail salon, and a sandwich/salad type restaurant.


Andrew was a part of the ribbon cutting ceremony due to his job. I was extrememly proud to hear him announced to the crowd. I know it's not a big deal but we worked hard to get to this point in our lives and I am proud of that hard work.
The ribbon cutting was a great family event. It was a luau theme with free food, wine tastings, Hawaiian dancers and singers, and more. Local teenagers were hanging out, laughing and having fun while adults meandered the town square. Mai kids played in the bounce houses and received free balloons from a balloon artist. Lane chose Rapunzel, Alex has a dog, and Gabriel wanted a "cute" human.

I am beyond grateful to have a group of friends whom I adore. I like hanging out with their families. I like laughing and sharing adventures with them. I appreciate sharing tears over the tough times.
I still dislike the drive "into town" but I suppose the price of gas and wear and tear on my vehicle is little price to pay for living here. After the last two summers of being alone with the kids, I am looking forward to time spent with friends here.

Fresh Blueberry Pie

We went back to Lake Catherine's Blueberries to pick blueberries. We went last year for Mother's Day and wanted to go back again this year. Unfortunately, the drive is almost an hour and half for us from our home. The scenery is beautiful with green rolling hills and new blooming flowers and trees.
Alex had a tough time transitioning from the back seat of the van with his tablet to picking blueberries but once he was ready, he had a smile and picked many berries.
I think the children ate their weight in berries while we were picking them. They even taste tested the different green, red, and blue berries. They would tell you that the green ones are not recommended.

After we picked and ate tons of berries, the children played on the swing set. All in all, it was a good family day together.

We brought home seven pounds of fresh, juicy blueberries. A blueberry pie sounded like a great way to use some of the berries. We bought a GF pie crust on the way home and I made a yummy pie for the first time. Andrew and I loved it. The children let me know that it was YUCKY and they only like "non cooked" berries. I guess that's a better, healthier way to consume blueberries any way!

I Can Sew!

About a year ago, Lane came from school with a cute sewn smiley face. She keeps it on her wall in her room and she has told me several times that she can sew. I've wanted to recreate that opportunity at home but I wasn't sure how to do it safely.
I found plastic needles at the store. I didn't know they existed so I purchased a four pack of needles. Then I went on a hunt for burlap. I looked online but I couldn't find what I wanted but a trip to Joann's was successful.
I cut the burlap into squares and added colorful masking tape to the edges. I'm amazed by the different colors of tape too - duct tape isn't just silver any more! Then I cut yarn and thred it through the needle and knotted the end.
I wasn't even done putting the basket together when I saw Lane sewing! She was so proud her creation and told me that she was the best sewing girl and could teach her friends to see too.
I love this idea. It's a great practical life skill and great for fine motor skills. This activity also provides a cute finished project that the child can be proud of making.

Practical Toast

I believe in teaching my children practical living skills. I realized this was important when I moved into the dorms in college. I was surprised by how many students didn't know how to sort laundry, pay bills, or cook a simple meal. (We only had a microwave available in the dorms!)
The other day Alex wanted toast for a snack. I told him that he should go ahead sync make it. He protested This is a fantastic learning opportunity - I thought.
I was shocked that I had to give the kids step by step instructions on how to make toast.
I was surprised because they have a toy toaster and while I haven't allowed them to plug in or uses appliances, I thought they could apply the knowledge of using the toy to the real toaster.
It wasn't the case as I explained to plug in the toaster. Put the bread in the slot. Push the lever down. The key point was until it clicked.
They couldn't believe that the bread was hot when it came out of the toaster. It was such a funny parenting moment. They complained about the heat until the toast cooled down enough for then to touch their snack.
I will have many more teachable moments. If something should happen to me unexpectedly, at least my three children are able to make toast.
Lane has since found joy in toast with cheddar cheese in the middle while the boys are sticking to peanut butter and jelly.

World Peace Festival

Lane's Montessori invited all of the families to participate in a World Peace Festival. It was the first annual event and Lane wanted to attend. We chose Germany together.
Andrew attended summer law courses in Heidelberg, Germany. We had a fantastic experience living in Germany for a couple months and had quite a few things to show her. Andrew's has many relatives from Germany so he has a connection there as well.
I spoke to the children in German when they were little but I haven't had many opportunities to practice speaking German so I've lost a lot of my knowledge. Andrew and I still remember the basics from all the German courses we took many years ago.
I pinned over twenty sites on Pinterest and when the time came, Lane and I looked at all of the sites together. She chose several pictures to print and cut out. She liked the idea that Hansel and Gretel and Rapunzel were written in Germany. We made a large German flag and found foam letters that spelled "Germany".
I cut the majority of the items for her but she picked everything out, and glued and placed it in the right spots. I think she did a great job. She was so proud of her work and she could explain every piece she picked.

The evening before her festival, we went to dinner at a German restaurant. It's very kid friendly which is nice. Our children are usually given toys and books when they leave the restaurant. I ordered a beer, a rare request for me which was obvious when Gabriel dipped his finger in the head of the beer and stated that he wanted frosting. I asked for more bread for our presentation the next morning. The waitress gave us a ton of bread.
Lane and I arrived at the school before 9 am and set up her presentation folder. We added two children's books from Germany, the bread with Germany flag toothpicks, coloring pages, and other books. Lane also wore a dress that looked like it fit this area of Europe.

The part that I liked the best about Lane's presentation is that she picked it out herself. We collected things and learned a lot about Germany together. She enjoyed it and worked hard.
The World Peace Festival was lovely. There were many treats from countries to learn about while we were there. I think I overheard a teacher say that they were expecting sixteen countries in the festival.
It wasn't lost on me that Germany was placed next to Isreal and we were across from Tunisia. I don't know if anyone else noticed this but it was wonderful to witness my three year old ask about the Wailing Wall, get her name written in arabic, smell Indian spices, and taste flan all half an hour.
Interestingly, I was asked if I was from Germany or told, "I didn't know you are from Germany." That's a tough one because even if I explain that the kids heritage has much German, it isn't even close to the other families where the parents grew up in the other country. His relatives moved to the States hundreds of years ago. So, in comparison to the amazing Japanese, English, Canadian, Guatamalan, Phillipino, etc... families, we are kind of the boring mixed American family. We like our roots even if they are really deep and difficult to find. So yes, the kids are "German" descent... and English, and Danish, and Norwegian... a lot of European countries mixed into one. It would be interesting to have some type of DNA testing done to see where we come from!
She is ready to fly internationally. She wants to visit all of these places, as do I. We recently drove past the airport and Lane said, "ohhhh, that is soooo beautiful." I replied, "Yes, Lane, I agree."

Boston Marathon Tragedy

It's Monday evening at 7:25 pm. I should be getting the children ready for their 8 pm bedtime. Instead, they are in the boys room playing a creative game with their stuffed animals. It has something to do with jail and sounds slightly sinister.
I, however, am sitting on my bed typing with tears sliding down my cheeks. I have a lump in my throat and I can't shake a feeling of horror and incredible sadness. Nothing happened to my family today.
Something terrifying happened to my human family. I read this: President Barack Obama said authorities did not know who carried out the attack but vowed to render “the full weight of justice” against those responsible. Minutes later, law enforcement officials said that an 8-year-old child was one of the dead. on nbcnews.com



8 years old... my oldest son is 8. I've been a parent for 8 years and I can not imagine him being taken away from me. How dare someone think that it is okay to end such an innocent young life.
I've waited for runners in marathons at much less pretigious races. I've watched a loved one cross that line that they trained for and felt that immense pride for them. I've wanted to be a runner. I've taken my kids to races and they stood innocently watching and clapping for a friend.
It's taking me a long time to type this. I'm so shaken up with sadness, horror, and disgust. I want my husband to come home from work and I want us to lock the door and not emerge for a long time. I want us to remain safe in our little bubble.
It's 14 minutes later. The children have finished their game and need to get ready for bed. I can pretend we are in our safe bubble for just over twelve hours. Then life will have to go back to our regular routine. My heart and thoughts are with those in Boston. I wish these acts of violence weren't apart of our world.

One fish, two fish craft

A kids craft time was at a perfect time for us. It was right after Lane and I dropped Gabriel of at school.
Lane was excited to go to "art class." She was very agreeable prior to our 12:30 arrival time. I showed her the cute one fish, two fish project and we got to work.
The fish are made out of her handprints with eyes glued on. We added gills, smiles, and bubbles with a marker.
She played on the playground afterward with her friend. When she saw her arrive, Laney said, "hey look! It's Emme!!" It melts my heart to watch her developing and fostering friendships at this age. It's clearly important to her.

Corn tortilla cake

Some kids eat things that seem strange. They don't have preconceived ideas about what has to be eaten at which meal or what should be eaten together. For example, Alex is perfectly happy eating a hot dog and baked beans for breakfast.
Lane has started interesting eating habits as well. She recently took out the loaf of Udis gluten free bread. (It is half the size of a regular loaf for the price of $5). She held the majority of the loaf in her tiny hands and insisted on eating it as one large piece.
This must have started a trend for her because today she wanted the entire pack of corn tortillas She called it a cake and added chocolate chips to the top. Lane ate the majority of her "cake" with glee.
I thought it looked gross but I didn't tell her and she was thrilled with the outcome.

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Due to a book I'm reading, I've been thinking about the numerous laws written in the Bible. The tenth commandment spoke to me today. The tenth commandment reads: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (Exodus 20:17)
I didn't think I covet many things. A red sports car would be nice, or a wardrobe full of brad new Talbots and Banana Republic clothing, or a thinner body. But I know I can live without these things so they don't seem to be an unbelieveable desire that overtakes my life. Then I wondered how far does this coveting appply?
Can coveting apply to goals? I want to make a higher income to pay off bills and live debt free. Is that coveting? It's a huge desire of mine. Or does that just count as a goal? I wouldn't steal or do anything illegal to reach that goal so maybe it doesn't count as coveting? Is that the qualifier in modern day life?
I don't want my neighbor's ox or ass. Or his maidservant though it would be wonderful to justify having a house cleaner again. Maybe I do covet a house cleaner now that I write this out.
Then again, I read that maidservant and manservant has to do with slaves and not paid employees so maybe that isn't coveting after all. This coveting idea is confusing.
When I thought about what I covet the most, it lies with my children. I wish they didn't have to deal with disabilities or things that require surgery. Not because I view them as any less, I see my children as more capable and amazing because they overcome obstacles greater than many people in our great country. However, I am not a parent who is "thankful for their disabilities" nor am I a parent "who wouldn't change them."
I would take away their disabilities. I don't want to see them struggle. I covet that their life would be easier and that they would be happy and settle into wonderful adult lives. I want the autism, the speech delays, the ADHD, the OCD, the heart defects, the sensory processessing disorders, the eye issues, all of it taken away.
Yet I know these are things that make them unique. They would not be the little people they are without these unique traits and challenges and that is where I struggle. I want them to have typical lives but maybe out of the disabilities and challenges is where their greatness will rise. I watch my 8 year old struggle with being different almost every day. He doesn't want to be different yet it is obvious that he is not like his peers.
While I not so secretly covet what comes so easily to other children, I know I am a different person 8 years into being a parent than I was before due to my children's existence. I covet differently than I did 8 years ago. I no longer want the black Mercedes or the house with the pool and hot tub. I want my children to have the best that life has to offer.

CCVC word cards

Almost a year ago, I saw a pin on Pinterest with vinyl chalkboard paper. It was as cool to me as the large post-it graph paper. I couldn't figure out a great way to use it though. I already had labels made for the pantry and the kids toys. I already made a chalkboard with an old cabinet and chalkboard paint. I wanted to purchase this lovely chalkboard paper but I needed an excuse to buy it.
Then I stumbled on this site: http://www.classroomfreebies.com/2012/10/build-it-write-it.html
Oh yeah! CVC and CCVC (consonant, consonant, vowel, consonant words such as flag, sled, glad) cards that are ready to be printed. Gabriel still struggles with CCVC words and I want to help him. This is an awesome idea for him.
I printed the cards, cut them, and cut up my chalkboard paper. It is a lovely product. It easy to cut and it sticks to paper easily. It even has wrapping paper like grids on the back to help with straight lines.
I put letter tiles from the boys Nabi tablet in a bowl. I set the bowl, the cards, and chalk on a tray for Gabriel. He immediately worked on writing the letters which is rare for him because writing is a challenge. I wonder if the fat chalk made it easier for him. (??) He placed the tiles correctly and seemed to like the activity *almost* as much as I did.

MaScArA!

I don't wear makeup and dry my hair often. I suppose it's even less often than I care to admit. Andrew and I had an opportunity to go out to dinner without the children so it was the perfect time to play with make up and feel girly again.
Lane walked into the bathroom and I swear she was mesmerized by what I was doing. I asked her to throw away an old mascara. She took the container and walked to the bathroom trash can. She stopped midway and turned back around, walking toward me. I asked her again to be helpful by throwing it away.
She asked, "Can I have it instead?"
I have ideas about makeup and preschool girls. I don't think it's appopriate for little girls in any way. She has plastic makeup and chapstick to play with in her room and that seems just right for a three year old.
Then I looked at her big greenish-blue eyes and melted. My ideas flew out the window. Kind of. In that quick second, I decided it's better that she practice makeup with me rather than investigate it when I'm in another room. I can imagine the mess she can make with real makeup after she's demolished her chapstick all over her face.
So Lane sat on our large counter looking into the mirror, raising the mascara wand up and down... up and down... She told me that she looked beautiful. She seemed to want confirmation and I told her that she looked beautiful and perfect to me, with or without makeup.
This was her final look:

I'm glad I changed my mind. I still don't want her to wear makeup and she hasn't asked again. It was a nice moment to watch her play grown up with my makeup. I'm sure there are many more of these moments to come in our future.

Easter 2013

Gabriel was still half asleep when he walked down the stairs. Andrew and I looked at each other, wondering what in the world he was doing. Then he ran up and told us that the Easter Bunny came to our house!! There is a first for everything and that was a fun first to witness! He immediately woke up his sister and brother so they could get their baskets.
The baskets had a little candy and some small toys in them. The Easter Bunny doesn't believe in huge gifts for Easter and lots of candy has been thrown out the window. Alex wasn't thrilled with the small assortment of items and told us that the Easter Bunny isn't as fun as Santa. He is such a vocal and honest child.

We dyed eggs on Easter day. The kids didn't remember doing them in the past and were shocked by the word, "dye" again. They didn't want to kill any innocent eggs. I was able to show off the mystery of the white crayon written on an egg. The kids loved seeing their names appear in the dye. Later, Alex stated that it was a fun holiday after all.

Lane sported her new purple bunny ears when we went to the dog park.
Andrew made a nice meal and had to leave for the airport by 1:30 so it was an easy, quiet holiday for us. I hope everyone had a lovely holiday.

Lapbooks

For a while I was obsessed with making file folder games. This was for a good reason because Gabriel first put phonics together to read. I wanted to keep feeling that elation with the kids learning and it was fun. Until I got sick of making them. File folders are great and work well for special needs kids but the reward for me doesn't last long because the kids lose interest rather quickly.
I found lapbooks recently and I am now obsessed with making them. They are an awesome way to tie together an entire theme. The kids are proud of their work when we put the lapbook together.
The first lapbook I made with Lane was about Cinderella. http://www.homeschoolshare.com/cinderella.php Lane added a clock because Cinderella had to leave the dance by midnight. We also located France and learned about pumpkins. We made a life cycle of pumpkins. I even learned something - I had forgotten that pumpkins are fruit and not vegetables. We added the virtues of a Princess. Lane insisted on taking her Cinderella lapbook to school for "share".

Lane and I finished a Humpty Dumpty lapbook. It was a neat project. http://www.homeschoolshare.com/humpty_dumpty.php Lane made a Humpty Dumpty sequence book and a picture with a broken Humpty Dumpty falling off a wall. She learned about ovals in the real world. We also talked about horses, one of Lane's favorite animals.

Lane finished her rainbow lapbook this week. She colored rainbows and learned ROYGBIV. I found an easy rainbow template here: http://www.rainseason.net/rainbow-printables/ We talked about color words and learned about primary and secondary colors by mixing paint. http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/2008/04/rainbows-lapbook/
We are currently working on a grocery file folder. It has quite a few parts to it so it might take a while to complete. Lane is learning about good/bad food choices, coupons, money, and more. Gabriel likes cheetahs so I found a lapbook for him to work on in the mornings.
Lapbooks will continue here for a while because it ties our units and topics together. I have a ton of file folders and we can put these together easily. I have a plastic bin to keep all of our lapbooks in for reference later.