violamama
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Posts posted by violamama
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*breakfast- grits
*church
*lunch out
*email difficult client and poor beleaguered teacher
email everybody about recital week
jesse tree with boys
make my cc memory flip book for walks with boys
start limoncello
practice
this week:
clear out homeschool cubbies & take out wishful thinking curric that we're not actually doinggo through boys' clothes and cull for outgrown stuff
purge toy sideboard
help boys make more gifts
decide about new viola case
hair cut?
send bills for winter term
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Totally thought that said, "Snowman KILTS", which is plausible on this board, right?
We have done the paint-inside ornaments like these and they are beautiful and easy:
http://happyhooligans.ca/pour-painted-christmas-ornaments/
I think they work best with real glass ornaments, though, which might be a bit more spendy than the clear plastic ones.
We've made super old-school laminated bookmarks with a drawn picture, a good old hole punch and either a yarn tassle or fancy ribbon. We took pictures one year of the boys on the floor with capes on pretending to fly with one arm posed up high over their heads. Cut them out, laminated, attached a tassle to where their hands were and it looked like they were hanging/flying along on the strength of the string. They really liked those.
We did Fridge Magnet microscope slide pictures like these but not as fancy:
http://leighsbdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-microscope-slide-magnets-for.html
We've also done foods/drinks:
Chocolate dipped pretzel sticks then dipped in colored sugars, peppermint bark, oreo truffles, kahlua, limoncello, etc.
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Come on over to Sparkpeople.com! I think this link will get you to our Well-Trained Sparks team, a private team of WTM boardies. http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individual.asp?gid=8627
Sparkpeople has places to track food intake, exercise, lots of advice and accountability.
Jean, can you invite people specifically? I tried that link (I was lurking) and it says you have to be invited. My email is miriamenglish at the mail that is hot. I would really like to join.
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Seriously? The majority of people say something in front of your children?? I cannot even imagine saying something just to the parent if it were a casual acquaintance.
I know, me either. But I hear from mom friends that it does get mentioned a LOT and often with little to no tact in relation to the child. And that's where I think it is a bit different generationally, but perhaps that's wishful thinking. We haven't had much mention though we get smiles. She's still little, though, so perhaps the more annoying times are coming.
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So my question is does your adopted child feel this way? How do they feel when you discuss their adoption with others?
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He told me his younger brother was adopted. I wondered why did he have to add that?
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So anyways what is the hive's take on this?
My child is just under 2 and has only been home a few months. She is also a Chinese daughter in a white family, so there is no pretending either way. I only mention this because there was a LOT of training in the process to adopt that talked about how to help her with feelings that might come up because of this. It sounds like your relationship with your dad might have benefited from a bit of that kind of thing, and there are counselors who specialize in helping adult children of adoption and their families.
The question "how do they feel when you discuss their adoption" will probably have a different answer through the years. I hope to navigate those years with our girl in a way that helps her most because she is completely and entirely my beloved child. I hope to keep thinking about the answer to that question any time I choose to discuss her adoption.
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Sometimes I think people are excited to talk about their loved one, or they want to talk on a deeper level with you, or they think you might have a kindred experience. And then sometimes people are just insensitive or selfish. It's hard to tell which reason caused that man to talk about it, or your dad for that matter.
I don't remember people talking about adoption much until we were in the process ourselves. Suddenly so many friends, family and acquaintances were volunteering information about their own experiences. I love it, but I can only imagine if you have any raw emotions that might grate on you after a while. It would stick out and sting any time anybody mentions it. I'm sorry.
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My take is that maybe (best case scenario) your dad didn't know what to say and had various good motivations and intentions. He may never have thought twice about what it meant to you or how it made you feel. That's too bad, and in our generation most people are taught to consider those things. Is it possible your dad didn't think or intend to hurt you? And please know I don't mean in any way to minimize your painful experience. It's just that for me, parenting my daughter is already one of the greatest privileges of my life. Her adoption in our family began with such deep losses for her, I hope despite my own glaring imperfections to do everything we can to help her know she is treasured where she is now.
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Yay! Congrats to you and your whole family.
We are at 14 weeks home and I have so loved suddenly noticing the transracial adoptive families all around us. So fun to hear about your Family Day.
Love and hugs to you!
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Christmas cards
*Pictures to costco
*Piano argh!
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*School
*Run
*Concert (a super-glad-it's-done concert)
Order pictures at costco for mom tomorrow
Do Christmas cards tomorrow
*Call piano guy
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*School
Run
Concert
Order pictures at costco for mom
Do Christmas cards
*Call piano guy
Feeling so tired after last night's late and annoying rehearsal. I'm throwing in the towel and taking a nap with the toddler. We can go for a run when we wake up. I'll have to do the picture order and Christmas cards tomorrow. Thank goodness hubby is off work.
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School
Run
Concert
Order pictures at costco for mom
Do Christmas cards
Call piano guy
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Wow this would be incredible. Thanks for sharing this!
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*CC Christmas Party
*Work email
*Call piano movers + piano donor
*Figure out podcasts for my phone
*Get CC review going
*Work tonight (try not to hate the Moldau any more...) We didn't play it YAY! We finished rehearsal with shouting and eye rolling from our conductor BOO!
*School- math, spelling, music practice, writing
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The boys were so nutty/naughty yesterday that we ditched most of our school list and postponed a trip to Grandma's. Sigh.
*CC Christmas Party
*Work email
Call piano movers + piano donor
Figure out podcasts for my phone
Get CC review going
Work tonight (try not to hate the Moldau any more...)
School- math, spelling, music practice, writing
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*6 yo cello lesson
*swimming lessons
*Get new tree lights
*email realtor
*mountain of laundry
*tidy kitchen
download new audio for cc
find new audio for my ipod
short version of school (don't forget advent tree thingie)
pack for symphony week at mom's house
finish Christmas decorations
*= done
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Unless the kid is super-on-top-of-things I almost always request the parent be there until they are about 12. Some of my students do strict Suzuki. A few have done better without the parent. Some have sent the nanny who will practice with them.
I plan to be in my own boys' lessons until they are about that age. I practice with them, and even though I could teach them (at this stage anyway) without the cello or piano teacher, it helps me to know what exactly the teacher wanted the kid to notice or focus on. Notes in a book are never enough to really get the nuances.
If you want to be there, be there! Just follow the teacher's direction for how involved to be.
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Congrats, heartlikealion!!
Run
Get treeMoving to tomorrow and Monday's lists:
Put up lights
Practice
Print week's school pages
Laundry -
Google visual aura migraine. I get them and they are no fun. Sometimes become a headache, sometimes don't.
Google visual aura migraine. I get them and they are no fun. Sometimes become a headache, sometimes don't.
Eta: here's a link- http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Departments_and_Services/neurology/services/NeuroOphthamology/VisualMigraine.aspx
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My husband's family always has a huge and very formal dinner on Christmas Day for all 20+ people who are in town. They're boisterous but kind and I find it utterly exhausting. It does not feel like a holiday to me because I grew up with small quiet special family time instead. They tend to tease a lot and are very outspoken in general, through it does come from kindness underneath.
We can't change them. My husband and I have already decided that we will someday make the big group Christmas a less frequent thing. We'll find other times to visit each part of the family when we can interact more meaningfully and on our own terms.
Is it fun to be with those family members other times? Can you work on not getting dragged into the parts of their personalities you don't like? Can you choose a nuclear-family-only option every other year?
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Moses and miriam.
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Run
Get tree
Put up lights
Practice
Print week's school pages
Laundry
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Thanks, violamam. I really appreciate your response. I am constantly amazed by the level of playing that my son's teacher is able to raise him to. It's very exciting to see. The difficult part for me is trying to reproduce the mimicing at home for daily practice when I don't play violin, and also finding a "happy middle ground" in the amount of time and focused practice needed to keep playing the violin an enjoyable activity. He loved moving quickly through new pieces in books 1 - 3, but is finding it less motivating to spend the months needed to polish his recital song. The results of all this work are truly amazing, but it does involve a certain amount of maturity and discipline. He does play shorter studies and exercises, but these aren't usually as exciting as the concertos. Fortunately, we have a very experienced and talented teacher, who does a marvellous job working with students of all ages and personalities. The last thing I want is for his obvious talent for the violin to become a hated chore. My goal is for him to enjoy making music throughout his life-time.
Yup, the dreaded book 4 slow-down (as perceived by the kid)!
I hear you. Sounds like you have struck a great balance and have a great teacher.
I bet you've already found some of the great YouTube performances of book 4 works out there in the world. There is a jazzy version of the Bach double that's tons of fun. Sometimes in book 4 I also let a kid add in some fiddling or pop melodies if they're interested. Boys in particular seem to like that because the fiddle tunes are so frenetic and note-y.
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Have you seen My Neighbor Totoro, Arriety, Ponyo, or any of the other Miyazaki movies? (Warning: some are a bit beyond my kids but they're sensitive.)
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Didn't read the responses but DANG! So sorry to hear- a sinus infection is such a nightmare. I had one a few years ago and found it completely depressing.
Get well soon.
Learning to read but won't look at the page?!
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I only read about the first five responses but I think you and I are kindred spirits!!
So, gently as I can and with complete understanding, if it's causing you to be frustrated and yell then change the whole thing up. I don't think you need to completely ditch the teaching of phonics, just the teaching of phonics with a book.
I remember being worried it was a discipline issue with my older boy in particular. I still post freak outs here from time to time- I'm apparently an exceptionally slow learner in this area. So I can tell you, she will totally come around, and you need to adjust to her now, and she's way young.
I think my slightly wiser self would use letter tiles, flash cards she herself makes (and draws on with stickers), sidewalk chalk she gets to obliterate with the hose if she reads it, a sticker where a letter should be in about every third word, etc.