Preschool Pointers - 33: Make Them Sleep on Your Schedule

Problem:

For a long time I've been an avid supporter of 'the baby goes to bed when it's good for us.' For years now, that's been 9, 10, 11 o'clock at night. It shocks most of my friends when they're reminded of it because what kind of kid goes to bed at that time? Well, we're a "late family" I like to say. My husband works from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. so we're usually not even eating dinner until 9. Then the girls get dessert. Then they mess around for a billion years while I try to get them ready for bed and poof! 10:30.

Sadly, this is no longer working. Since nap has mostly evaporated, I end up with jerkfaces for the last three hours of the evening as they're so exhausted they're just about to die of it. Then in the mornings, they don't even want to get up. They're having breakfast right now. It is 11:15 a.m.

It's not going to work anymore. I need some time at night, and they're going to need to be at school at 7:45 a.m. next year. Meaning they'll have to be up at 6:45 a.m. Which is, like, five hours earlier than what we do now.

Solution:

I have to follow my own rules now. Remember the original statement was 'the baby goes to bed when it's good for us.' Well, now a good time is 8 p.m. Not 11.

So, I'll scale it back. We'll get back to 10. Then 9:30. Then 9. Then 8:30. Throughout the summer. And I've got to keep up on the morning side, too. I have to admit, when it's nice and quiet in the morning, the last thing I want to do is go in there and rouse the troops. Particularly because they are cranky as teenagers in morning. But, it must be done. Today I did it by singing a showtune for them. That seemed to work. I'm sure it will lose its novelty eventually, but until then, well, use what you've got.

I've got a four-month-long project in front of me. Here's hoping I can do it!




 

Sewing's Lost Generation - Blog Partner Post

Miss Parayim is a great blog that centers around sewing as a phenomenon and as a pastime. There are great projects on there as well as some historical and contemporary context for those with a passion for fabric.

Today she's shared some amazing musings with us.
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Lately, I’ve been thinking about the lack of people my age who sew (awesome people in blog land aside). It struck me at sewing expo last month that #1 I was probably a good 15+ years below the average age of the other expo attendees and #2 garment sewers were clearly in the minority.

The fact is, I believe a basic knowledge of sewing and garment construction are important life skills, admittedly these are skills I am only beginning to acquire.

I think the lack of young adults that are able to sew on a button, hem a skirt, or even construct a garment has contributed to our disposable clothing culture and all the problems associated with that in terms of the environment, human rights, personal finances, and even personal sense of style/self image.

Besides all those heavy reasons, garment sewing is fun. It’s extremely liberating to know I can choose a fabric and pattern and put them together to create something that nobody else has, and was exactly what I wanted.

We could probably spend a lot of time analyzing the various reasons for the decline of at home garment construction- home ec no longer being required in school, cheap clothing from Old Navy, lack of exposure to everyday sewing (to name a few), but that’s not a topic I’m looking to dig into today, and I have a feeling I’d be preaching to the choir anyway.

The thing that interests me, is what happens from here.  What small thing can I do to get my daughters thinking about what’s involved with creating the clothes in their closets?

Of course they see me working in the sewing room, but seeing is very different from doing. I could sit my older daughter down at the machine and walk her through the basics, but she’s only 8, and I’ve only been sewing for a year.  Sewing hasn’t been part of her background, and I don’t want her to get discouraged when she sits down at a machine and a dress doesn’t magically appear 2 days later.  I want her to know what to expect of the process before she makes that first stitch.  Even if my daughters never want to learn, I want them to understand how their clothing came to be.  It’s not something I gave much thought to before I started sewing, but this is not at all an automated process.  Everything you wear represents time and effort that someone spent at a cutting table, a sewing machine, or a serger.  In the long term, I hope that I’m teaching my daughters to be empathetic, good global citizens, and conscious consumers.  In the short term, maybe they’ll appreciate their clothes more and not leave them in a pile on the floor.

Since this has been on my mind, when my 8 year old daughter came home with a paper doll and an assignment to dress up the doll to represent my child’s heritage, I immediately saw an opportunity to start getting my point across.

“Would you like to raid my fabric scraps to use on the project?”  You would have thought I was offering her tickets to One Direction, she was that excited.

THERE'S SO MUCH MORE! CLICK TO READ HOW YOU CAN INVOLVE YOUR CHILDREN IN SEWING.


 

Five Gifts You Need Not Get My Kids

Kids love presents. Be it their birthday, Christmas, or just as a nice surprise. Who wouldn't, right? And I've noticed a lot of people who aren't quite sure what the best kinds of gifts to get for three-four-and-five year olds might be. I'll tackle that another time, but for now, let me tell you what they are NOT.

1) Glitter

I'm not even sure that an explanation is necessary here, but I'll give one, just in case you think I'm so cruel I would never allow my kids to play with the messy, heartless, horrible stuff.

Glitter is something I need to save for when I can spring it on them, unsuspectingly. Like when we're outside or on the porch, and they look like they're going to be able to get along. Giving glitter as a gift means I've got two kids who are going to wrestle for the shiny until the shiny is all over my carpet and the two darlings are crying. Glitter is just better on mommy's terms, without the added excitement of it being a gift.


2) Silly Putty

You know you're staring at the gates of hell when you find a silly putty container...with no putty inside. And that's the kind of mess that doesn't steam out of carpets.


3) SING AS LOUD AS YOU CAN ELMO (or whatever else, you know what I mean).

First of all, he's way too expensive for the amount of use he's going to get. Tickle me, Rockin' out, Tellin' Jokes Elmo is basically a very red, very big paperweight. On the rare occasions the girls do take him out for a spin, I basically just want to gauge my eardrums out with a dull pencil. Nothing is more annoying than Elmo fake laughing. Oh wait, yes something is. It's Elmo fake laughing for 20 minutes straight.









4) Bath Crayons:

These don't work. They do not work. So, now we've got a tantrum in the bathroom. See those little clickies where you are supposed to be able to easily push the crayon up from its holder? LIES. The crayons melt in the warm water and fall out of there, only to melt some more, and the last thing I want to do while trying to get my kids clean is wrestle with this colorful, slippery stick of trouble. And honestly, even if they did work? I hate having to wash my tub afterward. It's not as easy off as one would think.




5) Books with CDs

They're just clunky and inefficient, to be honest, although they seem like a great idea. By the time I fiddle with my CD player, get the thing playing and everyone all set up, I may as well just read the girls the story myself. And why not? Why not just read to your own children? That way I can show them the words and they can start getting a grasp of how the sounds go together, too!


Basically, when trying to find a gift for a young kid, avoid messy, sticky, and loud! We thank you!




 

Ask a Teacher - What about Summer / Fall Birthdays and Kindergarten?

One of the segments most people are interested in here is Ask A Teacher. In that vein, I'd like to introduce Emilie. She is a teacher and a mother and a blogger to boot, residing in Kentucky. Her school system's had a rough ride with the No Child Left Behind Act, but she toils away to make her students the best they can be, day in and day out. Teaching Ain't for Heroes, but Emilie sure is one!

Anyway, she'll be answering questions as they come in from parents and readers. Here's the first one, which is also available on her blog. After they've been posted on the home page, you'll find all questions with links to answers in the Ask a Teacher section up top!

If you have any questions for the resident teacher, leave them in a comment here!
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I was asked recently about what to do with a child who has a late summer or early fall birthday. In my district, a child turning 5 before October 1st has the ability to start kindergarten. This creates a dilemma for parents like me. I gave birth in 2012 to a daughter who was born at the end of September. No matter what, she's going to be the odd child out. She'll either be the youngest in her class or the oldest. But what should you do if you find yourself in my shoes?

The answer is as aggravating as you think. It really just depends on the child. The best advice I can give you is to pay attention to the needs and wants of your child. There's more that goes into choosing when to start school than just academics. Is your child emotionally ready to handle all day school? Is your child socially ready for kindergarten? What was preschool like for your child?

Pay attention to signs that your child is ready for kindergarten. Scholastic has a great explanation of some signs of readiness for kindergarten.

Some parents are frustrated by the age cut off and feel that their children are ready for kindergarten, even if they are turning 5 after their district's cut off. Even if your child is advanced, it's important to remember that there will be other like-age children with your child and that teachers are trained to be adept at differentiation. Differentiation is a big teacher word that just means making a lesson approachable for students that show a variety of learning levels. If your child really is bored and needs more advanced work, there are ways to skip grades down the line. I'm always an advocate of children who are displaying advanced skills be evaluated to see if they are eligible for an IEP for giftedness.

If you're still unsure about when your child should start kindergarten, the best thing you can do is take your child into the school and see what type of assessments the school might offer to help you make your decision.






 

Baby's First Birthday - DP Post

"It Only Happens Once: Baby's 1st Birthday" created by ShindigZ


...I've kept DP because they work hard, have pretty good content and write at a level that's acceptable!