bits

Mark and I are looking for some Spanish language resources to start Esme on. I found one on Youtube called Bookbox, and watched a few with her last night. I pick up languages fast (Latin, French, Spanish and German teaching books left to me by my dad when I was a kid ;). But to be honest, my pronunciation is terrible (especially on French) because of not having enough exposure to conversation. Sometimes I have bits of French from packaging at work stuck unwanted in my head and I know they are real words - look them up and they mean 'attach piece' (appose partie). I can pronounce German but there is not much use of it here besides the Amish and Mennonites. I listen to them discuss prices and tell their children what they should be doing/not doing and I understand, but could not return a proper sentence without a lot of practice.

Spanish might come more in handy at my plumbing job. I've already had to translate several customers asking for things - usually can muddle it out through my other learning 'cera annillo' means wax ring ;) I don't like the idea of it becoming increasingly hard to get along in this country without knowing Spanish, but if Esme and I can pick up enough of it together and actually use it, then I do see a benefit of having something we both understand that there is enough available for without spending LOTS of money. I think the library might have something for us to use, as well.

In other news - Esme's reading is a bit further than I thought it was. She recognizes a lot of simple words. We used Dolch words preprimer click and say and she really liked that. She got a few wrong, but enjoyed being able to hear it when she clicked it. Then we read Cat in the Hat until she fell asleep, and she knew some of the words again when she saw them. Words I thought she would get like 'ball' were odd when she thought they were something else - but other words like 'down' and 'come' and 'make' she knows when she sees them. I think they are in Starfall.

She also got to paint her airplane and use her new watercolors. She said PLEASE Happy Birthday to me painting? *ha* While she did that I tried to work on my hexagonal frame idea but a hacksaw blade and 1/4 inch sticks just don't want to follow 60 degrees very well. I'll need to either go bigger or find a finer way to measure and cut that angle.

randomness and a homeschooling book to look up

+plus magazine <--magazine about math=refreshing
formulary
how to build an octagonal frame. This is one of those things that my brain twitches about when I'm doing really boring things (like pacing aisles asking 'can I help you?' and can't really do anything 'in real life' about it... I need a miter box to make it in reality. Eh, we probably have one around here somewhere? I want to look further into roof trusses as well... they intrigue me but also scare me in the 'really big thing I can't get done myself' sort of way.

I came home to find Esme asleep in her bed covered in blocks. There were even blocks inside her socks.... ?? We have a strange strange child. She is still napping, so I am wandering around in my own studies and browsing.

I was also looking for a map of the U.S. for her - a puzzle maybe. I think there is a placemat at WalMart I'll go look for another day. She saw me looking something up on Google maps the other day and asked questions about what it was and was interested with the idea that people live here, and it takes sunrise-to-sunset to drive in a car that far.

homeschool rambling
We will not need to file any paperwork for a few more years if we do choose to homeschool. It will be nice to have enough information in hand to go ahead if we choose or see what the local school district can offer, if anything. Thinking about other science and learning experiments to put to use at a later date. Mark and I have discussed some basic science experiments with kitchen items and growing bean sprouts in jars over the winter. Yesterday afternoon I read part of a book called 'Homeschooling for Excellence' by Colfax. It was reccommended by a Memphis area homeschool advocate I had emailed. I was impressed by it and hope to get it from a library or used bookstore. Unlike many other homeschooling books it did not start out with a religious mission statement. The author's point of view (from the introduction only) was that the homeschool environment was not primarily for the adults to control what the child learns/doesn't learn but instead to provide an environment that caters to the child's natural tendencies, established communication and shared experiences while providing some direction. It also acknowledged that there will be successes and failures, and that these are learning experiences for everyone involved. The adults are encouraged to choose a breadth of subjects and curriculum based not on 'grade-level lists' but instead relating to what the child shows interest in, what questions are asked and encouraging related experiences that are readily available (farm/woods/city/museums/library).

4 years old birthday party

It was a big day today! We invited Grandma and Grandpa and Robert and Mikey and Gwynnie to the Dairy Queen to help us celebrate Esme's 4th birthday.


balloons


What is on my head?


Mikey and Gwynnie


Daddy discussing the merits of hot fudge


Funny Gwynnie
she turned 3 in September


balloon hat fun


dancing around


Now what?


Grandpa and Grandma had to 'help' unwrap


wrapping paper


Hungry Hungry Hippos was (and still is tonight)
the star of the show
Mikey and Robert chose well, thank you!


You want me to open this?
What is this?


Thinking hard on an airplane toy..


Which one next?


Proud piggy bank owner!
She really likes this, too.


chilling at home, winding down with her new shades
She got an Elly Pocoyo toy and is happy about her but so much more fascinated by the moving parts on the H.H.Hippos toy.

Also thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for pots and pans, socks, dinosaurs, Dumbo movie and other things! Daddy also gave her a calculator, binder clips to stack, watercolors and glow sticks (big hit). I think this has been a very exciting birthday and Mama is thankful to everyone for coming and having a good time. I hope we haven't spoiled her ;) just kidding...

finished McCalls 8001 - can't love it, but it works

I finished McCalls 8001 dress tonight. As Esme says: "I can't love it" But, it does work. Remember it is a size five, which she just barely doesn't swim in. There is room for growth here. Take a look at how the skirt is open when she is sitting, and relaxed when she is standing. That was not easy to get right, and I still think I did it a little haphazard. The ties in the back were essential to not making it stick STRAIGHT out in front of her. Note: These are also the 'wiley pants', although the major feature of them (a flat tummy band) cannot be seen.


Heading off downstairs with her broom and 'wand' (a pencil)


skirt detail and 'magic wand'
It would do nicely with a red ribbon sash all around the middle.
Then I put her hair back up, so she could see and I could see her.


The dogs decided to take center stage.


Partially because they realized
she had a cookie and might drop it!


McCalls 8001 size 5, circa 1961

The reason I bought the pattern was for the coat, which is still to come ... the dress was just tempting and fit the type of fabric I had on hand better, although I did have to piece that, too -- the two color version of the dress was due to not having enough of either to make the whole thing.


And a better shot of Nova's puppies


She is still very protective of them and has not left them for very long at all.

Now for cupcakes, as the laundry and dishes are nearly done.
//note// Esme quote of the night : Upon seeing Lisa Simpson kiss Nelson, and while standing on her head in our bed... 'ew gross. That's a gross kiss.' Daddy and I both lost it. Mark says: 'And... I guess that's four?' (as in years old)
//note// We played with the pattern blocks at her request. They were a very good investment. We read one of her easy books together and she knows more words by sight than she used to - mostly color words and a few words like 'and', 'the', 'come' and 'for'. That is all from Starfall. She said the word 'sleep' was 'sheep' so she is just memorizing the look of the words.

tailed bits

Mark went out in the woods yesterday and found our Nova dog with eleven puppies. He put them all in a box and brought them inside, which was a harrowing feat considering where he said he found them at. He said the pile of wood she was inside was collapsing as he tried to move near and among it... He is lucky he is scrawny and muscular - as a regular person would have still been out there with a leg caught in something. So, we have a wiggly mess of tails again in this house. Esme is excited - she has counted them and described them and says 'Nova is a mother dog.' to me a lot this morning.

Esme made me laugh last night. I gave her the newspaper and it had a food ad in it with balloons. She was very excited and was trying to read bits of it. Then she says (think Homer Simpson) 'We can't afford that! What's that. We can't afford that!' about everything with a price tag on it. 'That's two thousand dollars. We can't afford that.' We have a silly child. Her favorite phrase lately has been 'I want to play lots and lots of (candy/dogs/cards/food/bathtub). Come on, let's do lots and lots.' A little while ago she is playing with her checkwriter and saying 'That is twenty cents, just twenty cents. I have seen ALL my life, Mama. I have seen ALL my life.' I think she is trying to mimic someone on tv saying 'that is the worst thing I have seen all my life' but she hasn't remembered all the words.


handmade birthday banner

I spent quite a bit of the morning stringing this together. Esme's birthday party is tomorrow, and we plan to hang this up there with some balloons as very 'simple' decorations. Simple as in not cost much, although the banner took a few hours to make while Esme bounced around saying I was busy and she wanted to be busy, too. She has grown so much this past year, and again during this last spurt as well! Mark is headed to town to get butter and a few other things. Then we will be making cupcakes.. or maybe that will be tomorrow? Probably tonight because I will need to wash her hair also tonight and that will be a tough sell/hard deed because I washed it a few days ago when it really did need it -- and she will negotiate with me claiming it doesn't need it. 'My hair has no bugs, no spiders - don't wash my hair - brush it, I'm gonna cry.' etc etc... I also need to make sure her doggie pants are clean and the blue dress. I told Esme we had to get things ready for her birthday and she said 'oh no mama.. the balloons will POP POP POP' Well, I didn't mean to blow up the balloons today!

Daddy picked me up butter, toothpicks and more cupcake papers - so we're well supplied to go make a mess tonight ;) He also picked up a few more things for me to wrap up for presents. So, now we are officially spoiling her by our standards. A party, and a few 'wow' toys she is going to fall apart over. And there were other little cheap things that just said ESME all over them... Planning to wrap those up in newspaper and curl some colored copy paper with scissors to make it pretty.