Preschool-Red light green light(prechool and toddler lessons)

Devotional and character:1Nephi 3:7-Obedience

7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

 

I will go and do! That is obedience. We talked about times when its okay to go and other times for safety we need to stop!

Letters: R,Y and G

Numbers:3

 

 

Picture above: I only have 6 months to get my preschooler ready for Kindergarten! We worked in our journal today. I asked him what his favorite toy was from Christmas. Then I read it back to him like we were reading a book. We also have been practicing writing his name. He is starting to recognize letters and a few sounds so we are really going to focus on that until September! But, still make it fun!

 

My baby is almost 2! It is still a challenge to know what to feed him! We are reading lots of books. I am teaching him his name. I ask him what is your name and the names of anyone in the room. We did a color walk of red and green.
Here are a few things about my youngest:
Favorite words:
"Dappy" his word for vacuum
"I need it" he says this when he wants us to pick him up
If we call him he says "What?" Nothing spectacular about that. It is just cute.
"doo da"-anything circular or lunch meat
He loves Mikey mouse and to sing . He can hear a song once and remember it! He got a MP3 player that is a bunny. He plays it everywhere and all the time!

 Favorite songs:
Twinkle little star
Ring around the Rosie
Best day of my life by America Author and Say Something by Christina Aguilera.
Favorite book: Truckery Rhymes by Jon Scieszka

Twinkle Twinkle Traffic light (Source: here)
Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle traffic light
Standing on the corner bright,
When it green it’s time to go,
when it’s red its stop you know,
Twinkle, twinkle traffic light,
Standing on the corner bright.

 

Gross motor:

Play red light green light

Fine motor:

Play with blocks and color with red and green crayons

Reaching out and reaching in-How it is never too late!

Things are already changing in my house!I feel less stress and quality time with my family. All the worries,of is it too late to change, are fading away like the sun slowly setting on new hope and the vibrant colors, of pain and ache fade, with the end of each new day.What I an left with is a new radiant sun each new day and the light it is coming from me!

Looking back over the years a new dawn usually brought frustration. This frustration usually stemmed from a messy house, fatigue, aching body and uncooperative angry children. No wonder I was so miserable! My Children's anger only increased my impatience to the point that I didn't even want to listen to my kids. No sunlight equals darkness.To make matters even more complicated we were praying, reading the scriptures and going to church, but yet I did not feel radiant and it showed! Writing this is difficult because several people close to me read my blog, or at least I hope they do;).My hope in sharing this I can share light I have gained and like the wise 10 virgins I can be filling my lamp.

What has changed exactly?The first BIG change is that I am getting on top of my house! This was made possible by my sister coming for Christmas and just cleaning and helping wherever she saw a need. It felt good and it was contagious! Find that motivation within or someone who can help you get started! We(my sister, me and my husband) cleaned out 3 closets,3 full outside garbage full, clothes gone through,8 bags donated and a daily routine I love and can stick to!

Secondly,when I asked that one question what is most important right now? The answer was simple! I want me,my kids and my husband to be happy! If I was doing dishes and my preschooler asked if I could play with him I said YES! Do you want to help me lo dishes first and we can spend even more time together? His answer would be YES! The other thing I have been telling myself is just LISTEN!

I sat down with my oldest and talked to him about planners and how he could be in charge of his day! He just had to make sure he got homework and chores done by 7p.m.He has been loving it and pretty responsible. We are still ironing out all the details. Less nagging and more cooperation? Yes please!

We are all strong willed gifted with strong leadership skills in our family! This makes it difficult when we are as stubborn as wild stallions. I stopped fighting! I tried to give them all more freedom and choices, In addition I warned them that even though they has this new freedom they could not always control the consequences! If at any time they don't get the things they are supposed to do done then we try something else, but we work together as a team! No more my way or the highway! Like everything it will take time and adjustment!

My ray of hope is that my kids will begin to see the light that is in each of them. That they too will become more RADIANT!

My heath.......... more RADIANT!

My heart..... more RADIANT!

My home..... more RADIANT!

It s never too late because each new day is a new opportunity and a fresh start!

Reaching out and reaching in-3 ways to stress less (Week 3)

Are you guilty of saying...

"Because I said so!"

"I will give you to the count of 3..
                          1,2,3!"

"Do it now!"

Sound familiar?Yes we all in the have said these to our children before we yell and have reached our breaking point.Usually these words are in desperation because we feel out of control. In these moments we don't usually stop and think about what we should do next.We are impulsive and feel like a raging forest fire.This is due to our bodies response to stress, known as the fight or flight.It was necessary when, primitively, you need to get away from an animal.However, now we elicit the same fight or flight response for every day Health
How can I stress less and be more calm?
 stress, like our kids not listening to us.Our bodies defend us from what is triggered in our brain as a tiger or other intimidating things.When in reality it is our children yelling at us not a tiger! So this week is about relieving tension and not engaging in fights with my kids and giving them much more choices.By doing so I hope it will change their reactions as well!

 Health-
How can I stress less and be more calm?I have still been exercising.I also have been getting up early.My newest endeavour is to do yoga before bed.
Heart-
Why don't we wait and ask ourselves 5 questions to ask before we yell at our children ? The first question suggested is important right now?So I am going to ask this question to ground me and help me think before I react!
Home-

I think de-cluttering is a stress reliever.I have been happy all week trying to keep my entryway warm and inviting. My room needed a change to.I have been looking for a way to organize my earrings.I love this sweet find at Hobby Lobby! I even have a chalkboard to write inspiration on!

Whew I feel less stressed already!;)

How do you like to get rid of stress?

Reaching in and reaching out-week 2

Have you ever hears the phrase "home can be a heaven on earth"
My home is far from what I would consider a heaven.It is more like a Zoo.There are piles of shoes, toys dishes and laundry.My children are more akin to wild animals.They are dirty, loud and messy.It is hard to think that it will ever be peaceful clean and beautiful.First, as Mom's we need to take care of ourselves first.Just like the sun rises, when it's light touches the flowers and living things come to life.As Mom's, to be radiant, we need to fill our vessels with light in order to give light.
This week for my:
Health

I want to try new exercises each week so that I can keep it interesting and fun! The YouTube video below are button burning exercises.

Heart
If you take the word heart and look at the middle letters you get "ear".We hear with our ears but we also can hear with our heart.It is a deeper listening where we think about it and really internalize it.I want to become a better listener.I intend to eliminate distractions and give my children my full attention.
Home
If I want the atmosphere to be different it starts with me! Home should be clean, safe and secure.Parents should never raise their voice at each other, especially in front of the kids.When you walk in your door what do you see? Is it orderly and inviting or is it like my house most times, a drop zone? What will you see as you walk in further? I have always wanted a place where all who enter to feel comfortable and have fun!I am going to work on keeping this area clean.

Reaching in and reaching out 2015

Last year I started a series called Reaching out and reaching in.There are three places I believe we have the most impact for our happiness.These are our what I call the 3 h's of happiness.If we are in good health,we know our heart and make our home a heaven on earth;then we will be happy!
Health can include exercising,or your mental state of mind.Heart can be spiritual,service.Home may focus on family,kids,homemaking,teaching.There are 2 ways we can achieve balance in these 3 areas, and that is Reaching inside ourselves and reaching out to others.

 I have noticed that many people who make New Years resolution are trying to focus on one word.I have been contemplating on this idea for a few days now.The word that keeps coming to mind is radiant.I looked radiant up in the dictionary.It is defined as
sending out light; shining or glowing brightly.In regards to (a person or their expression) clearly emanating great joy, love or health.My goal is to be that light shining wherever I go.

In Mathew 5:16 it reads "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Last year was a difficult time.Many close relationships suffered as I got stuck in the quick sand of my depression and loneliness. Maybe I was just not the person anyone wanted to be around?I am sure that my light was a a glimmer or a spark.2015, this year is a chance for me to focus on my soul, or inner sunshine, and my relationships.These relatiinships are those with my husband, kids, Mom, Dad, sister, brother and friends.The most important is with my Savior.
Do I remember him and his atonement? What gifts have I promised to show I live him? Am I being obedient to the commandments? Do I have his spirit with me? How is my church and temple attendance? Do I read my scriptures and ponder them daily?

What I did this week for my:

Health
My family has been visiting me over the holidays.My Sister and I started strength training together and have decided to Skype when she gets home and work out together. Lifting weights is new to me so I am only lifting 2 pounds.:)

Heart
I started writing down things that I am grateful for every night and praying to find someone who may need me.

Home
I want to make my home a heaven.I have been a cleaning, decluttering machine! I asked the kids to pick 5 of their favorite toys and get rid of a bag of toys. We got rid of four bags of toys!!We also cleared out 3 closets!

Best posts of 2014

Here are the best posts of 2014

#1
Again for the second year in a row is:3 ways to bring balance into your life

#2
3 ways to beat the post holiday blues

#3
Reaching in reaching out-week 3-day 17

#4
Reaching in reaching out-week-5-14-days and ways to show love

#5
May 10th-31 days of May-keovers

There is so much more that I want to share with you all this year,2015!Hope you join me!