Mar 31, 2009

Tackle It Tuesday #45


My Tackle It Tuesday this week was a spur of the moment tackle. I got sick of looking at these ugly curtains and my disorganized coat closet. I forget to get before pics, but you can see the curtains in this pic.
This is the after of the curtains:
This is my still in progress, more orgainzed closet. I am so pleased to have a kid sized coat rack for Princess Belle and a little stand where we keep hat, mittens and in the bottom drawer we stash the shoes she isnt' wearing right now:



Mar 30, 2009

The Nightdress


I remember this nightdress. It was so special to me and putting it away after Princess Belle outgrew it was a sad day for me. I put it away, but I couldn't get rid of it. I just couldn't. But now I get to pass it down to Princess Magpie. I can look at her and see how cute she is in it and remember.

One a side note, I noticed that Princess Belle was 2 years old when she first wore it. In the pictures below she is three years old and wearing it. Princess Magpie is wearing it at 8 1/2 months old! They are two such different girls!






Mar 29, 2009

Is it Spring Yet?

I am so ready for the snow to be gone. To out in my yard cleaning all the crap out of it and making it liveable again. I am so tired of snow, cold, winter boots, winter coats, hats, mittens, snowpants, and snow days. I ready for nice hot summer days, or at least nice warm ones. So the next person who places an order with the weather man, would you mind pleading my case?

This is Princess Belle in our backyard today!

Mar 28, 2009

Saturday 9: Inside the Actors Studio


Saturday 9: Inside the Actors Studio

The host of the famous Bravo series, actor, professor and host James Lipton asks actors these 9 questions (among many others).

1. What is your favorite word? Hmmm . . . I guess either LOVE or Possibilities

2. What is your least favorite word? Can't.

3. What turns you on, creatively, spiritually, or emotionally? A Blank Page, art supplies, a camera, anything on which something can be created that is empty and waiting for me to put my hand to it.

4. What turns you off? Greed and thinking you are better or somehow better than anyone else around you.

5. What is your favorite curse word? That's tough, I don't really curse, I guess for me it is "Damn" would be it.

6. What sound or noise do you love? The sound of my children laughing, the sound of coffee perking, the sound of music playing.

7. What sound or noise do you hate? The sound of my child crying. It is hands down the worst sound in the world.

8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Being a teacher. I would love to have gone to school to be a teacher.

9. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "Come on in, we've been waiting for you." or "There was a mistake go on back down and come back in another 20 or 30 years."

Saturday Photohunt - Hands

When I saw the theme Hands, this week, I thought immediately of baby hands. I have these pics of my hands and Princess Magpie's hands when she was three months old. Baby hands and feet are just so sweet, aren't they?




No big post today.

I am researching and making plans for a big change I am making for my family starting in September. (No there are no current new additions on the way.) This change effects my current family! I will go public with it as soon as it is official.

Mar 26, 2009

Thursday Thirteen #82

Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen Things that Twisted Cinderella has found for doing schoolwork with ADHD children
  1. Create short lessons, do each thing in short increments. This will help to hold your child's attention.
  2. Look for some creative ways to keep your child interested (I have created a game where each bit of homework is in a separate stations and when she is done one, she moves on to the next station and at the end there is a prize. Something small like listen to a song on the computer, play with her moonsand, bake with mommy etc.)
  3. Movement while working helps them to concentrate. Perhaps jumping up and down on a trampoline reciting math facts or saying their lines for a play while walking across a balance beam at the park. Keep it fun!
  4. Have patience, and don't worry, it will get easier for you do this if you give it time.
  5. Help your child to learn to be organized. Lack of organizational skills is a characteristic of ADHD.
  6. Rewards and incentives are a great way to motivate.
  7. Engage the child and make sure she is happy, content and satisfied, that she has had an opportunity to go to the bathroom, to have something to eat, and have some fun as well.
  8. Hardest things first: start with the subject(s) the child dislikes the most, starting with the most difficult things at the start is a good idea because this is when the childs attention and focus will be at a peak. It also means that if towards the end the child has a subject they enjoy, then they will see that as a "treat".
  9. Establish daily routines to handle morning activities, schoolwork and bedtime. Routines help make sense of the chaos that uncontrolled ADHD can cause.
  10. Know the triggers. Know what things can make ADHD worse for you or your child. For some it may be eating a breakfast high in sugar.
  11. Stress can aggravate ADHD. Find ways to relieve stress and relax.
  12. Focus on the Positive. ADHD can make it difficult to concentrate or even finish the simplest tasks. The very traits that make ADHD a problem can also be useful. The ability to multi-task has be a great asset as a adult.
  13. Make learning fun!: The usual implements and methods of learning wont work with a child with ADHD, you have to engage them and make learning an enjoyable and creative process.




Mar 25, 2009

Tired

I am tired today. Princess Magpie was up off and on all last night running a slight fever and crying. Today she is doing better but I am tired. Prince Charming was nice enough to let me go back to bed this morning so that he could see Princess Belle off to school. He was so sweet to do that and I got a little extra rest, but they are not quiet and I didn't get any extra sleep. We traded off so now he is sleeping and I am up taking care of Princess Magpie.

Oh, I gotta go, she is behind me growling, which is the universal signal that naptime has once again arrived.

Edited to add: You spend your time feeling tired and cranky and then you read something to put it all into perspective.

Prayers for Stellan

Wordless Wednesday -- Simply Sisters

Click the pic above to get to other Wordless Wednesday Participants.







Mar 24, 2009

8 Months Photoshoot

I had so much fun with this photoshoot. I am trying to come up with new and interesting pics to take next month. Do you have any ideas to share that I might like to try in the upcoming months?





























Twitter