Friday, January 23, 2009

Paper Snowflakes

Every year when the days get shorter and the temperatures fall, the Parker family gets that gleam in our eyes dreaming of the elusive white stuff. All the signs point to it. Our tongues crave it. Yet, it keeps us waiting. So we turn to making our own.

I found two really great sites for instructions on making paper snowflakes.

For the right way to fold the paper, this easy to follow video is cute and really helpful! Way better than diagrams you'll find at other sites.

And for simple snowflake patterns that even kids can do, this site is the best. There are lots of others out there, but they tend to be quite intricate and hard for little hands. Plus these designs are classic and bold.

We are having fun playing the the (paper) snow. Emeline wants to put some final touches on them namely glitter. There might be a blizzard after all without the soggy socks or frozen toes.

Pictures to come...

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Winter Passtimes: Movies and Books

Winter is great for staying in the cozy warm house close to the fire. Unfortunately, the television is right next to the fireplace so we are watching more TV than I like, but we have discovered some movies that are worth sharing.

Owen has become obsessed with all things Star Wars and wants to watch an Episode daily. His choice changes depending on his mood. One day it has to be Darth Vader, the next Darth Maul, another day it's all about Anakin.



Emeline enjoys Star Wars with Owen since she loves all things dark and scary, but she has also discovered Kit Kittredge - An American Girl. I really enjoyed the movie too! It's a wonderful story of a 10-year old girl during The Great Depression that is surprisingly applicable to our world today when so many of us are just "a step away from the poor house". Monday she watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and right away she pegged the young boy narrating the story as Kit's friend from the American Girl movie. When he finally appeared on screen, I was shocked that she was right. She is remarkably observant! I had avoided Mr. Magorium when it came out because the movie trailer made the film seem like a 4-year old on Mountain Dew and Skittles, but it really wasn't like that at all. It was a sweet film about being yourself and enjoying life.



Ben has discovered the Independent Film Channel and is expanding his film horizons while stuck home from work due to the freezing temps. He recommeded The Cat's Meow to me. I rarely find the peace and quiet I require to sit and watch a movie and when I do I often fall asleep. Maybe one day...




I have tried to keep the couch potato syndrome at bay by encouraging (or enforcing) reading time too.

Emeline loves the Barbara Park Junie B. Jones series. We have some of the books and have read them all. Currently we are reading Junie B. Jones First Grader Toothless Wonder. She is also reading them in school. She has also started bringing home one easy reader book a week to practice reading on her own and she is doing great! She's got lots of the sight words (high-frequency words) down pat and can sound out just about anything.



Owen's favorite books have to do with... you guessed it! Star Wars. He has a few, but the coolest book ever is The Pop Up Guide to the Galaxy. It's a pop-up book about everything Star Wars Episodes 4-6. It can only be used under adult supervision, but that's ok. Ben and I are amazed at the pop-ups everytime.

Maybe you are wondering why I haven't mentioned Holden. I didn't forget him, but he's a special case. Not really interested in movies or TV. He'd rather not read. So what does he do? He loves scouring the internet for teaching tools. Yes, he loves dreaming of being a teacher and exploring lesson plans and grading books. He hasn't quite gotten the point that to be a teacher you have to have a vast store of personal knowledge. But he's getting knowledge whether he likes it or not. His teacher requires two books a month. This month she assigned his reading group a book that he's choking down and he has a project that involves a non-fiction book. This got him off track from reading the Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortnate Events which he does enjoy. Hopefully, he'll get back to Book 5 in February.


The same thing that I deal with in trying to watch movies keeps me from reading much too. In addition, to the fact that I don't want to pick up a book and start reading only to be disappointed. I'd love some of your suggestions.

Happy hibernating!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Resolutions

A new year always brings talk of renewal, change, and resolutions. It is only natural at the start of something new that you want to do things differently and hopefully better. I often set my personal goals against upcoming events or other milestones such as my birthday. And usually I feel a sense of renewal at the beginning of each new year.

Not so much 2009 though...

There are plenty of self-improvement resolutions I could make, but I am seriously lacking motivation. December 31, 2008 went and January 1, 2009 arrived and I felt no cosmic shift. I sat up with Holden, Emeline, and Owen watching Dick Clark kiss his lovely wife at the stroke of midnight and then we all rolled over to snooze the first few hours of 2009 away. Honestly, I could use a few more months of that.

But feeling the pressure of the media (or maybe that's just our too tight jeans squeezing us) Ben and I have made the same resolution as about 1/3 of the people who even bother making them anymore... weight loss & fitness. We really do want to shape up, but that extends my resolution to getting up early to prepare a BIG breakfast for us every morning. And of course, having a healthy dinner ready every night (no later than 6pm). Then that adds on being organized enough to have healthy meals planned day in and day out and keeping the house stocked with healthy snacks. Ugggh... suddenly my list is way longer than Ben's.

I have a feeling that I will end up like the 85% who break their resolutions (at least temporarily), but I have faith in myself (and Ben) that we will end up making positive changes over the next 12 months and beyond.

The kids and I talked about resolutions/goals: what they mean; why people make them. When they head back to school on January 6th their teachers may ask them if they have resolutions. I want them to be prepared with their own thoughts not just what the kid before them said. They each told me what they wanted to do in the new year...

Holden: do good in school; read the Bible more

Emeline: go swimming this summer

Owen: "play games... well... just play with blocks" (a direct quote)

I love how Emeline and Owen's resolutions are all about fun. Holden has the maturity to set actual goals although I am sure he'd agree that swimming and playing games are definitely on his things to do list for '09.

Now here's a resolution I know I can keep: help the kids reach their goals... and not just the ones they've set for 2009, but whatever they choose for the rest of their lives.

But swimming sounds really good...