The joy in learning

Foam letters in a craft store create preschooler frienzy!

Ara takes so much joy in knowing all of her letters. We are working with her on knowing both the upper and lower cases and introducing small words. She is a cute little learning sponge with a pony tail and a too small shirt!

My old 280 z (32 years old)

This was the first car I bought for myself. I paid $400 because the owner was an old air force buddy of my Dad's. Originally the car was for his teenage daughter, but she left to live with her Mom so I won! When I got the z it had been sitting for over a year and the inside had a fresh(ish) coat of black paint and thick pink house carpet. The original owner had sprayed every surface pink! A and I re carpeted the car and installed speakers in the back. We worked for hours on end doing everything ourselves. College students on summer break with no money but lots of time! We even managed to get the paint shiny (in most places) by buffing off the paint oxidation. Lots of work! My z treated me well. It had well over 200,000 miles on it but it ran like a champ. I loved it. The only problem was that it was so old and the parts were hard to find and expensive. After a few years I gave it to my Dad to work on as a hobby and had to move on. Mostly because I couldn't bear the thought of selling it. That's how it goes with our first car loves isn't it?

It has been collecting dust in my Dad's garage for years now, but he is moving soon so today he rolled it out. Right after the z saw sunlight the garbage collection came by and the driver leaned out the window wanting to know if it was for sale! I'm telling you, everyone wants the z because it's so obviously made of win. My Dad probably will sell it. So my car heart is breaking twice this month.

The z and the camry... good cars are so hard to find.

I tried to go motrin free last night. I woke up in tears from the pain. But before I woke up I was having the strangest dreams where my shoulder and neck hurt. I wish I could blog my dream world.

My unconcious is so entertaining!

Unfinished. Throwing it out finally.

I started painting this years and years ago in an oil class. I always intended to finish it but setting up oil paints is a lot of work. Plus the paints are toxic so with Arababy around it's a no-go. So goodbye dusty canvas clutter!

Now that I look at it, it was ugly anyway!

Why do we keep all the things we keep to make our lives dustier?

Square Pants!

I will have lots to post about soon... but we are waiting on some answers first.

Today Ara and I did Tot school for the second time and she is loving it! It's so fun. I'm actually not really following the program but I liked the basic ideas. Each day I prepared three trays with activities and let her choose. First she chose a 3D foam project and today she chose the water tray. I took a few pictures but Ara gets grumpy with the camera lately. "Mama NO pictures!" But I loved watching her discover and experiment with the water. I will have more detail when I put the pictures up.

I walked Ara to the grocery store tonight to get supplies for the gigantic Sponge Bob cake Ara and I will be making tomorrow. Oh! I have pictures of the cake she made for my brother too! She did it all, even cracked the eggs.. (I had to fish out the shells though).

I'm tired and not feeling well so I think it's bed time.

Parting thoughts:
I love office supplies!
And my "W" key is hardly working!

Eat Less Meat, says Hank!

It must be YouTube Tuesday? And I must be on a "save the environment" kick today. But I like to watch documentaries on animals and every single one has a message of doom.

Eat less meat, waste less, give a damn. The polar bears, sharks, blue fin tuna, and panda bears need us! I can do this, I don't need to eat meat with every meal. Of course Alex may not love that but Ara won't mind!

Homeless Polar Bear

I feel sad now.

Little Laptop, Little User

Last night we had a wonderful family stroll to a nearby restaurant, a little Mexican place. Ara rode in the princess carriage and "computed" the whole way. Once we were inside she promptly set herself up to look just like her Daddy! It was cute, she would even pretend to type really fast like he does. The laptop has little games to practice letters, colors, and shapes. She loves it! She calls it her "Ko-puter". Today we are starting "tot school" so I will have some pictures to post later on! I'm excited about the activities I have planned, I hope she loves it! I might also have some car news soon but I will keep that under wraps until things are decided.

Happy Monday!

Twilight is Moist and Delicious?

 

 

28 Creative and Amazing Twilight Cakes

What?!  I love looking at cake designs as it is.. Ara and I check out at least 2 books a week on the topic but here is a listing of Twilight themed cakes!  Woo hoo.  It made me wonder.. what do the Harry Potter cakes look like?  And for that matter are there cakes based off of any of my other favorite books?  Don’t you love the internet?   You can always find that you are not alone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And.. the Hogwarts cake takes the.. WIN (you THOUGHT I would say “takes the cake” but I am only that cheesy on Tuesdays!)!  Come on, this one is impressive!

Park Pictures!

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Our picnic at the park yesterday… in February and it was really warm! 

WoW John Green is Funny!

15 year old Girl: How do I get 15 year old boys to like me?

John Green: Become World of Warcraft

I had to lol. I love the vlogbrothers lighthearted, fast talking, witty vlogs.

Ara and I spent a nice, slightly hot day at the park and since I couldn't sleep last night (again!) I will now take a nap. Good nap!

Tot School

I stumbled across this blog by clicking the "next blog" button on top of my page and it seems like JUST the thing I have been talking about. I am excited to have such a treasure trove of ideas and learning tools at my finger tips to better prepare Ara for Pre-K. I'll post a little explanation. I'm super excited to get started.

Tot School isn't really school at all! Don't let the name confuse you! Tot School is basically a focused time each day on the tot in your family. For those of us with older children that are homeschooled, we often place a lot of emphasis on them while the tots just *play.* This isn't bad, it just didn't work for me. Personally, I felt I was losing valuable 1 on 1 time with my precious tot that I had with my first child since he was the only one then. Tot School is the time each day I spend with him, exposing early learning skills through FUN play. Tot School is not forced, is always fun, sometimes doesn't happen the way I plan, and is always focused on my tot, "Krash."

Audio of Ara talking

This is Ara talking about her drawing. I had to record it just to remember how she uses the word "mama" like it's the normal beginning and end to a sentence! Plus, she has such a sweet little voice and the way she says Triceratops is so cute!

"Some people lay things down around them neatly; some of us toss. If you're a tosser, go into the most traveled spots of the most suspect rooms, then pretend that you're tossing the object as you turn in a circle."

I lost my wallet sometime between when I taught Saturday and realized I had no money on Sunday. I thought the wikiHow article was funny but I still have not found it! I did check my bank and all my millions of dollars are still in there so I guess it's lost not stolen.

Come back!!

The thing that is making me most sad is that my Target gift card Alex got me for my birthday was in there. I have been holding onto it until I think of something really special. Now, it might never be!

How to Find Lost Objects

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

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Do you often find yourself in a frenzy and tearing apart your home in search of something? Are you late for work again because you couldn't find your car keys? Use this guide to save time -- and your sanity.

Steps

1. Check your immediate surroundings. Survey the room or rooms where the item might be. Don't go into depth, searching under piles of clothes and inside pants' pockets. Instead, just look around to see if the item is in plain sight.
   
2. Look for the missing object where it is supposed to be, or where it can usually be found. If you lost your check card, then you should obviously check your wallet. If your keys are missing, then look in your door and car locks to make sure you didn't simply forget them.
   
3. Check on your person. It sounds silly, but it's possible to forget that your glasses are already hanging around your neck, perched on your head, or even right in front of your eyes. Check these obvious spots once more even if you're sure you already did.
   
4. Search for the missing object in depth. Now that you know the object is not in plain view, look in more detail around your home and car. If you have a messy residence, this may require some time. Make sure to be thorough. Most people have the same daily routine, which will narrow things down a bit. Eliminate places that the item is very unlikely to be (such as keys in the oven) to save time. You probably thought of several possible places, gave a cursory check of the first few, and by the time you got to the end of your list were getting worried and looking more carefully. Go back and look carefully in those more likely places too.
   
5. Clean your surroundings. Try doing a rigorous tidy-up of your room, house, apartment, dorm room, car, book bag, backpack, purse, or whatever area you have likely lost your item. Items seldom disappear from spotlessly neat areas. Just cleaning up may very well reveal the whereabouts of your lost item. If not, well, at least you cleaned up!
   
6. Think back to the last time and place you used the missing object. Did you take it to work or to a friend's house? Were you recently at a restaurant or on the city bus? When did you use the object last? Retracing your steps may lead to the object. These things usually happen when we are on auto-pilot and get distracted. Maybe someone was cleaning up and moved your item. Where might they have put it?
   
7. Call the people and places you've been recently. Now that you have narrowed down the places it could be, call your friends, your job, the bus station, etc. They may be holding your missing object for you.
   
8. Ask others to help you look for it Enlisting the help of others will often enhance your chances of spotting the lost item. This could be your family members, your friends, the bus driver, even total strangers (who are often remarkably obliging in looking for a misplaced item!). You can even put an advertisement in the local newspaper, on lampposts or on Craig's List--it's a long shot but may be worth it if your lost object is valuable.
   
9. Search systematically Depending on your surroundings, try to come up with a system to avoid overlooking an area. For instance, if you think you may have lost your lucky penny in a grassy lawn, you may want to create a search pattern by yourself or with volunteers to avoid overlooking an area.
   
10. Consider the possibility that the item may have been stolen. Do not panic, but consider how much the item might be worth to a stranger and whether anyone might want it as their own. If the item is relatively valueless, of course, it's unlikely to be an object of theft. However, you never know--people sometimes steal things for apparently nonsensical reasons.
    
11. Give it time. Sometimes an item will surface in time. Your sister finds it while vacuuming in an oddball spot you never would thought of, for instance. Unless it is something which can cause serious problems (like credit cards, cell phone, checkbook, I.D.), sometimes just waiting pays off.
    
12. Make sure the missing item doesn't get lost again, whether it is found or you replace it. Whether the item is replaced or found, get a better key chain (and use it for its purpose), organize your home, and have a designated place to store your valuables until the next time you need them.
    

Video

Tips

• Do not look blindly for the item. The first reaction is to search for the missing item everywhere imaginable, leading to frustration. Take a moment to calm down and think logically. Be methodical and split the area up in smaller zones and scan one at a time. If you go back, always search the area as you've earlier defined.
  
• On at least one search pass, look above eye-level. So often, we're looking down while searching, but might have put the item on a higher shelf, "just for a moment."
  
• Check everything again and again. If you have searched your room for your keys three times, check again. It is not rare to find something in the very place you thought you had already searched thoroughly. Ask someone else to help you if you don't mind them looking through your things.
  
• Don't forget the automobile! For most people, the last place they were before coming home was in their car. For small objects (such as keys and credit cards), be sure to look between and under the seats of your car to make sure they didn't fall out of your pocket.
  
• Consider the item's characteristics. The nature of certain items makes them easier or more difficult to locate. Missing cell phones, for example, can often be recovered by simply calling the number of the phone, assuming the phone is powered on and charged. Also, consider that when you use the item. For example, if you often use something in the winter, try checking the pockets of your winter jackets.
  
• If none of this works, just stop looking. Get your mind completely off finding the object. This gives the amazing computer in your brain a chance to work, which sometimes leads to instant recall.
  
• Write your name in heavy duty markers on valuables in a hidden place. That way, if they get stolen, you can easily prove it's yours.
  
• If you don't find the item quickly, stop looking and start picking up and/or cleaning your house, car, or office. This changes your focus and level of frustration. When you find the item (or even if you don't), you'll be on your way to more organized surroundings and less likely to misplace things.
  
• Know your habits. Some people lay things down around them neatly; some of us toss. If you're a tosser, go into the most traveled spots of the most suspect rooms, then pretend that you're tossing the object as you turn in a circle. This gives you a radius (based on how you would toss that particular object -- you'd toss your keys differently than a notebook or breakable object) of roughly where it would be, including the trajectory it could have bounced off of the bed or a sofa cushion.
  
• For next time try to remember where you first looked for it, when you realized it was lost. Keep it in this place and you should avoid losing the same thing again. Usually the first place that springs to mind will be the same each time.
  
• If the object is small, and you think it might be on the floor, lay your head down so that the floor is at eye level. This makes small objects more easily seen.
  
• Try to keep backups of the most common misplaced things (keys, wallet, purse, cell phone, and the remote control), so that if you don't have time to look for them, you can still get by. Make sure they look and feel different from the originals and keep them in a separate place. You don't want to lose both by always thinking you had the other one.
  
• Habit is a great substitute for memory. Practice the habit of putting your keys and wallet/purse in the same place, every time. If you catch yourself thinking, "I'll just put it here for a moment...", stop, give yourself a small dope-slap, and go put it in the Proper Place...which should be a convenient and dedicated shelf or container very close to The First Place You Looked.
  
• Put your keys on a nail or key hooks (available at a hardware or home decor store) next to the door. You will always have your keys handy and the fire dept advises putting them where you can grab and go. You could also keep a dish or shelf (frisbee, abalone shell -- whatever will hold your stuff) where you put all those important things (phone, wallet, keys, change) right as you walk in the door.
  
• Put your jewelry into a jewelry box to keep it easy to find and a clean look to your bureau.
  
• When you do something, say it. When you talk, your brain works to remember what are you doing. If you put your wallet somewhere, say to yourself where you put it.
  
• If you are extremely worried, use one of those new RFID tags and locaters. Just don't lose the locater.
  
• You can also try services like TheFoundBin. These sites list found objects on an easy to use map.
  
• If nothing whatsoever works, simply pay to replace the item. After you have the new one, the lost item will suddenly appear in a place you thought you had raided thousands of times.
  
• If the object is small enough to fit in say, a pocket, then try checking dirty pants that have not been washed yet or are somewhere in the laundry room.
  

Warnings

• If the item can be easily replaced, then cut your losses to avoid further inconvenience. Check and credit cards, for example, can be replaced by your bank, usually free of charge. If a card has not been found after going through the above steps, call to have the card deactivated and have a new one sent. Many places do not check photo I.D when using such cards, and if it has been stolen, you could be hurt financially if you don't report the loss promptly.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Deal With Losing Your Wallet
  
• How to Find a Lost Dog
  
• How to Organize Your Home
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Find Lost Objects. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Penguin Dream

I had the most amazing dream this morning!
I was at some sort of camp or retreat, it reminded me a little of church camp from my youth except that it was right on the vast, dark, turbulent ocean. It was also snowing but being a dream I wasn't feeling the cold I just knew that it was cold. It was a stormy night with snow so I decided I would like to take a swim in the ocean (of course right?). I know it sounds kind of nightmare-ish but my ocean dreams are like flying dreams for other people. When I am swimming in an ocean with no boundaries I feel utterly alone and free and somehow brave. So, I am back stroking through the strong waves really enjoying myself when I realize I am close to a sheer black rock cliff. I try to steer away from it but I keep coming back to it. Then suddenly some animal attaches itself to my neck and I feel it's face on my cheek. Again, it sounds like a nightmare and even in my dream I thought, "I should be afraid, but I'm not". I knew that it was a baby penguin somehow and I let it continue to cling to me. I started to dive repeatedly, thinking that it would want to let go and that I could shake it loose. It clung tight so I continued to swim until I was back at the camp. I took the penguin with me to a mess hall where I saw some of the ladies that have been making me feel so unwelcome at church.

These ladies are bothering me more than I would like to admit. They aren't bad people but the looks on their faces (and their words) tell me that I am not one of them. I am not accepted and that hurts me. I'm ashamed to admit it but I start to imagine what they must see when they look at me and my self esteem takes a hit.

Anyway, in the dream these ladies see me with my fuzzy little penguin friend and they start to whisper and hiss to each other. I overhear that my penguin is an endangered species and it's illegal to remove one from the wild.

This is a little nod to the Desert Tortoise adoption program I want to be a part of. And that someone just a few weeks ago offered me a baby (bred in captivity) and I turned it down because I want to go through the correct avenues.

So I decide to take my illegal penguin to my room and then the dream gets a little hazy. There is some confusion with which room is mine and I can't seem to find keys or something or my Mom has them... I briefly see my brother which has no bearing on the plot of the dream just that it is pretty random. I guess I found my room and went to sleep because the dream continues the next day. It's still dark though, like the sun never shines. It's still snowing but there is no snow on the ground. I walk with my penguin to a dark water avenue that winds through narrow channels in the cliffs and camp (anyone read The Host?). So.. now apparently I am in a Venice camp or underground cave system? As I am rowing I see my Dad and his fiancé, Ann and they get into the boat. I am feeling anxious about my penguin, I don't want them to squish him. For some reason, I feel like they can't see him. Suddenly the passage opens on one side and I see a glacier lake and 3 adult penguins. Feelings of relief and sadness roll over me as I decide to take my little penguin to them.

And then I woke up.

Small A

Ara wants to take ballet lessons!

I told her that all the kids in ballet class use the toilet that flushes so now she is determined to make it happen.

We've been working with Ara on her letters and numbers.
She is like a learning sponge..
an enthusiastic absorbent learning sponge..
an adorable enthusiastic adorable absorbent learning sponge that I love!

The only small issue has been convincing her that small "a" looks so different from a big "A". I know it was my mistake calling it small and big instead of upper and lower case.

My camera is still broken. I feel so crippled without it!

Bird house attempt

It's a work in progress! I thought this would be a fun project for Ara and I and then we could paint it and attatch it to a fense post. The problem is that it isn't as easy as it looks! We are waiting for the glue to dry to attempt a roof and some front door. I doubt any bird will decide this house looks structually sound enough to live in though. It's probably for the best because my cat might eat the birds when their house collapsed and that would be sad. Ara added the sample paint color on the side tonight. She was painting pictures next to me while I puzzled over the third wall. I left the room once and she called out to me "mama I spilled but I'm cleaning it". I cringed.. the image of Ara smearing paint all over something with her hand came to me as I hurried into the kitchen. I was wrong though. I found Ara, paper towel in hand expertly wiping the paint off the floor. She did indeed "clean it". I tried to kiss her for being so mature and thoughtful, she complained and went back to her painting! Darn grown up kids who don't want mama kisses!

Giant flute

Contra Flute @ TFC rehearsal

In my head though, it is called paper clip flute!

I have a ton of things I want to write about but I don't have time at this moment. I want to write all about Ara's Christmas, my birthday, New Years, the exciting new play yard for Ara... the list goes on and on. I did go to the library last night before rehearsal and I checked out far too many books and audiobooks.

• Joy of Cooking
• How to Practice The Way to a Meaningful Life
• Practical Wisdom for Parents
  
• Confetti Cakes
• Eclipe (audio)
• New Moon (audio)
• Letter to my Daughter (audio)
• Harry, A History
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Eragon

(there are a few more but I will stop there, I realize I left out author's names but I'm pretty sure a google search would reveal all!)

I actually haven't even finished the Host yet so I am behind in my reading! I feel so rich in life when I have so many books waiting for me!

Quick Ara update:

She loves her new bed.

Lately, she greets other children so enthusiastically she is actually frightening some of them. I've told her she should at least ask before hugging and kissing them. She calls every kid she sees "friend".

We have been having her help with cooking and baking and I even let her help me rinse the dishes. She glows when we include her in such grown up activities.

Today we are painiting her fence and I am late already!

New Years Resolutions

This list is a work in progress. The New Year/My Birthday is looming and there is so much I want to improve about myself.

• Diet and Exercise for optimum health
• Be more consistent with Ara's education
• See the world through Ara's eyes
• Patience
  
• Get more sleep
• Make more time to laugh and cuddle with Alex
• Take a writing class
• Practice
  
• Give a recital
  

Pumpkins and Apples and Nerdfighter

My pumpkin carving.

I made caramel apples! Fun and delicious. Plus food that can be eaten on a stick is always a good idea.


I just found this You Tube channel by author John Green and his brother Hank. They are funny and I am excited to read his books. What a neat opportunity to read an author that has put himself so much in the public eye.