Yesterday, as Michael was overseeing finger painting (for which he gets a lot of folks out of purgatory, since finger painting is something he really doesn't like...and the kids both used the occasion to have fits -- over different things, at different times, but both having something to do with the finger painting), I overheard this exchange:
Naomi: Look, Dada! (She holds up her hand, which she's covered entirely -- front, back, sides -- in finger paint.)
Michael: Naomi, that's crazy!
Hannah: Dada, we need to work on encouraging Naomi, not telling her she's crazy.
Of course, lately I've been exhorting Hannah to encourage Naomi, not tell her she can't do things, not tell her that her idea is ridiculous, not tell her that her bear drawing doesn't look like a bear, not tell her that she has no idea what the heck she's doing. I'm not sure my exhortations are affecting Hannah's behavior at all, but apparently she at least hears me and internalizes it enough to rebuke Michael. Very comforting.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Adding insult to injury
We now all have a summer cold. Naomi seems to have the worst of it so far. I really shouldn't complain, because we've all been remarkably healthy so far in 2008. Ah, well, rain gear and tissues will be our companions for the next few days. Hopefully warmer weather will come soon!
Summer Gear
What's our most used and important summer gear so far this year? Sadly enough, boots and rain coats. We've been making it a point to be sure to be outside daily, but more often than not lately that means putting on our rain gear, because even if it's not raining when we set out, it starts while we're gone. Usually it's not too difficult to work in outside time in the summer, but when it's 55 and drizzling, it's a bit difficult to get the motivation to get out there.
Poor Michael
is now suffering from Naomi's obsession with biting. The other night he had a dream that worms were biting him.
Friday, June 6, 2008
A challenge
When you've been practicing karate for a while, you find that sometimes it's good to liven up your practice (at home) with a bit of a challenge so that you don't get complacent.
For instance, you can practice your kata, but if you can practice your kata with a 2-year-old crawling between your legs, you know you're getting somewhere!
For instance, you can practice your kata, but if you can practice your kata with a 2-year-old crawling between your legs, you know you're getting somewhere!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Naomi's sleep routine
includes some rather odd things. Okay, so the book and the prayers and the singing aren't really that odd. But the songs that she loves and insists upon are. Before naps and bedtime, we sing Su La Li (a nice melody of nonsense words), Hush Little Baby (okay, so that's a lullaby), O Christmas Tree, and Little Drummer Boy (generally referred to as RumPaPumPum by Naomi). For some reason, this combination of lullabies and Christmas music does the trick for her and she goes right to sleep.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Budding interests
Hannah likes to read the house numbers as we're walking along or driving around. She has discovered that she is very fond of numbers. She will often, after a time of quiet reflection, say things like, "3 and 3 makes 6," or, "How many 10s in 20, Mama?" She asks for word problems and then does them in her head. Things along the lines of, "If there were 3 karate students and each did 2 punches, how many punches would that be?" She gets the answer right, too.
I recently introduced her to the game Memory, and she latched on right away. The game I originally had her playing was on the computer, but when I showed her how to play with cards at the table, she was most impressed. Of course, it takes a bit longer to set up, because all the cards have to be turned so that the pictures on the back are right-side-up, but I have a feeling that as soon as she figures out that Memory can be played with someone (right now she plays by herself), the popularity of CandyLand is going to plummet.
She's more and more interested in the natural world, too. Today on our walk, she pointed to a tree and said, "That's a birch." She was right, too, it is a birch. She also identified a maple tree. I was more impressed with those than with the identification of a cherry tree -- it has little green cherries on it, so it's a dead giveaway. But still, even with the cherry tree, she was paying a lot of attention to the local flora. She can easily recognize strawberry plants, too, by their leaves.
Hannah is soaking up knowledge as fast as she can. It's really quite amazing to see.
I recently introduced her to the game Memory, and she latched on right away. The game I originally had her playing was on the computer, but when I showed her how to play with cards at the table, she was most impressed. Of course, it takes a bit longer to set up, because all the cards have to be turned so that the pictures on the back are right-side-up, but I have a feeling that as soon as she figures out that Memory can be played with someone (right now she plays by herself), the popularity of CandyLand is going to plummet.
She's more and more interested in the natural world, too. Today on our walk, she pointed to a tree and said, "That's a birch." She was right, too, it is a birch. She also identified a maple tree. I was more impressed with those than with the identification of a cherry tree -- it has little green cherries on it, so it's a dead giveaway. But still, even with the cherry tree, she was paying a lot of attention to the local flora. She can easily recognize strawberry plants, too, by their leaves.
Hannah is soaking up knowledge as fast as she can. It's really quite amazing to see.
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