Potty Training Adventures

We have been potty training for 20 days now and I'd say we are 2/3 of the way there. 

Potty training is probably the hardest parenting thing I've had to deal with yet. It's so tough! Here's what we have accomplished:

1. Pee pee goes in the potty not on the floor.

2. He goes to the potty independently most of the time if naked from the waist down.

3. He can use the "big potty" standing up or sit on his little potty.

4. We flush and wash our hands after we potty.

5. We poop in the potty most of the time.

6. Staying dry though all naps and most nights.

We still have a long way to go. Here's what he still needs to master:

1. Staying dry while wearing underwear or clothing.

2. Not waiting until he is already peeing to start running to the potty... He does this a couple of times a day.

3. Pooping in the potty every time.

4. Using toilet paper without wasting an entire roll.

What finally worked?

The naked method worked well, but it has a cost. Now I have to teach him to keep his underwear dry which isn't as easy. We tried underwear at the end of te first week and it didn't go well. I waited another week before reintroducing them.

We were also rewarding with m&ms (one for pee and two for poop) but we phased that out as quickly as we could because we don't like giving him junk.

We also utilized a fun app from Huggies (I know that's cloth diaper sacreliege in some circles.) called Pull-Ups Time to Potty. We only use the app for two things:

1. It has a timer that helps me remember to ask him about potty when it's been a while.

2. The celebration games.  

The games are meant to be used after a successful potty trip but I override the system and let him play the game while he sits on the potty. We do our own celebration afterwards. 

It's great for keeping him sitting still long enough to go potty, especially when he needs to poop.

Our final method is a celebration for Noah as well as a tracker I can use to see how he's doing. We have a sticker chart on his wall and he gets a sticker any time he actually pees or poops in the potty.

He's doing pretty well with all these tricks and most days I'm happy with it.

Here's what I've learned:

1. If you beleive that you will successfully potty train a child 100% in three days you will probably be disappointed. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule but most kids are going to need more time.

2. You might need to use more than one "method." Do what works for your family and don't be afraid to keep trying new things if somethig doesn't work. Your kid isn't your best friend's angel so their method might not work for you and that's okay.

3. Sometimes the quickest way isn't the best way. Case and point? The naked method has been awesome! It worked! Except that now I'm struggling to show him the difference between underwear nf cloth diapers. It might have been better to try a less "quick fix" method in the beginning. I'll never know. 

Tell me about your potty training journey and ask your burnig questions in the comments. I can't wait to hear from other moms in the trenches of potty training!

-The Crazy Earth Mama

Homeschooling Week #8

This week is all about McCloskey's Blueberries For Sal. I'm really falling in love with the illustrations in his books. However, Noah wasn't so fond of this book. It took me a few days to convince him to read/listen to it.

Reading/Literature:
We read the story and talked about the similarities and differences between Sal and her Mommy and the Mommy & Baby Bear. 
The story focuses on the sounds the berries make in Sal's bucket and counting the berries. This lends to some great activities!

Field Trip:
We visited a local farm and picked blueberries. Noah doesn't like blueberries. He's never liked them, but he had a lot of fun picking them and listening to the sounds they made as they filled his bucket "kerplunk!" 
It also gave us an extra opportunity to talk about colors as he had to learn to pick only the "blue" berries and not the pink or green unripe berries.

Math/Counting:
We counted our berries as we dropped them in the bucket (starting over when we reached 10). 
Then, I found this fun game that works on counting too. It's easy to make your own version. We used a paper bag instead of a tissue box. You can find instructions and a bear face printable here from the National Wildlife Federation.

Science/Bible Study:
We will be practicing science in the kitchen again this week. Noah loves helping me cook! We're going to make blueberry muffins. I know he won't be interested in eating them, but we're going to use them for our bible study.
As we learn about giving to others to show the love of Jesus, we will give muffins to our neighbors.  I think Noah will get a big kick out of it! He loves doing kind things for others.


Art:
With the leftover blueberries, we're going to make an awesome blueberry paint to play with. Noah isn't interested in eating them, but mashing them and rubbing them all over paper is right up his alley!
Pictures from the blueberry patch and our muffin and paint adventures coming soon!
-The Crazy Earth Mama

Getting Crafty

So we made a Father's Day craft for my sweet husband. Noah was very excited about it!
When we gave it to my husband, he and Noah had this conversation:

Husband: "You made this for me?"
Noah: "Yes! Surprise!"
Husband: "Thank you. Where should I put it?"
Noah: "You hang it on the wall."
Husband: "Where should I hang it?"
Noah: "Over here!" [excitedly pointing to a spot on the wall next to the fireplace]

The look of pride and excitement on my son's face as his daddy hung his picture on the wall was so sweet! It's nothing fancy. It definitely doesn't look "professional," but my son is so proud of it and my husband cherished it so much that it's in our living room for the whole world to see.

Don't I have the greatest two guys ever? I'm so blessed, truly I am.

I thought I'd share our craft, because it was so easy for my toddler to do and maybe you'll want to do it with your kiddos. It's not just a Father's Day craft. It's a great way for kids to say "I love you" to anyone.

Supplies you'll need:

Glitter glue

Sequins or gems

Paper

Frame

Instructions:

Write a message or draw a picture on paper with the glitter glue. 

Decorate the words or image by attaching sequins and gems. 

Don't worry, the glitter glue will hold it in place.

After your art has dried, frame it. Then you're ready to spread the love to Dad, Grandma, or anyone. 

-The Crazy Earth Mama

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day has come to mean a lot of different things to me. My biological father was in and out of the picture when I was very small, but mostly out. He was more interested in himself than me and my sister. When I was twelve, my mom met the man she would later marry who very quickly became "Daddy" to me. He adopted me as his own and I even came to be known by his last name in high school. It became a sort of nickname that I cherished. My Daddy (all Southern girls say Daddy and not Dad, no matter their age) and I have a very special bond.
Daddy doesn't really like homemade gifts. In fact, Daddy is very particular about all sorts of things and unless you're giving him a bottle of orange cleaner (he's a neat freak), you should probably stick to a gift card or taking him to dinner. Despite this, Mama told me a while back that Daddy still keeps all the cards I have made him and poems I have given him. The fridge at my parents' house still sports candid photos my dad snapped of me just before my high school prom and on my wedding day (at the moment I realized I had forgotten my bouquet!)
As a grandfather, Daddy is a combination of teddy bear and Santa Claus. The children love him! My son calls him "Papa" and while my dad is often befuddled by very small children, the little ones love him. They quickly win him over by crawling in his lap and laughing deliciously at all his silly faces.
Before Daddy, I celebrated my grandfathers and I still do. They filled a void for me growing up and I have always cherished the close and different relationships I have with each of them.  My Mama's Daddy, called Poppy, really filled the fatherly role for us growing up. I still remember eating orange slices on his lap in the evenings and going with him to my very first baseball game. Go Braves! Poppy worked at the golf course and often smelled like fresh cut grass. I still really like that smell. To this day, he calls me "Monkey" and "Special."
My biological father may not have been very interested in being a part of our lives, but his dad, my Grandbaby, was always there. He was a writer, a fisherman, and a Southern Baptist minister. He wasn't the fire and brimstone kind, he was the "Pollyanna" kind. He taught me what it really means to be a Christian. I was an adult before I ever heard him say an unkind word to anyone and even then it shocked me. He so rarely raised his voice that if he did everyone knew we had best behave. He taught me to love Jesus, the ocean, and all God's people. He read to us every night that he was with us and prayed over us out loud. He fostered our imaginations by helping us to build Indian tee-pees in the yard and create elaborate costumes for our "plays."
When I got married, I chose a man who is a wonderful mix of these three special men. My husband has a great sense of humor like my Daddy and can always make me laugh. He is a hard worker and he loves sports like my Poppy. He is a Christian man who tries very hard to do what is right and loves me as Christ loves the Church, like my Grandbaby. I knew all that stuff when I married him. I knew he was, and is, the man God had chosen for me.
It wasn't until our son was born that I learned what kind of daddy my husband would be. He is an amazing daddy. Before our son was born, and now with our daughter on the way, he has forged a bond with both our children before they are even born. They both have known the sound of their father's voice and that he loves them before they have ever taken their first breaths. He plays with my son, guides him gently to make the right choices and do what is right, and showers him with love and affection.
My husband works hard to provide not only what our children need, but much of what they want. He is always bringing our son little surprises. While our daughter isn't here yet, he is already thinking of her. I sent him to pick up small hangers for her closet the other day and he came back with precious pink hangers, carefully chosen for the little girl he can't wait to meet.

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads in my life and all the other great dads out there too!
-The Crazy Earth Mama

Cheesy Chicken & Rice in One Pan

I love new recipes. Pinterest is a great way to find them and it's how I found this one.
I love recipes that are delicious (of course), cheap, healthy, and quick. It sounds like a tall order, I know.

I'm always looking for new ways to sneak in vegetables. My husband is a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy... or maybe I should say meat and pasta. He loves pasta! Who doesn't?

Anyway, I found this yummy recipe that's a quick one pan take on the traditional chicken & rice casserole we all grew up with (minus the condensed soup too!)

The Girl Who Ate Everything is responsible for this deliciousness so I won't take the credit but yum!!!

Ingredients: 
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 yellow onion (diced)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces)
2 cloves minced garlic (I used 2 tbsp of minced garlic from a jar - for shame! I know.)
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked long grain rice (she uses white, but I used brown)
2 1/2 cups broccoli florets (smaller is better, so cut them down)
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups extra sharp cheese (shredded)

Head over to The Girl Who Ate Everything to get the directions for making this quick and delicious meal for your family tonight.

This was so tasty! Even my two year old ate two bowls, which is saying a lot since he's in the middle of that stage where he doesn't want to eat anything. 
It's quick too! It took me about 30 minutes from start to finish, all prep time spent chopping and measuring included.

Enjoy!
-The Crazy Earth Mama

(Image from The Girl Who Ate Everything -- and takes way better pictures of food than me!)

Knowledge of our Lord

Today's bible verse is 2 Peter 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."

I've been reading Time Management Mama, an ebook by Sarah Korhnak and Beth Anne Schwamberger.  It's a great book and I'll do a post on what I've learned as soon as I'm finished.
Anyway, one of the goals I set for myself after reading the first chapter is to learn more bible verses. As the Lord tells us through Timothy, we must study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15). 

In order to tackle this goal, I've downloaded Word Alert for my iPhone. 

Today's bible verse has me thinking about grace.  Grace is the amazing free gift God gives us when we accept him as Lord. Grace isn't something we deserve, but it's something we need desperately. 
Then, in return, he asks us to give grace to others as we act out the love of Jesus in our daily lives.  It's not easy. In fact, it totally goes against our nature. It's not even possible for us to love people in this way without constant help from God. 
So basically: To bring Glory and honor to God we have to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord.
  
I'm a big reader and researcher. I really believe in learning something new every day. I believe in studying and researching before making decisions.  I read a new scientific study or article almost daily, but how often do I learn a new verse or read a part of my bible? Not nearly as often as I study the other things that matter to me. 
We spend more time on the things that are most important to us. So, I need to be spending a lot more time in the Word if I really believe my relationship with God is one of the most important things in my life.  

What about you? How's your walk going? 
Are you daily growing in knowledge of our Lord? 
Think of some practical ways Christians can work on this and share them in the comments. 

Let's grow together. 
-Crazy Earth Mama

Homeschool Week #7

This week we're back to ducks. Noah is so excited! He's loving McCloskey's classic Make Way For Ducklings.

Here's our list of learning activities for the week:

Reading/Literature:

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

So far Noah loves the character of Michael the police man and he thinks it's hilarious that the ducks swim around eating peanuts. 

He wants to take peanuts with us the next time we feed ducks!

Can ducks really eat peanuts? I guess I'll have to find out.

Math:

We've been having a lot of fun playing with tangrams this week. Noah likes making animals from the tangrams so we are building ducks and, of course, his favorite dinosaurs.

I've also found a cool math matching worksheet involving ducks and peanuts that relates to the story. 

The original activity (as well as other related activities) can be found at Kinder Days blog.

I'm adapting it for Noah by writing numbers on the ducks and having him count out the corresponding number of peanuts.

Science & Bible Study:

Tomorrow, we'll be talking all about how mommy ducks take care of their babies. Noah is particularly interested in the bond between mommy animals and their babies, so I think he'll like this lesson.

We will also be studying the way that God takes care of his babies: us!

Our verse for the week is:

1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. 

Art & Pre-Writing:

We will focus on the letter "D" this week for Ducks and for Daddy since Father's Day is this weekend. 

We will be making two crafts, one is a duck from the letter D using feathers and wiggly eyes (pictured here from it's original source, Kids Soup). 

The second will be similar. I'm not giving away the surprise, but I'll post it here after it's finished!

Field Trip Friday:

Finally, we will take a field trip to a nearby lake on Friday to feed ducks. I'll look into the peanuts before we go, but we'll probably be taking crackers.

-Crazy Earth Mama

Forgiving Ourselves When We Make Mistakes

I'm a Christian, but that doesn't make me immune to sin. I make mistakes just like everyone else. As Jesus says, we all fall short every day. 

Still, when I make a mistake, it weighs heavily on me. Even after I ask for forgiveness, I feel weighted down. I know that The Bible says in Micah 7:19 "Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean."  

I know that when I ask for forgiveness, God immediately forgives me.  He hears my repentant heart and wipes away the stain because I am washed in The blood of Jesus.

So why can I let it go? Why do I keep chewing on it in my mind as a way of making myself "pay" for it? 

I think it's because it's so hard for me to wrap my head around that sort of instant forgiveness. People don't love like that, not without God working in us. 

I think it's also because I'm afraid I'll sin again.  I will. In fact, as the scripture says, I'll sin every day. I'm human so I sin. In fact, the only thing keeping me from making the same sinful mistakes again and again is Jesus in me, the Holy Spirit.

Lord, 

I pray today that I will be able to forgive myself as you had forgiven me when I make mistakes.  I pray that I will trust completly in your love and mercy.  

I pray that I won't let my mistakes stop me from accomplishing the tasks you have set for me or receiving the blessings you have in store. 

Amen 

I hope that you'll pray that prayer with me and for me. Mistakes are inevitable, but they shouldn't cause us to give up or doubt that we are capable of accomplishing our goals. I hope you won't let your setbacks define your life.

-Crazy Earth Mama

Top 10 Reasons We Use Cloth Diapers

Earlier this week, I talked about 5 great reasons we chose to use cloth diapers at Mom's Timeout.  

Let's face it, there are so many more reasons and I could never get tired of talking about fluff, so here are 5 more reasons we chose cloth / reasons you should consider using cloth with your little ones:

• Environmental: Less chemical laden diapers in land fills for all eternity.

• Fluffy Butts: Is there anything cuter? Also, it's added protection when they start learning to walk (read: falling a lot).

• Never Run Out: I don't have to run to Target at 9:00 pm because I'm out of Huggies. I just put some cloth in the wash.

• Potty Training:  Many believe that potty training is easier with cloth diapers and happens faster. The jury is still out on that one for us, but I'm up for anything that means less time in diapers (any diapers).

• Comfort:  What would you rather wear? Spend a day in depends and then tell me if you like those or your regular cotton underwear better? Babies are more comfortable in cloth.

I'll be glad to answer any questions about using cloth in the comments. 

-Crazy Earth Mama

Homeschooling Week #6

This week we are studying If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. 

We have lots of cute things planned to go with this book.

Literature: 

We will be reading Laura Numeroff's book and talking about cause and effect. Noah is just beginning to understand concepts like this, so it should be a great discussion starter!

Science & Handicrafts:

We will be making cookies!

Noah will get to practice measuring and mixing. He will also get to watch the cookies bake. This should be a lot of fun. Lessons in the kitchen are great because you're learning when you don't think you are.

Math:

We will be playing a cookie number match game from Busy Little Bugs, pictured to the right.

It's a printable and I think Noah will really enjoy it. He's getting so good at counting!

Bible:

This week we are talking about Jonah! Jonah is another story of cause and effect, because Jonah learns the effects of not listening to God when he refuses to go to Ninevah.

Jonah's story will also serve as extra practice for Noah's current CM habit: obedience.  

We're going to read the bible story and watch the Veggie Tales "Jonah" movie.

Art & Music:

We will be learning the song "Second Chances" from the Jonah movie. Noah is doing a great job with memorizing lyrics! I love hearing his little voice in song.

We're also going to make our own whale!  I found this cute craft at 

Crafty Morning.  We will be using our milk jug whale to scoop up little people in the bath tub (or maybe the baby pool if it's warm enough!). It will be fun hands on practice of exactly what happened to Jonah. For added fun, maybe we will scoop up our Veggie Tales figures too! 

-Crazy Earth Mama

Homeschooling Week #5

This week is all about Harold & The Purple Crayon. I struggled to integrate the Bible lesson this week, so I decided to do it separately.  

We also focused a lot on color and imagination this week as part of our study.

This week is a "light" week. We spent some time reviewing what we learned about frogs and The Frog Prince last week. I was pleasantly surprised by how much he can recall.

Reading:
We read the book and talked about it. Noah especially liked the part about the dragon in the book.  
We watched a DVD version of the book that involved someone reading the book and watching as the art work came to life on screen.

Colors:
Nana taught Noah a song about the color purple that sounds a bit like a cheer. It's very cute, but I don't know all the words. 
Noah sings "P-U-R-P-L-E! Purple! Purple! Purple!" so that's all I know.

We played a seek and find game with various purple objects. The instructions I used were: "Find something purple." Noah wasn't very successful as we are just starting to learn about colors, but it was a great way to get the discussion started.

Art:
We painted with purple finger paint. Check out our art! (Image to the right.)



Bible Study:
This week we are talking about the Tower of Babel.  We will read the story in Noah's Bible picture book first. Then, we will watch a cute kids video read-along version from JC Play Zone. You can check it out here if you're interested.

We will focus on learning that God wants us to work together this week.

-Crazy Earth Mama

Homeschooling Week #4

This week is all about frogs! 

Our city has a frog themed festival to celebrate Spring every year at this time, so I have coordinated our lessons for the week to take full advantage of all the great free activities for children this week.

Noah will be reading The Frog Prince by Kathy Jo Wargin and focusing on frogs all week.

Reading:

• After reading the fairy tale, we will talk about the story and what it means. 
• This week we will begin discussing our opinions about things by saying whether we liked the story or not and talking about our favorite or least favroite parts of the story.
• We will participate in our local preschool literacy promotion program, Leap Into Literacy this week, where we can hear stories and earn books with other kids his age.

Music:

• Noah has participated in Kindermusik! classes before and really enjoys them. I like that he gets to experiment with different musical instruments and learn about music while playing, dancing, and singing. Our community will be hosting a Kindermusik! dance class in the park where kids his age can learn about dance and rhythm. It's not frog related but it will be a great fun learning opportunity.  If you want to learn more about Kindermusik!, check out their website: http://kindermusik.com

Froggy Picnic:

• Picnic snacks at the park during the Kindermusik! event.
• I found some great frog themed healthy snacks that Noah can participate in making and then enjoy eating! Click on the "healthy snacks" link above to find out how to make peanut butter apple frogs with your kiddos.

Science:

• The Disappearing Frog Project event sponsored by our local Arts Council.
• The project is an interactive art & science exhibit that will teach us about decline of frogs and ways we can protect our environment.  
• There will be lectures about frogs for children, art from local artists, a frog puppet show, and a chance for children to create their own frog art.

Math:

• This week we will be learning a frog counting song with puppets! Click here to get the lyrics & puppets for your own little one.
• We will also be playing a counting game with a Lily Pad Hop! I got the idea from Toddler Approved.  It involves making lily pads and numbering them 1 through 5, check out the link to see just how it's done.
• As an added bonus, we can practice hopping and "ribbits" during our lily pad game (Noah just loves pretending to be a frog!)

-The Crazy Earth Mama

Homeschooling Week #3

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle is our focus for this week!

Reading:
We will read Eric Carle's book as well as the story of creation in our toddler Bible.  
We will talk about all of the animals and how God made the animals and all the world.

Field Trip:
We will be visiting the local county museum to see the animal exhibits and talk about how the animals would have moved and what they might have sounded like.  
We don't have a zoo nearby, so seeing the animal exhibits at the museum is as close as we can get during the week.

Exploring Nature:
In true Charlotte Mason fashion, we will take a nature walk through our neighborhood and point out all the things God made. I'm giving Noah a plastic bag to save all the things he finds on his nature walk. Everything in the bag will be something God has made.I think it will be a great interactive lesson!


Art:
We will practice making our own versions of the animals in the book for craft time. Maybe I can even get him to use his hand print or foot print this time!

Music:
Aside from the wonderful music we will make while acting out the fun pages in Carle's book, we will learn a preschool song to go with our Bible story lesson.

God Made Me Lyrics:

From my head down to my toes, God made me

From my head down to my toes, God made me

From my head down to my toes, and my eyes and ears and nose

From my head down to my toes, God made me

^^ practice touching body parts as we say them in the song. This will make the song fun and interactive, help him remember the words, and practice labeling body parts.

Pictures to come!

-The Crazy Earth Mama

Homeschooling Week #2

This week is all about The Emperor's New Clothes.

I always try to relate our fairy tales back to bible lessons. We are practicing the habits of attention, truthfulness, and obedience right now. 

I really like The Emperor's New Clothes because I kept thinking of different bible lessons that would go well with the book. Here are the two I chose to focus on:

1. God made me special!

Job 33:4 "For the spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the almighty gives me life."

We are special because God made us, not because of anything we do or wear, not because of how we look.  In the book. the emperor wants new clothes because he believes he needs a new outfit for everything. His outfits make him special, he thinks. We know that it isn't our clothes that make us special - it's our Lord who made us special when he created us in His image. 

2. God wants me to tell the truth.

This is a new lesson for Noah. We haven't really focused on telling the truth much in the past. However, he's starting to learn the difference between reality and make-believe. So, I think it's a good time for the lesson. 

The bible verse I'm using is Ephesians 4:15 "Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head."

The people in the story do not tell the truth to the emperor. They are afraid to tell him that they cannot see his clothes, so they lie. In the end, someone does tell him the truth. The person who tells the truth really loves the emperor and, in the end, that person is the hero of the story because he told the truth. Telling the truth is always the right thing to do.

Activities for this week:

We are playing dress up! Noah loves to play dress up with my clothes. He likes to put on my shirts and wear my shoes. He likes to dress up in his daddy's clothes too. This week, we will pretend to be the emperor by dressing up and walking down the red carpet (our hallway happens to have red carpet).

We are also going to spend some time playing with paper dolls. I found some very cute paper dolls that can be printed for free over at Royal Baloo. I've included the link so you can get these great 4 Seasons paper dolls too.  This should also provide a great lead into talking about appropriate clothing for the weather (since someone doesn't want to wear a coat when it's cold or shoes when we go outside).
         http://royalbaloo.com/downloads3/seasons-paper-dolls

I found a super cute Muppet's version of the Emperor's New Clothes that we can watch on You Tube. I don't often use movies for teaching, but I think a short film like this every once in a while is new and fun. I plan to          try having a conversation about the differences between the book and the film. I'll let you know how that goes. 
             " The Muppets - The Emperor's New Clothes" by XOtericate 

-The Crazy Earth Mama

Homeschooling Week #1

We are using Sonlight curriculum for preschool (adapted to include extras) this year.  If you're interested in Sonlight, check out the widget on our right side bar.
This week is all about 
Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling.

• We will be discussing the moral of the story and talking about how we should treat others. I think this is a great lead in to our bible verse of the week: 
• John 13:34 "A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
• The part I really want him to get is love one another. If he gets that, I'm happy.

• Five Little Ducks Song:
• "Five little ducks went out one day. Over the hills and far away. Mother duck called "quack quack quack quack!" Only four little ducks came back..." (you use your fingers and keep counting down until all the ducks are gone, then they all come back)
• Practice waddling and quacking like ducks. Noah had trouble waddling but his quacks were adorable!
• Duck Craft:

• printout the outline of a duck in black and white (just do a Google image search for a good outline).
• Noah will tear up a piece of yellow construction paper into small pieces.  (He needed a model prompt for this part.)
• Then he will get to practice pasting by gluing the yellow paper to the body of the duck to make his own little duck picture. (We are going to use glue sticks to make this part less messy!)
• 

• Field Trip:
• Finally, we are going to visit a local pond and feed the ducks some stale bread I have in the freezer. 
• We will have a picnic lunch and talk about where the ducks live and how they swim in the water. Maybe we will even get to show the ducks how we waddle and quack!

Stay tuned for more pictures!

-Crazy Earth Mama

No. Not sorry.

Why is it that we don’t let women say no? I’m not talking about society. I’m talking about women. Women don’t let other women say no. We don’t say it nearly enough.

Instead we politely agree to do things we don’t want to do, don’t have time to do, and just plain don’t like to do. We can’t say no. 

If we say no, that’s mean. It’s mean, rude, ugly, and selfish to say no. Women aren’t allowed to do those things. When a man says no, we sort of understand. We accept it as a possible outcome of asking the question and we move on. Why can’t we do the same thing when a woman is asked? Why can’t she say no?

It’s not just that the person being asked feels guilty or pressured to say yes, it’s the person asking the question too. I’m a woman. I know women can say know, should be able to say no… but if I ask another woman to cover for me at work for a little while, I’ll be miffed if she says no. Why would she say no?

We don’t expect it. We can’t wrap our brains around it. Women can’t say no. Women shouldn’t say no.

Says who?

Maybe if we started letting other women say no, we wouldn’t be so afraid to say it ourselves.

Maybe if we started accepting no as a possible answer, we could gain some ground here.

Maybe if we started saying no, we wouldn’t be so tired and burned out.

Maybe if we started saying no, we wouldn’t feel so obligated to do things we don’t want to do.

Maybe if we started saying no, our daughters could say it to.

We could the next revolution with just that word.

So no, I won’t be able to do that for you today.

And by the way, I’m not sorry that I said no, because that’s the other thing we have to stop doing. We have to stop apologizing for every choice we make that we’re afraid someone might not like.

No. I’m not sorry.

There. That feels better. My shoulders feel lighter already.

Try it and you might be surprised.