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.

Feeling Connected to This Baby

Sometimes I don’t feel as connected to this second pregnancy as I was with my first. I spent the first half of my first pregnancy battling Hyperemesis Graviderum (a severe form of morning sickness). My physical health had a great impact on my emotions. I didn’t feel bonded with him until the sickness started to wane. Before that it was mostly just survival and feeling sorry for myself.

With this pregnancy, my second, I’m feeling a bit apathetic at this point. It’s not that I don’t care. I care a great deal and I’m taking care of myself and this pregnancy as best I can with a toddler in tow. I just don’t feel that connection yet. I’m not round-the-clock sick the way I was the first time, so it’s not that. I can’t really explain it. Maybe the hormonal connection hasn’t kicked in yet.

I suspect it has more to do with this being my second pregnancy though.  I’m so busy with my toddler; I don’t really lie around touching my stomach and talking to the baby. I don’t get to focus as much energy on building a connection in the womb as I did the first time. I’m busy connecting with my son that is already out here in the world looking at me and asking me to play with him.

I know that I love this baby and I want this baby to be healthy and happy and safe. I just don’t feel the sort of comradery that I did with my son after we survived the Hyperemesis. Is that awful? I hope not.

Hopefully my feelings will change as this pregnancy continues. I know that my heart will grow and love both my children equally. Will I be bonded with both of them? One day soon I know that I will, but for now this love is more of a slow burn than the instant bonfire I had with my son.

-The Crazy Earth Mama