ER visits

the school year just started, and Sam has stayed home sick once and I have been to the doctor with Elliott once.  this is our first year in the school and honestly, I'm afraid of what's coming.  we will most definitely be getting our flu shots soon!  will you?


I just read an article in my Costco magazine about when to take your child to the ER.
(Just a reminder for you super-moms!)


A - Airway.  Is your child choking?
B - Breathing.  Is there difficulty or struggle to breathe?
C - Circulation & Consciousness.  Can you stop the bleeding?  body going limp?
D - Disability & Dehydration.  Walking normally?  Vomiting & diarrhea without keeping down fluids?
E - Environmental Exposure. Includes things like: electric shocks, burns, frostbites, heat-related illness or trauma.


If you're unsure, better safe than sorry!!
If you are uninsured like so many of us are, find a 24/7 nurse hotline ready to go.

pets

since before moving in, my boys have wanted a pet.  we've had dogs in the past, and once we had a bird, but long story short, we've been pet-less for some time now.
I'm still convinced a dog is just like having another kid, so no thank you on that.  plus, I can't have *real* pets in this apartment anyway.


I've been wanting to get the boys a hamster.  I had one as a kid, and loved it ... *cough* until it bit me *cough* ...  I love the tunnels you can set up for them, and especially the ball they can roll around on the floor in.  they're not too big to be a *real* pet ... shhhhhhhh, don't tell, ok?


my other not *real* pet I said we could get is a beta fish.  I have a tall glass vase and some blue/green glass pebble thingys already, so all we needed was the fish and some food.  easy.
so it took the boys forever to pick one out.  they were all SO COOL to them.  they would have bought them all if they could ... Sam knows that you can only have one, otherwise they will fight till the death, so of course he wanted to buy them all and begin the beta-WWI.


we finally decide on one; he's blue with some red on those pretty fins.  Sam wanted to name him "Big Fins."  he's so funny.  I liked it, but told him we ought to wait a day or two to officially decide.


so we get home and I fill the vase with water and add him in his jar to acclimate to the temperature before just dumping in.  after a few minutes, in his goes.  
well, I had added a bit too much water.  it was a balancing act; the water was right at the top.  and since beta's are not so excitable fish and like to sit and do next to nothing, I tip the vase ever so slightly to get rid of some of that extra water, and wouldn'tcha know it?!  that fish was right at the top and went flying down the water slide into the kitchen sink.


where the garbage disposal is.


GREAT.


I screamed.  and the boys come running.
"Mom, what did you do?!"


as much as it gives me the heebie-geebies, I knew I had to reach in there and try to get him out.  I HAD TO ... especially after the traumatizing cat incident.  there was no way we could go through another pet death, in any fashion!


so I'm digging in there.  and its gross.  and have you seen Final Destination?  yea, I'm thinking of that.  and suddenly I feel the fish, and he jumps in there, and he's slimy, and I scream, and I could not grasp him, and so I have to feel around some more since I KNOW he's close and still alive.


minutes and minutes and minutes go by.  I thought he was a goner.  I thought I'd have to put him out of his misery and flip that garbage disposal switch. the boys were crying and my heart is breaking for them - sorry fish, I felt bad for my kids, not you.


Sam gets control of himself and I ask him to stick his hand in there since its smaller and sure enough, he got out that little fish in about 30 seconds.  I cannot believe he was alive!


stupid fish.  what were you thinking?!


so back in the vase he goes.  swimming just fine.  he hasn't eaten much today yet, so maybe he's still a bit freaked out, but alive none-the-less.


"Sam, I think we should name him LUCKY"
"good idea Mom!"


meet Lucky -

un-potty training

... kind of like an un-schooling approach.


looking back, I think I did it all wrong with my first son.  I tried candy, but I think that just officially turned on his sweet tooth.  I tried a sticker chart, and he was nothing but destructive with it; peeling all the stickers off to put everywhere and anywhere else but back on the chart. I then tried pull-ups, thinking the [almost] big-boy-like undies would encourage him to do it the "right" and "normal" way, but it turns out the pull-ups were introduced too early and he just didn't get it.  when he got a tad older I tried again, but because my timing was off from the get-go, it screwed it all up.


*sigh*


today, Sam wears night time pull ups to bed.  that kid sleeps like a brick.
I tried to wake him before I go to bed for a potty trip, but for awhile, waking him triggered night-terrors by messing up his REM sleep cycle ... so that was out.  if you have seen your child have a night-terror then you KNOW its just not worth it.

now its Elliott's turn.  I have not pressured him AT ALL about using the potty.  


it makes me think of my pre-kid days when hubby and I had dogs instead.  it was a big decision to get a 2nd dog, because before real, human kids, these are your kids.  turns out getting a puppy after already having a trained dog was the easiest thing ever; the baby copied his "big brother" with everything.  and so, his potty training wasn't even a chore.
I've been secretly hoping this would be the case with Elliott.  he is so in love with his brother and copies everything, just about.  these last couple of weeks he's been doing really good.  I've even taken him out to the store with undies on ... yes, its a big deal.  


of course there are accidents; we're still in the "be sure to bring extra everything" stage, but that's ok.  my officially/unofficial un-potty training is working out wonderfully.  its one of those things that every child gets ... eventually.  so why fight it?


do you have potty training secrets?  I'd love to hear them ... comment away.

meow

say you are cat-sitting for a friend who is out of town for 3 short days ... what would you say the absolute worst thing could happen is?


yep, that happened to me.  the cat is now dead.


this may be news to some BUT cats do not have 9 lives.
at least a 2 month old kitten doesn't.
so little.  and so cute.  and so innocent.  and was in the wrong place at the wrong mili-second.


I am ... [indirectly] ... a cat killer.


my 2 kids were with me, because they looooooooove animals.  they have met this kitten before, with me and the owner present, and have been taught how to handle it, take turns with it, etc.  if they didn't have that "practice time" with the adults present, they are definitely the type of kids to love it too much ... and kill it that way instead.


they were playing with the kitten and someone *cough my 3 year old Elliott, cough* knocked into a tall speaker.  this speaker was not actually attached to anything, which is why it toppled easily.  the poor kitten was playing too and was more worried about where the boys were than anything, and just didn't see the speaker coming down on him.  compared to that kitten, the speaker was about 100x the size and it just crushed him.  literally.


I will spare you the details ... but once he lost control of his bladder/bowels, I knew the end was near.  he was alive when we got to the ER clinic, but it took just 2 seconds of the vets time to know it was best to put him to sleep.  the speaker had crushed his head.


it was an accident.  a freak accident.
but still ...


the kids saw the whole thing (obviously) and they both cried themselves to sleep that night.  me too for that matter.


what a week.

Wordless Wednesday

Birthday Fun!

For my family and friends that keep up with us here, enjoy pics of our big boy Elliott!

Considering our circumstances, we kept it low-key ... well as much as you can with 5 kids and sugary cupcakes. :)

a gift & card from his big brother

"Dear Elliott.  I am glad that you are turning 3."

so sweet.

He got "Let's Go Fish" game.  He's been pretending to fish everywhere (in the car, off the bed, outside) so this really was the perfect gift for him.

I love the tongue ... it helps him concentrate you know. :)

You can see how proud he was to do it all by himself!

*awwwww*

He got to choose who played with first, and he didn't want anyone but his brother.

*awwwww*

Then his Aunt Elizabeth (almost 6 years old) could play next with him.

sugar!

Elliott & Aunt Elizabeth

Samuel and Aunt Victoria (almost 9 years old)

Happy Birthday to Elliott!!

ps. I'm getting really good at fishing too ... we've been everyday.

day 03: then & now

my original intent was not to blog this picture thing everyday.  would that get boring?

I am uninspired to post about much of anything lately, so maybe since pictures are worth 1000 words, this could work out after all.

the whole idea of this class is to USE YOUR CAMERA!

however for this one, know that the 'now' pictures are current, just not from today.

I know, tsk tsk.

I'll do better, I have 27 more assignments to go!

Samuel Thomas

then, age 4

now, age 6

Elliott James

then, age 1ish

now, 2 1/2 ish

brothers, and usually, the best of friends

2008

2010

2010

what a difference 2 little years make, huh?!

I LOVE these munchkins.

they are AMAZING little people.

you can still join the class too.

click HERE or the button below.

enjoy!

it was a crafty kind of day

everyday most days I allow for a free choice session in our homeschool day.  this could be writing to our pen pal, arts & crafts, baking, or science experiments.  I do hope to take pictures and post on this stuff more regularly.


now when I say free choice I don't actually say it out loud, because if I did, Sam would think he has the choice.  in actuality, its my choice.  ok, well, sometimes Sam does get to choose, but only if I choose to let him choose.  if I don't care what we get into, then its his choice.   * hahahaha *  that's just how I do it and it goes much smoother that way!


we hadn't done arts & crafts for awhile.  when we do this, I try to start before Elliott's naptime so he can participate too.  this is why I get to choose.  having Elliott participate is a great learning experience for him, but some days, I'm simply not up for the challenge if you know what I'm sayin' ... and I think you do.


I have been using Abeka's 1st grade curriculum, and so far, I like it.  I wanted to have something that made the schedule for me.  I am better at cutting what needs to be cut & adding what I feel like we ought to add when there is an existing system.  I did my research and was able to get 3/4 of our stuff off of ebay.  in doing that I got a few extras, one being an arts & crafts book.


the project for January was better than most of the others, so I thought I'd share it with you.  your welcome :)


they suggest to make pictures out of toothpicks.  assemble your toothpicks on construction paper (a darker color will get the toothpicks to stand out a bit more), and you can make anything ... things with straight edges are easier of course.  a few ideas they gave - house, tree, toy, car, building, letters, numbers ... on and on you could go.  after you get a layout, glue them on.


there are toothpicks that have a flat edge, which makes this process easier.  I have also seen colored toothpicks ... such a thing as colored AND flat edged??  a crafter can only hope.


and of course when I decided to do this one, I discovered I didn't have any toothpicks whatsoever.  that happens to me a lot.  but I did have spaghetti!  and that worked just as well.  in fact, maybe a bit better for a couple of reasons.
1. you can break them to create various sizes
2. Elliott can eat them!  if it were toothpicks, I'm sure he'd try to eat those too ... so maybe this is more for my peace of mind than anything

and here is Sam's masterpiece.  excuse his psycho look, I think I just snapped the picture at the wrong milisecond :)  but he was awfully happy to do crafts today.  I guess its been awhile since we got into it.


he made a house and then got his name in there at the top.  he loved it.
2 thumbs up from us!

this kind of drinking is good

WATER: something all living things need to survive.  it seems to me, we need it just as much as oxygen. 


water comes to us in our food and other drinks, which seem to have become the substitute for many of us.  me included.  it wasn't until I was living at 9,000 feet last year, where the oxygen was lacking and everything was soooooooo dry.  my hair, my skin, not to mention all the static electricity in the house.  ouch!  as much as I loved living in the mountains of Colorado, I won't be going back to 9,000 feet.  ever. 


funny to think we're made up of mostly water ... but it makes sense that we need to always be adding to it and replacing it.  even the oceans are added to.  (God's design is always amazing to me)


I started getting headaches, and it took me awhile to figure out what it was.  I was dehydrated.  for me, once I get a headache from lack of water, drinking a whole bunch at once doesn't fix it.  its like a migraine, and yes, I need water, but I also need an medication, a dark room, and quiet ... having kids, the quiet part doesn't usually happen.


I don't remember having to drink water as a kid.  I wasn't "raised" on it ... if that makes sense.  I can go through an entire meal without a drink.  occasionally, I will even come home from walking and still wait awhile to take a drink.
its funny, because I like water.  I'm not hooked on soda or coffee.  if I have juice, I always drink it 1/2 juice, 1/2 water; its just too sweet otherwise.  


I've been told if you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated.  well, great.


Sam also got dehydrated when we were in Colorado.  and sometimes, when something happens to your kids, THAT'S when you change things.   having a headache is no fun, and when you see your 5 year old suffer from one, is more like heartbreaking.  so water water water for everyone.  all the time.  well, as much as we can stand it anyway.


so with our "water issues," I have turned to CAMELBAK for my solution.  one word: awesome!


I have a big bottle that holds 32oz.  my goal is to drink at least 1 of those per day.  at least.  the kids' bottle is 16oz.  I did have 2 bottles, but they would just want what the other had, so instead, I fill the 1 a couple times per day.  seems to work out better that way.


they are on the expensive side.  a water bottle for $20?!  c'mon!  HOWEVER ...
1. I get no backwash from my kids.  I can share without the worry of  floaties surprising me later on.  don't you HATE that?!  so gross.
2. its all BPA-free. yay!
3. think green.  stop buying bottles and reuse what you have.
4. you can buy new mouthpieces when needed - say you have a toddler that's teething and you keep finding him just chewing on it ... ugh, Elliott!
5. no spills.  you know how every single baby/toddler cup claims to be spill free ... and you spend too much money to find out none of them are 100%?  well, I can't lie.  I've had a few drops when it got tossed on the floor, but nothing compared to those stupid cups.  I only wish I made this discovery years ago!  for me, its been revolutionary.


I was lucky enough to find the 2 I have at the thrift store.  yahoo!  I paid less than $10 for both.  and because of #4, its ok.  or at least, because of #4, I'm not at all grossed out by buying used water bottles.  would you buy these used?


I did pay full pop for the backpaks.  I got 1 adult size, and 1 child size.  they are perfect for our hikes.

for whatever reason, once these things are in their mouth, they drink and drink and drink and drink.  the biting, sucking, swallowing is enough action for them to be interested ... I don't know, that's my guess anyway.  but whatever the reason, they drink more water because of this bottle.  I'm convinced.


for me, this is one of those things I want to instill in my kids on purpose.  drink more water!!  how do you get your kids to do it?

Xmas in Hawaii

we had planned to have a beach day on Christmas, well, because we are in Hawaii and we can ... but wouldn'tcha know it, it was a yucky day.  everyone we know on the mainland was having a real winter - cold, rainy, snowy, cold, icy, windy, did I say cold? - and I have to say, it feels good not have to deal with that this year.  I do miss it, but then again, not really.


Christmas was definitely strange without all that yuckiness outside.  I mean, if you're going to be trapped inside, I'd say Christmas day is THE perfect day for it.  presents, family, food, fireplace, cocoa ... who cares what's going on outside!


it was yucky, but not cold, so no cocoa for us.  but as a reminder of last year, we had some snow ... sort of.  we could still pick it up and throw it, but instead of just leaving it to melt, we got to vacuum it up at the end of the day. :)

we decorated a bit and this is what the boys woke up to.
snow and a parade of cars!

they LOVED it ... and didn't even notice the presents.
they played for at least an hour before opening up any other gifts.

don't you love his excitement?!

this is heaven for Eli - BALLS!

I think he loves Christmas :)

happiness

I'm still allowed to say Merry Christmas, right?

winter?

does this look like winter to you?!  its definitely a winter I've never known!


while the rest of you are getting buried in the snow, shoveling, sniffling, wearing 10 layers, and making hot cocoa, over here, we are packing a picnic and going swimming in the beautiful Pacific.


do you know how awesome it is to go swimming, way past where you can touch, and still see your feet in the water?!  aaaaaaaaamazing!!


yea, I've got to rub it in a little bit.


we live in Makaha, and if you look at a map of Oahu, you'll see Makaha is at the faaaaaaaar end of the west side.  there is no paved road that goes all the way around the coast of Oahu, which is kind of a bummer.  these pictures were taken at the dead-end.  where the paved road ends, there is a trail that will take you to the north side, but I pretty sure it would be  a looooooong hike.  definitely not something I could do with the boys.  some people with 4x4's think they can make it through, but I haven't heard a success story yet.

Samuel

Elliott

apparently winter in Hawaii means the waves are huge and the current is strong.  all the beaches have warning signs up.  every time I'm there with the kids, the lifeguards come over to warn us, thankfully.  


its easy to see the point breaks, which is, you can tell where the big waves are coming from and they go one way, that's where all the surfers go to wait for that "perfect wave."  then on the opposite side, its nice and calm, which is good for the boys and I.  strange how that works.


I'm told all the surfing contests are in the winter season.  we have yet to go to North Shore and watch; that's where the BIG waves are.  those guys are flat out crazy, but, so fun to watch.


ps. I was at 9,000 feet in Colorado last year, so I do very much remember what you're going through.  I empathize!!  grab some marshmellows, light a fire, and stay warm!
... and while you're sitting there, imagine yourself at the beach!

this counts as science in my book

I posted awhile ago that my boy(s) need recess first before concentrating on school ... or anything that takes focus.  they both just wake up with FULL energy levels.

I've been slacking on that, and yesterday when I realized their morning cartoons were finally turned off right before lunch.  that doesn't happen daily, but still, I felt so guilty.


it hit me like a ton of bricks; we all get so unmotivated to do anything if we're couch potatoes first thing ... and I don't even watch, I get caught up in reading the news, blogs, facebook, emails, etc.


bad mommy.  bad teacher.  bad example.


today is a new day.  luckily I got another chance.
today, they got up at 630am.  not cool.  at least wait for the sun to come up!!  right?!!
for me that means, no walk = 1+ cup of coffee.


we still watch cartoons, but only for an hour or so.  we have breakfast, then its out the door to discover what's out there ... even if its just a walk within our gated complex.  no shower required.  just throw on whatever + shoes + my camera!


today we woke up to clouds and a bit of rain.  that's winter in Hawaii.  no sun makes it cool, but definitely not cold.  jacket optional.

but having this "winter weather" allows us to see things we don't normally get to see everyday.  the snails were out.  the peacocks stay out longer since its not hot.  the air smells different.  the mountains looks different.  and as far as bugs go, its like a whole new world.  needless to say, Samuel LOVED it.




look what he found today ...

this is the beauty of homeschool.  isn't it great?!

goodbye

goodbye Eeyore.
you have been loved by 2 little boys ...

you mostly stood guard for Samuel in his crib during his nap/bedtimes.  we played your heart song (that button inside its body that kids can never find) twinkle twinkle little star often, but Samuel's lovey turned out to be someone else.  I hope that didn't make you sad.


but I saved you, and its a good thing I did.


you have brought much comfort, lots of kisses & hugs, and that wonderful song of yours to Elliott for 2+ years.  he never took a binky, but he did find the tag on your bottom; chewing & sucking on that thing until there just wasn't much left.  see picture.

by the way, I never really understood when I heard other moms say their babies love tags ... I get it now; its a real obsession!



Elliott has loved you deeply ... up until he threw you in the toilet and now deems you as "eeeeeewwwww! P-U!"  his words, not mine, Eeyore.

I have washed you many times, and although your song continues to play, Elliott knows that deep down, somewhere, somehow, you're still stinky.


so with that, its time to say goodbye.

thank you for doing your job ... loving my kids.

YOU Capture - Kindred

I love all the carnivals going on in blogland!  I'm trying to find ones that I can get into ... YOU Capture is one I can get into.  thank you!


read about how to do it here, and then join everyone at I Should Be Folding Laundry.




 kindred - what a great theme to take pictures of!


for me, this is easy.  I have 2 kids, and although they are nearly 4 years apart, they look like twins ... of course they're different sizes, but look at the pictures and you'll see that clearly they are brothers.

climbing trees together

waiting for lunch ... mama, I'm staaaaaaarving!

Elliott says "just kidding"

bathtime got quiet.
I knew no one was drowning, so I got the camera ready.

no more counting

to me, from me -

ok, so blogging everyday is just not happening, BUT I've gotten better ... so no complaints.

to you, from me -

today is Thanksgiving ... maybe you didn't know?

I hope you are surrounded with great company and delicious food today. let the glass be 1/2 full, today and everyday.

<------ this kid here is amazing. I love him, and am so so thankful for him.

here is Samuel in his homemade Indian costume. homemade crafts are the best, don't you agree?!

we did a lesson on pilgrims, indians, and what thanksgiving is all about ... in translation, while he did crafts, I told him a story. but whatever. it got in his head. he kinda, sorta, not really knows ... and I'm ok with that. he's 6. history is a requirement later on in school, not in 1st grade! I think the jist of some things is enough at this stage.

don'tcha wish you had a teacher like me?! ha!

and then there's this kid. ----->

he too is amazing ... in his own strong-willed child sort of way. but I love love love him none-the-less and wouldn't trade him for anything ... maybe for a day, but certainly not forever. :)

Elliott and craft time simply don't go together. he has recently been officially banned from crayons, markers, and the like. I will literally be sitting next to him, and he STILL is a total rebel.

with crayons he no longer eats them; that's the good news. that would be too easy. instead he will take a bite, chew it up, then spit it out. he apparently likes to see all the colors in chunks on the floor.

with markers, he usually starts off good. but then without fail, he will "accidentally" color off the page, onto the furniture, onto his arms & the rest of his body, or even back in his mouth.

needless to say Elliott did not join us in our Thanksgiving craft time this year. here's hoping for next year though!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!