We're Still Here....

Y'all would not believe what three weeks of rain will do for a flower bed....EXPLOSION! I went outside to take some photos of my verbenas, and got distracted by my girls. We have a bad case of cabin fever so I'm heading back outside.

Hope all is well with you!

Spit it out!

Our Papple is in a storytelling phase right now. And, oh boy, can she tell some LOOOOOONG stories! They range in length from long to longer to ENDLESS.

She has a large cast of imaginary people that star in these stories, but the most popular castmember is her pretend child, Aleigh (pronounced UH-LE).

My days are peppered with these elaborate narratives of Aleigh's hum-drum activities. Sometimes the constant monologue drills into my brain and makes me crazy. Other times it totally cracks me up. And there are times it provides fascinating insights into how Papple is processing things she's learning.

Today's narrative was one of those brain drilling ones.

BECAUSE...

It was LOOOOOOONG, y'all.

REALLY, REALLY, REALLY long.

Let me set the scene...because parents will sooooo appreciate this.

I'm preparing lunch for a moody Preschooler. The clock counts down to naptime and my mind starts craving that sweet oasis that befalls our home during Papple's nap.

My coffee from this morning is still sitting in the microwave (I was wondering where I put it). I look deeper into the microwave to make sure my cell phone isn't hiding in there too. My mind suddenly tunes in to the constant chattering that comes from my Papple...

PAPPLE: "..and then, my child ...my child Aleigh went to the potty and I said...good job. Good job. Right Mommy?! And then my child...."

Ten minutes later the story is still going and starting to interfere with lunch.



PAPPLE: (holding an uneaten carrot) "...Aleigh went potty and then she, and then....she...and then...she....um...she...."

ME: "Papple, just spit it out!" (As in: Spit out the story, Papple - the anticipation is aging me!)

PAPPLE: looking confused.... spits on the floor.

Yep... SHE. SPIT. ON. THE. FLOOR.

SLEEP = GOOD

I think I have about fifteen minutes before the girls wake up - so I wanted to take advantage of this free time and check in with y'all.

The biggest news from here is that Pomme has started sleeping through the night!

Joy!! Joy!!

So, I've been getting like six, seven, and (sometimes) EIGHT hours of sleep night...not every night...but enough that I feel amazing!

A-MAZE-ZING, Y'ALL!

Dangit...somebody's crying. OK, I'm out of time today, but what would a mommy blog be without a few gratuitous photos of my offspring. Here are my sweet girls posing for me out in the front yard.

It was a few days ago so my lilies aren't blooming yet...making a mental note to go back and reshoot these with the lilies in the background.

Oh gosh. This one just melts my heart.

Hope y'all have a good week! Now get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather!

Love,

Peach

141.6

I have been trying to lose a little weight lately because pregnancy left about twenty extra pounds behind. I don't have an issue with being un-skinny. But I do have an issue with carrying excess weight around the middle - it's just not healthy and NONE of my clothes fit.

Plus, I'm kind of a small person (5'2" if I'm honest) and twenty pounds on me is ...um...noticeable.

People tell me that nursing mothers should eat an extra five hundred calories a day to keep up with caloric demands of being a dairy farm.

Those are usually the same people who tell me..."Nursing made my pregnancy weight melt off in just a couple of weeks...the trimmest I have been in my whole life was while I was nursing!"

And to those lucky ladies, let me say, "PLEH!"

Everyday I look at the scale and it says: 141.6 ....seriously.

Every day for weeks and weeks the same number: 141.6.

Just came from there a few minutes ago and ....yep, 141.6.

I hate 141.6.

I think the trouble is not how much I'm eating, but WHAT I'm eating. I crave carbs with a tenacious veracity I have never known. It's almost like I'm never full. I read somewhere that is an unpopular side effect of nursing...that your body craves carbohydrates and sugar, but that one shouldn't give in to those cravings too much.

And I think I know why.

141.6

Anyway, I just finished reading the South Beach book (it's tattered well worn from three years ago when I used it to lose baby weight from baby number one). And I'm starting the diet this morning.

And, except for that peanut butter toast I had for breakfast, I'm off to a good start.

Starfall

I am "formally" teaching Papple phonics - beginning with the short vowel sounds. A sweet mom in my MomCare group told me about a wonderful web-based tool called Starfall. If you haven't seen it before you have to check it out!

For starters Starfall offers fun interactive flash animations that teach the letter sounds. It's super fun and with a little parental involvement it becomes ridiculously helpful in basic phonics instruction. Even if your child is just learning the letters I think you will find this program beneficial. And it offers lessons for pre-readers and early readers as well...but that's way out of our range.

From the home page click on the "ABC's"section and you should end up on this screen.....

Click on any letter and it will take you to a short interactive lesson. Trust me, you're child will stinkin' love it!

Notice at the bottom of the page there is an extra line showing just the vowels. Click on those and a flash animation will teach your child a fun, repetitive little song that will drive you crazy reinforce the short vowel sound.

There's also a section for worksheets - if you're into that. We make our own...but that's just because I like to draw.

I think that's all for now. Good luck teaching your little sponges!

Next week: Multiplication tables for preschoolers....KIDDING!! I'M KIDDING!

Love,
Peach


Click here to go to: STARFALL.COM