Q's ST Week #5

I know it's been a long time between week 4 and now but with the ST being sick then us being sick it wasn't worth the risk.

I did take him in today and he did have a cough and as always before we left his nose was runny but I knew we needed to go in so we did. Half way there Q told me he had a cough (in his cute little voice) and that we should go home. HA!! I knew where that was going!! So we went!

We got in to see her and you could tell he had some time off. We didn't last more than a half hour but that's ok.

We got into the room and I took Q's hat and he sat down on the mat and visited with the ST. They started right away with playing a game. Normally it's hi, book, game, then another game but this week it was a little changed up.

Q and the ST did a game of spinning a spinner on a piece of paper. Each quarter had a different colour (brown, pink, green and purple). They took turns "spinning" the "spinner" then using the "scoop" to take "out" the "ice cream" and put it on the "cup" or on "top" of the other ice cream. Then they took turns taking the "ice cream" "off" the "cups".

Once that game was finished they read a book. It was about a "mouse" called Howard (I think) and he was trying to find a "home". Each page was about Howard finding a "home" but then finding out that the "home belonged to someone else. For example the first page Howard found a basket but inside was a cat. Eventually Howard found his "home" of a shoe.

After the book was finished they played a game based on the book. This kiddo remembers EVERYTHING! She pulled out a 'cage' from another day we had done and told Q it was a "home" for the mouse. He said it wasn't! It was for the Zoo animals! He can totally remember things! Q checked out a bed, bus, boat and the cage to see what was a good home for the mouse. Eventually he found that the bus was a great home!

They played another game with the sight words for Q. It was perfect timing! He did a few sight words (like a photo of something he would say in normal day to day life and he had to say what the photo was. We did this a few weeks ago). He did great. They did about 5 of them (computer, backpack, medicine, hamburger, watermelon, and I think one more). He would flip over the card, say the word a few time then get some "tape" and "stick" it to the wall. Then once all were on the wall he had to take them "off" the wall and give them back to the ST.

It worked out well. But at the end of the last game he wanted out! We got a few more pages for homework as well as some information on stuttering. I'm going to read up on it and see how it goes.

We have ST again on Thursday to make up for the weeks we have missed.

Little White Lies

Have you ever thought about all the little white lies we tell to our kids? friends? family?

I told one this morning and it got me thinking... how many times do I say little white lies?

A few examples of white lies I tell my kids:

"No hunny, you won't see Auntie Jaime and Mr. Mike, they are in the states at a conference learning about Jesus. They don't want anyone upstairs so you have to go to the downstairs Sunday school today" Translation - Jaime is at a conference but who knows about Mike, but today is Sunday so we go downstairs to Sunday school, not upstairs for kids klub like on Wednesdays

"If you don't brush your teeth tonight your teeth will all fall out, and the tooth fairy doesn't come for yucky teeth" Translation - who cares about the last few nights we forgot to brush our teeth but you aren't listening to me so do it now!

"No there are no Popsicles left so you can't have any today." Translation - I'm going to eat the other dilly bar (ice cream dipped in chocolate) and I don't want you to have one so there are no 'Popsicles' but there are other cold things.

"I think you should wear shorts today, it's hot out" Translation - I don't want to deal with you wearing pants and complaining you are too hot or too wet, plus I didn't do laundry and your favourite pair of pants are dirty and I really don't want to deal with the whining.

"If you splash any more water over the tub you will fall when you get out, crack your head open and not be able to go to school" Translation - I don't need to mop the floor every time you have a bath so keep the water in the tub!

You get the idea....

Now I have to wonder..... how many "little white lies" do the kids tell me?

Please tell me I'm not alone in this parenting technique?

One of 'those' weeks

We have had a rough week. With everyone being sick and me just not feeling even close to 50%, it was a hard time.

This week we have:

had swimming time in the pool we are borrowing from the neighbours almost every night
play time with friends
run out of tissues
run out of drugs
mucked up our meal plan due to lack of veggies
gotten mad at each other
watched more movies
had the AC on for the first time
gone through hand-me-downs and discovered so many great clothes!
read books
started the new reader program at school
forgot to hand in the new reader program at school (oh yeah I'm a great mom!)
lost the battery charger for the camera(so not alot of photos now)
worked on the weeds in the back yard
started to till up some of the back yard for topsoil and sod

and the biggest heart break of all

Nemo died.


We got home from our trip and on Tuesday morning DH couldn't find him in the tank. I was sure he was just swimming in the castle we had. When Arnold lifted it up he found that pumpkin had died in there.

Telling K was so hard. We avoided it as long as we could then when K asked why Arnold wasn't feeding Nemo we had to tell him. Arnold went in and told him that Nemo had died this weekend and he was no longer in the tank. K freaked. He cried and cried and cried. He snuggled with his daddy and had such a rough morning before school. He was sad the whole time we were in line at school and he told his friends and they were all sad for him.

We did tell him he can get a new one sometime this month. We said it might have been a good thing since we need to clean the tank and get everything 'perfect' for the new fish.

So this month sometime the boys and I are heading down to take Arnold out for lunch for the last time at this office and getting some new fish :)

It's just been one of 'those' weeks.

Toronto Zoo

Last week the boys and I hit the road right after school and headed out to the zoo! We had so much fun hanging out (and I got to renew my zoo pass!). It was a great time.

We didn't have money for lunch so we packed some snacks, juice, and the main things we needed and headed out. Each boy had their own back pack to carry everything (I guess this is how you do it after there is no more strollers!). We had a great time.

enjoy the photos:



Our Incase-You-Get-Lost Photo



On the Zoomobile




(this drop dead look has been brought to you by K's Godmother Leah :) He learns alot from you. )











Eating their snacks







Photos K took of the polar bears:


















Photos of a bee I took while the boys were playing in the playground:













The boys in the "Kids Zone":

Wordless Wednesday ~ Toronto Zoo

Last Thursday at the Toronto Zoo's Members only sneek peak at of the stingray, sharks and crabs

Sick!

how does it always happen that when we have a 'busy' day that one of our boys are sick?

K was getting over heat stroke this week and now Q has a spring time cold. Arnold was up all night with him. Just now he seems to be doing better. But it's been a long night and in turn no ST this week.

I hate it when the little man is sick!

But when we cancel our morning plans we get some cute time together. Q is laying on my bed singing me his version of "BINGO" and it's so funny! I love this kid!

Wordless Wednesday - Q in the garden

Our Backyard

I'm sure I will do alot of posts of the back yard but todays are photos take a while ago. These were taken May 4th or 5th I think. We had a beautiful day and started to work on the back yard a bit. Here are some before shots:



















This is my big helper man!















He also helped in the back garden.. check back in the morning for those photos!

And here's the after shots I got: