You are here: Home / 2011 / Archives for January 2011

rumble, rumble – I hear it now

January 6, 2011 By

daddy daughter afternoon nap rumble, rumble I hear it nowStretch. Blink. Stretch.

I’m bleary-eyed from writing e-mails and sponsorship pitches (gotta fund this trip somehow, you know).

Tim took the girls up Mt. Lemmon to play in the snow and eat warm cookies. They probably went hiking too. And I’m sure everyone oohed and ahhed at the handsome guy with the two blonde-headed beauties.

I feel a little sad that I’m missing out, but I also know that a little daddy-daughters playtime was sorely needed.  (Tim’s been working like crazy – showing the house, fixing this, figuring out that…so much that I don’t even understand).

They’re probably going to drive up any minute. I’ll hear the rumbling of our diesel truck and I’ll run out to greet them, scooping them up in my arms. They’ll tell me stories and I’ll breathe it all in. And, even though I have way more to do on my laptop, I’ll close it until after bedtime.

* Comments are closed here, but won’t you go catch up with our story and leave a few comments at Give Every Day?

Filed Under: Miscellany Tagged With: , ,

Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web

January 4, 2011 By 9 Comments

j02933381 Tuesday Tours: Whats Happening on the WebWelcome to “Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web” where I serve as your tour guide and showcase the best contests, deals, and reads for moms on the web…all in one convenient location.

Contests

Tell Camille how you “beat the winter blues” for a chance to win $50. Deadline: Jan. 6.

Good Reads

Nini reflects on helping One Person at a Time.

Janelle explains a practical way to care for others – Heaps and Heaps of Soup.

Tsh muses about learning the value of stuff by moving overseas.

My friend Dayna just started a blog - Mommying Grace. Won’t you go welcome her?

Miscellany

This Chalkboard Speech Bubble is a fun photography prop.

Prepare to be dazzled – NASA’S Best Photos of 2010.

Maybe someday I’ll run in the Country Music 1/2 Marathon.

Ana explains How to Build a Stylish Children’s Helping Tower for Under $20.

—————————————————————————————————————

*** If you have a contest or an announcement that you think might be a good fit for Tuesday Tours, e-mail me at stephanie@metropolitanmama.net.

Filed Under: Tuesday Tours Tagged With: , , ,

nine-oh-nine, you’re mine-all-mine

January 4, 2011 By 46 Comments

me and tim nine years nine oh nine, youre mine all mine9 years ago tonight, we were driving off in a red jeep with “Just Married” painted across the back.

It felt like magic when I introduced him as “my husband” for the very first time.

9 years later, we’re about to drive away again (and I seriously can’t wait).

Happy Anniversary, Tim. (He hates the term “hubby” so I never call him that). You still captivate me.

P.S. I’m in the market for a new pair of jeans. That pair is atrocious. What brand of denim is your fave?

Filed Under: marriage Tagged With: , , ,

Most curriculums are too curriculum-y for me

January 2, 2011 By 48 Comments

sitting on suitcases Most curriculums are too curriculum y for me

We’ll be roadschooling this year.

Yesterday, I made a list of the things I want to teach my girls:

  • A-Z
  • 1-100
  • Famous People
  • Holidays
  • Manners
  • Money
  • Geography
  • Anatomy and Hygiene
  • Nutrition and Fitness
  • How to Call 911
  • Stranger Danger
  • Spanish, French, or Chinese (an intimidating task for this monolingual mama)

mother daughter talk Most curriculums are too curriculum y for meI don’t have a curriculum picked out or anything like that. Most curriculums are too curriculum-y for me – dot the i, cross the t.

Besides, I’m always trying to figure out how to teach them the more important things too. Like how to LOVE learning, how to ask good questions, how to enjoy good books, and how to be brave for great causes. I want them to have the knowledge that they are uniquely beautiful, highly capable, and intimately loved. I want them to have compassion for people and confidence in their ideas. I hope that they will learn how to be discerning about how they spend their time and WHO they spend it with.

I am keenly aware that it all begins with who I am, what they see in ME – when no one else is around.

Often, I feel inadequate (I AM inadequate).

Yet deep in my heart, I know that this is my calling. I am their mother. They are my children. We are learning together…(making mistakes together too). This is the school of LIFE. No desk-sitting necessary.

Are your children multilingual? If so, where did they learn (or where are they learning) other languages?

If you homeschool, do you use a curriculum (which one)? If not, what lesson planning books or resources do you use?

Filed Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: , , ,