School of Hard Knocks

Sometimes, the School of Hard Knocks is the better teacher...




Lesson learned gracefully...



Looking at the world from a different perspective is sometimes the only thing you need...

A Golden Walk and Old School Candy

Last night I took the boys to Golden to walk along the river, enjoy the music (which incidentally wasn't' 'a-goin' on' last night), enjoy a dinner at a restaurant, and some good ol' fashion candy.

Remember button candy?



...and wax bottles?



...what about candy necklaces?

The Value of a Backyard

For those of you who are fortunate enough to have a backyard, relish in its delightful use. We have lived in either a duplex or apartment for the past 5 years. In that 5 years, we have had 2 boys. As you are well aware, boys don't necessarily enjoy the art of sitting still. Mine are no exception.

This morning, they were both up at 6 a.m. Yes, and this sleeping in. Since then, they have been outside doing:

-Ate blueberry pancakes and bacon on the patio.
-Drew with sidewalk chalk.
-Collected leaves.
-Collected ants.
-Drowned the said ants.
-Rode over the surviving ants with their bikes.
-Dug for worms.
-Threw mud at each other.
-Asked for a snack.
-Chased a dog.
-Climbed the retaining wall.
-Played in the sandbox.
-Tickled and laughed with each other.

It is now 8:42 a.m. Oh! The things we could do if we had a backyard; because if they can do these things without one, imagine the possibilities with one!

What do you do in your backyard?

To Infinity And Beyond!

Recently in our studies we are focusing on the sun and the moon. This week we have learned more about the moon:

We have enjoyed making moon cookies.


Playing in a mixture of shaving cream and glue to create the surface of the moon.


Charted the different phases of the moon.


Today, we built a rocket ship. We asked the maintenance people if they had a spare appliance box...fortunately for us...they had a hot water heater box. PERFECT.

We gathered our supplies, and a friend and set to work!




Next up for tomorrow: Space helmets and Booster Jet Packs. WHOOSH!!!

Night Terrors

Most parents have comforted their child after the occasional nightmare. But if your child has ever experienced what's known as a night terror (or sleep terror), his or her fear was likely inconsolable, no matter what you tried.

A night terror is a sleep disruption that seems similar to a nightmare, but with a far more dramatic presentation. Though night terrors can be alarming for parents who witness them, they're not usually cause for concern or a sign of a deeper medical issue.

During a typical night, sleep occurs in several stages. Each is associated with particular brain activity, and it's during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage that most dreaming occurs.

Night terrors happen during deep non-REM sleep. Unlike nightmares (which occur during REM sleep), a night terror is not technically a dream, but more like a sudden reaction of fear that happens during the transition from one sleep phase to another.

Night terrors usually occur about 2 or 3 hours after a child falls asleep, when sleep transitions from the deepest stage of non-REM sleep to lighter REM sleep, a stage where dreams occur. Usually this transition is a smooth one. But rarely, a child becomes agitated and frightened — and that fear reaction is a night terror.

During a night terror, a child might suddenly sit upright in bed and shout out or scream in distress. The child's breathing and heartbeat might be faster, he or she might sweat, thrash around, and act upset and scared. After a few minutes, or sometimes longer, a child simply calms down and returns to sleep.

Unlike nightmares, which kids often remember, kids won't have any memory of a night terror the next day because they were in deep sleep when it happened — and there are no mental images to recall.

Night terrors are caused by over-arousal of the central nervous system (CNS) during sleep. This may happen because the CNS (which regulates sleep and waking brain activity) is still maturing. Some kids may inherit a tendency for this over-arousal — about 80% who have night terrors have a family member who also experienced them or sleepwalking (a similar type of sleep disturbance).

Night terrors have been noted in kids who are:

overtired or ill, stressed, or fatigued
taking a new medication
sleeping in a new environment or away from home

Night terrors are relatively rare — they happen in only 3-6% of kids, while almost every child will have a nightmare occasionally. Night terrors usually occur between the ages of 4 and 12, but have been reported in kids as young as 18 months. They seem to be a little more common among boys.

A child might have a single night terror or several before they cease altogether. Most of the time, night terrors simply disappear on their own as the nervous system matures.

Night terrors can be very upsetting for parents, who might feel helpless at not being able to comfort or soothe their child. The best way to handle a night terror is to wait it out patiently and make sure the child doesn't get hurt by thrashing around. Kids usually will settle down and return to sleep on their own in a few minutes.

It's best not to try to wake kids during a night terror. Attempts usually don't work, and kids who do wake are likely to be disoriented and confused, and may take longer to settle down and go back to sleep.

There's no treatment for night terrors, but you can help prevent them. Try to:

reduce your child's stress
establish and stick to a bedtime routine that's simple and relaxing
make sure your child gets enough rest
prevent your child from becoming overtired by staying up too late

Understanding night terrors can reduce your worry — and help you get a good night's sleep yourself. But if night terrors happen repeatedly, talk to your doctor about whether a referral to a sleep specialist is needed.

**This information was taken from www.kidshealth.org**

The past few days, we have witnessed this from Turbo. It is such a scary thing! At first, I was the only one who witnessed it. Then my mom did. We didn't know what it was. Then, it was decided to take him into the ER last night. We could physically see his exhaustion and he was scared too. I'm not sure if he was scared because he didn't remember what was going on and then all of a sudden he "woke" up and saw me and his Nana there with looks of concern. Either way, we took him in.

After extensive discussions and examinations, including an EKG, the doctor and nurse came in and said he is in perfect health! They see nothing "physically" wrong with him and suggested Night Terrors. After reading about it and looking back into his toddler-hood, Hubby and I both agreed, and took him home.

Upon returning home, we put him to bed and he slept the whole night through and is still sleeping...here it is at 7:15 a.m. For those of you who know Turbo...THAT NEVER HAPPENS!

So what was it really? I have my speculations.

Night Terrors: Very true.

Exhaustion: Unbelievably so.

Active Imagination: Definitely.

Spiritual Warfare: because there is a reason why this little boy was brought into this world; even after all the stuff his dad and I went through to get pregnant with him and my pregnancy and delivery of him. The reason why we have been struggling endlessly with him in many aspects of his life: ABSOLUTELY.

Would you keep our Turbo in your prayers this morning? You may or may not be a believing person in the power of prayer, and of God and Jesus, but if you love this little boy, please remember him today and lift him up.

Thank you.

Brothers Bug Discovery

This weekend, we all took a hike to Roxborough State Park and as a special treat, Nana came along!

Its the simplest things such as finding a bug on an open trail that just reminisce of summer...

Turbo realized too that he was not the only one who knew what a sun dial was.

Lions and Tigers and Bears!

I took the boys to the Wildlife Sanctuary on the eastern plains. It was a last minute trip, so I didn't have time to fully prepare them. We talked about the word "sanctuary" in the car and what it means. We also talked about where the animals that we would see usually live, and that people who thought they wanted them as pets, no longer did and began to neglect them. The people who worked at the sanctuary rescue these animals and give them a proper home, right in our own backyard. It is a huge refuge, but the area were we are allowed to go isn't that big, but it is pretty magnificent! They give you a tour book to follow, but I was too busy to following my lil' wild animals to read through it all. It apparently gives you the story of each animal they rescued, etc. It is an awesome place and we will visit again once Turbo is bigger and shows interest in learning about the animals rather than just watching them.


Check out their link here:
Wildlife Sanctuary

And of course, a Smilebox capturing our memories:

Personalize a free digital slideshow

Caught You Being Good!

I really stole this idea from someone on www.pinterest.com. I didn't spend too much time on it, as you can tell with the awkward cut lines. I wasn't sure if it was going to fly or not.

The idea is to NOT harp on the boys all the time for what they are doing wrong, but to praise them for what they are doing right! Each time they receive a tally mark, it is because I caught them doing something good. Tank doesn't necessarily understand the concept, but having him on the board seems to help the "competitiveness" in Turbo. It has really worked too!


My attitude has changed tremendously and so have the boys' attitude. I caught them doing this when I was doing the laundry. Turbo had put in a school movie and built a fort for them to sit in while watching.

Sundials and Cheerios

Since Tank has not been taking morning naps, Turbo and I have incorporated him into our school time. At first, he played on the floor by the table where we worked, but then it quickly turned into strapping him in to the highchair.

He reads books, plays with a bucket of toys, animals, puzzles, and crayons. By the time he has gone through his "things to do", and has a snack, Turbo and I are done with our stuff.


This week, Tank played with these wooden block animals. He had a bowl of cheerios that he tried to feed them. It was pretty cute!




Turbo and I made a sun dial using a pencil and play-dough. It is pretty neat to see him checking the "time" all the time.

Our All-American Fourth of July

Digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

S is for SUN

Today we tried our first day of our school "schedule". Although it is very relaxed, we still have a "schedule" to stick too!

Turbo and I will be counting 100 days of school using Popsicle sticks. When we get to 100 we will have a 100 Party!






Meanwhile, Tank discovered toys in his toy bucket while in his highchair...that chair is a beautiful thing!


Turbo had some problems focusing, so he owed me 2 minutes...which turned into 3 minutes in time out. I fear, unfortunately, this timer will get A LOT of use...




Tank, however was mesmerized by his school toys! He is doing really well!



Part of learning about the sun, Turbo was to paint or color a sun. Instead, I wanted him to use a canvas to paint the sun. We started out by drawing the sun on paper to make our plan. Then I gave him some paint, some brushes and the canvas and let him go to work! It turned out pretty good!











I'm hanging this work of art on my wall to be sure!

My Father's World...

We have "officially" begun our school curriculum, Turbo and I. Although we have been working throughout the summer on things, I decided that "school" is officially in.

It took us FOREVER to learn about the 7 days of Creation, although...in reality, it should have taken us 7 days...it was more like 7 weeks. But today, we started on the first week of My Father's World: The Sun.

It is a really easy curriculum to follow, but man, it is hard the first go around. Then throw in a highly distractable 5 1/2 year old, and you have yourself a recipe for a good show.

We got through the first day, but as I sit here in my quiet living room, at my new table that my hubby finished, drinking ice cold water, I am reviewing the next 5 days of lessons, and BOY! do I need to get my teaching hat out of the closet, dust it off, and get goin'! My days of lounging in the green grass with other mom's are over! I gotta get my poop in a group and figure this stuff out so that Turbo is not the only one distracted during the lessons!

Recent Photo Sessions

I have taken pictures of a 10-day old baby and some head shots!

My most recent photo sessions!