It was -31 when we woke up this morning! Holy COW! It is the coldest it has been so far this winter. By the time we headed out to play we decided on boots and jackets for the dogs. It is the first time this year they have had to wear them and they were great about it. We managed to stay outside for about and hour and a half.
Maggie testing the footwear. "SUPER MAGS"
All tuckered out, but warm!
A few weeks back I struck another Freecycle gold mine. A 6ft wooden toboggan in awesome condition. I picked it up during our big thaw and have been really anxious to give it a go. Ummm I mean I have been really anxious to let the kids try it out :P
Last week with snow really here to stay, Magda and I took the girls out for a touch of sledding.
The hills was steep so Sid wore her helmet. She really wasn't too sure about the entire thing. It took some convincing but finally she sat in the middle and braved the hill.
Here I am shocked as the sled had been pointing down hill (all the way to the left in the above picture) but just as we came into camera range, right on cue, the toboggan spun counterclockwise to provide Magda with the perfect shots!
And then we wiped out!
This is what it is alllll about :)
Heading back to the van, the girls got a free ride which was well deserved after all that hill climbing. Great shots Magda thank you! And also a SUPER big thank you to the kind family that re-homed their lovely toboggan with us.
On Wednesday our beautiful Groovy turned 8. Now that she is an older gal perhaps I should introduce her with her proper name, Princedale's Wildflower Groove C.G.C.. Eight years, wow! She really has mellowed into a beautiful friend with a huge heart. For Groovy's present Sid selected 3 small Kong squeaky tennis balls. These are perfect because Maggie does not like any other dogs having fun and will always take Groovy's toys from her when she is trying to play. These little balls tuck right into Groovy's mouth where Maggie cannot pull them out. Happiness is.....
Today I got an interesting link about whether to teach young kids math. I laughed because I happened to sign Sid up for Dreambox math online today. LOL never fails... Anyhow I thought it was worth passing on.
And finally something else schooly, a cool parenting quiz to see how you parent/teach your kid(s). Who doesn't love quizzes?! Enjoy!
Edu-Parent Quiz provided by DreamBox Learning a kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade math game.
About the Edu-Parent Teaching Styles
As part of our commitment to support parent involvement in their children’s education, DreamBox Learning has sponsored the development of this Edu-Parent™ Quiz. It’s designed to help parents assess the style with which they interact and engage with their children on variety of educational topics. The Edu-Parent Quiz was co-authored and compiled by recognized educators and experts on parent education with over 30 years of community leadership.
The Edu-Parent Styles
There are a range of edu-parent styles, and each offers benefits and presents unique challenges. Here are the different styles that our experts have identified.
Coach
Coaches expect their children to always do their personal best and become successful learners. They talk with their children about school and steer them towards situations that play to their learning strengths. Children come to coaches to brainstorm ideas. They help their children “practice” and encourage them in any endeavor, offering reinforcement, advice and praise. The feedback coaches give helps their children course-correct, and learn from any experience.
A Coach’s challenges are:
•To recognize when to let their children take the baton and run on their own.
•And to realize that not everything in life has a game plan.
Historian
Historians share both knowledge and confidence borne out of a wealth of experience. They want to save their children the trouble of re-inventing the wheel — they’ve learned what does and doesn’t work and want to pass this along! Historians want kids to understand and benefit from valuable lessons they learned growing up. They take time to explain how to complete tasks and projects, and show their children how to take proven and effective approaches in their life. Historians are available to provide guidance and direction when needed and their children may seek out their tried and true advice and support.
An Historian’s challenges are:
•To recognize and adapt when their children prefer their own unique and effective solutions.
•And to let their children learn about the process of discovery instead of prescribing the outcome.
Mentor
Mentors are focused on preparing their children for life-long learning. When talking with their children, they listen and guide with questions, often providing choices and decision-making opportunities. While strategies and boundaries they establish might be invisible to the casual observer, they ground their parenting style. By modeling independent thinking and problem solving, Mentors hope their children become independent learners and thinkers in their own right.
A Mentor’s challenges are:
•To listen to what their children are saying, rather than listening for what they want to hear.
•And to respect their children’s independent thoughts and ask the next question—even when they disagree.
Observer
Believing that children learn from their experiences, and with a high tolerance for mistakes, Observers feel children do best with minimal parental interference. Sometimes they stand back and let the situation unfold in its own way — thinking they may not have the right answer — knowing the more experiences their children have, the more confident they will be as adults. Assuming things will work out, as they should, Observers believe the most valuable gift is letting go.
An Observer’s challenges are:
•To recognize when their children need them to be available.
•And to help their children know when they need to ask for assistance or advice and whom they might ask.
Superhero
Superheroes understand the value of hard work and persistence, and have high standards. They teach their children to always do their best, and that it never hurts to have an extra set of eyes double-check their work to eliminate errors. They have that eye for detail and help their children by showing them where something might need a bit more work or attention. Because Superheroes are dedicated to the end result, they will help their children finish projects and provide encouragement, guidance and assistance to make sure their best is always represented in everything they do.
A Superhero’s challenges are:
•To recognize how mistakes can become steppingstones to learning.
•And to help their children decide when and how to be independent with their work.
As part of our commitment to support parent involvement in their children’s education, DreamBox Learning has sponsored the development of this Edu-Parent™ Quiz. It’s designed to help parents assess the style with which they interact and engage with their children on variety of educational topics. The Edu-Parent Quiz was co-authored and compiled by recognized educators and experts on parent education with over 30 years of community leadership.
The Edu-Parent Styles
There are a range of edu-parent styles, and each offers benefits and presents unique challenges. Here are the different styles that our experts have identified.
Coach
Coaches expect their children to always do their personal best and become successful learners. They talk with their children about school and steer them towards situations that play to their learning strengths. Children come to coaches to brainstorm ideas. They help their children “practice” and encourage them in any endeavor, offering reinforcement, advice and praise. The feedback coaches give helps their children course-correct, and learn from any experience.
A Coach’s challenges are:
•To recognize when to let their children take the baton and run on their own.
•And to realize that not everything in life has a game plan.
Historian
Historians share both knowledge and confidence borne out of a wealth of experience. They want to save their children the trouble of re-inventing the wheel — they’ve learned what does and doesn’t work and want to pass this along! Historians want kids to understand and benefit from valuable lessons they learned growing up. They take time to explain how to complete tasks and projects, and show their children how to take proven and effective approaches in their life. Historians are available to provide guidance and direction when needed and their children may seek out their tried and true advice and support.
An Historian’s challenges are:
•To recognize and adapt when their children prefer their own unique and effective solutions.
•And to let their children learn about the process of discovery instead of prescribing the outcome.
Mentor
Mentors are focused on preparing their children for life-long learning. When talking with their children, they listen and guide with questions, often providing choices and decision-making opportunities. While strategies and boundaries they establish might be invisible to the casual observer, they ground their parenting style. By modeling independent thinking and problem solving, Mentors hope their children become independent learners and thinkers in their own right.
A Mentor’s challenges are:
•To listen to what their children are saying, rather than listening for what they want to hear.
•And to respect their children’s independent thoughts and ask the next question—even when they disagree.
Observer
Believing that children learn from their experiences, and with a high tolerance for mistakes, Observers feel children do best with minimal parental interference. Sometimes they stand back and let the situation unfold in its own way — thinking they may not have the right answer — knowing the more experiences their children have, the more confident they will be as adults. Assuming things will work out, as they should, Observers believe the most valuable gift is letting go.
An Observer’s challenges are:
•To recognize when their children need them to be available.
•And to help their children know when they need to ask for assistance or advice and whom they might ask.
Superhero
Superheroes understand the value of hard work and persistence, and have high standards. They teach their children to always do their best, and that it never hurts to have an extra set of eyes double-check their work to eliminate errors. They have that eye for detail and help their children by showing them where something might need a bit more work or attention. Because Superheroes are dedicated to the end result, they will help their children finish projects and provide encouragement, guidance and assistance to make sure their best is always represented in everything they do.
A Superhero’s challenges are:
•To recognize how mistakes can become steppingstones to learning.
•And to help their children decide when and how to be independent with their work.
If Dad is in the garage, Sid wants to be out there with him and Grandpa. She is now helping Daddy build his plane and learning how to fix things like her Grandpa. It is such a special time.
An early breakfast together. It was still dark out and the dogs hadn't even bothered to get up yet. Sid was so happy to have a friend over she started bouncing on the couch when they pull in the 
Princesses in p.j.'s
Around 7:00 a.m. I realized it was 
Sid had such a good day. Her friend left after lunch and the two of them were just so cute together. They are less than two weeks apart in age so they play the same and really understand each other on a level that I sure don't. We hope she can come back again soon! 
We also spent a lot of time in the mud and water and even had a visit from Via!
They were planted in 2005 so theyare 3 years old too. It is a weeping willow and we can't wait until it is big enough to sit under and swing from!
Sid sends her thanks to everyone for the lovely wishes, gifts and cards. She really felt loved and celebrated today and we thank you for enjoying our little girl with us.
