The Flat on Cabaniss Crescent

Fun Day in Baltimore with the kids

I think this is one of the best parts of being in the military and moving around as much as we do is the people we meet.  We are always reuniting with old friends, meeting new friends, and meeting friends of friends.  

The location that we are currently living in seems to be a popular area and many familiar families and old friends from previous duty stations are within an hour or two.

Last week I met up with some old friends who lived in Japan when we did.  We had babies together in the same Japanese hospital and sent them to the same Japanese pre school.  Now we are living about 2 hours apart, so it has been fun to reunite (after not seeing each other for over three years!) 

We met in Baltimore, which is about a 1.5 hour drive for both of us, maybe a bit shorter for her.

We started our day at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at a Family Concert.

Then we went to the Port Discovery Children's Museum for 4 hours!  It was great fun for all of us.

I got a bit lost on the way home...but at least we made it home safely.

Getting to Baltimore is a bit harder for me to navigate than getting to DC and it is a lot more expensive, but I still like Baltimore and look forward to exploring it more while we live so close to it.

Does anyone have any ideas or recommendations of things to do?  I think we plan to hit the science museum and the aquarium next, but besides that I am open to new ideas.

"Stuff"

We have been in our new home for two weeks now and in that time I have been trying to unpack and put this house together.   Unpacking gets harder with each move because it seems like we continue to acquire more "stuff".  In the past two weeks, during the process of unpacking, I have touched every single possession that we own, unwrapped it, and examined it.  During the examination I ask myself: Is it damaged?  If it is damaged, is it bad enough to make a claim? If so, I take a picture and write down some notes preparing for my claim.  Then I move on,  do I still want it?  Do I still need it?  Inspired by the decluttering Cheryl is doing in her home, I am trying to only hold onto what is functional and/or beautiful.  I got rid of so much before we moved, but am finding even more on this end!  If I do decide to keep the item, then I need to figure out where it should go because I want every little thing to have a "home."  If I do not want it I must decide to throw it out or donate it?  Or should I try to sell it?  And if so, should I try to sell it on ebay or Craig's List?  Yes, it is a process and that is why I am still not done.  Another reason why I have not been blogging.  But we are making progress and I am inspired with how much we are getting rid of.  I am excited about the placement of things we are choosing to hold onto and feel like the house is coming together in a way that I will soon be proud to call my new home. 

In the near future I hope to post some pictures.  I also hope to share some thoughts on our moving experience and where I am at with my homeschooling journey (I went ahead and put my kids in school, but still very much think of myself as a home schooler and am planning to do lessons over the summer....)  I also plan to write about how I am modernizing this home (which seems to be stuck in the eighties!) and share some of my new attempts at gardening and starting a compost pile. 

We are no longer in the South...

We have moved across the country.

We went on a week long vacation, then lived in a hotel for almost a month.

Now, we have a new home and are getting settled.

And I am ALMOST ready to start blogging again.  I have so much to blog about! I just have a few more boxes to unpack...

Music for Movement, Fitness, Learning, and Play

In Which we moved to Florida and I became a Mommy and Me Teacher...

Becoming a Mommy and Me Teacher was not something I really planned.  It just sort of happened.  And I loved it.

We moved to FL when Tigger was 2 and Piglet 10 months.  This was a hard time for me.  Right next door to our condo was a brand new state of the art YMCA.

Not only did they have a pool and offer a ton of group exercise classes, they also had childcare for FREE 2 hours a day for all members so I could work out (or just sit in the lobby for 2 hours without my kids). 

So we joined.

But so did lots of other people.

And the child care room was crazy with lots of kids and not enough staff.  And Piglet was going through all kinds of separation issues and cried every time I took her there.

So I found the child care director and asked if I could apply there for a job.  I knew I was more than qualified and was pretty confident she would hire me.  I had learned that all the staff were allowed to bring their kids to work with them.  My plan was to get hired, take my kids there with me often and get them used to the environment with me right there, and then slowly back off...and eventually quit.  But in the meantime, the Y was offering a decent starting wage, flexible hours, and a FREE Family Membership to all the staff.  Not a bad deal. 

So in February of 2005, one month after I joined the YMCA, I became staff there. 

And my kids became staff kids. 

I loved the facility and the people but knew right away that the KidZone was not for me.  I needed a break from my kids, not 10 more hours a week with more kids.  Even though I was good at what I did, I knew I would burn out fast. 

So as soon as Piglet started to get comfortable (and this did take awhile...I actually even went through a phase where I wore her in a backpack so I could have both my hands free to assist other kids!) I approached my supervisor and asked if I could start teaching classes.  There was a need for kids programs and I was full of ideas.

And in mid-March of 2004 I became a Mommy and Me teacher.  I taught two different classes:

1. A 12-18 month old class (that I took Piglet to with me)

2. A 18 month- 3 year old class (that I tried to take Tigger to with me, but quickly learned he was a HUGE distraction to all the other kids)

Both classes were a hit, so I continued to teach.  And as my kids grew older, my classes changed. 

Soon I was teaching a 18 month- 3year old class and a 3-5 year old class.  No one really caught on that I always taught classes that my own kids could (in theory) come to. 

It really was the perfect set up.  I taught 2-3 classes a week, with or without my kids.  If I did not want them with me, they could go to the child care room.  I got my FREE membership so when I was not working, I was working out.  And I always had the option to earn more hours in the child care room if I wanted them.  Sometimes I would help out if Owl was gone for the week and I had nothing else to do.  Sometimes I just subbed for people to be nice.  I liked the extra little bit of money I earned, I loved the people I worked with (most of them at least) and I enjoyed everyone else who came to the Y. 

We lived there for 3 years.  We lived in a pretty small neighborhood and the Y became a truly central part of my life.  The people who attended my classes became "regulars" and since I always taught classes for my kids age group, my kids were able to develop some nice playmates.  And for three years I had the chance to see these kids grow up along side of mine.  I became friends with many of the moms and we had park, pool, and lunch dates after my classes.  I went to their kids birthday parties and they came to ours.  I joined a baby-sitting co op with some of the other moms where we watched each others kids.  It was a great place and it was very hard to leave.  The friendships I made and the support I had was so strong, I almost stayed behind when Owl said he had to go to Flight School for 6 months.  And when it was time to leave, when the movers were gone and our car was packed up, and it was time to drive to our new home, it was at the YMCA that I stopped by to say my final good byes and give a few people hugs. 

So that is how I became a Mommy and Me teacher.

And this is the music I used in my classes:

I have to say that now that I am in Pensacola I am happy to not work outside the home.  I thought about going to the local YMCA here and seeing if they needed help, but I think my Mommy and Me days are over.  They were fun while they lasted though.

In Which I explain why I am choosing to homeschool

"Don't do it," was what my sister said on the phone when she heard my plans to home school my kids this year.  I hear it a lot, all the different complaints and ideas about home schoolers, and to a certain extent I agree with much of it.  I am not against schools or having a person other than me teach my children.  I believe there is a lot of value in going to a school setting every day, learning among peers, learning social appropriateness, and practicing patience as you stand in line, etc... I think many children (including my own) could benefit from a school experience. 

But I also think there is a lot to be said about homeschooling and I have been intrigued since Tigger was a baby.  I started reading Montessori back then and read everything I could on Maria Montessori and her philosophies.  I spent some time looking at the Waldorf approach, and from there unschooling, and finally moved on the Charlotte Mason.  It is with Charlotte Mason well all my ideas and belief about education seemed to come together.  I knew I had found my approach, yet I still continued to send both my kids to preschool.

I basically decided that I would be open to the idea of homeschooling and take it year by year and child by child.  And even if I sent my kids to school, I needed a basic parenting philosophy to work with...for weekends, summertime, and all the other times I spend with my kids teaching them as we live and play and work.

When Tigger was 13 months we were living in Japan and I put him in a Japanese daycare program 2-3 mornings a week.  He was the only American there and his teachers and peers spoke no English.  I did this for the foreign language exposure and also because I needed a break.  I was very happy with this program and it proved to be a good fit for us.  Tigger left Japan at age 2 1/2 with almost as many Japanese words as English words and who knows how much other 'wiring of the brain' that comes from early exposure to foreign languages.

Then at age 3, we put him in a Montessori program.  This lasted for about 3 months.  It was not a good fit for us.  Tigger was having all kinds of problems in the classroom so we pulled him.  And we began the testing...where we discovered Tigger had Sensory Integration Dysfunction.

This led to an intense developmental preschool 5 days a week.  He received some special services that the public school had to offer like Occupational Therapy.  We also did private therapy. 

At age 2 1/2 I put Piglet in a 2 day program.  She was ready.  Having an older brother, she seemed to mature early and spoke very well.  She had no separation anxiety or problems in the classroom.  She enjoyed her experience and I enjoyed my break.  For 2 mornings a week I had a 3 hour block of time to myself.  It was great and we all benefited form these preschool programs.

But after Tigger's 4 year old year, his teachers said he was ready for kindergarten.  I did not agree.  Although academically his scores were off the charts in the gifted range, I thought he had a lot of maturing to do.  He still needed to work on his fine motor skills and his listening skills.  After looking into a private transitional program, which was very expensive, I began to think about homeschooling.

Around the same time, Owl got accepted into a 6 month program that began it mid September.  We would all move so we could be together during this time.  This meant if we did do school, public or private, we would have to start the school year late and end it early.  This is what sealed the deal for me. 

So this year is sort of a test.  Will I like homeschooling?  How will we do?  Next year Tigger can go to kindergarten as a 6 year old and Piglet can go to a 4 year old program.  And I think, even if we have a great year this year, that we will do this.  After a year of being at home with me, I think the social aspects of a school setting will be good for them.  And I think I will need a break.  And if I do like homeschooling maybe I will use the break next year to really plan for the following year.  This year is easy because you do not have to register a child with the State until age 6.  So really, technically, I am not homeschooling yet.  But after age 6 not sending a child to school is serious business, and if I do it, I need to be sure I am aware of all the laws, etc...

Moving as much as we do, I think I need to be flexible with our schooling choices.  Each year it is just going to depend on where we live and what options are available to us, what we can afford, and where our kids are at. 

So, with all that being said, I would like to ask all my family and friends who truly think I have lost it  to have an open mind about all this.  And believe it or not, I am really having a lot of fun and enjoying the slower pace of life here on Cabaniss Crescent.