New Facebook Page for Learners in Bloom

Check out my new logo (designed by my husband).  I post all sorts of activities on this blog (art, music, dramatic play, science, etc..), but I have a soft spot in my heart for early math education, so I adore what he came up with.  I just created a new Facebook Page for Learners in Bloom, so be sure to "Like" it, if you haven't already.  I'll be posting a lot more fun things there. 

Baby H Turns 1

Yes, there's a baby behind that gift.  And, yes, I used Christmas wrapping paper (he didn't know the difference).  When the twins were little, I couldn't wait for them to grow up, but I'm in much less of a hurry with Baby H.  My little 5 lb 6 oz baby is now a year old, and I just don't know where the time went...

Cute Stuff My Kids Say

I need to start recording all the neat things my kids have been saying lately.  Here are a few examples:

A Day in Our Homeschool Preschool

As I mentioned in some previous posts, I officially started Homeschool Preschool for L and E (37 months) last week.  Basically it involves doing many of the learning activities we've already been doing, but adding a little more structure and calling it 'Preschool'.  This week, many homeschooling bloggers are sharing 'A Day in the Life' posts on the 'Not Back-To-School Blog Hop', where others can get a glimpse of a typical day in their family.  I thought it would be fun to join in.  Here's how our first day of 'school' went...

Nursing Strike

We got back from a wonderful camping trip on Tuesday when Baby H (9 months old)  suddenly decided to go on a nursing strike.  He doesn't appear to be teething, so I'm not sure what prompted it.  I've been pumping, but he doesn't know how to use bottles or sippy cups, so for the first two days the only way he'd take my milk was with a spoon.  Between pumping, spoon-feeding milk to my baby, loading him up on solid food, and taking care of two three-year-olds, it seems that all the time has been sucked out of my day - thus I haven't had the energy to blog all week.  Baby H finally figured out how to use a straw, so I think things will get easier.  I'm also getting over the emotional shock of a baby who happily nursed 8 or more times a day suddenly refusing to even be held in a nursing position (although I'm still holding on to the hope that he'll go back to breastfeeding).

Baby H Update (9 months old)

I'm really excited about Baby H's current age (9 months) because it is so much fun watching him explore his world. I'm so lucky to be blessed with a quiet, content, smiley baby.  I love how he can transform things like measuring cups, plastic spoons, and large lids into hours of entertainment (yes, you heard me right, this boy can play for over an hour by himself with just a handful of toys!).  I'm constantly on the lookout for miscellaneous containers and other objects for him to play with, and I'm starting to think up more ideas for homemade games.  Here are some photos of Baby H in action..

Back from Vacation

We've come back from a much-needed vacation to my in-laws' house.  Their internet is slower than dial-up (yes, that's possible!), so no blogging for me.  It was nice to spend time without being glued to my computer, to catch up on sleep, and to get time alone with my husband while grandma watched the kids.  The girls did amazingly well considering that it was a new environment and they only had about 3 toys to play with for over a week.  Baby H let so many new people hold him and even smiled and giggled at them (at the same age, his sisters had a bad case of 'stranger danger' and would scream whenever someone new even said hi to them).  We visited a Children's Museum, swam in a zero-entry pool for kids, went for many walks, fed baby goats, and had lots of great family fun. 

I am now officially done working at my job!...

Changes

Working a demanding full-time job at home while raising three kids under three and sleeping in 2-3 hour intervals has been a big challenge for me, but somehow I've managed to do it for the past year and a half.  I constantly find myself nostalgic, however, for the days where I could play with my kids without having to check my work email every ten minutes, or when my daily schedule didn't revolve around conference calls. The stress has just been building up and affecting my physical and emotional well-being.  So earlier this week I talked to my boss about leaving the company.  Here's what this means for our family...

Interviewing 2 Year Olds

A while ago, I read another blog where a mother interviews her children every year and records their responses (sorry, I can't find the link now).  I thought that was a really cute idea, and wanted to give it a try with the twins (32 months old):

A Day in My Life

When I was recently searching through files on my old computer I found where I recorded one full day's activities when the twins were only babies.  Life was a bit simpler back then with two babies who were not yet mobile and no job, but it was so much fun to read.  Yesterday I tried to record a typical day in my life, so I'd have something to look back on to see what things were like at this stage of motherhood for me (L and E are 32 months old, Baby H is 6 months).  Here goes...

The Great Rice Incident

My husband and I have an ongoing debate on the subject of what types of activities kids should do.  My opinion is that kids should be given as many opportunities for sensory exploration as possible; That splashing in water, digging in sand, and painting with their fingers (and feet) are an essential part of early learning.  My husband's opinion is that kids should not be given anything that could end up messy until they are old enough to play with it 'properly' (without making a mess).  One source of contention is the rice box...

My Amazing Kiddos

Having three children under the age of three can be both a challenge and a blessing.  I love every age and stage they go through, but right now seems like such an interesting time for all three.

I started blogging because I always said that I wanted to scrapbook or at least record memories of the children as they grow up, and I figured that an electronic medium was perfect for me since I'm a computer-nerd.

I noticed that I tend to write more about the activities we do then personal notes on the children, so I'd like to start blogging here and there about all the phases the kids are going through.  If you read my blog for ideas of activities to do with your kids, you can skip the personal posts.

Busy

It's been a couple days since I've blogged (yes, Mom, everything is fine).  We had a great weekend, and I have tons of photos and activities I want to share.  The problem is that it takes a lot of self-discipline to work from home (and actually get work done), and it's been too tempting to play with my amazing children and enjoy the beautiful weather lately.  So I'm behind on work, and have some catching-up to do for an upcoming deadline.  That means that the kids are going to be watching a lot of educational videos and entertaining themselves this week while I get my work done, and my blogging time will be severely limited.  Hopefully after a burst of productivity (and a lesson in time-management), I'll have a chance to post more about our homeschool preschool adventures.

Circle of Moms - Vote for Me

A little shameless promotion...If you enjoy the Learners in Bloom blog, please vote for me at Circle of Moms - Top 25 Creative Moms 2012.  You'll have to scroll way down near the bottom (around #100) to find Learners in Bloom and vote.  You can vote once a day for the next 8 days.  Thanks!

Smiles

It was a busy day at work today.  I had to sit at my computer all day getting things done and attending long teleconferences while listening to the twins run around the house giggling and playing (and not being able to join them!)  Then the photo above made me smile, and I remembered how incredibly lucky I am to have three amazing little kiddos.  I'm looking forward to a fun relaxing weekend with the little ones.

There Are Days Like This

Yesterday we learned French.  We took turns catching falling feathers.  We colored (almost) in between the lines.  We squeezed fresh orange juice.  We made animals and furniture out of pattern blocks.  We practiced yoga.

Today... well let's say it was one of those days that didn't go according to the schedule.

It all started with the moonlit snow.  My husband always complains about the fact that I close the shades at night, so I left them open.  The moonlight reflecting off the snow at 2 in the morning was beautiful, but it also confused Baby H.  When he woke up to nurse, he started talking to me and looking around.  He decided that he was up for the day and spent the next 4 hours making a variety of sounds from cooing to laughing to sucking on his fingers to crying (when I closed the shades), so I didn't sleep.

Then he went on a nursing strike.  Every time I'd try to breastfeed him, he would scream (the rest of the time he was smiling and laughing so it wasn't that something was wrong.  By 8am I resorted to feeding him from a bottle (which he only played with), and ended up being late to a meeting with an international client.  As soon as I remembered the meeting, I threw the girls in front of Barney, the baby in his Exersaucer, and ran out of the room hoping that my husband, who was in the living room with the kids, shared my sentiment that the girls should be watched so they don't unintentionally hurt the baby. 

After my morning meeting was over and husband left for work, I had to prepare for my afternoon software demonstration.  H still hadn't had anything to drink since 2am and I was worried.  I gave the girls their doctor-kit and some stuffed animals to operate on and ran back to the other room (with the door open) to check work email and try to get H to nurse.  Success!  H was nursing and all was quiet in the house... a little bit too quiet...  Distressed by the sudden lack of screaming kids, I ran to the living room with H still latched on.  The girls were nowhere to be found.  Thankfully I taught them they need to answer when I call them and they immediately responded before I had a chance to get a full-blown panic-attack... from downstairs!  Their Dad forgot to lock the baby-gate at the top of the stairs when he left, so they went exploring (note - they never do this, so I had reason to freak out).   By this time, H had remembered that he was on a nursing-strike, stopped feeding, and started crying.  The (very sweet) girls came upstairs.  Note to self: never ever leave children unattended.. even for a minute!

Then I entertained all three kids in my bedroom where I could watch them while preparing for my afternoon call... working at home in my pajamas isn't always stress-free!  The girls finally went into their room to play, and baby H fell asleep.  About 30 minutes into my conference call, in the middle of my demo, he woke up screaming.  I assumed he was hungry but wasn't sure if he'd nurse.  Somehow the timing worked out just right that while other people were talking, I was able to press the mute button, pick him up, nurse him (whew!), and then manage to seamlessly continue the demonstration with one hand holding a phone, an elbow holding the baby, and my other hand navigating with the mouse and keyboard for the next 2 hours! 

Let's just say I'm relieved that this day is almost over.  The funny thing is I don't think the kids felt neglected at all - they had a fun time watching videos and playing with each other.  It's just my Mommy-guilt - feeling that I have to fill their day with enriching activities.

Tonight:  the shades will be closed.

Work-at-home Mom

I forgot to mention that I work from home full-time as a Senior Software Engineer for a really great, family-friendly software company.  This has both pros and cons.  The pros are obvious - getting to spend all day with my kids and getting to work at the same time is a dream for most Moms.  The con is that working from home means that I never get to leave work, so making a distinction between work time and family time is critical.

My work day starts early in the morning as I try to get as many things done before the family wakes up, and ends late in the day as I try to fit in any remaining work tasks after the kids have gone to bed.  My manager doesn't mind what schedule I work as long as I put on the calendar so others can schedule meetings around my availability.  I've found that blocking out specific hours during the day on my company calendar as 'unavailable' has helped me dedicate those blocks of time solely to homeschooling activities without drifting back to my computer to check email and get work done.  The girls are great at entertaining themselves (and each other) the rest of the workday (I LOVE having twins!).

So far the work-from-home thing has been working really well for us.  I get the occasional pangs of guilt that I should be spending ALL my time with the kids, but seeing all the creative games they come up with on their own is making me realize that the independent play is just as important for them.  I think having an intellectually-challenging job and other adults to talk to is keeping me sane.  Plus with a second income I don't have to feel guilty about buying all those educational toys and manipulatives I see on Amazon.

Welcome to Learners in Bloom

I'm going to take a stab at blogging.  Starting always seems to be the most awkward part...

My twin girls are 30 months old, and I'd like this blog to document all the fun things that I've been doing with my kids in the form of "homeschool preschool" (playing, learning, and exploring).

It's so much fun watching them absorb new experiences and come up with so many creative ways to play.

We also have a new addition to the family - baby H - who is 4 months old. Although I plan on focusing this blog around the activities I'm doing with my older kids, I'll start including him when he's ready for 'tot school'.