The Book Or The Movie?

Being the bookworm that I am I usually read a book before I go see a movie based on it. This was true of the movie I saw 2 weeks ago, The Hobbit.

I love the book... The movie was just OK. I am not sure what they were thinking to make it into three movies when it's only one book and not a very large one at that. Usually the changes they make annoy me but it was entertaining and not different enough that I was bothered by it.

The movie I saw this past Saturday though, I have never read that book and I probably never will. It took me years to train myself not to be intimidated by the size of books, so that is not the problem. The problem, I think, is the language used by the author.

No matter the cause, Les Miserables is not a book I anticipate ever reading all the way through. I can't even claim to have any love for either of the movies that were based on the book. The stage production is another matter completely. I have been to see it on stage twice and am happy to admit that the newest movie is everything I could have ever wanted it to be.

It was a completely different feeling being able to actually see the actors faces as they sang and moved around in the scenes. The nosebleed section of the theater that I sat in for both productions in no way prepared me for the emotional ups and downs I was led through in the movie. Shocking as that my seem!

I hope you all get a chance to experience it!

Your New Discovery Toys Consultant

After years of considering the idea, I have decided to start selling discovery toys! I am super excited about it. The toys are amazing.

Years ago when I first started watching kids I was appalled that people wanted their children in preschool. I thought that 5 was young enough to have to start school and it was terrible to force little kids to begin a regimented education so early. I didn't know it then, but I was an advocate for 'unschooling' little ones. Here's a link for anyone who doesn't know what that is.

I can't say I have completely changed my mind, but my understanding of child development, early education and kindergarten expectations has made leaps and bounds. When Gwen was kindergarten age I started to understand what was expected of these kids on even the first day of school. At some point I realized that not all kids are getting the attention and time that it requires for them to learn what they need to know before that day in home settings.

I am now even more of a fan of learning through play. I want these kids to learn AND play at the same time. Simple things that can happen right in the livingroom, kitchen or backyard. Children find fun in discovering new things, so I help them discover. They get enjoyment out of creating something original some days and copying something difficult on others. They do not have to be in a classroom to learn. If given the right options and opportunities they can learn SO much.

That is why I love discovery toys. They are so much fun and (shh!) they're educational too!

Measure up cups for example are great for nesting and stacking and teach numbers, volume, addition, subtraction, multiplication, pre-time telling skills and have playdoh stamps on the bottom. I can use these with a 1 yr old and then turn around and use them to teach my 8 yr old.

The large pegboard is another multi-level toy. It has toddler safe pegs on one side for stacking, sorting, and early shape, letter, and math skills. Then you can turn it over to use it as a geoboard for elementary age students (kindergarten-4th/5th-ish)

Then there is Whiz Kidz. Good for preschoolers learning letter sounds and elementary/middle schoolers to increase vocabulary then all the way up to college students (I hear it's a good drinking game).

I look at this as another step in my education of education (LOL!) AND a great opportunity to share my passion of it! I even have my own website; http://www.discoverytoys.com/colleenmoore

Just Another Day In Paradise- With A Friend

 



The Split-up Weekend

This past weekend was a big one for us! Gwen went in one direction and I went in another.

Gwen
Gwen went camping in Hershey with my mom and dad. They did Boo At The Zoo and came home with all kinds of creepy facts about vampire bats.

She saw a black bear eating a pumpkin!

They also did Treat-or-treating among the campers and went to Chocolate World!

Colleen
Meanwhile, I went to Washington D.C. to visit a friend. It was a loooonnngggg drive and metro ride trip by myself, but completely worth it! We always have a lot to talk about :) We visited the White House gardens which meant A LOT of standing in line for our time slot and then more standing in line to get through security.

We got up close and personal

saw the rose garden



and the veggie garden

The coolest part, though, was going to the International Spy Museum! My friend had already been into the main museum and said it was cool, but pricey. So we went right into their Operation Spy experience instead. We loved it! They have transformed the entire upstairs of the museum into an imaginary country to simulate a spy mission. So much fun :) it lasted almost an hour.

The website says there are some cool things for kids under 10yrs old in the museum, but the interactive missions are for ages 12+. I grabbed this from the website

 

I would love to post real pictures of it but there's no pictures allowed. Just trust me that it's a must see on your next D.C. trip, just beware the spy store... I could've spent a FORTUNE there!

Spiritual Sunday- Apache Blessing

Spreading The Love!

So, because I enjoy reading so much I always want to help kids enjoy books from a very early age and I have a method to my madness

Step 1: Exposure. I take them to the library, read to them at least twice a day (I actually can't remember the last time I only read to them twice in a day...) and always have books available to them.

Step 2: Knowledge. I teach them how to take care of books, how to find the ones they're interested in at the library, and how to use them to learn about anything in the world.

Step 3: Do It Yourself. I believe it is very important for them to have a good experience when learning to read. So I encourage them in recognizing letters and learning their sounds even before 'preschool age'. Not just through worksheets, but with things they can explore. The Leapfrog Word Whammer, Starfall.com, painting, and sensory exercises.

It has worked in the past anyway

Just Another Day In Paradise- In A Tree

Happy Indigenous People's Day!

 

Indigenous People's Day (also known as Native American Day) is a holiday celebrated in various localities in the United States, begun as a counter-celebration to Columbus Day. The purpose of the day is to promote Native American Culture and commemorate the history of Native American peoples. Indigenous People's Day is usually held on the second Monday of October, coinciding with federal observance of Columbus Day. ~ I love Wikipedia :) For the full story click here or here

 

If you grew up in a normal public school like I did, you may want to read this article from a few years ago... "Columbus Day? True Legacy: Cruelty and Slavery" They told us about Hitler because we were far removed from any blame, but I guess we just want to turn a blind eye on the fact that Columbus was comparable.

 

I'd say the selling of 9 & 10 year old girls into sexual slavery (not to mention that he was the first slave trader in the Americas), burning natives alive, wiping out an entire population of natives estimated at 3 million people and killing babies for dog food shouldn't make him a hero with a national holiday named after him.

 

But hey, what do I know...



Spiritual Sunday- Blessings

 

Challenge

Question: Are you a re-reader? Do you enjoy a book or a set of books and put them on a shelf for a few months... or years and then pick them up to enjoy again? I know I do.

I enjoy keeping my books in my 'Library' which is really an over sized pantry off my kitchen. I delight in just being surrounded by them. I often go back in and grab a favorite. It's like returning to a favorite vacation spot or visiting an old friend.

Being who I am, I will often start skimming whole paragraphs just to find out the important part: What happens?! So, when I read it again and already know or vaguely remember what happens I read more carefully and discover details that I simply skimmed over before.

The real question, though, is: Do we live life that way? Sometimes do we peripherally notice what's actually happening with our kids and lives while we rush towards what happens next. Are we ever so excited about the next phase, step, or chapter in our lives that we barely notice the details of today.

It's ok, you don't have to answer. I will admit that there have been areas or times in my life where I barely remember any of the details at all. If I were writing an autobiography those parts of my life would read like over-edited newspaper articles. I can tell you the who, what, where, when and maybe even the why... But can I tell you how we felt? What we noticed? The questions Gwen was encouraged to ask and what encouraged them in the first place? The answers I did or did not give her? The 'God moments' that occurred?

Maybe not.

We only get a short time in this world. Our time with our young children is even shorter. I want to cherish every moment and delight in every discovery, now, while it is happening. Real life re-reads are only as good as we make them the first time. It is impossible to immerse yourself in a memory that you didn't pay attention to the first time around. Sadly, there will be too many blurry parts.

I challenge all of us to pay closer attention to the present we have been given (the PRESENT, get it? It's a gift). We only have one chance to get the whole story.

JustAnother Day In Paradise- Reenacting The Olympics

The Top 10 Of Homeschooling

OK. To kick off my return to regular posts here I thought I'd start with something easy and controversial. I warn you I am feeling extremely controversial today, so if you are feeling sensitive you might want to stop reading... Don't say you weren't properly warned!

Keep in mind that the numbers mean nothing except that we all know how many there are.

Top 10 likes of homeschooling:

1) I LOVE my kid! I need a break every once in awhile just like everyone else, but teaching her is a JOY, not a job.

2) I get to see her face and share her excitement for every 'ah-ha!' moment and it's all the more sweet because I was beside her through the journey to understanding it.

3) If she's tired or just feeling a little under the weather I don't have to wake her up at 6am, shove food in her mouth and drag her to the bus. She can sleep till 7:30 and start her day refreshed.

4) We can race or crawl through learning. Whatever she needs. I don't need to hurry her through concepts she doesn't quite understand or make her slow down so the other 20 kids in the class can keep up.

5) I don't have to spend the first 2 weeks of school teaching her bus and school safety and how to not be or deal with a bully.

6) No school shootings AND she doesn't have to walk through a medal detector every morning.

7) The ability to only take a 4 week summer vacation so she doesn't forget too much and then she can get 2 weeks for Christmas and another 2 weeks for Easter and as many educational field trip days as we want!

8) Less concerns about what kinds of friends she is making and what kind of friend she is being in return.

9) History makes so much more sense now that I can relearn it (as I teach it) without the religious aspects of everything cut out. There are A LOT of major historical events that happened because of religious reasons!

10)I know what she is lacking in and what she is strong in. I can help build up her in the weaker areas and keep her moving forward in her stronger areas.

Top 10 dislikes of homeschooling:

1) Always being expected to defend my choices to ignorant and /or closed minded people. If you are THAT opposed to it, let's talk about something else!

2) Forcing myself to be organized

3) If I keep her out late or feed her lots of unhealthy food I still have to put up with her the next day. I can't just put her on the bus and pray for the teacher.

4) Some days are overwhelming. *Shrug* that's life though!

5) The things that I WANT, but don't NEED for our homeschooling are often expensive so we rarely get them.

6) I feel held back by working over 55 hours a week so that we're unable to join homeschooling groups... Again, *shrug* that's life!

7) ... ...

... ... ... ...

Um, I guess I only have 6 of those!

I'm Not Even Sure Where This Came From...

Are any of you Gilmore Girls fans?

If you are thinking that I should have said WERE any of you Gilmore Girls fans, then your answer is no. Those of us that truly love that show bought all 7 seasons on DVD and continue to be fans :)

I love that show. It's quick and funny and the characters are awesome. It doesn't hurt that it's all about a single mom raising a daughter and I am a single mom who is raising a daughter. It doesn't hurt, either that they have the relationship that every mom wishes she could have with her daughter. The sad truth is, that only happens on TV. Sometimes you have to be the mom, not the friend. Those are my words of wisdom for today :)

 

As it is with many of the books I read, I put myself in the shoes of the characters way too well and some parts of the story are hard to watch. The episode when Gigi is born and they show flashbacks to what Lorelai went through when she had Rory borders on traumatic even more then when one of them loses a boyfriend/fiance/husband, or when Rory leaves for college.

If I can put myself into the position to understand and feel compassion for a TV character, why then is it so hard to have compassion for real people. In today's society we 'see' the people that need our help, but we don't really see them. We tell each other that it's not our responsibility. We let ourselves feel good about putting a couple bucks into a donation bucket, but we could do so much more if we told each other something different.

We could start with:

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama

It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others. ~Unknown

The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these human beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another ~Thomas Merton

If we held each other accountable for the amount of emotional and physical need around us it would change everything. If we stopped making excuses for ourselves and each other, things could be different.

When I started typing tonight I didn't expect to end like this but here it is, it is our fault. Not yours, mine, or theirs, it is the fault of us all that the world is the way it is. If we all do one compassionate thing every day, it would be a start and with that kind of start, we would soon have a noticeably better community.

With a more healthy community would come better countries... You see where I'm going with this. No, I'm not wearing my tye-dye shirt. I am looking at myself, at you, and at that guy down the street and if you have even the tiniest bit of imagination, you'll see it too.

It's called potential.



Alone At The Zoo

Ok, well obviously we were not completely alone as in the only people there! It was, however, the first time in years that Gwen and I have gone to the zoo alone. We were with no other kids that I was responsible for and no other adults.

It was fun and not too crowded because there were massive rain/thunderstorms on their way in. We had to take Gwen's camera because mine finally died and I haven't replaced it... obviously we haven't set the date on her camera lately!

She was very excited to see the bears, because of that series of books we've been reading called Seekers by Erin Hunter about four bears on a long journey. Unfortunately, the bears were in no mood to entertain. We went back to check on them twice, but they were sleeping the whole time, and they were not the only ones...

There were plenty of animals out and about though.

The highlight of the trip was actually seeing the two new clouded leopard babies that were born a few months ago. They were hard to get a picture of. This is actually the clearest one we came home with!

They are laying on the platform with the mother.

This was the last picture we took. It's the river otters frolicking in the rain. Yes that's right, by this time we were standing out in a good steady rain and soon afterward we were walking back the the car in a downpour. The rain would not have been a big deal if not for my phone & kindle and Gwen's camera all getting wet right through the material of my purse.

Now I have one more thing I want to keep in my purse... a plastic bag to keep electronics dry when we go crazy and stay out in the rain! Maybe it will fit in my bandaid box...

I Am The Child...

I Am The Child Author Unknown

I am the child who cannot talk. You often pity me, I see it in your eyes. You wonder how much I am aware of — I see that as well. I am aware of much — whether you are happy or sad or fearful, patient or impatient, full of love and desire, or if you are just doing your duty by me. I marvel at your frustration, knowing mine to be far greater, for I cannot express myself or my needs as you do. You cannot conceive my isolation, so complete it is at times. I do not gift you with clever conversation, cute remarks to be laughed over and repeated. I do not give you answers to your everyday questions, responses over my well-being, sharing my needs, or comments about the world about me. I do not give you rewards as defined by the world’s standards — great strides in development that you can credit yourself; I do not give you understanding as you know it.
 

What I give you is so much more valuable — I give you instead opportunities. Opportunities to discover the depth of your character, not mine; the depth of your love, your commitment, your patience, your abilities; the opportunity to explore your spirit more deeply than you imagined possible. I drive you further than you would ever go on your own, working harder, seeking answers to your many questions with no answers. I am the child who cannot talk.

I am the child who cannot walk. The world seems to pass me by. You see the longing in my eyes to get out of this chair, to run and play like other children. There is much you take for granted. I want the toys on the shelf, I need to go to the bathroom, oh I’ve dropped my fork again. I am dependant on you in these ways. My gift to you is to make you more aware of your great fortune, your healthy back and legs, your ability to do for yourself. Sometimes people appear not to notice me; I always notice them. I feel not so much envy as desire, desire to stand upright, to put one foot in front of the other, to be independent. I give you awareness. I am the child who cannot walk.

I am the child who is mentally impaired. I don’t learn easily, if you judge me by the world’s measuring stick, what I do know is infinite joy in simple things. I am not burdened as you are with the strifes and conflicts of a more complicated life. My gift to you is to grant you the freedom to enjoy things as a child, to teach you how much your arms around me mean, to give you love. I give you the gift of simplicity. I am the child who is mentally impaired.

I am the disabled child. I am your teacher. If you allow me, I will teach you what is really important in life. I will give you and teach you unconditional love. I gift you with my innocent trust, my dependency upon you. I teach you about how precious this life is and about not taking things for granted. I teach you about forgetting your own needs and desires and dreams. I teach you giving. Most of all I teach you hope and faith. I am the disabled child.

I found this on a Blog I follow http://growingfromtheobstacles.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/i-am-the-child

Just Another Day In Paradise- Even At The First Aid Tent

Spiritual Sunday- Speechless

Inappropriate..

...

 but funny

Just Another Day In Paradise- With A Biker Chick