P is for Penguin

The snow and cold temperature this week inspired activities involving penguins. The twins loves animals so I thought penguin activities would be perfect. First, I contacted my favorite resource}e for books, Bonnie Coose. Seriously, if you need a reference for a book relating to any subject she's your gal! She recommended Penguins in Peril" by Helen Hancocks. Then, I checked Pinterest for some activities that looked fun and age appropriate. Of course I found tons.


We started our lesson by reading the book. It is a super cute story about a three cats who kidnap a penguin. The cats want the penguin to catch fish for them to eat. Thus, the penguin is in peril. We discussed the word peril but not sure they understood its meaning. We will try to use this word often in the next weeks so that they will grasp its meaning and be able to add it to their working vocabulary. We spent a lot of time looking at the pages of the book and predicting what they think will happen next. We also talked about camouflage since the penguin hid in many spots in the book to escape the cats. They really loved this book. Finally, we learned a song while marching like a penguin.


The song is sung to the tune of "I Am A Little Teapot."
Penguin Song:
I'm a little penguin
Black and white
Short and wobbly
An adorable sight I can't fly at all
but I love to swim
so I'll waddle to the water
and dive right in.

Once we completed reading the book we did an activity I found on Facebook as well as Pinterest. We created penguins using shapes. Look at those penguins! Aren't they adorable? I introduced the shapes to the twins. We played "I Spy" with the shapes. Basically I place all the shapes on the table and say "I spy a square" and then the twins find the shape. Finally, we put the shapes together and created penguins. They did really good creating the first penguin on their own but I really had to help and encourage them to finish the second.




On day two we read the book for the second time and again discussed all the things in the book. Next, we played a sorting and counting game I found on Pinterest. Again, the print out was free. I would suggest laminating the pages. If you don't have access to a laminator, clear contact paper will do. I [;aced the game board in gallon size Ziploc bags since I didn't have clear contact paper on hand. Players take turns choosing a card. Each card has one or two colored fish. The player locates the fish in his ocean found on the game board and places the correct number in the fishing bucket of the same color. At the end of the game I had the twins count the number of fish in each bucket. The twins loved this game! We also reviewed our shapes using the penguin activity we did yesterday. They played with these shape people for awhile. Again,to finish the lesson for the day we wobbled around like penguins singing our song to finish off our penguin activities.

On the third day, we read the book, again. I showed them pictures of real penguins that I printed. We talked about how they were alike and different. Next, we played a stop and go game of penguin walk. Basically, we took turns saying "stop" and "go." When it was time to go we had to wobble like penguins. Next, we talked about the letter P and what sound it makes. We discussed the fact that the word penguin begins with the letter P. We used play dough that was rolled into "ropes" and placed the ropes along lines of a letter stencil. Later in the day we created penguin hand art. (I forgot to take pictures on this day.)


During our fourth and final lesson for the week, we listened to "Tacky the Penguin" by Helen Lester being read by Pam on a Youtube video. This is just a unique and different way for the kids to read a book and they seem to enjoy it. We culminated our penguin fun by creating a penguin treat. I am a big proponent of the Montessori educational method and thought having the twins help create their treats would be a good activity to promote the self help and daily living skills this method incorporates. Check out the picture below for our treat!


We had a fun week with our penguin theme. I am not really concerned with teaching them letter and letter sounds at this age. I am just introducing them to the fact that letters represent sounds and sounds make up words we read.
The twins know their colors very well and the basic three shapes: triangle, square and circle. I hope to help them recognize rectangle and oval soon. They can count items to seven very accurately. We will continue working on counting.

Part of the lesson is learning how to sit still and complete a task. This is can be difficult for a three year old. I am proud of how much progress they are making with this.

I have linked the printouts below.

My Quotable Kids!!

I love listening to the twins talk to each other. The things they say make me smile often. I record these things in a notebook in hopes that I will remember them forever.

Here are just a few of the recent things they have written in the book.

*I walked into the room wearing a dress and Renley looked and me and said, "Mommy, you are a beautiful princess just like me!"

*Tonight as it was sleeting and snowing, Renley looked out on the porch and exclaimed, "Look, Mommy, its just like on the boat, its all sparkly!" (This needs some clarification, when we go out on the lake she loves when the sun glistens on the water and "sparkles.")

*When we correct onE of the twins the other one always speaks up and defends their sibling saying something like, "Don't be mean to my sissy!" (We are working on understanding the difference "between mean" and Mommy and Daddy teaching behavior."

*Renely says to Roman, "Hey Buddy, be careful or your going to fall."

*We walk into Casey's a few weeks ago to get donuts. I open the door and Roman throws his arms wide open and exclaims loudly with much enthusiasm "I LOVE DONUTS!"

*Renley says to Roman: "Hey Mr. Coose, what are you doing?"

*Roman says to Renley in the car: Roman: "that's a goooood song, Sissy!"
Renley: "Yes, Roman, that's a really good song!"

*Roman says to Renley: "Sissy, I miss you when I am sleeping!"

*Roman says to me when I go to get him up from his nap: "Mommy you are beautiful!"

*Renley says to Roman when he was upsest today: "Hey Mr. Grumpy Gills, what"s wrong?"

*We always have to sing the "I See the Moon" any time we see the moon in the sky.

These are just a handful of the things that fill my days and make me smile. I am so happy to have these two in my daily adventures!

Three Already!!

After a very long hiatus from this blog I am BACK. Back because I realize how much I need this blog to help me remember and cherish every moment with these two little ones!! They turned three this past November. I honestly have to say that the threes have been, up to this point, harder in some ways than the twos. Why?
Have you ever tried reasoning with a three year old? Now envision reasoning with two three year olds. It makes for some very interesting conversations.
I believe the day toddlers turn three the drama triples!! Have you witnessed the explosion that happens if you take a bite of a three year olds sandwich or attempt to dress them in something they do not want to wear? For example, trying to convince a three year old that ballet slippers are not appropriate shoes to wear to the grocery store when there is snow on the ground!
And the phrases that come out of their mouths! The other day I was trying to get Renley to permit me to French braid her hair. She looks at me and exclaims through screams and tears, "Well, this is REDICULES!"
Where does she get this stuff? I must have missed those episodes of Bubble Guppies or Little Bear.
It’s phrases like these that leave parents scratching our heads and wondering what is going on in their little minds, then the next moment, tiptoeing around them and dodging their fits.
Three year old twins are even more interesting. They are quick to make sure I know when the other twins is doing something that is a "no-no." Of course, they fail to tell you that they were the instigator or possibly they also did the same thing not two minutes ealier. To top it off... if you don't stop what you are doing and take care of the situation immediately you will hear the same "tattle" repeated with ever increasing whininess!
My three year old daughter is happy to croon the lyrics to “Let It Go” right along with me. However, her brother pipes up from the back seat yelling, “Mommy, DON’T SING!” And if you thought hearing that song the first 2,560,000 times was annoying, wait until you have to sit through it in silence.
My three year olds will also eat ten million go-gurts that I have frozen, so being the wise and good Mommy that I am I purchased five boxes just to be certain I wouldn't run out of their favorite food, only for them to declare they don't want them anymore.
Have you ever tried taking two three year olds out in public? They definitely know how to divide and conquer or at the very least to distract and destroy. I often get to the checkout at the grocery store with items I am sure were placed in the cart by conspiring twins! I can just envision the scene. You distract mom while I throw the full of sugar and preservatives treat in the cart. She will never know!
Having said all this, I have to admit there are some pretty enduring parts to having two three year olds in the house. They are best of friends and will watch out for each other. They cheer each other on with phrases such as: "YAY!! Roman went peepee in the potty Mommy!" or "Mommy, Renley looks like a princess!" They play together and I love listening to them pretend to be Andy from Toy Story or Elsa! There is never a dull moment in our house! And just as every other stage this too shall pass and I will long for the days when they were three!

I

Outfit From Clothes I Already Own!

"Outfit From Clothes I Already Own!"
I know my blog has been about Roman and Renley and our adventures as the title indicates.  But I have decided to add a little more to my blog.  Beginning with some fashion fun. 
 So yes, Outfit From Clothes I Already Own, is the title on one of my pinterest boards.  I actually have 96 pins to this board!! That is a lot of outfits from clothing I  have hanging in my closet!  I get in a rut of styling my items with the same things over and over again and this blog is going to help me get my style back!
On the rare occasion when I decide to put on something besides my yoga pants and tshirt and consult my "pins"  I ALWAYS get compliments on what I am wearing.   It is hard to find outfits that make me feel like I look good without looking like I have tried way to hard or like I am trying on my daughters clothes!  So, using pinterest and consulting my daughters, I will look and feel good and have some fun while I am at it!
So my commitment this year is to "Shop" more from my own closet than from any other source and to get rid of items that I really no longer find useful to me.
 I started two weeks ago by purging my closet of jeans that I no longer wear.  I literally removed two large black trash bags of denim pants.  Who in the world needs that many pairs of denim jeans???? I feel relieved! And now my quest continues!
 I am committing  to:
 A.  purging ten items for the next seven days from my closet
 B.  wear a different outfit everyday for the next two months using only items in my closet.
I will be posting what I wore each Friday for the previous week to keep me motivated. 

Whew!! So I invite all of you to join me.  Let's see what we can create from what we already own!

Teresa

It is hard to believe it is already the first week of April.  I am glad winter is over. The twins and I really need to get outside.  We have spent a few days exploring the yard over the past month but literally no more than four.  The weather has been crazy.  One day it will be warm enough to go out and play and the next it is raining or just to cold to go out.  I can't wait till we can spend more of out time swinging and going for walks!  It is hard to find enough stuff to keep them busy inside all day every day!

 

The twins have also been fighting a cold and both ended up on antibiotics.  Roman for an ear infection and Renley for a strep throat.  Needless to say there has been a lot of Mommy cuddles and reading books and watching Frozen numerous times.  Then this past week I had surgery to repair an umbilical hernia and diastasis recti from my pregnancy with the twins.  The recovery from this has been long and painful. Much, much, much worse than I ever expected or was prepared to handle. I am still not able to take care of them alone and they will be going to grandma's house tomorrow.  They love playing with Sadie, my mom's dog, as well as feeding the chicken.  Grandma is really good with the twins and they have the best time with her.  The last time they stayed at her house I arrived to find them having a tea party complete with cookies and a miniature china set!  She is definitely making lots of memories with these two.  I think that is one thing that I admire about my mom watching the twins.  Her goal is to enjoy them.  She definitely makes them mind when needed but she doesn't act like it is her duty to correct all of their wrongs or try to make them act like she thinks they should.  She respects my guidelines for raising them and them just enjoys the moments, making each one so special! 
My niece has also committed to watching the twins one day a week for me so that I can have a guaranteed day to work.  She has a little boy who is almost three and cares for a six month old infant.  I think being around other children will be good for the twins.  It has proven to be a great situation over the past three weeks and I really appreciate her patience and kindness and mothering of the twins while I am away from them.  It is evident that they are being treated well because they get very excited when I tell them we are going to Finn and Bonnie's house.  When I pick them up they are always in a good mood, which tells me they have had a great day!  Words can't express how happy it makes this mom's heart to know she has someone like this to take care of my precious babies when I am not with them! 
Staying at home for the past two years has given me a new perspective on parenting.  I love being a stay at home mom.  (Yes, I do work in the  office at our business one or two days a week, depending on how much I have to get done, but I still consider myself a stay at home mom!) When I committed to staying home with the twins I wasn't sure how I would handle the isolation from the world I once new.  But, honestly, I don't miss it one bit. I absolutely love being with my two little people and working with my husband a few hours a week gives me a little time away and makes me appreciate the time I am home with the twins.  I am not judging others for their decision to be a stay at home mom or working mom, I think that it is each persons own choice, all I am saying is that for me, this was the right choice - no regrets!! However, being at home for the past two years I feel I have put taking care of myself on the "back burner," as they say. One afternoon while reading a blog online I came across a blog sight that I have really enjoyed called, Get Your Pretty On (www.getyourprettyon.com).  The author was promoting her"Style Me Pretty" spring challenge and I decided to check it out.  Basically for ten dollars you are given a spring shopping list and then outfit ideas for twenty-one days  of different outfits. Of course, I jumped on the chance to have someone else help me style my clothing!  I was so excited to get my shopping list on April 4. The group members have ten days to gather the items for the outfits.  I was even more excited to find that almost all the items were already hanging in my closet or in my dresser.  I only purchased a few items totaling  less than one hundred dollars.  I am anxiously awaiting the next stage, which will be styling our outfits!  Hopefully this will get me out of the yoga pants, sweatshirt and ponytail rut I am in at the moment! 

The past week has been a long one to say the least.  Larry has been gone for almost a week and half.  He was home for one night and then off again for a work project.  I didn't realize how much I depend on him for mental support until he is gone.  I am so ready for him to be home. 
The twins have been sick but I really shouldn't complain since this is the first time this winter that they have really been down and out due to not feeling well. It is just so hard when they both want Momma.  Roman has really become a Momma's boy...he want me by his side for everything from watching tv to reading a book to taking a nap.  While I like being needed it makes it difficult to get things done or even go to the restroom let alone poor Renley need my attention as well so we are working on  taking turns helping Mom do things.
They are growing so much and talking more and more every day.  They love to "read" books to me and talk about all the things we see. They can't wait for the weather to get warmer....As most of the people I know.  It is so hard coming up with activities to do with them that will keep them busy for a while.
This past week they have had their first experience going to a babysitter's home.  My mom has always come to my house or the girls watch them or Carrie comes and stays with them when we go out or on vacation.  I realize what a blessing that has been and how glad I am that I don't have to get everyone around every morning in a mad rush!  Bonnie, my niece is taking care of the twins once a week while I work in Springfield and my mom will come to the house once a week.  The kids love FInn, Bonnie's son, and they adore Bonnie.  She is so good with the twins.  I can't imagine leaving them with anyone else!  When we were leaving Renley turns to FInn and says, "Bye, you!"  It was so sweet!! 

WInter Months

What a day it has been!  You know those days where you look back and are just thankful they are over.  Yep!  That was today.  Not that it was disastrous but more like it was just plain and simple a rough day!
It began with a play date we had to cancel due to Renley having a fever and being a little cranky. Then one of the girls left their back pack at home and another needed me to get her some paperwork left home to school.  So I dressed two babies and preceded to put them in the car only to find that the car seats had been removed after church and no one put them back.  I put the twins in the back seat and preceded to strap the seats in, which by the way is not the easiest thing to do for those of you who have not installed a car seat in some time.  It takes using both hands a knee and you teeth to get the straps through without it tightening.  All the while the twins are climbing over the seat and me and at the same time  taking everything out of the diaper bag while I a preoccupied and hands full installing the seats.  Once the seats were done we headed to town.
One thing that makes running errands difficult is getting the twins in and out of the seats. That seems to be one of the hardest things about having twins is getting them in and out of public places.  They are too small to really allow them to walk in by themselves and too big for me to carry both of them at the same time.  So that leaves me to try to hold their hands and coerce them into following my directions.  Renley is very compliant for the most part and follows directions consistently but Roman hasn't quite mastered the task of listening to Mom and following directions.  He seems to have good intentions but gets side tracked a few minutes into the task.  He will spot something he wants to check out such as the wheels on the nearby truck and then I am stuck trying to keep hold of Renley's hand while she is determined to follow the original directions of going into the store.  ALl in all it is pretty eventful trip which I choose to do as infrequently as possible.  Fortunately  Jessi was in town this time so she joined us so that I didn't have to take the twins into the school to drop off the needed items or to the grocery store to get the ten items on my list. 
We are really tired of winter in this house!  I am sure everyone else is, also.  One can only watch so much Little Bear and Bubble Guppies.  Coming up with new activities that keep both of these two entertained is proving difficult.  They both have such different personalities. Renley loves to draw and play with any type of manipulative or activity that involves fine motor skills.  Roman on the other hand is so interested in his Choo-choo that he rarely plays with anything else.  The ironic thing is that he doesn't really play with it in the way one would thing but he moves it around the house and fills the cars with animals and then comes and gets anyone who will take his hand so that he can show you his train.  He will do this as many times a day as he can. 
We spend a lot of time playing in the bath tub or sink.  They love water and it is the one activity that engages both of them.  We also read a lot.  But like everyone else I am so anxious to spend some time outside.

Last week we attended our first MOPS group. It was a success.  I was worried the twins wouldn't do well.  This was the first time they have ever spent anytime with children their age and the first time they weren't at home, grandma's house, or the church nursery.  I have to say I was impressed.  They didn't cry when I left them which was bitter sweet because I was certain they would "need" me.  When I picked them up was able to witness them playing with others and it made this Momma's heart puff up with pride. Needless to say I am anxious to for our next meeting. 
Off to take care of some pretty awesome little people in my life!  Hope winter ends soon!