LaBerteaux Academy- a new curriculum

I'm finally coming out of a month long gross-ness with pregnancy issues and a bad cough due to cold. Huzzah! 

Since we are all starting to feel a little better, and we are settling into a new year, Lincoln has been asking to do more 'school'. We were doing really great at it till life happened. Now it's time to get back to being a bit more organized.  

The curriculum I was following was getting kind of hard to keep up with, It was awesome, but it was literature based, and if you didn't have the book they were using for a unit, you had to either buy it or hunt it down somewhere. So I've decided to create my own for a little while. 

In the homeschooling dept, they always say to build on what your child loves. Lincoln LOVES movies. So I've decided to take his favorite movies and plan activities around them. (for example: with Zootopia we can learn all about habitats, animals, kindness, bravery, goals, and making friends.)

So this coming week we'll be using the Kung Fu Panda movies and Mulan, and focusing on: Chinese New Year/China, shapes, exercise (kung fu), and pandas :) 

here are the links I'll be using, and the activities we'll be doing next week. I'm super excited! 

Math:  Roll and Color Shapes

Feed the Shape Monsters

Art: Fork Print Panda

Year of the Rooster Craft

Sensory: Playing with noodles and Chinese take out boxes

Cooking: Traditional Chinese New Year Peanut Butter Cookies

Mr. Ping's Secret Ingredient Soup

Gross Motor: Tape Activities

Fine motor: GeoBoard Shapes

History:  Story of the Chinese New Year

Music: Paper plate drums

Dramatic Play:  Kung Fu Panda Masks

Adventure; Visiting a Chinese market 

Family Time: Watching Mulan with Chinese food dinner, possible dinner out to Dumpling House

My plan is to post our links the Wednesday before (I'm late this week since I just came up with this Wednesday night) and then the Friday of that week I'll post what we actually ended up doing, and how the kids liked or didn't like it. I'm also working on our schedule and will have that posted too. 

-Laura

A Turn on the Swings

I've been feeling the need to write a blog for a little while now.
I can honestly tell you I have no idea where this thought is coming from, I can only think that my mommy brain needs some sort of outlet. A place where I can pretend to talk to adults (without emoji's and acronyms. Real, fully written words. and punctuation!..sma.) That means: So much Awesome. In case you didn't know.

So I'm just going to share a moment and realization I had a couple months ago.
My babies and I were at the park. Eleanor was in a baby swing, and Lincoln was just running all over the place, climbing things and doing cool-boy-super hero-type stuff. IE: pretending to be BayMax while totally oblivious to everyone else.
Then he came over to me and said: "Mom! I want a turn on the swings!" To which I replied: "But Linc, you hate swings."
Linc in a lovely whine: But Mooooom!! I waannaaa TUUURRRRNNN!!!!
Me, trying to not roll my eyes: Lincoln, remember the last time you were on them? You don't like them. Let Eleanor finish."
Linc: But I wannnaa gooo ooooooonnnn itttttt.
*sigh*
Then that mom-chatter -Gollum and Smeagol like- starts up. "What if I'm denying him a chance to learn?"  "But he HATES swings. He always gets out after 20 seconds!" "Maybe he will like them now. He should always get another chance." "But Eleanor isn't done. She actually likes the swing. Lincoln. Does. Not. Like. Them."
I didn't want to give him a turn. I knew it would be over in 20 seconds. I knew Eleanor would be ticked that her turn would be cut short-by someone who wouldn't appreciate it.
and I thought...well, that's interesting. I wonder how often Heavenly Father and I have done this.

Flashback!

pre-marriage Laura: But Heavenly Father, I want to daaateee hiiim.
Heavenly Father: Laura, you won't like him. He's not for you.
P-m L: But he's cuuutttteee. I wannna daaattee.
Heavenly Father: No. It's not worth it. It'll only last 20 seconds.
P-m L: please please please please please please please please please
*sigh*
Now, I'm sure Heavenly Father doesn't have wishy-washy chatter in His head, but He might say something like this "Fine. Go ahead and date him. But it won't last. He's stinky and he's not for you. Come chat when you figure it out."
--would Heavenly Father call someone stinky? hmmm. well, you get the idea.--
and then what does Laura learn? Well, when that boy is stinky, she learns to trust that Father who see's things as they are and as they will be.

Back to me and Lincoln!

Me: Fine. Let's count to 20, and then it'll be your turn.
Linc: YAY!
So the kids in the swings switch. Lincoln gets in and Eleanor waits by the side. Cuz homegirl wants to get back in, thank you very much.
I start pushing him, and immediately it begins:
Linc: MOM! go slooow
Me: Lincoln, I AM going slow.
*swing doesn't move. and Eleanor is on the side looking ashamed of big brother. If she could say "Oi Vey" she would*
Linc: Mom. I wanna get down.
Me: you just got in.
Linc: Well, I'm done. I don't like it.
*sigh*
and so, he still doesn't like swings. Linc and E go back to the way things should be at the park, with E soaring high above the kids, cackling her cute face off, and Lincoln saving the world.
and me...I just think as I push. How often do I see things that other people have, and I want them? Not necessarily because I will like it, but because it looks like fun?
I mean, I might like it. Who knows?
But  really, I know. I know that what others are doing will not bring me happiness. Everyone's seasons of life are different, and every one of them is special because our seasons bring us into different beings. And this season of my life is meant to be simple. (even though it's not because being a mom is NOT SIMPLE EVER.) But by simple I mean: I know I'm supposed to just....BE. Be me. Be myself. Be with my babies. Be a support and help to my hubs.Be a disciple. Be a friend and daughter and sister and aunt...and just be. Just serve all these people in whatever way I can.

Have you ever tried to just be? To let Heavenly Father's plan just sweep you up and take you to heights you can't even imagine?
Shoot, it's a lot of work. Just being. It takes a lot of will power to squash down your own will.
I still fail at it all the time and think that I know best. Giving yourself up to a force and a future you can't see is terrifying. Especially when the rest of the world seems to say: do more! Do more of this ___, _____ & _____!!
But, it's beautiful. To see where Father in Heaven will take you. Wanna know a secret? The cool thing is you usually can't see it till you've arrived. Then you turn around and see the amazing things that have happened while you were uncertain-but willing to do whatever you felt prompted to do.

Wanting a turn on the swings is ok. But trust in the Father who knows you. Do this and you'll find peace in whatever season you are in.  Remember that you are known, and so, so loved. Always. No matter what.