New Activity Sheets: Cloud Types

Today's science lesson was about cloud types, and for some reason my little ones just weren't getting it. One of the great things about homeschooling, for me, is that I can change my approach on the fly to match the learning styles of the kids.  The second time that I went through the material, I assigned a dance to each cloud type.  Anytime I said that cloud type, they would have to break into that dance.  Well, they remembered the dance... cloud type, not so much.

Next, I took to Google images to see if I could find a worksheet of some sort that no only summarized the characteristics of the clouds, but also gave me good images - found some, but none that I liked.  So, while the kids worked on a worksheet provided by K12, I created some worksheets of my own.  The kids loved that  I had made them on the fly just for them, and they finally got it.  The poems may be a little corny - I didn't have a lot of time to get fancy, but the kids liked it!

These worksheets summarize everything with rhyme, ask three questions, and give the kids a picture that they can keep in their minds.

Download them here:

Cumulonimbus Cloud Coloring Sheet, Poem, and Questions

Cumulus Cloud Coloring Sheet, Poem, and Questions

Stratus Cloud Coloring Sheet, Poem, and Questions

Cirrus Cloud Coloring Sheet, Poem, and Questions

Let me know what you think! Do you have any interesting ways that you have taught your kids about cloud types?

Add a comment

Why My Kids Work: Child Labor or Labor of Love?

He jumped up and started slapping himself awake and running in place – a hilarious wake up dance from my middle boy, 6 years old at the time. “Is it time, mommy?”

“Yes,” I told him, barely containing my laughter, “you can go on and get dressed.”  It was going to be his first day “doing a real business” and he was beyond excited.  He and his siblings had spent the night before at the local shopping club picking out the items they planned to sell at the church yard sale.  We packed the car with tents, tables, chairs, a chalk board, a cooler, and all the candy, soda, and juice that they had purchased.  While other families were on the way to the park or little league games, we were setting up shop for the kids to try their hand at entrepreneurship. All day we sat back in the chairs we had purchased to watch the boys’ soccer games, watching them yell, “Candy! Drinks! Drinks! Candy for sale!” Each person that came up and bought something from the kids put a smile on their faces and confidence in their hearts.

They counted change.  They bagged up candy and drinks.  They tallied up their monies, and remarked on their best sellers.  Their ages, combined, was the age that most people get their first real job, and there they were on a Saturday morning, talking to people, learning about markup and how to present their merchandise for sale.  They were learning how the world works, and having a ball in the process.

Could I have been at the salon or relaxing in front of the TV? Probably. But I felt that when my kids asked me if they could have a table at the yard sale, it was a great opportunity  -  a teachable moment. (click "read more" if you are reading this from the front page or click on the title if you are reading from your email subscription)

 

Add a comment Read more...

If You Don't Know Me by Now...

You know how the song goes. "If you don't know me by now, you will never, never, never know me...."

After being together for 10 years, you would THINK that I know all there is to know about my husband, and that he knows everything about me.  Not so.  You really can be with a person for years and think that there'd be nothing new to discover.  Again I say - not so.

Each year, I tend to reveal something about myself to my husband, either in conversation on a long road trip after the kids fall asleep, or when something on TV or on the radio triggers a revelation.  Here are some of my favorites that have made him raise his eyebrows, chuckle, belly laugh, or just left him aghast over our past decade together.

1.  I am a big Dave Matthews Band fan.  The hubby surprised me with concert tickets for my birthday this year... and he not only researched the music, he found a couple that he liked and endured the whole concert which was several hours long, with a headache (no fault of Dave).

2.  I never played on a team in high school with another black person - and I was a cheerleader, ran track, played basketball, volleyball, tennis, and soccer.

3.  I had a jheri curl.

4.  I got my driver's license at 14, and was driving myself to and from school, 45 minutes each way, by 15.

5.  My knowledge of doo wop, 60's, 70's, and 80's music is near encyclopedic.

6.  I pretty much know the words to EVERY Cosby Show episode. Yup, darn near all of 'em.

7.  I got jokes. Lots of 'em.

8.  I am scared of slugs, frogs, worms, salamanders, and other wet yet hairless creatures... but not snakes.

9.  I have yet to see Roots.

10.  I spent time in Singapore and Hong Kong as a kid.

11.  Not only am I crafty, but I really like power tools.

12.  I went to a Milli Vanilli concert.

13.  Star Trek, not Star Wars - is my franchise of choice. The fact that I had a "franchise of choice" was also surprising.

14.  I can sleep through just about ANY movie, especially if it is on past 8 pm.  That's when my internal clock says its bedtime.

15.  I hate alarm clocks.

16.  I never really considered that I'd get married or have children. Ever.

17.  Even though I had my college boyfriend do all of my typing homework for me, I can type REALLY fast.

18.  As a kid, I would rather sit in front of the family Apple II plus and program quizzes and games in BASIC than go outside.  I'm still a big ol' nerd.

19.  I can cross one eye at a time.  He really hates that one.

20.  I was really good at clogging (yes, the dance) in the second grade. (Basically... River dancing to country music.)

In the last ten years I have learned so much about my husband, but the most important thing I've found out about him is that he accepts me as I am.  Who I was is a huge part of who I am today, and those quirky little things about me that he learns helps him to understand and appreciate the weirdly normal, exceptionally average, seriously funny, maniacally easy going, adventurous recluse and super shy people person that I am.

This post was inspired by mystery thriller novel The Expats: A Novel. Kate Moore sheds happily sheds her old life become a stay at home mom when her husband takes a job in Europe. As she attempts to reinvent herself, she ends up chasing her evasive husband's secrets. Join From Left to Write as we discuss The Expats: A Novel on January 22. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes. Check out the discussion here: http://socamom.com/soca/en/component/content/article/113-featured-stories/794-10-by-10-blogs-i-checked-out-today-january-22-2013-book-club-day-edition

You learn something new about the people in your life that you care about every day.  How much do YOU know about your spouse?  Do you think there is anything that you could find out about them that would make you rethink your entire relationship?  What is the craziest thing that you have found out about a person AFTER you have already fallen for them?

Add a comment

5 Ways to Nurture, Encourage, and Support the Organized Child

"Mommy!" Baby girl squealed from her room.

"Yes, Beans, what's up?" I replied.

"Look what I did!"

I blinked at the clock - 7:33 am.

 

With a combination of fear and curiosity, I rolled out of the bed, squeezed past my open and overflowing dresser drawers, ducked around the protruding handles of my elliptical turned closet extension, shimmied by the full  laundry baskets of clean but not folded clothes, and went out of my bedroom door - not before whacking my pinkie toe on a plastic bin of craft supplies. I limped down the hall to her room.

"Look, Look!" she chirped, barely able to contain her excitement. "See, I put all my lotion - here. All of my lip gloss is - here. I hung up my necklaces - here. And under here - I put aaaaaaaalllllll my dress up stuff!"

"Wow!" I said - trying to sound excited through the sleep stuck in my throat, "This is really amazing!"

Truth is, I was excited.  We had gotten our girly girl a powder table for her birthday, and she really loved it. Now, two birthdays later, she was still in love with it, and using it to stay organized. I was always afraid that my kids would mimic what they saw when they witnessed the chaos that was my room, and here was my little one, up early, making sure her personal space was in order. Whoa.

Moms, Dads, Aunt, Uncles, Grandmas and Grandpas - you know - helping a child develop good habits is challenging. Nurturing a child's natural ability can be even harder.  My son is a talented soccer player, so helping him out is easy, since soccer is something I love to play.  Staying organized is a talent, but it isn't one that my husband have naturally, so we are at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to raising a little one who shows a knack for it at such a young age.

Order is important in the Caribbean household.  Around here, my husband and I, while not terribly organized, do have a talent for planning and project management, so we have come up with five ways to support and encourage our naturally organized child.

1.  Ask her what she needs to get her space set up the way that she would like it. A lot of times, you'll find that after you set up your child's room, and it looks perfect, it is dismantled in a matter of hours.  What you think is organized, may not match what your child has in mind. We have found that the way that our brain is organized is quite different to hers, so in order for her to feel at peace with her set up in her room, we have to get her input.

2.  Provide tools for keeping their space orderly. Buckets, bins, baskets, bags, binders... we have it all, and we make sure that she has a place and a space for everything.  Since she is naturally organized, not having a space for something can make her anxious.  Between the dollar store and IKEA, she's a much happier kid.

3.  Remove obstacles to neatness. For me, it is easier to just divide the clothes up in baskets by owner, and shove them in their rooms until I get to folding and putting away.  The boys couldn't care less.  For Baby Girl, that is a problem.  A basket of unfolded clothes in her room that she spent so much time organizing? Unacceptable.  So although I still shove the boys' basket into their room, secretly hoping that they'll fold them and put them away, I fold her clothes and put them in the drawers for her.

4.  Give her a job helping to organize other areas of the house. Nurturing and supporting her organization skill is more than just helping her to keep her personal space clean and neat to her satisfaction.  I would like for her to extend her talent to contributing to the overall organization of the household and eventually her community at large.  I give her small jobs to help out like organizing the lower bookshelves in our homeschooling area, and she loves the idea of taking ownership of a project that affects more people than just herself.

5.  Reward her good work. Baby Girl has kept her been keeping her room up on her own for quite a while now.  We recognize that for a kid her age, that is pretty impressive.  Most kids her age still have mom making their beds and cleaning their rooms - and while I do have to go in and vacuum, put away things she can't reach, and prompt her to check under her bed for toys and socks, for the most part, she has taken ownership of maintaining her personal space.  We reward her with a few more minutes of video games, or fifteen minutes tacked on to her bedtime.... both of which make her feel very grown up. She likes feeling grown up.

What is your child naturally good at? How did you find out?  What do you do to nurture and support that talent?

There's no denying that order is valued in the Caribbean household. Recognizing and rewarding organization as a "talent" seems to be a very American concept. How do you view the ability to stay organized when it comes to your kids?

Add a comment

The Traveling Family: 5 Tips for Peaceful Travel with Kids

For me, the excitement of taking a trip can be easily dampened by the dread of packing... and unpacking. With three kids, and as much traveling as we do, you would think I had it down to a science! Not always. In the past year, here are the five things that I have done to ease the pains of being out and about and away from home with the "short people".

1.  Keep a fully packed zip lock bag of toiletries for each adventurer.

It seems small, but for me, packing toiletries is more annoying than packing clothes. The wet toothbrush that has to get packed (I always picture it all wet and gross in the zip lock bag in the dark suitcase growing unspeakable germ colonies... Germ colonies that will cause us to either have a trip to urgent care while on our trip, or right after we return), the full size hair products, shampoos, conditioners, sunscreens, and lotions, that I have to make into travel sizes using left over travel size containers with unreasonably small openings if we are flying, or even worse when we are driving, the full size products that get left behind that I have to run out and buy again as soon as I get home.

Seems easy enough to just go to your bathroom, gather up everything that you use for your daily routine, put it in a bag, and go, right? Well, have you ever gotten back from a trip on a Sunday night, and been too tired to unpack so you just skip the night's shower and even brushing your teeth? You'll do it in the morning. Morning comes, you go to your still packed toiletry bag, and to your horror, you seem to have left your toothbrush on the hotel bathroom counter, your body wash is still in the hotel shower, and your deodorant... well who knows where that is.  If you leave your toothbrush at home, you can call down to the front desk and have one brought to your room.  Once you are home... oh well.

I avoid all that commess by getting the airplane approved clear plastic zip lock bags and filling them a miniature version of my daily routine. I can't seem to get going without my Bath and Body Works Stress line of Aromatherapy products, so I stock up on that when it is on sale.  It really hurts to leave a barely used $15 bottle of lotion at a hotel with no hope of retrieving it. For my face, I like Body Shop products, and they have trial sizes that I can put in my bag. A stop at the drug store and we have disposable everything - toothpaste, soap, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner.  I keep extra toothbrushes around so I add that to the bag, and done!  The boys and hubby only need lip balm, toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, and comb.  Baby girl has that and them some lotion, hair gel, rubber bands, and barrettes.

Once we return home, the I just replenish the toiletry baggies and put them away for the next time we need to grab them and go.

2.  Make photocopies of your driver's license and credit cards that you are taking with you.

I've got mommy brain (which I hear is really a real thing). I am not forgetful most of the time, I just refuse to even make an attempt to remember certain things. I don't know my driver's license number, credit card number, or any other numbers really.  I save brain space for ballet recital dates and times, and things like that.  If I lose my wallet, and I need to cancel cards, need ID or my driver's license number to get back on the plane (or in case I get pulled over driving home), those copies will be great to have - just make sure they are in a safe place... not in your wallet or purse.

3.  Mp3 players, headphones, and classical music - oh my!

Traveling is a great time for kids and parents to do things they wouldn't ordinarily do. This one definitely depends on your children.  If peaceful travel for you and your kids means giving them whatever they want, do your thing.  My kids have opinions and desires, but mine override theirs, and they know it.  My kids don't have ipods, cell phones, and tablets when we travel.  They do have small DVD players and headphones to share so that they can watch movies on particularly long trips.  We also have small, inexpensive Mp3 players that we can load up with different music for them. We choose the music, they either sit in silence or listen to it.  For kids who are used to having some sort of stimulation, nothing is worse than just quiet - so it works.

On each trip, try loading music from different countries and genres for them to try out. Like vegetables, they won't know if they like it until they try it. I love loading up music that I grew up on and seeing the kids bob their heads or make faces.  Eventually they enjoy the surprise of finding out what they'll be listening to on each trip.  It is much less painful if they lose a $15 Mp3 player than if they lose an iPod. It is also a great way to spark discussions of music, musicians, and artists on your trip. Just a side note, classical music makes them fall asleep...

4.  A little crap never hurt anyone.

I consider my husband and I benevolent dictators. We allow a little bit of democracy thrown into our authoritarian rule, and well... some treats.  Since the cereal of choice (our choice) for the kids is Cheerios, we let the kids choose a "crap cereal"... you know the ones I'm talking about - colorful, often candy coated, with little nutritional value. You may be better off eating the box.  We figure that if we are going to make them listen to something from our musical grab bag, we'd better give them a little something to keep the talk of revolt among the children down to a low murmur. On vacation or other type of road trip, we try to give more "yes" replies than usual. That makes for a more peaceful trip for all of us.

5.  Wash, dry, and fold all of the clothes before you leave for home.

Packing up dirty clothes in the suitcase next to clean ones is such an issue for me.  I end up washing EVERYTHING in the suitcase because it has been touched by the dirty clothes.  Also, I don't want to come home from vacation and have to go straight back into the laundry routine. I try to find places to stay with a washer and dryer in the room or at least have a laundromat nearby so that I can wash and dry everything before I pack it up to leave. That way, when I get home, I can just put everything back in the drawers and unpacking isn't the nightmare that it usually is.

What do YOU do to make your family travel peaceful?

Add a comment

New Year's Eve... SocaMom Style!

Many of us will be opting for church, or a small gathering with close family and friends to bring in 2013.

There are a ton of parties that you could go to, but here are two interesting events that you may want to consider checking out. One is in the Washington, DC area where we have a meetup group, and the other is in Brooklyn, NY where we also have a meetup group.

Washington, DC - Socacize $1 Fete

I am a huge Socacize fan.  I haven't been able to go in a while, but next year I plan to MAKE time for fitness.

You can bring in the new year with soca and exercise at Adinkra Cultural Arts Center on 3804 34th Street in Mt. Rainier, MD for $1! Click here for more information.

Brooklyn, NY - TriniSoul Caribbean Cooking Class and Small Bites Party (Must RSVP by 4 pm today)

Now THIS is a menu... Bring in the NEW YEAR, Caribbean Style with the ultimate caribbean small bites cooking party. It's more than a cooking class, it's the ultimate small bites cooking party!

• Spicy Jerk Meat Balls - ground beef and jerk spices then pan fried or bake with a ginger sauce
• Mango Tamarind Wings with a Creamy Savory Mango Chutney;
• Coconut Rice - Mini Bowls of delicious coconut rice
• Hogs in a Sleeping Bag - polska kielbasa sausage wrapped in a puff pastry and baked
• Mini Yam Patties - seasoned blackbeans and yams wrapped in pastry and baked
• Curry Chicken Salad in Phyllo Cups
• Tostones - with a spicy mojo sauce
• Grilled Brussel Sprouts - seasoned with olive oil, pepper and salt
• Sweet Plantains - Baked with Cinnamon and Sugar
• Cod Fish Fritters with a tamarind sauce
• Passion Fruit and Sorrel Drink

Click here to RSVP and for more information.

If you have a unique, Caribbean themed event that you would like to add to this list, click on contact us.  Happy New Year all!

Add a comment

10 by 10: Blogs I Checked Out Today December 28, 2012: The Babble Edition

As you guys know by now, I read a lot of blogs. Maybe not a lot of books, but a LOT of blogs.  I usually read 10 by 10 am, so I do a 10 by 10 series every now and then if I have a particularly good morning of sweet, shareworthy reading. Today, I am in the midst of New Year's cleaning, and didn't finish this by 10 am, but 10 by 1 sounds strange.

It started with a photo posted by Babble on Facebook. I ended up on their site, reading Wisdom from Mom Bloggers: Tips for First Time Bloggers, and found that even though I'll be at two years blogging next year, I still have a TON to learn.  When I hit a piece of advice that resonated with me, I went to the writer's blog to see what else they have written that might move me... Here's what I found:

Mocha Momma (@mochamomma on Twitter) - http://www.mochamomma.com/2012/12/09/couple-of-things/ - My comment: I have to admit that I laughed out loud at “Goes to a black.” I can’t wait to slip that in on my husband in conversation and see if he catches it, and what his reaction is. He’s a black too, so he just might find it funny. Or not. First time visitor – loving your blog!

Sweet Salty - http://www.kateinglis.com/sweetsalty/2012/12/4/niyama-flow.html - My comment: I don't recognize myself a lot these days. I see that I have become some weird mashup of my dad's face and strategically sarcastic mouth, and my mom's neck and legs. It's so creepy. I'm still very much recognizable to my friends though... matter of fact, mildly funny, and always down for sushi and chicken wings.

Sarah and the Goon Squad (@goonsquadsarah on Twitter) - http://sarahandthegoonsquad.com/2012/12/10/not-so-sure-about-those-christmas-carols/ - My comment: I do a lot of my Google and wikipedia searches while the kids are arguing. I get them to stop by throwing obscure facts at them... they share everything they have learned about the Bee Gees and the cast of Office Space as soon as he gets in the door. Needless to say he is a little unsure about my homeschooling plan. :)

Black Girl in Maine (@blackgirlinmain on Twitter) - I commented, but it didn't post... not sure why. Something about Maine being beautiful, but strikingly brown face free.  Something like that. You can read any of her posts here... any of them, seriously, are good reads: http://blackgirlinmaine.com

Bug and the Sweet Banana (@bugandthebanana on Twitter) - http://bugandthesweetbanana.typepad.com/bug-and-the-sweet-banana/2012/12/christmas-2012.html - My comment: (Not sure it posted, but this is what I wrote...) This post sent me on a roller coaster... I went from, "Awwwww" (puppy) to "ew" (pocket vomit), back to "awwwwww" (the bigger sleeping Trouser), to "aw man" at the "snuffly" nose, to "wow" at the gift-a-palooza, to "sweeeeet" at all the smiley faces, then all "joy to the world" with the last set of photos. Now that's talent. Happy New Year! :)

The Bloggess (@thebloggess on Twitter) - http://thebloggess.com/2012/12/astronomy-classes-ruined-my-sense-of-romance - My comment: Sounds just like a conversation that my friends and I would have... but it would start something like, "Aw man, I heard this ridiculously sweet quote that was so inaccurate. Let's come up with a better one. One that sucks less. Here's a napkin."

The Nie Nie Dialogues - Very cute Christmas video... http://www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/2012/12/merry-christmas-from-nielsons.html

A Little Pregnant (@alittlepregnant on Twitter) - http://www.alittlepregnant.com/alittlepregnant/2012/12/gone-bad-wrong.html - My comment: This was very thoughtfully written, and I appreciate you for saying what a lot of people are scared to say.  I had to explain it to my 3 kids, 6, 7, and 13. Not because I wanted to, and not because they would have heard about it while we watched the news - but because everywhere we went it was on a random TV or on the radio... just everywhere. Only the 13 year old was scared and he said so. The two youngest have a much simpler view of the world, and had likely let it go shortly after the explanation. I homeschool so I'll have to be the one to explain church burnings, and other instances of unspeakable seemingly random cruelty against children, that this tragedy will join in the history books. My prayer is that the care for those that are still here is ongoing. It is easy to mourn for the kids that lost their lives, but much harder to continue to ask the surviving kids, teachers, and parents, "are you okay?" long after social media has moved on, and news coverage dwindles.

Motherhood Uncensored (@thatkristen on Twitter) - http://www.motherhooduncensored.net/motherhood_uncensored/2012/12/so-apparently-carbs-sugar-and-booze-make-me-an-asshole-.html - My comment: Oh wow. I haven't checked to see if losing booze, carbs, and sugar will change my mood, but since basically ALL Caribbean food involves some combination of these - I may not make it.  I have a WHOLE black cake (rum, wine, sugar, fruit, and flour) sitting on my table waiting to be eaten, and a host of other goodies that I had no intention of sharing, let alone throwing away. We actually have a dessert called "sugar cake". I don't think a good mood is worth getting rid of black cake... that alone will make me an a**hole. I am supposed to be joining a friend in eating clean, so I may hold off for a while. Thank goodness wine and rum together are a perfect preservative.

Uppercase woman (@cecilyk on Twitter) - http://uppercasewoman.com/2012/12/23/from-our-family/ - My comment: How sweet! My favorite part was the removing of the headband... Happy New Year! :)

Know of any blogs that I should be reading? Is it yours? Let me know!  If you stop by these blogs, tell them Eva from SocaMom.com sent you... enjoy! :)

Add a comment

Happy New Year: 5 Things You Can Do to Start 2013 Right

I am getting ready for 2013, and my biggest goal for the next few days is to make sure that I have a fresh start on the year.

I am a firm believer in the IDEA of starting fresh whenever necessary, but there's something about New Year's that gets me motivated.  It is a deadline of sorts - a date that I can shoot for.

 

Here are five things that I do to get ready for the new year:

1. Get my floors cleaned. There's something about clean carpets that makes me feel all brand new inside.  I called Stanley Steemer last week so that I could get an appointment before the end of the year.

2. Get rid of any clothes and shoes I didn't wear the whole year or can no longer wear. Chances are that if I didn't wear it this year, I won't be wearing it next year.  I wash the clothes (I know they wash it again, but growing up my mom said we had to wash it first - so I do), toss what can't be given away (anything with holes or stains) bag everything up, and the kids and I take some to the church and some to the Salvation Army.

3.  Get rid of old makeup, hair products, and lotion. It is just the right thing to do.  I do this several times during the year, but definitely at new year's time.  I love seeing my bathroom cabinet all neat and orderly - this fresh start allows me to try out new stuff to pamper myself on my days off without feeling like I am adding to a collection of beauty clutter.

4. Think of a fitness plan. After the back to back months of gluttony (Thanksgiving, leftovers from Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, leftovers from Christmas, New Year's Eve, leftovers from New Year's Eve), my waistline needs some work, so I figure out what my goal is going to be, and what the plan is to get there.  I hope to run a half marathon in 2013, so I am building my fitness plan around getting ready for that.

5.  Tell God what I want, and ask him for what I need. I know that He knows, but there's something about asking that seems to get things done.  I know all the kids favorite foods, outfits, and places to go for fun - sometimes I just do what I know they'd appreciate just to see the smiles on their faces.  Other times I have a lot to to... and I forget... or I'm too tired... or I'm focused on the big things and forget the small things.  I know God never forgets, or is too busy, or too tired, and that He knows the desires of my heart - but I still ask...

Matthew 7:7-11 (NIV)

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Thank you to all of my readers, commenters, friends, family, meetup members, and contributors for all of your support in 2012.  I am looking forward to another great year with all of you.  Happy New Year everyone!

What will you be doing to get a fresh start for 2013?

Add a comment