At the start of May I changed to my own server and it took me a while to sort out some problems and settle in. As such the Monthly Review for April did not appear. This therefore is a combined review of April and May and some goals I am setting myself for June.

REVIEW - KEY TASKS FOR APRIL/MAY:

Not being too busy.
April was not great, May started roughly and I actually averaged about 6 hours a night sleep for the first 10 days in May. So far away from where I wanted to be. But in last two weeks of May, I have seemed to have achieved more balance. They key was creating a work plan and sticking to it. Providing I can stick to it for June, I will talk about this further in a separate post.

Making a decision on kinder for Babaganouski
Babaganouski is born on April 30 which is the cut off date for age entry into kinder and school. I needed to decide if I want to enrol him for 3 y.o kinder in 2009 or wait until 2010. We have decided that we will wait until 2010 and I am confident that this will be the right decision for him.

This decision has the flow on effect of determining when we send Babaganouski to school. Our decision now means he will turn 6 in the year he starts Prep. This is a widely debated topic in Australia and one which is a personal one for each family and is dependent upon the individual child.

Create a Command Centre
During April I had on my to do list to make this myself as per the instructions on Mom Ready. This actually never happened and so I decided to look to purchase one online. The Wall Organiser that I like the most and which will fit the space that I have for it, does not send to Australia. I am yet to find one similar that ships to Australia, so I am still searching on this one and if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

Birthday Celebrations
We had two small parties this year, Babaganouski’s was very small, but also very special as we were in Mildura a couple of days after his birthday and had it there with his grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin who live there as well as his other aunties and uncles that were also visiting.

Organise the Special People
Each child had the special person of their choice to take to their school for Special Persons Day.

Writing Practice for Little Rascal
This was actually much easier than I had expected. One weekend in April while I was in the study blogging, I asked Little Rascal to come and sit with me and hand write a story. Once he completed it, I said he could use the computer to “publish” it and I would teach him to insert pictures for the illustrations.

It took him a little while to come up with a topic, but he decided on Scooby Doo. Now I would have preferred a different topic, but given that he was excited about it, I decided to let that go and focus on the fact that at least he was writing.

Once he had published and illustrated his first story which was titled Scooby Doo vs Shaggy, Little Rascal informed me that he was going to do a series and his next one was going to be Scooby Doo vs Fred. Each weekend he would work on a story and then take it to school for Show and Share.

I loved that he was so proud of his work. Little Rascal has a wonderful teacher and even without me discussing this project with her, after his second story he came home from school with a presentation folder to put his stories in. Little Rascal very excitedly told me, that when it is finished it is allowed to go in their reading corner!

Back Yard
We are into maintenance mode now here and as it is winter the level of work is not as great

GOALS - KEY TASKS FOR JUNE:

Not being too busy.
Measurables here for me are being in bed by 11.00pm and one week day a week where I am at home.

Mid year catch ups.
Now that we are entering June, it is going to be 6 months or more since I have seen some people. I am going to try and organise a couple of catch up with groups of friends, so I can see a few mates at a time.

Re-do the family budget.
This task actually falls into Mr Infrastructure’s department (yay!!), but I do have to help with the inputs. A few things have changed recently, so to be truly reflective of our in comings and outgoings we need to revise our figures.

Change over toys.
I like to change over the toys that we have out on display every couple of months, so they meet the interests and developmental needs of the children.

Gather donations.
The boy’s schools is supporting the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Winter Appeal I will get the children to help me go through some cupboards in our house and find items for donation.

So are you like me and a little freaked out that it is June already? What goals are you setting for yourself this month?

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I would like to apologise if (and I am pretty sure you have) had trouble accessing my site. Each night this week from about 8pm Australian Eastern time, my site has become inaccessible. Firstly my hosting company said it was due to faulty hardware which they replaced. Then they needed to replace the hardware they replaced (!), because it was faulty.

Then I don’t really know what happened last night (the hosting company have fixed the problem but with no explanation), but everything totally disappeared! That one really freaked me out, because as I have had so much trouble with the site, I hadn’t backed up for five days.

Given that I don’t start working on the blog usually until 8pm once I have all the children off to bed, I have not been able to do as much as I would have liked to on the blog this week. I am really hoping that this is the end of it, because I have had such a frustrating and time wasting week. It made me feel quite grumpy and very angry towards my hosting company.

However, perspective is a wonderful thing and I did have the opportunity to read a few amazing posts this week. A post from Alison at Three Times Kewl - now she has the right to be angry and a post on PreSchool Mama about a mother who really deserves to be angry and frustrated at a system that allowed her child (who has Asperger’s) voted out of his kinder class.

I also have a couple of good friends in the real world who are going through some of the hardest times of their life. My site may have not been working properly but family is alive, beautiful and well and I am healthy. Things really aren’t that bad!

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Back in February I reorganised Possum’s drawers and wardrobes. Possum has independently dressed herself since she was two and has an eclectic sense of style! For an example of this, see the photo in the Wordless Wednesday post preceding this.

The style I have learnt to cope with, but as the mornings have started to get colder (4 - 7 degrees Celsius) Possum and I have started to have battles over what is warm enough to wear for the walk to school.

Shorts and leggings are her favourite items of clothing and there was a few of these pieces of clothing left in her drawers. As her favourites they were also in high rotation. Some days we would have a discussion about how cold it was outside and we would find some middle ground by putting her leggings on underneath the shorts.

Two mornings last week though the discussion was really a battle and their was unhappiness on both sides. I now knew this situation was causing too much disruption to our morning routine and I needed to make some changes.

On the weekend I sat Possum down and explained that we are almost near winter and all shorts now need to be put away until spring when the weather warms up. Possum was devastated and cried about how much shes loves her shorts, but they went away.

Mr Infrastructure had suggested that I just put them away without telling her. I really try to be honest with the kids and expect them to be so with me, so although it was very difficult to see Possum so upset, I think it has worked out for the best.

Since we moved them out of her drawers on the weekend, Possum has not asked for the shorts and has started dressing more appropriately for the weather and the school morning routine is much more peaceful.

Removing the source of the battle, as opposed to trying to manage the battle on a daily basis is something that I have done before and have found it an effective strategy for managing contentious issues in the house. I just wish that I had remembered to do this a month ago!

Technorati Tags: children's clothes, parenting

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Background: WW stands for Wordless Wednesday and is where you post without words and simply use a photo. I realise that I am using words here, but thought as this was my first time doing a WW post I would fill you in on what it is about, just in case you didn’t know.

To check out some great photos and stunning photography check out Wordless Wednesday HQ.

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My children have their set jobs which they are responsible for on a daily basis. There are times also when I want them to give me a hand with some ad hoc housework that needs to be done.

Naturally this request is not always met with glee and joy, but there are a few things that I do, which makes the process a happier and smoother one for all involved:

(1). Morning
I find that my kids are more likely to be in a helping mood in the morning that later in the day. Tiredness for the little ones is particularly a factor and for the older children they are fresher and more enthusiastic in the morning as well.

(2). Time Limit
The thought of endless cleaning or tidying is not something that brings me joy, so I can imagine it would seem like torture to the children if I suggested that we clean until everything was done!

For each child I set a time limit on how long they are expected to clean. The time varies depending upon the nature of the job and the age of the child. I tend to start with 15 minutes for the youngest and it is quite often the case that they actually want to keep working past this time.

(3). My Expectations
If I approach the communal cleaning project with the attitude that all will be completed in an orderly fashion and to a high standard, then I am going to be disappointed. The point of the communal cleaning project is to get the children contributing to the upkeep of the household, to teach them practical skills and to enjoy each other’s company.

(4). Music
Like myself, all my children love music so when we are cleaning together I let the children choose which music they would like to have on while we are working. Singing away while working, can take away some of the dullness of the job.

(5). Choice
There is generally a number of household jobs that need completing, so I like to offer the children a couple of age appropriate jobs from which they can choose the one they want to do. From this choice they feel that they are having some say in the process and are more likely to take full ownership of the the job that they choose.

(6). Demonstration
Before letting the kids start their household task, if they have not completed it before, I will take them through a very simple demonstration.

A trick which I learnt from my oldest son’s Montessori teacher in giving demonstrations to children, is not to talk too much. It is better to gain the child’s attention and allow them to watch me do the activity slowly. If I narrate each step, it can become information overload.

After the visual demonstration, I can then ask the child to break down the steps they need to do, so I can check their understanding.

(7). Autonomy
Once I have handed over the task, I need to give the child complete autonomy to do the job. There is nothing more disheartening for a child to have an adult come to them. take over the task and “show them how to do it properly”.

Going back to point three above, my expectations need to be realistic about how they will complete the task. I want the children to learn how to do these tasks properly and to do so, will more than likely need more than one attempt to get it down pat.

I can offer guidance and tips where necessary, and if I am really unhappy about the way for example the windows were cleaned, but I know the child tried their best, then I can always wait until they are in bed before I fix it up!

(8). Encouragement
I am in the encouragement camp of the praise vs encouragement debate. Encouragement focuses on the process, as opposed to the end result and does not label the child. After helping out, I want my kids to be able to make their own judgment on how they have gone.

I tend to use a before and after example to get this point across. If like in the above point they have worked on the windows, I can take them to a window that has not yet been cleaned and compare it to the one that they have worked on. I can note the hard work and patience that they put in to achieve this and reinforce how much I like clean windows!

(9). No Pay
My children receive pocket money, however it is not attached to any particular task. (For further discussion on pocket money, please read Financial Planning With Kids) So when I get my children to do extra jobs around the house, I do not pay them for it. My philosophy behind this is that they are part of the household and as such need to contribute to the upkeep and maintenance of the house.

When I am requesting their help around the house, I do not wish for it to turn into a discussion about how much each task is worth.

(10). Children’s Choice
As the children have just participated in an activity of my choice, I like to follow up communal cleaning session with a game of the children’s choice. This is generally something simple like hide and seek or maybe some wrestling.

How do you get children on board to do additional jobs around the house?

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Cooking in bulk so I can freeze portions for later, is something that I always talk about doing, but in reality don’t do very often. But from looking at our calendar, I can see that June is going to be very busy for us -lots of visiting friends, school performances, sporting activities and crafty nights. So I am actually going to do it - cook double and build up my stores in my freezer.

To ensure that we still maintain our healthy eating in our busy June, this week and next I am going to make double of some of our favourite recipes and set aside some in the freezer. If you use the shopping lists which I have attached at the bottom, note that the ingredients for Spaghetti Bolognaise and Shepherd’s Pie are doubled.

Monday: Spaghetti Bolognaise

Baking: Easy Banana Cake

Tuesday: Shepherds Pie

Wednesday: Left Overs

Thursday: Sausage and Vegetables

Friday: Mexibake

Saturday: Tomato and Basil Soup with Scones

Sunday: Tacos

Again, I have included the shopping list for this week’s menu plan as an excel file. The below paragraphs explain what is in the attached excel file below.

Shopping List for Menu Plan 080526

It contains three separate spreadsheets. The first is named “Complete Grocery’ and it lists by supermarket aisle all the ingredients that are needed to cook the family meals for this week.

The second spreadsheet is named “Ingredient By Meal’ and it lists the ingredients that are required for the family by each individual meal this week. I have also left on the aisle and aisle subsection in this spreadsheet for reference, but if you want to print that out you will need to alter the print area.

The third spreadsheet is named “Menu Plan” and is a modified version of the menu plan that I print and place on the fridge. I have a notes section, that I like to populate with any activities that are likely to impact the evening meal routine.

Want to see what we are having next week? Subscribe to my free email updates via the “subscribe page” or from the RSS Feed icon at the top of the page.

For more menu planning ideas head on over to Laura’s place at “I’m an Organizing Junkie“.

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Before I had kids, I didn’t have that many views on what I would be like as a parent. One of the few things that I did have a view on was that I wanted to instill into my children an understanding of the broader world around them and to be passionate about injustice.

I have found over the years, one of the best ways for me to do that with my kids is to have them participate in events related to causes that I am passionate about.

There are a number of key events that are held at a similar time each year, so I can schedule them on the calendar for us to go to. This week end sees one such event: The Long Walk. The Long Walk states that its mission is:

The Long Walk is committed to the health and well being of Indigenous Australians.

We believe ALL Australians are entitled to a home, a job and an education.

All the work we do is focused on achieving equality between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians.

This year the walk starts at one of my favourite places in Melbourne Federation Square and will walk to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

I try to ensure that as well as learning about the world around them, the kids enjoy themselves when we go on these events. Through the fun and exploration they had, they will hopefully remember the key messages of the event.

Some preparation and planning is key and I like to do the following:

Food - pack a snack box and water bottle for each child.

Pram and buggy board - make sure that I have the buggy board on the pram for the preschooler as it can be a long walk at that time of the night for her.

Scooters - My older boys have those scooters that fold down to a compact size. We bring those along as the boys love getting a chance to ride on them in the city. It also makes it less tiring for them.

Public Transport - Catching the train makes it seem much more like an adventure! It is also logistically more practical as you start in one place and finish in another. It is much easier to then walk to the nearest train station, as opposed to walking back to where the car would be parked.

Accessories For The Weather - Saturday’s forecast at this stage is fine and 17, but once the sun goes down (usually before 6pm at the moment) it does get very cool, so I will take along warm jackets for the children and me. Thankfully my pram has quite a bit of storage space underneath it!

Books - I will also ask the kids to choose a small book each. These become helpful to occupy tired children while waiting for and being on the train on the way home.

What sort of events/festivals do you like to your kids to and what are your preparation tips?

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In Victoria (and many other states in Australia) the Premier of our State holds a Reading Challenge each year. The aim of the challenge is “to promote a love of reading. It is not a competition, but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.”

Students in Prep to Year 2 are challenged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books and students in Years 3 to 10 are challenged to read 15 books by 31 August 2008. For children who are just learning to read, their parent or other adult can help them to ‘experience’ books by reading to or with them and talking about the story, text and pictures.

At the end of the challenge period certificates are given to celebrate the achievements of all students who successfully complete the Reading Challenge. The names of these children are also published in the Victorian broadsheet newspaper The Age in a special supplement.

Both my boys love to read, so I try to use the challenge time (ends 31st August) to broaden their reading tastes and encourage them to try new authors. I have also found this a useful way to teach the children to use the library’s catalogue computer system.

The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is very well organised and supplies fantastic lists of age appropriate books that are on the challenge list. So now when we go the library, the boys have their lists and spend some time using the computer system to find out if the books they want are available and where to find them.

I have attached the lists which I downloaded from the PRC’s Website. I have slightly modified the spreadsheet to include a column where the children can enter the date that they read the books. All books must be entered into the PRC website and be verified by a teacher from their school to count towards their challenge totals.

Even though we can enter the books they read directly onto the system at home, I find it too hard to keep track of what we read without a paper record. (The lists are long, so I made sure that I printed them out double sided and on recycled paper!) Thinker who is in grade 4 keeps track of his books independently and I assist Little Rascal who is grade 1.

Even if your child is not doing the PRC the lists are still a great resource of books for each grade level.

Prep to Grade 2 Challenge Book List
Grade 3 and 4 Challenge Book List
Grade 5 and 6 Challenge Book List

Children can read across higher levels if they are able. Thinker likes lots of the books included in the grade 5 and 6 list, so hence I have included it above. Lists for older children up to year 10 can be found on the Premier’s Reading Challenge Book List page of the website.

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Thank you to everyone who entered the ickle kids Activity Pack Give Away.

I used a random number generator to select the winner and the winner was mamasutra, who chose the Ultimate ickle Activity Pack. I am sure her daughters will love it!

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As I set out in my post about TV we limit the time our children have watching TV and we also deal with time on the computer in the same way.

I am happy to sit with my preschooler and teach her how to navigate the screens etc so that she can play some online games on the computer. Limited and used in conjunction with other learning experiences, I believe that the computer can be a learning tool.

I like find online games that are age appropriate, that are in areas of her interest and that have some learning possibilities. Here is a list of 10 such games that we have had fun with:

(1). Colour Game
This is always the first game that I introduce preschoolers to. The child needs to select a colour by clicking the mouse and then clicking the area of the picture that they want to colour.

It is a great introductory game as it really focuses on mouse control from a technical aspect and from a primary learning aspect you can name reinforce their colour identification.

(2). Animal Bingo
This game requires the preschooler to listen to the animal sound and then click on the animal which makes that noise. Great activity for them to practice their listening skills and increase their animal knowledge.

(3). The Bernstain Bears Pack A Picnic Game
This game requires the preschooler to follow prompts on the screen to find particular items. It focuses primarily on the observational skills of the child.

(4). Keyboard-o-rama
This is an exploratory style game for the preschooler, where Elmo explains what they keys on the keyboard mean.

(5). Memory Game
Most preschool game sites will have a version of the memory card game. It is a great way to move from the real world to the virtual world, as the preschooler is generally already aware of the rules of this game.

(6). The Wiggles Shape Match
The preschooler can work on their mouse skills as they need to click and drag shapes to their right spot.

(7). Joe’s Maze
Again this takes a familiar concept and adopts in to the computer for the preschooler. They preschooler has to use the arrow keys to move the rabbit to its broccoli. Perfect for discussion of directions for example right, left, up and down.

(8). Hickory Dickory Dock Game
Excellent simple game reinforcing the preschoolers recall of numbers and introducing the clock concept.

(9). Dress Caillou
This is a recent find for me and I am going to use with my preschooler as an way of teaching about what clothes are appropriate for the weather we are experiencing. (Possum still wants to wear shorts even though when we are walking to school in the morning it is only 7 degrees celsius!)

(10). Brick Buster Game
This is game probably requires the most nimble computer skills of all the ones I have listed. It requires the preschooler to match up colour bricks by clicking the right column for them to be dropped into. This a level style game, with the child able to progress to more complex levels.

I would love to hear of any online games that you play with your preschooler and have found fun and valuable.

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