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| heading to the mountians |
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| hiking along |
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| checking out an old cabin |
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| being silly in the woods |
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| resting in the wind |
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| making new friends |
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| exploring together |
Thoughtful Parenting: A family resource that seeks to nurture flourishing in the family by encouraging more purposeful living in parenting and family life.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Summer Camp Week Two and Three
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Week One of Summer Camp at Home
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| Owen loves rock hunting in the creek |
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| taking a trip up the creek |
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| what will we find? |
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| packing lunches to eat after a long morning of swimming lessons |
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| evidence of naps |
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| sun prints after a nature walk |
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| visiting our favorite bakery and yes please on the extra frosting |
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| playing in the park way past bed time |
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| discovering the best pancake recipe |
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| eating breakfast outside |
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| more evidence of naps |
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| just trying to finish that one last page before rest time is over |
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
HOUSE CALLS
Attention all women! Midwives do more than catch babies!
Meet one of my midwives, Donna. Donna and Jess cared for me while I was pregnant with Owen. They answered every single one of Marin's questions, and let her use the doppler to find the baby's heart beat. They came to my house for all of my prenatal visits, and they came to my house for the birth of little Owen.
After Owen was born Donna and Jess came back to care for me in my house. Bonus, postpartum care in your house, AMEN!
So you might be asking why I am talking about my midwife again? You all know I had a home birth so what's this about?
When I was a teen and about to get my first Well Woman Exam my mother decided the best way to introduce her daughter to obstetrics was under the care of a midwife. She found a local midwife, set us up an appointment and one day this woman arrived at my house. We were introduced to each other and then she and I sat out on the porch for a while and talked about growing up, the components of the girl body, boobs and such, and about taking care of yourself, and boys, and how pregnancy works (I had known about this for a long time because when I was five I found a book hidden on a shelf in our house called Susie's Babies by Edith Clarkson.
So I read most of the book and when my mom found me with it she sat down and we finished the book together and talked through Susie having babies. I then informed every child in my kindergarten class as to how babies are made and delivered, in the hamster world that is.
My first experience with obstetrics care was in the comfort of my home, with a woman who cared about my personal health and emotional experience in growing up. She was nice and chatty and made it anything but awkward, even though I was nervous about it, she made it less scary. She made it easy to ask questions I may have felt weird asking my mom, not because my mom was critical of me but she was my mom.
So a few weeks ago I called Donna and said, "I haven't seen a doctor in over two years, can you do my Well Woman Exam?" she said yes. I was supposed to meet her at her office on Monday, but Owen was asleep after a morning of swimming, so I called her and asked if she was able to come over (my house is a mile from her office). She said, "Don't wake the baby!" and arrived a few minutes later. Marin did crafts at the table and Owen took a nap, and Donna did my entire exam in my room. She went through everything an OBGYN would have, sent off my labs to the same place, everything was the same, EXCEPT I was in my own house, my baby was napping. I didn't have to set up a sitter, drive across town, pay for parking, use stirrups, sit on that crinkly white paper, wear a paper gown (I wore my own comfy things).
I paid her my normal co-pay and a bag of fresh garden tomatoes.
So if you don't like going to an office for your Well Woman Exams, if you have a daughter who is approaching the dreaded first exam, check out your local midwifery care. Midwifery care is not some hippie, back woods type of care. A midwife cares for the whole woman, she takes care of her when she is expecting a baby, she takes care of her when she has a miscarriage (and stops by to talk, listen and make you tea), she listens when you feel like your hormones are out of whack, she frequently visits when you are postpartum, she knows how to look for things that might be abnormal and can recommend good further care, she comes to your home and believes your care should take place in your habitat where you can be most comfortable, and she can do your well woman care forever. She can care for your growing daughter and she sees caring for you as whole family care. Midwives do house calls!
I wanted to post about this because I feel like its often overlooked at how vital midwives have been and still are in female health care. I also have been thinking about how I will handle this some day with Marin. I'll probably just call Donna. Who will probably still come over even though by then she will be retired.
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| Donna and Jess come to help Owen out! |
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| Owen gets his first Well Child Check-up right on our bed, no bright lights or cold hospital rooms for this baby |
So you might be asking why I am talking about my midwife again? You all know I had a home birth so what's this about?
When I was a teen and about to get my first Well Woman Exam my mother decided the best way to introduce her daughter to obstetrics was under the care of a midwife. She found a local midwife, set us up an appointment and one day this woman arrived at my house. We were introduced to each other and then she and I sat out on the porch for a while and talked about growing up, the components of the girl body, boobs and such, and about taking care of yourself, and boys, and how pregnancy works (I had known about this for a long time because when I was five I found a book hidden on a shelf in our house called Susie's Babies by Edith Clarkson.
So I read most of the book and when my mom found me with it she sat down and we finished the book together and talked through Susie having babies. I then informed every child in my kindergarten class as to how babies are made and delivered, in the hamster world that is.
My first experience with obstetrics care was in the comfort of my home, with a woman who cared about my personal health and emotional experience in growing up. She was nice and chatty and made it anything but awkward, even though I was nervous about it, she made it less scary. She made it easy to ask questions I may have felt weird asking my mom, not because my mom was critical of me but she was my mom.
So a few weeks ago I called Donna and said, "I haven't seen a doctor in over two years, can you do my Well Woman Exam?" she said yes. I was supposed to meet her at her office on Monday, but Owen was asleep after a morning of swimming, so I called her and asked if she was able to come over (my house is a mile from her office). She said, "Don't wake the baby!" and arrived a few minutes later. Marin did crafts at the table and Owen took a nap, and Donna did my entire exam in my room. She went through everything an OBGYN would have, sent off my labs to the same place, everything was the same, EXCEPT I was in my own house, my baby was napping. I didn't have to set up a sitter, drive across town, pay for parking, use stirrups, sit on that crinkly white paper, wear a paper gown (I wore my own comfy things).
I paid her my normal co-pay and a bag of fresh garden tomatoes.
So if you don't like going to an office for your Well Woman Exams, if you have a daughter who is approaching the dreaded first exam, check out your local midwifery care. Midwifery care is not some hippie, back woods type of care. A midwife cares for the whole woman, she takes care of her when she is expecting a baby, she takes care of her when she has a miscarriage (and stops by to talk, listen and make you tea), she listens when you feel like your hormones are out of whack, she frequently visits when you are postpartum, she knows how to look for things that might be abnormal and can recommend good further care, she comes to your home and believes your care should take place in your habitat where you can be most comfortable, and she can do your well woman care forever. She can care for your growing daughter and she sees caring for you as whole family care. Midwives do house calls!
I wanted to post about this because I feel like its often overlooked at how vital midwives have been and still are in female health care. I also have been thinking about how I will handle this some day with Marin. I'll probably just call Donna. Who will probably still come over even though by then she will be retired.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Preschool Graduation, Kindergarten Prep!
Today we experienced our first graduation, and have our first graduate! Marin graduated from preschool. She has been in preschool for two and a half years. We have loved our preschool experience, learning to work in community, going from letter recognition to the beginning stages of reading.
As we leave preschool I have been spending a lot of time and energy on preparing our graduate for the next stage, KINDERGARTEN!
Kindergarten Prep Part 1
One of the ways I have been doing this is by asking lots of questions. I ask every "professional" I meet (her pediatrician, other teachers, parents, etc...) "How do we get ready for kindergarten?" "What should I be teaching her?" "What does she need to know." The most common response I got was, wait for it...
WIPE HER OWN BOTTOM!
No joke, of all the things, wipe. Yep everyone said that. Know your letters? How to count? No everyone just said "wipe". But you know me I won't take that as the only answer. So I sent a friend who taught kindergarten for many years a letter asking very specific questions. Here are my questions:
1. What can I expect when my child enters school?
2. What did you find parents worried about?
3. As a teacher what frustrated you the most? (In relation to what kids needed to know from their parents)
4. How can I advocate for my child's teacher?
5. What can I help my child learn between now and school starting?
Below are her answers:
I loved being a kindergarten teacher! You get to see such growth in the course of nine months. Children come in a bit tentative...they have to learn all the ropes of a new school, a new teacher, a new set of friends, and by the time they leave, they have such confidence.
First off, I think it is a really good idea to visit Marin's school. Maybe you've already done this. Try to meet teachers, and if there is one you connect with or one you've heard great things about, go ahead and request her or him. Some parents seem to hesitate to request teachers, assuming that they'll get the label as being "high maintenance". Teachers and administrators don't really care. Of course, in some unique situations, requests can't be made, but in general, pairing your child with a teacher that you think will "get" them is such an advantage. Plus, the teacher will be flattered!
I had one room mother who always made me fill out a little questionnaire at the beginning of the year...questions like "what do you like to do in your free time?", "your favorite takeout lunch?", "what is on your wishlist for your classroom?". Then, for any kind of appreciation gift, she would go to these answers. Sometimes, she would just surprise me with a lunch. I cannot tell you how appreciated I felt by her. It was just little things, but they meant so much.
As far as what Marin needs to know or do by the time she enters kindergarten...I would say to work on these things:
1. tying shoes (teachers have to tie an insane amount of shoelaces)
2. zipping up coats (same explanation as number 1)
3. cutting paper and gluing (crafts are not as prevalent as they once were in kindergarten, so this is a skill that kids need to work on at home)
4. holding a pencil correctly
5. having some letter recognition (kindergarten will be when most children start reading and writing, so a familiarity with letters is quite nice to have upon entering kindergarten, but not required)
6. writing his/her name...letter formation in general is something to practice at home as well...especially lower case letters.
7. other basic skills - knowing colors, shapes, rote counting to 20
8. the ability to leave your parents
this one is hard! but, maybe a little class could help or a Sunday school class. or preschool, of course.
9. this one is also a bit harder, but the ability to use words to talk about problems as opposed to crying/screaming or hitting/pushing
I know this is a lot and really, it is rare to have a kid come to school with all of these. So, do not stress, just do the best you can.
The only other thing I'd tell you is to try not and linger on the first day of school. Get her settled, take a photo, give a hug, and then leave....it's so much easier on everyone...you, the kid, the teacher.
This letter was very helpful. I hope it is helpful to anyone else getting ready for school. I will write a second post about this topic and the other ways we are getting ready for kindergarten. In the meantime Happy Summer! School is OUT!!!!
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| Our little graduate |
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| Marin draws herself graduating in her end of the school year Psalm in Sunday School |
Kindergarten Prep Part 1
One of the ways I have been doing this is by asking lots of questions. I ask every "professional" I meet (her pediatrician, other teachers, parents, etc...) "How do we get ready for kindergarten?" "What should I be teaching her?" "What does she need to know." The most common response I got was, wait for it...
WIPE HER OWN BOTTOM!
No joke, of all the things, wipe. Yep everyone said that. Know your letters? How to count? No everyone just said "wipe". But you know me I won't take that as the only answer. So I sent a friend who taught kindergarten for many years a letter asking very specific questions. Here are my questions:
1. What can I expect when my child enters school?
2. What did you find parents worried about?
3. As a teacher what frustrated you the most? (In relation to what kids needed to know from their parents)
4. How can I advocate for my child's teacher?
5. What can I help my child learn between now and school starting?
Below are her answers:
I loved being a kindergarten teacher! You get to see such growth in the course of nine months. Children come in a bit tentative...they have to learn all the ropes of a new school, a new teacher, a new set of friends, and by the time they leave, they have such confidence.
First off, I think it is a really good idea to visit Marin's school. Maybe you've already done this. Try to meet teachers, and if there is one you connect with or one you've heard great things about, go ahead and request her or him. Some parents seem to hesitate to request teachers, assuming that they'll get the label as being "high maintenance". Teachers and administrators don't really care. Of course, in some unique situations, requests can't be made, but in general, pairing your child with a teacher that you think will "get" them is such an advantage. Plus, the teacher will be flattered!
I had one room mother who always made me fill out a little questionnaire at the beginning of the year...questions like "what do you like to do in your free time?", "your favorite takeout lunch?", "what is on your wishlist for your classroom?". Then, for any kind of appreciation gift, she would go to these answers. Sometimes, she would just surprise me with a lunch. I cannot tell you how appreciated I felt by her. It was just little things, but they meant so much.
As far as what Marin needs to know or do by the time she enters kindergarten...I would say to work on these things:
1. tying shoes (teachers have to tie an insane amount of shoelaces)
2. zipping up coats (same explanation as number 1)
3. cutting paper and gluing (crafts are not as prevalent as they once were in kindergarten, so this is a skill that kids need to work on at home)
4. holding a pencil correctly
5. having some letter recognition (kindergarten will be when most children start reading and writing, so a familiarity with letters is quite nice to have upon entering kindergarten, but not required)
6. writing his/her name...letter formation in general is something to practice at home as well...especially lower case letters.
7. other basic skills - knowing colors, shapes, rote counting to 20
8. the ability to leave your parents
this one is hard! but, maybe a little class could help or a Sunday school class. or preschool, of course. 9. this one is also a bit harder, but the ability to use words to talk about problems as opposed to crying/screaming or hitting/pushing
I know this is a lot and really, it is rare to have a kid come to school with all of these. So, do not stress, just do the best you can.
The only other thing I'd tell you is to try not and linger on the first day of school. Get her settled, take a photo, give a hug, and then leave....it's so much easier on everyone...you, the kid, the teacher.
This letter was very helpful. I hope it is helpful to anyone else getting ready for school. I will write a second post about this topic and the other ways we are getting ready for kindergarten. In the meantime Happy Summer! School is OUT!!!!
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