You learn as you go

You learn as you go.

My older son is now 7 and I have come to realize some mistakes I've made in raising him. 

When I wrote the blog below on a schedule for toddlers, I was very proud of the fact that I limited his TV tube time. He actually didnt watch any TV or kids videos until he was almost 3. This was before iPhone an IPad too. And now I realize that was a big mistake.

Routine keep me sane!

See our family routine in this post. And the original MIMIT KIDS TV SCHEDULE Routine post here. And more ponderings on the schedule here.  

Our youngest son did get some TV before age 2, mostly watching along side his brothers TV/tube time. So the youngest had early exposure to television.

Nowadays when my kids do get to watch TV for Friday movie night or cartoons on Saturday morning, the older one is completely plugged in (or zoned out). While the 3 year old can tune in and out to come get a drink from the kitchen and even gets bored with the shows. 

If I had to do it all again, I'd follow our new routine.

After we drop off the older one at school, my younger kids get 1 (one) hour of TV in the morning (which is public television cartoons like sesame street) without those commercials that are so awesome for kids who react with "I want that!" This way the kids get to relax and enjoy some TV time before we move on with our daily activities.  There is still almost no TV during the school week for the older one, except one 1/2 hour program (our play on the iPad) after homework and responsibilities are complete. 

Kids new that time to unwind, or wake up. And just like adults need to zone out sometimes, so do kids. 

YOUTUBE CHANNEL INFO

Our family has had many adventures through the years. Mom, the @Minstr0Interior had an a-ha moment . . .  Suddenly I See what we will have filled our life with, ADVENTURES! We travel, craft, sing, dance, collect insects and spend loads of time together. Sometimes too much time together. Our kids have recently begun to document their own adventures, and so this channel was born. Enjoy our adventures. Or not. WANT MORE? If there is a blog post accompanying this video we will share it here. Sometimes we will include the ingredients list of the craft or recipe, or the itinerary of our trip. In the meantime click play. 

From our family: 👍 + 🙃 + ❤️ ( Thumbs up, emoji face, hearts! )

See It Live >>> 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2mGpujQIVgxdfTImFnQuLA

Make mistakes. Breathe. Reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud.

I wanna have some Pancakes with you - an Unwritten Song. Pancake Recipe Included

I am so happy to take some notes here about the Pancake song. You know how you stand over the stove and prep the batter, this little melody just popped in my mind as I poured batter into the pan, and my littles waited at the breakfast table. 

I wanna have some Pancakes with you, an Unwritten Song. Pancake Recipe Included

From: I wanna eat some pancakes with you! Summer 2015 > > 

The Summer Routine > >  eating. . . 

Being a mom, staying at home, can feel mundane. You are a slave to the stove, snack queen, mediator of the sibling rivalry, etc. Etc.  While I am making pancakes this morning, a moment of I can't believe I'm cooking ... again ... overtook me. However we aren't rushing. 

Eventho I sort of put this burden on myself (since we don't eat cereal every morning) and the kids eat something fresh everyday! Toast and fruit, leftovers, potato pancakes, etc. 

Today I am making pancakes from scratch, but we are not rushed - we have very little planned. We are on summer break, so why rush? The schedule today calls for some vintage shopping and the beach. I can use an iron skillet, and put a pat of butter before I ladle each little pancake. If course its more time consuming working on a small iron skillet (in the bottom photo I used my mom's skillet, but at home it's my 'plancha' from when we got married for heating tortillas - way too small), but ridiculously yummy too!! 

You know that moment as a parent - we feel it deep inside that we are nourishing our kids - and with the best ingredients we can. I was careful not to burn pancakes, or walk away from the stove to get the just right finish on them, . .  That just feeds my mommy soul.

When little younger son was born I think this song started. I would hum "I wanna have some pancakes with you. Oh don'tcha know it, Pancakes with you, I wanna show it." - Then one day I asked - as if a lyric was written - wanna add banana - or chocolate chips? What a yummy treat! "Pancakes with you, with you, love you."

The kids get plates and forks for breakfast, my older son came in the kitchen mid pancake making and started playing the iPad songs. By the time I get thru the batch of pancakes, and last few cup size pieces they are discussing their dreams, Men in Black and Donna Summers "I survive" which is playing on the ipad. Baby girl always adds a bonus to our time together: she was practicing her ballet spins. 

As we eat We will talk about the plan for the day and "make a plan." We posted about making a plan to help manage kids expectations here.

If you want the song lyrics I wanna have some pancakes with you song - they are here.

 Our recipe: "I wanna have some Pancakes with you" pancake recipe

・ 2 eggs 

・ 1 cup flour 

・ 1 cup whole milk or buttermilk 

・ Pinch of salt 

・ 2 teaspoons flat baking powder 

・ 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 

・ Several pats of butter 

・ Iron Skillet if you have one 

・ Add ons: either: chocolate chips, Banana slices, Blueberries or what ever mix in you enjoy from the fridge 

Pancake making instructions - the Steps: 

IN a large bowl, make a flower mound, put a circle hole in the middle with your spoon (think volcano projects) and cracked the eggs in to be in that area, begin to incorporate flour, and slowly start to add milk and continue whisking. 

Watch out for lumps - however don't worry if you have them. These are part of the homemade fun. Keep whisking. The secret to NOT getting lumps for me - is to add milk slowly to the bowl (1/8 - 1/4 cup at a time and keep on whisking. 

Warm the skillet, add a pat of butter, ladle in a quarter cup of pancakes - in small sizes. WHY? I just hate flipping large pancakes, or under cooking the center. So small makes for easy consistent meals.

The recipe here can make approximately 30 small pancakes. 

Layer in your chips or banana slices (or chips or fruit) into the freshly poured batter. Then take a spoon and just smooth over the banana slice with the freshly poured pancake batter with some of the batter on the cakes - it hasn't hardened yet.

Heat until one side is golden brown, (2 mins depending on your pan and the heat. The first batch it takes approximately three minutes, in sequential batches it'll take 1 to 2 minutes each side. 

After you clear the pancakes from the pan, add another pat of butter before adding more of the batter, this just adds an extra nice flavor to each batch of pancakes. 

As for the song, I wanna eat my pancakes with you . . . I'll write it one day. Until then the mellody is in my head.

Make Mistakes, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud AND SING! 

a quickr pickr post

Summer Bucketlist, 2015. The early weeks and our 3 kids summer routine. At Home Day Camp.

We have had a wonderful start to the summer. Logging long days, early mornings, and we are only in our first week with all 3 kids. My younger sons school dismissal was a week earlier then older sons.

The Summer Routine

Being a mom, staying at home, can feel mundane. You are a slave to the stove, snack queen, mediator of the sibling rivalry, etc. Etc. 

While I am making pancakes this morning, a moment of I can't believe I'm cooking again overtook me. However we aren't rushing. Eventho i sort of put this burden on myself since we don't eat cereal every morning, the kids eat something fresh everyday! Toast and fruit, leftovers, potato pancakes, etc. Today I am making pancakes from scratch, but we are not rushed, so I can use a skillet, and put a pat of butter before I latle each batch. If course its more time consuming, but ridiculously yummy too!! We are on summer break, why rush? The schedule today calls for some vintage shopping and the beach.

The kids get plates and forks for breakfast, my older son came in the kitchen mid pancake making and started playing the iPad songs. As I finish they are discussing their dreams, Men in Black and Donna Summers "I survive" which is playing, and baby girl was practiceing her ballet spins. 

As we eat We will talk about the plan for the day and "make a plan." 

Monday was a lazy day, lotsa of sleeping, TV, iPads and reading. We were bums on out first day of summer. I framed some of the kids art from the year and finished younger sons Kindergarten memory book. We ran errands, getting parts for some projects I have at home, hanging a mirror, completing my sons shelves, etc.

Tuesday - we hit the beach. I rock collected, babies built sand castles and older son played soccer... For two hours!

Wednesday we went to Vogelei Park in Hoffman Estates to meet our cousins for the first of many weekly playdates.

I googled splash pads near Elgin, which is where our cousins live. Yelp brought up a long list and there were some fun blog posts. I have a separate post on the park visit with pictures.

The Birds Nest Teachable Moment

{We discussed our cousins moving to their new house, and the 2nd daughter mentioned finding a bird nest. I'm very into teachable moments, so the kids brought this subject to me and I just extended the conversation: I asked her why she thought it was on the ground? Why it had strings in it? And why I put the nest we found in our freezer? 

As the kids answer I repeat what they said, incorrect answers are not corrected, instead I keep repeating until someone gives me the right answer. I say "what else" when I want them to keep shooting answers at me. Why all this created conversation?? After a child answers a question, and you say NO or immediately give them the right answer- children assume "guessing" is wrong. But instead guessing answers, even when their incorrect is sheer brilliance at work!! Their little minds are working to FIND a solution, even when they don't know what that solution is. By guessing kids are learning the process of problem solving and critical thinking, in their own little head. As an adult, well its my job to be patient (god that's hard!) and not blurt out the answer. 

Sometimes the discussion naturally dies before I get an answer... And that's okay. In this case part of learning is the PROCESS of the conversation, not the answer. When the conversation dies, i let it, and later, even hours or a few days later, I will remind the kids "do you remember when we were talking about the Birds nest, well you never gave me the answer to my question." And I'll fill in an ending to bring closure to what was discussed. 

We don't have these conversations every day, but at least once a week something naturally will come up in conversation and I will extend it by asking the kids questions about the object. It's important to know that sometimes I don't even know the answers to the questions that I'm asking, however the kids are still brainstorming and not afraid of questions they don't know the answer to. And mommy often says "i don't know, I'll google it."

Well nearly all the kids had come for a snack and were participating in the convo. I asked their mom secretly if I could frame a birds nest for them to hang in their new home, she said yes, "it could say 'Bless this Nest." And so my next project, due in 2 weeks or so, is born. (Today while shopping in Indy I'll be looking for a deep shadow box and maybe a small elegant bird or fake eggs?}

Afterwards, since it was on our way home, my kids and I went to Ikea for lunch. Its yummy and $2.99 kids meals are well priced for a treat to eat out. I had a shelf part to buy so this trip was 2 for 1. We didn't explore the whole store, instead we just got what we came for.

Thursday - Saturday

Visiting Grandma and the Indiana Dunes. Which includes many beach visits, antique and vintage shopping at the spots we love, buying Saturdays birthday party gift, and eating out!

Insects this week

These fun insect finds were by the kids keen eye! The red aphids near the daisy was at our weekly cousins playdate, the first of the season, at Vogelei Park.

A day later we are in Indiana visiting grandma, and this little caterpillar was enjoying a snack on her perennial. I have not started any soft body collecting, eventho my entomology toolbox gift does have the viles needed, and the gel pen for labels! 

We always hit the beach, almost as soon as we arrive in Indy. And my munchkins wanted to climb the big dune (instead of letting my inside voice say "I'm too old for this" I try to change it too "this keeps me young!") we stopped to take pictures when we conquered the summit - okay, we made it to the top.

This milkweed was tall and luscious. Then baby girl spyed the bumble bee, younger son asked if the milkweeds we "stuck?" Nope, just mating. 

I also did some bug net collecting at grandmas, I am thinking of an elegant box for her, a muslin backing, Insects in Baba's garden. Posts and pictures to follow.

As I blog, on my phone, over pancakes and after breakfast - older Son is laying down, ready to shower up, and the younger ones are playing with toys (only found at grandmas).

Make Mistakes, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud