Life Lessons for a Three Year Old

A very wise woman (on my Facebook friend's list) once said, "Whoever said the twos were terrible obviously didn't make it to the threes."

Even in their rebellion our girls are different. Kate destroyed things. And honestly Gabby has broken a couple of slats on the mini blind, but that is far from our biggest issue with her.

See, the thing that most motivated Kate to be good was getting to go out, and she loved to shop. That is on Gabby's list of undesirable activities. So last week as we went Christmas shopping, I had to carry her into the store, and then carry her back out again (while carrying the baby boy). He could walk, but I haven't let him in on this fact yet. I learned when the girls found that they could walk in the store that I had a very hard time getting them to be held or ride in a cart, ever, even when we needed to make a long trip.

Then Monday I had to take her out again. We were nearly out of milk, we had to have more before dinner. We didn't even make it past the greeter. She was laying in the floor screaming. Joy.

I half drug, half carried her out of the store.

Later when she asked for a snack I told her that we didn't have enough food for a snack today. She was ready to go back then! I'm a big fan of logical consequences, when I can find them.

We went back and had a relatively uneventful trip...until we were all ready to leave. Except for our resident three year old. She refused to put on her coat. I reminded her it was cold. She balked. She balks a lot these days.

Finally I handed her coat and told her she had to carry it to the car. It was cold enough that I knew she would be uncomfortable, but not dangerously so and she was wearing a sweater. I figured I looked like less of a monster if it was clear she had a coat and just wasn't wearing it. This plan worked perfectly...until half way through the crosswalk. When she started begging for her coat, instead of stopping the cart full of groceries, managing her brother and sister while bending to her new whim, I had the audacity to cheerfully tell her that, "I will be happy to help you with your coat when we get to the van."

Oh, she was mad. How dare I not do exactly what she wanted at the inconvenience to everyone else in the busy parking lot, despite her obvious disobedience earlier?! It resulted in a lot of screaming, more half dragging, a 'putting into' the van (as she would not go willingly), and a rather difficult car seat strapping, as she kept trying to get out as I was fastening the straps.

In short it was unpleasant. But you know what? Yesterday she wore her coat. She learned a lesson that all the lecturing in the world wouldn't have taught and she won't likely forget soon.

We are being very intentional with disciplining Gabby. We have heard stories of many middle children who got into a lot of trouble because their parents weren't paying attention. It was easiest to move through life without making waves and these children are often more quiet than their out going older siblings and the babies of the family. We love her and want what is best, even if it means a hissy fit or two along the way.

The Tree that Wouldn't

Justin and I have debated for weeks what we're going to do about a Christmas tree. The little fellow is in to everything and we're sure a tree would be awfully inviting.

We finally settled on using the four foot tree that I bought for his office at the end of a season a of couple years ago. He'd never used it, but we drug in our patio table, which I topped with a green bed sheet as he dug the tree out of the garage.

When he brought it in, I was disappointed to see that it was only a three foot tree. Then the real disappointment came. The thing was pitiful.


The pot it was supposed to sit in was broken and there was bits of concrete everywhere.


It couldn't even stand up.

So we put it back in the garage, the table back outside and we've been celebrating Advent without a tree so far. I think we're going to put up the big tree soon and just deal with the little hands. It could be fun! I'm sure the kiddos will like having the bigger tree, so it will be nice. And hopefully the little guy will learn quickly.

Light Pink Pistols?!

Gabby: I'm throwing pistols ever'where.

Me: What does it look like?

Gabby: I'm throwing pistols ever'where!!

Me: What color are the pistols.

Gabby: Ummm...light pink.

Me: What shape are they?

Gabby: They're circles.

* * * * *

Not sure where she got the word, but I'm pretty sure that she has no idea what it means!

Visit with Santa

We took the kiddos to see Santa this weekend.

The girls each drew pictures of what they are wishing for and wrote Thank You notes for their presents from last year.


Kate asked for a piggy bank and a chef's hat.


Gabby asked for a piggy bank and clothes for her doll, Sally.


Kate happily visited with Santa.


Nate was less pleased.


And Gabby, well she handed him her Thank You note from as far away as humanly possible and watch him warily.

Word Families

We have given our library card quite the workout this semester. There hasn't been a week that we haven't made at least one trip to the library!

We discovered these books:

At first, I just had Kate read the words that had the sound we were studying. Now she can, with a teeny bit of help, read the whole book. They are divided into two parts, the first is just random sentences introducing those words with the ending sound that matches the title (like fill, bill, Will, sill, etc.). The next half is a story that uses those words. I pick up one or two of them each time we are at the library. It has worked great for us to learn phonics. The pictures are a little hokey, but she doesn't care at all, and probably actually likes them a little more for it. The stories are often silly, and she likes that too. Her very favorite was -ate as in Skate because Kate and Nate went on a date.

This particular set (word families) is aimed at K-2, but there are books for more advanced readers too. I love to own books, so I can pull them down when we want to refer to them, but I looked at the prices of the books and the sets are quite expensive. Additionally, if you have a kiddo like Kate, who memorizes large portions of books in one or two readings, you won't use them enough to make it worth their purchase if you can get them at the library. If you can't, perhaps if you make a request they will be able to borrow them from another library for you or even put it on their book buying list, so we can support this company, even if we don't have the home school budget to purchase a set.

My Iron

I nearly forgot my little promise! So here's the reason why I'm so sentimental over this silly old iron.

My husband and I were married when I was at the ripe old age of twenty. As most couples do, we made a registry and this was one of the items on our list. I received an iron identical to this one at one of my showers. However, when we got back from our honeymoon to Cumberland Falls I opened this one from an old school mate. I was so surprised that he had purchase me a gift, that I had to hang on to that one for some reason, so I returned the first one I received, chuckling to myself that he couldn't read a registry, thus the duplicate.

That was in June. In September, he died. He was in a car accident on his way back to college. When I went to the visitation, on a rather cool evening for September, I spoke to his mom about the iron. It turns out that he had sent her to choose something for me, being a 20 year old man and not knowing what to buy. She laughed as she remembered bringing it home and him looked at the registry and noticing it was a duplicate.

I always think of him and of his mother's laughter when I iron. So much so that when my husband needed to iron on some wood veneer, I made him buy another iron, so I would keep mine safe from the glue that might have ruined it. And truth be told, some day when I replace that old iron, I'm sure that anytime I iron, I'll still remember that fellow.

You Create: Cupcake Hat

It's a homemade Christmas this year. We did buy each of the kids a couple of things, but we're not spending a lot on Christmas. Thankfully the girls each asked for things that I can easily make anyway. I am raiding my scraps of fabric from other projects and using my sewing machine quite a bit.

Kate has been asking for a chef's hat, so this project I pulled off Saturday night. I did buy the fabric for this particular project instead of raiding my stash--I got it on sale and I would guess the total cost was less than $5--I did have hook and loop fasteners, interfacing and thread on hand.


It required 2/3rds of a yard of the fun cupcake fabric, cut into a circle (there was enough to make two in the 44" width, so I did). Then I used 1/3 of a matching fabric to make the bands (cut in half to make two 18 inch wide pieces of fabric).


I measured my kids heads under the premise that I have a friend making hats and I wanted to let her know standard kids head sizes... um yeah. She is making hats at least. I made the bands a few inches longer than their head circumference so I can fold the edges under and add some hook and loop fasteners to adjust the closing. Fold bands the of fabric in half (so they are now 9 1/2 inches wide) and line with interfacing inside the folded fabric.


This iron always makes me smile. I'm sentimental like that. Maybe I'll write about it this week. This iron is special. I hope it lasts me a long, long time.

I ironed the fabric and also folded in the raw edges that will be on the exposed edge (the short ends). Stitch it up and add the fasteners.

Pin the hat to the band, with lots of little folds. Then stitch that all together.



My little models haven't seen it obviously, so you'll have to have to check back after Christmas to see my little bakers in their hats.