Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
The Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods
Many of our friends know that my photographer brother and amazing cook sister-in-law have been writing a cookbook for the last year. Well, today was an exciting day, because The Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods in now available for pre-order on Amazon!
They make quite a creatively talented pair (and are wonderful babysitters to boot!) I've test made several of the recipes in here, and let me tell you, they are nothing short of amazing.
If you'd like to hear a few of my sweet and humble sister-in-law's thoughts, and see how even Ava got involved in some of the taste testing, visit Sprouted Kitchen.
They make quite a creatively talented pair (and are wonderful babysitters to boot!) I've test made several of the recipes in here, and let me tell you, they are nothing short of amazing.
If you'd like to hear a few of my sweet and humble sister-in-law's thoughts, and see how even Ava got involved in some of the taste testing, visit Sprouted Kitchen.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Preschool
I started this post about a year ago. (Yes, that long ago. Blogger will just save and save until you actually have time to write.) I mention this only because looking back I realize how much it - and we - have evolved.
Before Ava was born, and for the first couple years of her life, I would have said we (and when I say "we," I really mean "me") fall squarely into this philosophy's camp. I agree that we live in "a society that emphasizes early childhood eduction, [but] it can be easy to forget that children are curious, inquisitive and wired to learn," and "if you live in a literate household where books are available and children see others reading, your children will WANT to learn to read." Now remember, I was homeschooled until 5th grade, and while I will not do that with a child of Ava's temperament, it is in my background. And, I'm privileged enough to stay home with her full time, and went to college, so I figure I could likely teach her the alphabet just as competently as any preschool teacher out there possessing the minimum required units of childhood education. As far as the social aspect of it, we've always been highly involved in activities (dance, music, swimming, library storytime, Bible study, Sunday school), so she can take instruction from adults other than Jeff and me, and she's been exposed to age-appropriate play groups since a very young age. Bottom line, it really is true: "preschoolers can learn everyting they need to know in the school of life."
So there you have many of the reasons why we weren't going to do preschool, in the traditional sense of the term. But, off she will go in September!
Over the course of the last year, when Ava's personality and communication blossomed, I started to notice aspects of her nature that lead us to believe that maybe preschool at home wasn't the right path for her. A couple examples:
Now, would we have ruined her if we decided not to send her to preschool? No. Would it have impacted her high school GPA or college acceptance? I don't think so. Would her lack of traditional preschooling have been noticeable after the first month or two of Kindergarten? Probably not.
Still after praying and thinking about it, preschool for two, half-days a week just seems like the right thing for her, right now. I get a little weepy just thinking about dropping my baby off at school in a few short months, but that's not necessarily a reason not to do so. And, when her two year old sass comes blaring through, sometimes I get a little giddy. Kidding, sort of. :)
So bagan the search for the right school. Most of the schools we looked at left me greatly underwhelmed, to put it plainly. I understand, and can appreciate the increasingly popular developmental theory on preschool education, but, in my opinion, this is overused to undercut childrens' natural ability to learn. The vast majority of schools we looked at flat out said that for the 3 1/2 year old class (Ava's age next Fall), they do not teach letters and numbers, and children at such an age are "not developmentally ready to learn to write their name."
Sidebar: About a month ago we were at my parent's house and Ava wanted to color. There's a lack of coloring books there, so I printed off an old-school letter writing sheet off Pinterest. I set it in front of her, gave her a cursory explanation of what to do, helped her with the first two letters, and then left. I returned in five minutes to this.
Now, I am a proud mother, and I do have a girl who is predisposed to liking to sit and work at detailed things, but please, please do not tell me that my child will not be developmentally ready to learn to write her name in nine months. She only has a "V" to go! Helps naming your kid with only two letters, I suppose, but still! (I will say as of this writing she has her name down pat.)
Now, I can get riled up about placing too low of expectations on kids. But, anyone who really knows me knows that what really makes my blood boil is kids' nutrition. So, when a preschool Director looked me in the eye, and said "We provide very healthy snacks; the state mandates such." and the first item on their snack list was store-bought muffins and hot chocolate it took everything in me not to slap her. Sure, Ms. Director, let California dictate what's healthy and not for my child; they clearly have a good handle on everything else going on. Ugh.
But after more tours than is probably considered normal, we found THE ONE. It is an amazing Christian school centered around the Fine Arts - music, art and foreign language. They have high expectations of the ability of children to learn and have an academic focus. However, much of the "academics" are taught through "learning moments" during fun activities kids love: music and art. I tell you, this school is exactly what we were looking for right down to the fact that you provide your own child's snack. (Can I get a hallelujah!?)
And, let me tell you, preschool is not what it used to be. Er, actually, I'm not really sure - I never went - but I can't imagine that it is. Case in point: to apply we filled out a 20-page application, complete with academic expections, discipline style, highest level of eduction (ours, not Ava's), to name a few. I'm honestly slightly surprised that they didn't request transcripts (again, ours, not Ava's). And, just today, we completed our family interview. All this is a plus in my book; indicates to me that they take their job seriously. And it is a serious one: they'll be our baby's first teachers!
So, we are excited for the year to come. We believe that it is an environment in which Ava will thrive. For now, we're getting our feet wet in Capo Unified's Mommy and Me Preschool program. We started that just this last week. Here's Ava on her first day (just a little excited).
We are busy, busy around here. Just trying to pack in as much as possible before we're doing it with one more little girl in tow! :)
Before Ava was born, and for the first couple years of her life, I would have said we (and when I say "we," I really mean "me") fall squarely into this philosophy's camp. I agree that we live in "a society that emphasizes early childhood eduction, [but] it can be easy to forget that children are curious, inquisitive and wired to learn," and "if you live in a literate household where books are available and children see others reading, your children will WANT to learn to read." Now remember, I was homeschooled until 5th grade, and while I will not do that with a child of Ava's temperament, it is in my background. And, I'm privileged enough to stay home with her full time, and went to college, so I figure I could likely teach her the alphabet just as competently as any preschool teacher out there possessing the minimum required units of childhood education. As far as the social aspect of it, we've always been highly involved in activities (dance, music, swimming, library storytime, Bible study, Sunday school), so she can take instruction from adults other than Jeff and me, and she's been exposed to age-appropriate play groups since a very young age. Bottom line, it really is true: "preschoolers can learn everyting they need to know in the school of life."
So there you have many of the reasons why we weren't going to do preschool, in the traditional sense of the term. But, off she will go in September!
Over the course of the last year, when Ava's personality and communication blossomed, I started to notice aspects of her nature that lead us to believe that maybe preschool at home wasn't the right path for her. A couple examples:
- She wakes up every morning and the first thing she says is: "What are we going to do today?" I've never answered her with "nothing" or "I don't know;" I'm scared to do so.
- She loves teachers. I mean LOVES teachers. We went to an open gym at a gymnastics center and the instructor monitoring the activities (not teaching, just monitoring; they expect you to have a handle on your kids for only $5/hour) came over and helped Ava on one of the pieces of equipment for a few minutes. For the next 50 minutes, Ava followed this poor woman around asking her "Watch me do this!" "Do you want to see how high I can jump on this?!" Think she thrives off a little good 'ol positive reinforcement from an authority figure much?
- Most days of the week we see at least one friend who is Ava's age. On the rare occasion we go to the park, etc. just her and I, she asks with a quizzically disappointed face "why aren't my friends going to be here?" Yeah, already. At two.
Now, would we have ruined her if we decided not to send her to preschool? No. Would it have impacted her high school GPA or college acceptance? I don't think so. Would her lack of traditional preschooling have been noticeable after the first month or two of Kindergarten? Probably not.
Still after praying and thinking about it, preschool for two, half-days a week just seems like the right thing for her, right now. I get a little weepy just thinking about dropping my baby off at school in a few short months, but that's not necessarily a reason not to do so. And, when her two year old sass comes blaring through, sometimes I get a little giddy. Kidding, sort of. :)
So bagan the search for the right school. Most of the schools we looked at left me greatly underwhelmed, to put it plainly. I understand, and can appreciate the increasingly popular developmental theory on preschool education, but, in my opinion, this is overused to undercut childrens' natural ability to learn. The vast majority of schools we looked at flat out said that for the 3 1/2 year old class (Ava's age next Fall), they do not teach letters and numbers, and children at such an age are "not developmentally ready to learn to write their name."
Sidebar: About a month ago we were at my parent's house and Ava wanted to color. There's a lack of coloring books there, so I printed off an old-school letter writing sheet off Pinterest. I set it in front of her, gave her a cursory explanation of what to do, helped her with the first two letters, and then left. I returned in five minutes to this.
Now, I am a proud mother, and I do have a girl who is predisposed to liking to sit and work at detailed things, but please, please do not tell me that my child will not be developmentally ready to learn to write her name in nine months. She only has a "V" to go! Helps naming your kid with only two letters, I suppose, but still! (I will say as of this writing she has her name down pat.)
Now, I can get riled up about placing too low of expectations on kids. But, anyone who really knows me knows that what really makes my blood boil is kids' nutrition. So, when a preschool Director looked me in the eye, and said "We provide very healthy snacks; the state mandates such." and the first item on their snack list was store-bought muffins and hot chocolate it took everything in me not to slap her. Sure, Ms. Director, let California dictate what's healthy and not for my child; they clearly have a good handle on everything else going on. Ugh.
But after more tours than is probably considered normal, we found THE ONE. It is an amazing Christian school centered around the Fine Arts - music, art and foreign language. They have high expectations of the ability of children to learn and have an academic focus. However, much of the "academics" are taught through "learning moments" during fun activities kids love: music and art. I tell you, this school is exactly what we were looking for right down to the fact that you provide your own child's snack. (Can I get a hallelujah!?)
And, let me tell you, preschool is not what it used to be. Er, actually, I'm not really sure - I never went - but I can't imagine that it is. Case in point: to apply we filled out a 20-page application, complete with academic expections, discipline style, highest level of eduction (ours, not Ava's), to name a few. I'm honestly slightly surprised that they didn't request transcripts (again, ours, not Ava's). And, just today, we completed our family interview. All this is a plus in my book; indicates to me that they take their job seriously. And it is a serious one: they'll be our baby's first teachers!
So, we are excited for the year to come. We believe that it is an environment in which Ava will thrive. For now, we're getting our feet wet in Capo Unified's Mommy and Me Preschool program. We started that just this last week. Here's Ava on her first day (just a little excited).
We are busy, busy around here. Just trying to pack in as much as possible before we're doing it with one more little girl in tow! :)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Ava - Behind the Camera
I've obviously been catching up on some videos. Here's what happens when a two year old has unrestricted access to an iPhone with video...
Skuut
Apparently the new "thing" in toddler sports equipment are balance bikes. Luckily, Ava has a G-pa who is in the know about such matters. Here she is practicing a little on her Christmas present from her ol' G-pa.
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