Teaching Sharing

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IMAG0686Sharing is a complex idea for kids to grasp. They actually have to think beyond themselves, and accept parting with something they might hold dear, at least for the moment. We didn’t really get serious about teaching sharing until our church nursery had a lesson about sharing. Lizzy came home with a new tool in her arsenal. Rather than being the one to give up something, she began insisting that everyone must share with her. It was a bit of a face-palm parenting moment.

IMAG0689So, we began the slow process of teaching sharing. Toys are the obvious things for kids to share, but we, also, insist on sharing food and time doing a certain activity. As the parents, Michael and I have to ask nicely and coach the girls through the action of sharing. It can be aggravating when they aren’t willing to listen, but when they actually follow our directions, they get lots of praise and a serene moment with friends.

We usually can tell that we have a moment to teach when a fight breaks out over toys. We ask the child that wants the toy to ask nicely for it, which sometimes means telling them exactly what to say. And then we instruct the child with the toy that it’s time to share, which means it’s the other person’s turn, and it will be their turn again in a little bit. This doesn’t always work, and sometimes ends in time outs, but when the kids aren’t being obstinate, they practice the process of sharing. We’re hoping that after enough times practicing this skill, that it will become second nature.

Canoing the Snake River

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IMG_7004The Stonehocker family cabin is right next to the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. We can see the river out our windows, and it is breath taking. The water stays a cold 52°F year round.  We love wading in the river and catching minnows, and every couple of years we venture down to Mack’s Inn in a canoe. The trip takes 2 1/2 – 3 hours, and is extremely peaceful, relaxing and beautiful.

This year, Michael, Lizzy and I took a canoe down, and my sister, Erin, and her boyfriend, Kevin, floated in a little yellow raft. We started off getting stuck in the usual shallow spots, and pushing ourselves out with our oars, one of the benefits of a canoe over a raft. Lizzy had a great time rowing with her mini oar, splashing the water, and snacking on Frooties.IMG_20130701_145559

About a third of the way down, we spotted moose in the water. I was completely terrified, but Kevin and Erin slowly drifted past, and after a while we did too. The moose stared us down throughout the whole encounter. Turns out they just wanted to cross the river to get to the other side.

About ten minutes later, we spotted another moose, drinking from the river, and we slowly floated on passed it. Soon after that, a bunch of people in canoes rowed passed and asked if we saw the moose. We confirmed that we had, and asked if they’d seen the two moose before that. Apparently we were the only ones that saw them.IMG_20130701_154039

Being in a canoe, we went considerably faster than Kevin and Erin. So every now and then, when the river had a mini island in it, we’d take the side less traveled, and then head back up the main part of the river. On one of these random excursions, we came across a huge field of wild chives. We rowed right up to the shore, and picked some chives right from our canoe. They smelled fantastic, and I wanted to climb out and pick the whole field, but I settled with just a handful.

IMG_20130701_155624At the end of trip, when we pulled into Mack’s Inn, Lizzy and I waded in the water while Michael took care of all the canoe stuff. Lizzy loved the water, and went in up to her neck! I was amazed that she was brave enough, and that the water actually felt decent enough to make that tolerable. Then, Michael, Lizzy and I sat on a dock with our feet in the water, while we waited for Kevin and Erin to come in.

Aurora Borealis

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IMG_6982 Sat While leaving Ashton, ID to head up the mountain to Island Park, ID, I couldn’t help but notice how much light there was along the horizon for such a rural area. There was enough light for a distant city of thousands, spanning from east to west. Michael and I debated for a while if West Yellowstone, MT was big enough to cause so much light, and then if the light might be caused by the moon. The moon did rise in the east, and illuminated the clouds surrounding it, but it wasn’t what was causing the light along the entire horizon.

We continued driving, and then I saw a pillar of light dancing and shimmering to the North West. That clinched it for us. We were watching Aurora Borealis. While there wasn’t much color, and the light was very faint, we could still see beautiful ribbons of light dancing across the sky. I was absolutely amazed and nearly cried at the sight. One of my life long goals has been to see Aurora Borealis, and I finally got to. The most amazing part was how the pillars of light extended up into space. There was no end to them. The light, though faint, was magnificent.

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We so greatly desired to keep driving north to see if we could see more colors, but we eventually settled on a field just north of our cabin where we pulled off the road to take pictures. We should have taken more pictures, but being so far south, it was difficult to get a decent picture. The view was amazing, and I am so glad that I got to share it with my husband, who loves this kind of stuff just as much as I do. He saw Aurora Borealis for the first time while on his mission in Chicago, so he was able to say with certainty that that is what we were watching. Plus, we were able to discuss some of the physics behind it, due to him being a physicist and me having taken an astronomy class.

Folding laundry

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Let it be known that folding laundry is my very least favorite chore. This pile has been accumulating for two weeks, and I finally sat down and folded it all. They have a machine to wash them. They have a machine to dry them, but they haven’t figured out a machine to fold them. That would make laundry the most stress free part of running a house. I wonder if I could pay someone to fold my laundry for me. For anyone out there who hates folding laundry as much as I do, you are not alone!

Thistles

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While driving today, I passed a thistle field in bloom. It was a spectacular purple that I’m not used to seeing in my desert state without help from a gardener. When I realized the beautiful potential this plant has, I started imagining it in a completely desert environment, no human development around to make it a weed. How amazing would it be to just happen upon a huge field of this beautiful purple flower? Of course, as soon as you realized the death beneath the flower, you’d be disappointed that you couldn’t go through the field, but it’d be pretty just to look at all the same.

It’s a shame this weed is so noxious. The stem and leaves are prickly, so much so that my oldest only had to encounter it once to know to stay away. It can spread so easily that we have found some in our grass 50 feet away from our weed field. Digging it out of the ground is not enough to get rid of it, even before it goes to seed, as the roots run very deep.

Despite all of this, I didn’t bother digging any up this year, and I’ll probably pay the consequences next year, but it’s been incredibly fascinating to watch them grow. Our largest thistle is taller than me, and dominates the half of the garden that I’m not using this year. It looks ominous, and I can’t wait for the snow to kill it, so I can attempt to dig it up.

Homemade Fries

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These are the best homemade fries ever. People will be asking for them over and over again, and they’re so simple that you’ll make them every time.

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Homemade Fries

Homemade Fries

Ingredients

  • Potatoes
  • Olive Oil
  • Sea Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350°F.
  2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Cut the potatoes into thin fries. About 1/4 inch.
  4. Lay potatoes out on parchment paper. They can be touching and as close together as you can get them.
  5. Lightly drizzle olive oil over each row of potatoes.
  6. Thoroughly salt and pepper.
  7. Cook in oven for 20 minutes.
  8. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
http://kstuff.net/homemade-fries/

How I Stopped Biting My Nails

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When I was a kid, I bit my fingernails a lot. I bit them so far down that it would make my fingers hurt. My mom was constantly telling me that I needed to stop, and I think she even tried ways of making it unappealing to me, but they didn’t work.

In eighth grade, I decided that I was done biting my nails. I wanted my nails to look nice, and I didn’t want my fingers to hurt anymore. I evaluated the situation and realized that I liked to chew on things, and my nails happened to be the most convenient. So, I started chewing gum. If I was chewing gum, I had no need to bite my nails.

When my nails started growing back, I became annoyed at their length, and chewed them back down. In the midst of painful fingers, I realized that I needed to keep my nails short as well. So, I began clipping my fingernails once a week, and voila, I stopped biting my nails cold turkey.

The gum chewing did become a habit that replaced the habit of biting my nails, but after a few years of that, I grew tired of it, and stopped completely. Chewing gum is not even remotely appealing to me anymore. About once every five years, out of some freak nervousness, I bite my nails, and am reminded of why I stopped.

How to Teach Colors

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Teaching the names of colors is much easier than I thought it would be, and now that we’re in the thick of it, I don’t know why I thought it would be so difficult. As much as colors are lumped in with art, the names themselves are actually a language thing. Good writers describe things using colors when it is warranted, and as a parent, that’s exactly what you should do.

Purple Shoes Green Tree Pink Flower

There’s no need to break out flash cards that will soon be torn to pieces or chewed on. Rather, talk to your child about all the different colors of things. “Where are your purple shoes? Do you see the green tree? Thank you for the pretty, pink flower.” This is a natural method that allows a child to learn at her own pace. Soon enough, she will be describing things to you using the colors you have taught her.

If you are the kind of parent that likes to evaluate if your efforts are paying off, feel free to ask, “What color is this tomato?” But, don’t worry or worse, over drill, if she can’t immediately answer, “Red.” She might need time to think about what you just asked, or to even figure out that you were asking her a question. She might not know what the word, “color,” means yet. Don’t fret. She’ll figure it out eventually. Just keep talking to her.

Failed Placement

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My dear cousins are experiencing the heartache of a failed placement for adoption. My cousin wrote about their experience here, and I was thrilled to see that they are choosing to not hate the birthmother. Clearly they are hurting, but that is no reason to hate. They are some of the kindest people I know, and will make the best parents. Please spread their information around, so that their family can grow.

I am mourning for their loss today, and my sweet little girl can tell. She asked me what was wrong, and not knowing how to explain everything so that she could understand, I simply said, “Grown up stuff.” It seemed to suffice, and we moved on with our day, but I have cried many times for them. I wish I lived closer, so that I could be there to support them. The thing that breaks my heart every time I think about it is what my aunt posted on facebook. “I rocked my baby girl today and we wept together.” I can only imagine how difficult it would be to watch my girls go through something so trying.