7 March 2009 at 11:44 am (Hannah Rose, humor, Humour, Kid-isms)
Tags: kidisms, moon, sun
Sorry, no St. Francis here today. Perhaps another day. (If you understood that–you deserve a prize!)
Yesterday driving home from school in the afternoon, Hannah Rose noticed the moon was already out.
Why was it out? According to Hannah Rose, “it wanted to visit the sun.”
7 March 2009 at 11:40 am (Food Allergies, Hannah Rose)
Tags: Allergy-free, Egg, Food Allergies, Milk
It was almost a year ago when we entered the Wacky World of Food Allergies.
Fortune has smiled upon us. More accurately, fortune has smiled on Hannah Rose.
She was recently retested for her food allergies and she tested back allergy free! She was quite excited–as were we of course!
We’ve been gradually re-introducing milk and egg back into her diet. She’s enjoying eating all her favourite foods that she couldn’t eat. Last night was pizza night, and she was quite excited to have cheese on her pizza again. (We had been making cheese-less pizza for pizza night, which actually isn’t bad. But the cheese does serve a grand purpose–it keeps the sauce saucy and adheres your toppings to the pizza!)
This morning she tried Irish butter for the first time. (Kerrygold–you can get it at Costco…you can’t buy better butter!!!) She thought it very yummy.
She’s on schedule to start drinking milk and eating eggs again next week.
Looks like I won’t be needing my Allergy Free Cookbook anymore!
The best part about all of this is no longer needing to worry that she may have an adverse reaction if she accidentally ingested milk or egg.
30 January 2009 at 5:05 pm (Detroit Waldorf, education, school)
Tags: children, Conference, Dana Davidson, Detroit Waldorf School, education, language arts, Learning, literacy, Sian Owen-Cruse, Waldorf Institute
For Immediate Release
Contact: Melanie Reiser, Outreach Director
313-822-0300; melaniereiser@detroitwaldorf.org
Literacy for Lifelong Learning Conference
Saturday, February 14, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Detroit Waldorf School
Detroit Waldorf School (DWS) will host a conference on the topic of literacy as the foundation for lifelong learning on Saturday, February 14, 2009, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The program will highlight the imagination-focused language arts curriculum endorsed by Waldorf education, one of the world’s fastest-growing independent school movements. The keynote address will outline the Waldorf approach to language arts, which is rooted in the notion that children who love to read will develop the critical and creative thinking skills necessary for a successful and balanced life. The goal of the Waldorf methodology is to awaken in every child a love for the powers of language, which in turn leads to exceptional independent reading skills and writing abilities. In contrast to most reading programs taught in today’s schools, the image-based Waldorf curriculum eliminates the rote memorization that can take the joy out of reading and lead to academic overload.
In addition to the keynote presentation, conference participants will choose from among four workshops covering the following topics: parental support for reading and writing at home; early childhood literacy; Waldorf education as preparation for high school, college, and beyond; and authentic assessment: an antidote to standardized testing.
The conference features keynote speakers Sian Owen-Cruse, PhD, and Dana Davidson of Detroit‘s Cass Technical High School. Owen-Cruise is a Master Waldorf Teacher and the program director of the Waldorf Institute of Southeastern Michigan, a teacher’s training program for Waldorf educators. She is also the program manager of Washtenaw County’s Success by 6 initiative, which provides support for parents, childcare professionals, and agencies aiding young children and their families. Additionally, Dr. Owen-Cruise serves as president of the Detroit Waldorf School Board. Dana Davidson teaches English at Cass Tech and has authored the young adult novels Jason & Kyra and Played. Davidson was the recipient of a Newsweek/WDIV Outstanding Teacher Award in 2001.
The Literacy for Lifelong Learning conference is open to the public at a cost of $25 per person, which includes admission and a continental breakfast. Prospective attendees may register online at www.detroitwaldorf.org or contact Detroit Waldorf School Outreach Director Melanie Reiser at 313-822-0300.
Celebrating its 42nd year, the Detroit Waldorf School is part of the international Waldorf School movement, which comprises over 900 schools in 83 countries. Located in Historic Indian Village, just three miles east of downtown Detroit, DWS is housed in a stately historic structure designed by Albert Kahn. Situated on four acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, the school provides a warm and inviting environment that nurtures growth, learning, and creativity by focusing on each student?s developmental needs. DWS offers enrollment in nursery school through eighth grade. Its interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizes analytical, creative, and critical thinking, as well as self-discipline, initiative, and reverence for the natural world.
The Detroit Waldorf School is located in Historic Indian Village at 2555 Burns Ave., Detroit, MI 48214. For more information, call 313-822-0300 or visit www.detroitwaldorf.org.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Melanie Reiser
Outreach Director, Detroit Waldorf School
(313) 822-0300, (313) 822-4030 (fax)
melaniereiser@detroitwaldorf.org
30 January 2009 at 11:54 am (family, Misc., Parenting)
Tags: benefits, children, cost, price, rewards
The Price of Children
I saw this today and thought I’d share.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle-income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn’t even touch college tuition. But $160,140.00 isn’t so bad if you break it down.
It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don’t have children if you want to be ‘rich.’ Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.
You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother’s Day, and cards with backward letters for Father’s Day.
For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck.
You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* First step,
* First word,
* First bra and/or jock strap,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you’re lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.
That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love and enjoy your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren! It’s the best investment you’ll ever make!
And think, that list is incomplete. It doesn’t even begin to cover all the benefits and rewards that coming along with having/raising children!
19 January 2009 at 9:26 pm (fun, meme)
Tags: meme
The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
– I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
– What I create will be just for you.
– It’ll be done this year.
– You have no clue what it’s going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
– I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch? Oh, the catch is that you have to repost. We can all make stuff!!
12 December 2008 at 5:23 pm (family, fun, Hannah Rose, Holidays)
Tags: Barbie, Christmas, generosity, giving, Hanging of the Greens, Hannah Rose, Santa, Toys for Tots, Traditions, Troy, US Marines
This year we’re continuing with some family traditions we started last year, and adding some new ones.
This is a new tradition for us this year. We’re grateful for all that we have, and all that we’re able to give Hannah Rose. We believe that one of the least important things about Christmas time is the getting of presents. Sure, that’s lots of fun–don’t get me wrong. But there’s so much more to the holiday season than that, or there could be if you open yourself up to it. I believe whole-heartedly that in giving is as good as getting, if not better. Of course, some of my friends wish I weren’t this way–but hey, my mom said I came hard-wired to give. Generosity is a good thing. It’s something we want Hannah Rose to learn, but more than learn–we want her to grow to enjoy being generous.
This year, she’s very much into Barbies. Makes sense to my head. I was her age when I started playing with Barbies, and I was a tom-boy! So, we let her pick out a Barbie to give to Toys for Tots (Sponsored by the US Marine Corp!), so that another little girl can have something special for Christmas and hopefully a happier Christmas for it. She picked out Christmas Morning Barbie. Here she is with the Barbie, and then dropping it off in the collection.
This is our second year attending the Hanging of the Greens, and it was just as much fun this year as it was last year! Hannah Rose made a craft project. She wrote a letter to Santa, and mailed it at the historic post office. We listened to a hand bell choir. We watched as the blacksmiths made iron icicles for Christmas ornaments. While waiting for Santa to arrive on his sleigh, Hannah Rose and Chris had a blast playing in the snow. Afterwards, we headed inside for some Hot Cider. Yummm!!
12 December 2008 at 4:40 pm (Books, Hannah Rose, Holidays)
Tags: Hannah Rose, holiday, reading, tradition
At first, Hannah Rose was a little perplexed when I explained what we would be doing with the reading at night…the whole unwrapping “surprise” books for story time. Once she got it all straight in her head, she was happy. But not as happy as she was each night when she got to open a “present.” She loved it! Have to admit, we loved the look on her face each night. It was precious. I think it’s definitely going to be a repeat tradition next year.
5 December 2008 at 2:43 pm (Holidays)
Tags: Christmas, holiday, no cost, Nutcracker, reading, tradition
Here in our household, reading is a big deal. I’m a bonafide bookworm, and Chris is a big fan of books as well. Every night Hannah Rose gets a book read to her as part of her bedtime routine. Books aren’t just for bedtime, either. We listen to audio books on the road, and read when we want–where we want.
Somewhere (I’ve no idea where) I came across an idea that we decided to make ours. It’s a holiday reading tradition.
Here’s what we did: We took Christmas books from Hannah Rose’s collection–one for every night she’ll be here for the holiday season, including Christmas night. I wrapped each of the books. Every night at story time, she’ll get to unwrap that evening’s book and we’ll read it!
We thought it’d be a great way to have fun, enjoy the holiday season, and reinforce the whole reading thing even more! And it didn’t cost me any money! We already had the books as well as wrapping paper left over from last year!
Sunday we’re going as a family to see the Nutcracker, so Saturday night’s story will be the Nutcracker! And the story for Christmas night? The Christmas Story…the story of the birth of Jesus.
I’ll let you know how it goes–but I think it’ll go well and will be something we do every year in our house.
If you’ve any great family holiday traditions, feel free to share! We’re always open to great new ideas!
19 November 2008 at 12:42 pm (Life)
Tags: i am detroit, Sam Wolf, Tattoo, Wholeshot
Was checking some newsworthy items on-line, and came across something one of the local TV stations does. Channel 4 does this “i am detroit” spot, where they interview local folks. They had it advertised on a side-bar. Thing is–I recognized the pic of the interviewee. It’s Sam! Sam who? Sam Wolf, my amazing and talented tattoo artist!!
As some of you know, I’ve had all my tats done by the same artist. Not only is his work incredible, he’s a great guy!
If you’re looking to have a tattoo done in the Metro Detroit area–you should go see Sam. He’s working at Wholeshot Tattoo: 2743 Coolidge Hwy.; Berkley (248) 543-SHOT
To see Sam’s TV Spot go to: i am detroit
6 November 2008 at 3:55 pm (Life, Wedding)
Tags: home, honeymoon, Ireland, Wedding
The wedding went well…or so I think! lol I’m married, that’s what matters most, eh? We had a great day–and hope that all our guests did as well!
Ireland was amazing….I have lots to write, and tons of pictures to share–literally. In fact I’m downloading the first of my 2 4GB memory cards as I type–this first one has over 1,000 photos on it! Of course, I don’t think all of them will be worth saving–I know I blurred some shots. Kinda hard not to when shooting from a touring coach!
I will be sharing all kinds of photos and stories soon. Right now we’re focusing on recovering from jet lag. (My body is still on Ireland time–which is five hours ahead of us now, and we were up for 24 hours traveling yesterday. Crazy!!!) Tomorrow we take Hannah Rose on our familymoon–which means, you guessed it, more photos!!!
For those curious souls–I am writing this from Michigan, and not Ireland!!! I did NOT want to leave–but my husband made some good arguments for me coming home. That and I did not have the funds to stay! (Even though Irish immigration stamped my passport and said I could stay for 30 days!!!)
All this to say, we’re home now–for the moment; and lots more to come soon!
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Off With the Fairies 