Rural Mama's Sandbox: Big Sister

Showing posts with label Big Sister. Show all posts

This past week was rough, not for me but for Big Sister. I got word Wednesday that their grandmother, my late husband's mother, had passed away. She is in school now, 1st grade, and I was unsure how she would take the news so I waited to tell her until Friday after school. I knew she would be upset, but I don't think I was ready for questions and her fears.

Let's rewind for some back story... When Little Sister was born, my mother-in-law had moved in to help with Big Sister while I adjusted to the new baby. She actually was there a couple months earlier because I had been put on bed rest. Even though it wasn't the plan to begin with, she ended up staying for a year. Big Sister got very attached to her and even after she moved back to her apartment, almost 3 hours away, the girls loved to visit and were always sad to leave when we had to return home. After my husband passed, she was diagnosed with cancer. She went through Chemo and beat it, however she during that time she also suffered from a busted ear drum. I can't even begin to imagine have to live in a state of constant dizziness. She went through Physical Therapy and did very well, at one point she was even back to driving again. She had a scare where they thought her cancer was back, but it wasn't, however she busted the other ear drum and was back to square one with the dizziness and Physical Therapy again. She was placed in a Nursing Home to go through through Physical Therapy again. This brings us up to recently. The girls went to visit her while she was in the nursing home, unfortunately while there she had difficulty breathing and was taken to the hospital. The girls were traumatized and Big Sister even asked her if she was going to die. They were able to visit her in the hospital when she was stable and doing much better. It reassured them a bit, but they were still upset to leave her.

Well, she got pneumonia and went down hill in the hospital. Next thing I hear is she wasn't going to make it through the day and then the call came in she had passed. I decided to tell the girls separately so that I could be able to comfort them completely without having to divide my attention between the two. Big Sister was the first to be told the news. I began by telling her that her grandmother had done worse in the hospital and before I could even get the words out Big Sister asked if she was dead. I desperately wanted to say no but I couldn't lie, but I had to pause for a minute before I said yes. She cried and cried. Once I calmed her, it was time to tell Little Sister. I was surprised when I got absolutely no reaction from her. I don't know if she just doesn't know how to process death, her sister was 4 years old when their father passed and had emotions toward that but here she was 4 years old and nothing.

We went to the viewing and again Big Sister was just completely in tears. She didn't want to leave the casket. She kept saying "I didn't want this to happen" and "I will miss her." I was also very shocked at how curious she was about it, asking why she was cold and hard. Its like she was trying to figure out the difference between someone being alive and someone being dead. And then she asked me if I was going to die. I try really really hard not to lie or even tell a half truth when they ask the tough questions. I told her yes, one day I will, hopefully when I am very very old. She asked if she was going to die, again I gave her a similar response and explained that eventually everyone dies when God decides it is their time to go home to him. She has asked me several times more after the viewing if I am going to die, each time I hate to tell her yes but I give her the same answer. Little Sister, on the other hand, had no response to her grandmother. Not one tear, reaction, or questions. She seemed to just accept it or maybe she just hasn't processed it yet.

This morning going to school I sent a letter with her for her teacher. I don't really know how well she has processed everything and I don't know how it will affect her while she is away from me. I have heard about children having behavior issues, or bowel issues when going through a loss so I wanted her teacher to be prepared for anything. I do expect her to be emotional sometimes, she has such a big heart and just LOVES everyone. I always tell people she is so special and how I wish I was more like her. I am pretty sure that God gave her to me more so I could learn from her and not so much for her to learn from me.

Well, it is about that time. Time for Big Sis to get off the bus. This is where I must leave you for now. Hopefully, I can continue to write on a more regular basis. Until then, please stick with me dear followers!

My little girls LOVE books! Whether it is a book from the library or an eBook on our tablet, they love when Mama reads to them. I am sure there is a ton of research out there on the benefits of reading to young children but I don't need it. I can see the benefits as I watch my girls play and interact each day.

My girls and I were given the awesome opportunity to review several eBooks from author Julia Dweck. I received a copy of these EBooks complimentary in exchange for a fair, honest, non-compensated review. I hope you all enjoy the reviews and perhaps decide to read them to your little ones!

Mary Had A Sleepy Sheep
If your children are familiar with the nursery rhyme "Mary Had A Little Lamb," they are going to LOVE "Mary Had A Sleepy Sheep"! This new story of Mary's sheep is very creative, cute, and funny. It was written so that you can sing the words to the tune of "Mary Had A Little Lamb" as you read. My girls got a huge kick out of Mary's sheep falling asleep EVERYWHERE! Poor Mary! There are also some fun activities at the end of the book which were very entertaining as well. My oldest loved flipping back through the story looking for the cat on each page! Julia Dweck did a great job writing this book and the illustrator came up with beautiful and creative ways to bring the story to life. Overall, I would highly recommend this book for children of all ages!

Blucy: The Blue Cat
Blucy is a great story for young children. Our family is actively involved helping shelter animals and this was a great story illustrating importance of adopting a homeless animal no matter how different it is. I like how even though Blucy had her naughty moments Mandy was able to over look them and love Blucy anyways resulting in a sweet perfect cat in the end. It has a wonderful message between the rhyming lines. Kudos to Julia Dweck for incorporating a lovely message into a sweet childen's book. The illustrations are beautiful as well and really help tell Blucy's story. We also loved the special games and facts at the end.

Humpfree: The Humpless Camel
Both of the girls were glued to the tablet screen as I read Humpfree: The Humpless Camel by Julia Dweck. The first time I read Humpfree to my girls, I had to stop for a moment to grab something from across the room. Big Sister yelled,"Wait I want to hear more about the Camel" and when HumpFree was sad both my girls kept kissing the screen on our tablet to make him feel better! I think this was their favorite Julia Dweck book so far! I love the lesson this book teaches, even though you may be different than others you are special just exactly how you are! The illustrations are adorable and entertaining, the illustrator did a wonderful job portray Humpfree's journey to find his humps! I highly highly recommend this story for children!

Julia Dweck has written several other children's books besides the ones above. You can check them out by visiting Amazon's Julia Dweck Page.

Have a wonderful day dear followers!

Sorry I've kind of fallen off the face of the planet! I promise the blog WILL get more interesting in the weeks to come. I have some BIG plans ahead!

I love Fall! The color of Fall in nature with the bright reds, oranges, and yellows. I love Fall weather, the cool slight chill that beckons you to sit by a campfire and sip Apple Cider. To me Fall is the perfect time to ride and really enjoy the horses!

The Girls brushing their pony!

Ride 'em Cowgirls!

All these things I love, but I'm not going to lie, October is not my favorite month.

I do not celebrate nor do I enjoy anything to do with Halloween. The history of Halloween and why it was celebrated years and years ago are terrifying. I understand that it is commercialized now and that the reason people participate in Halloween is different but I can't help but feel like it is Wrong for my family.

Almost EVERYTHING on TV has to do with Halloween. You can't unsee something you have seen and I believe my daughters really don't need to see scary things if they don't have to. As they grow the world itself will be scary enough, they don't need these scary things bouncing around in their head now.

I have been filtering what Big Sister and Little Sister see, however Halloween stuff is everywhere. Just this week we walked into Target and there was a huge scary skeleton banner hanging as we walked in. Big Sister spotted it well before I did and pointed it out to me and said how scary it was. I know I can not shield them from everything, but I can equip them with THE MOST POWERFUL tool against anything scary.

God and Jesus Christ His Son!

I wish I could insert the theme song from the Veggie Tales episode "God Is Bigger Than The Boogie Man" right here!

Every time they are exposed to the Halloween scary things I remind them that God is more powerful than any of the scary things and that He will always protect them and keep them safe as long as they believe in God and Jesus, obey Him, and ask for His help and guidance.

"For I am the Lord your God who holds your right hand, and who says to you, do not be afraid. I will help you."

Isaiah 41:13 NLV

The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

Psalm 27:1 NLT

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-descipline.

2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

I hope that they hold tight to these teachings and learn to fear nothing but God.
Have a wonderful evening dear followers and please stay tuned!

Finally the weather is consistent and warm! Thank God! However, with warm weather comes BUGS! All types of bugs seem to be crawling around everywhere, inside and outside. Our most recent experience with a bug was with a not so nice bug.

Today we went out to play and Big Sister was playing nicely in the playhouse when all of a sudden she screamed bloody murder. Unbeknownst to me a wasp mama had made a nest in the inside roof line of the girls' playhouse. I looked up to see a wasp buzzing around her then diving down to sting her again. I ran to get Big Sister out of the play house and then set her down on the picnic table to assess the damages. She was only stung once, on her shoulder blade, but it was red and starting to swell a bit. She isn't severely allergic to bees or wasps (this is the seconded time this year she has been stung) so I wasn't worried about a serious reaction, but it still hurt badly so I ran in to get some reinforcements. My "Go To" for stings is allergy medicine and baking soda. I measured out the allergy meds and gave it to her orally, just to be sure she didn't have a reaction to the venom from the sting. Next, I mixed up a paste with baking soda and water and spread it over the sting. Instant relief, and the screaming ceased and swelling started going down. I don't know WHO figured out baking soda has this amazing quality, but if I did I would go up and hug and kiss them and thank them a million times.

So, moral of the story. Bugs are everywhere, even ones that pack a big punch, or sting rather. Check your children's play equipment and make sure a bug hasn't taken up residence in their toys! I know that this will be on my spring/summer checklist for next year for sure!

Have you encountered a not so friendly bug this yet this year?

Have a wonderful day dear followers and stay safe!

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a doctor, so please check with your doctor before administering any medications to your children in the even of a insect sting or bite.

I was going through my past posts and realized it has been almost a WHOLE year since I gave an update on Big Sister's Speech Therapy progress! I feel so horrible, I had wanted to document it on the blog, but have failed miserably. I guess I will give you the "quick" version. If you want to know where we left off, you can read the last post, here. Or you can read the complete series by going here.

We continued home visits with the Speech Therapist until Big Sister turned 3 years old, which was in June 2012. The program she was in only went until 3 years old and then they transferred her to the school system. I was thoroughly impressed with Big Sister's progress and her therapist was just AMAZING. I couldn't have ask for more from them and Big Sister learned more than I could even have imagined.

Big Sister's first day of "School"

There was a break from the end of her home Therapy sessions until the beginning of her sessions at our local Elementary School in September. The new Therapy is 30 minutes once a week instead of one hour once a week. The School would provide transportation, but I decided to opt out because I just don't think she is old enough to be riding on a bus. So, every week, once a week, I drive her to school and then take Little Sister to a store in town, while we wait for Big Sister's session to end. Her therapy is one on one with the Speech Therapist and not in a classroom full of kids, which I like.

One morning when we were pulling into the parking lot at the school, Big Sister blurted out "My friends! I get to play with my friends." My heart sank, she was looking out her window at all the children playing on the playground. It made me so sad to have to tell her "No, we are going to go see your teacher." It was at that point when I realized she knew what friends are and that she wanted to have friends. So, that night I searched the internet trying to find local places to take her where there would be kids her age. I found that our local library had a Toddler Story Time and that it has just started the previous week. I went in and asked about the Toddler Story Time and they allowed us to join in the next week. Big Sister, Little Sister, and I both thoroughly enjoy our time at the library and it has even given me an excuse to make time to read for me again. I would encourage all Moms to look into the programs at your local library, you never know what amazing FREE programs are available in your area!

Playing with the block table at the library.

Between School and Toddler Story Time, Big Sister has made GREAT progress. She is now saying 5-7 word sentences that I can actually understand. She still has issues at times where she will drop the end of a word when she rushes, but her teacher is working on that. I am always amazed at what comes out of her mouth as well as relieved that I can understand her and communicate with her better. Her speech improvements have even helped Little Sister's speech as well. I am always amazed at how many words she picks up from her Big Sister. Little Sister will actually say 3-4 word sentences already.

Kids are just amazing! Which skill did you love to watch your little one achieve the most?

Have a wonderful day dear followers!

My girls are attracted to animals like magnets! There is something about fur and feathers that sends their kiddie radar threw the roof. Little Sister always feels the need to try to chase my birds when she is out and Big Sister "needs" to grab a hold of and carry around any barn cat she can catch. Their father and I both have a love for animals as well and encourage their interested in them (minus the chasing).

Last weekend Goodies in Princeton, Indiana, a small town near by, invited a Traveling Petting Zoo to visit the public. We were able to stop by both Saturday night and Sunday after church to visit with the animals. The first animal we saw when we walked up as a beautiful Camel named Adar. He was a gentle giant. Big Sister and I were able to take a ride on the poky old guy Sunday! Saturday the first thing we did was get our pictures taken with a Lion Cub! I could not believe now much Little Sister's face lit up when the worker brought the cub over to sit in Big Sister's lap! They were both VERY excited! We continued on after our picture was taken with the cub, we looked at the White Tiger, Black Leopard, Ponies & Mule, Monkeys, Lemurs, Kangaroo, Siberian Tiger, Llamas, Miniature Cow, and Goats. Oh the GOATS! They had several pigmy goats that my girls just adored. They had grain available to feed the goats, so of course we HAD to feed to goats. The girls were just mesmerized by the little goats, I would almost bet that we spent 85% of our visit in front of those goats! I guess this means that we will be looking for pet pigmy goats in the near future, hehe.

We all had a great time and it was a fun little family outing. In the back of my mind I was using this as a "test run' to see if the girls were ready to go to the Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville. From our experience last weekend, I would say that they are definitely ready and I can't wait to take them!

Here are a couple scrapbook page that I put together of our visit to the Traveling Petting Zoo using My Memories Suite v3, enjoy!