Introducing Ciske Homeschool

We are SO blessed! We found a HUGE remnant carpet for $44. Originally we looked at spending $30... and that WAS NOT happening... We decided we could not afford to carpet the entire room, so we had other plans, but we found a 11x15 (that I think was actually bigger) for $44... so it covers the entire room! I am WAY excited. So we are ready for the first day of school (hense the date on the chalk-board).

This is the alphabet around the top, the calendar/todayis... tomorrow is... yesteday was.../weather wall. With a chalkboard.

The I CAN sign is just for Zech who says "I can't" all the time.

This is the chalkboard for the kids

This is my # caterpillar that Lily LOVES

This is the "reading nook" and my storage area

Also as you can see, I SUCK at spray paint, so my chalkboard is a bit drippy... and until I get white wall paint (which isn't in the budget anywhere) it will stay drippy... and that is OKAY with me... well, I have been told it has to be!

We are pretty happy... and its already been prayed over! now we wait for a blessed school year!

The Classroom

I will post pictures soon, but my classroom is almost done. I have a chalkboard, a calendar, a weather chart, a "Today is, Tomorrow is, Yesterday is" section, An alphabet around the top of the room, a caterpillar that bears the #s... a desk, a table, sorting toys, puzzles, lacing cards! Its almost done. I just spent 20 minutes just standing in the room, hoping and dreaming. I went to college to be a teacher. I should know how to do this. I've taught first graders, and 6th graders... I 've taught 2 year olds, 4 year olds, I should be able to teach ONE three year old! So, I pray that his school experience is a good one. I pray that he is eager to "go to school". I pray for patience in teaching and for wisdom in how to teach. I pray that his mind will be open, eager, and willing! I pray his brain swells with knowledge... I pray my fear will go away!
I am hoping to get carpet this weekend, and then I will be done... I will then just make sure all the activities are lined up! Again, I pray my fear will go away!

A Few unsaid things

A lot has beeing going on lately, and I feel I just can't keep up! And part of it is just the overwhelming brain I have. I have about a billion MORE things that go through my mind "to do" that getting anything done seems to come second only to THINKING about getting it done! Does this even make any sense?

First of all I finished the wedding. I actually photographed my first wedding. I cried all day. The Bride was gorgeous and she is such a soft spot in my heart. I was so happy to get to spend the day with her on such a special occasion. However, I didn't think the pictures went as I had planned them in my head. I knew it as I was taking them. We just didn't think things through as much as I thought. I had a detailed list of poses, and didn't get some that I thought were most important. Her flowers didn't come until after the couple pictures, so she had no pictures of her and her husband and her bouquet... which seemed so weird to me.

But overall, she does have some pretty shots... I was just so disappointed in myself. I really thought I would have done better. So as I looked at the shots, I cry each time, feeling like I failed her. I hope that there is that slim chance she is satisfied. Her photobook is gorgeous, so maybe that will seal it up.

Here are some of my favorites... I do have MANY more, but I will limit it to this.

This is Zech, my son, for those of you who haven't seen him in a long time... We had such an experience getting this tux on him. He hated getting measured, so they mismeasured (even when I said that I thought they did and that we needed to get it right!) So when the tux came in, it was double his size... his shirt was SO HUGE (even when I told her NOT to order a small 3 year old a size 5 shirt!). So we had to go back to try it on twice. Each time he screamed and cried and told us he would never wear it! I tried telling him it was a superhero outfit, and that Daddy would be wearing one too... nothing worked. Dave just decided to get him dressed. Just like anyother day, and Zech was fine with that. He said "I don't want to be a superhero!" Daddy said thats fine, just get dressed. So he gets his pants on, his ENORMOUS SHIRT on and then the tie-- "I don't want to be OPA!" (Opa wears ties to preach) (Opa is our name for Grandpa). Dave tells him he doesn't have to "What do you want to be?" Zech says "ZECH IN A TUX!" DUH!

Zech starts homeschool on September 2nd. I thought we had 2 weekends to finish up loose ends, but my parents will be here next weekend, so we have until next thursday. I am so nervous. I don't feel like he needs 2.5 hours of sit down and learn time at 3 years old. And if it weren't for his personality, I wouldn't start at 3. However, he is stubborn when he is forced to do something, so this year's goal is to introduce him to the "school" process, To have a time of structured play (even if its unstructured in a structured atmosphere), and to write his name! hehe! I really want to see him write his name. When I try to teach him in restaurants (on the kids menu) or when he is coloring, or on the computer, he is SO NOT interested! So, I just want to set up the room and make it interesting.

We have cleared a room in the basement, I have the weather wall, the calendar, the ABCs around the room (things I loved about studying elementary ed), I even have a chalk wall... just Zech and Lily's size! he has workbooks, and center activities. I am excited and VERY nervous! We start at 3 because I need the practice of patience and by trial and error learn what will help him learn when school actually counts. I homeschool not just because I am a complete control freak as I tease. I actually feel its my job. Being in the traditional schools means someone else is teaching him more hours a day than i am... and thats just not okay with me. he's too young to be sent out to deal with that. THIS IS MY CHOICE... and I am not knocking anyone else. I just feel like its my job to care for him, to teach him, to protect him.

So, I get a promotion! I am not JUST mommy now, I am a preschool teacher!

I'll post pics of the finished project of his school room! IF I ever get it done!

NEW ADVENTURES

I sometimes struggle with the talents God has given me. I praise him for the ones that I am aware of. And without sounding braggadocios, I feel confident in my teaching ability, my ability to come up with lessons on a whim, and flow with Children's ministry... hense the reason I went to school to be a teacher. However, there are other things I want to do, I love to do, and I HOPE I've been blessed with the talent, yet I question on every turn.
Living here has been great for me. I will NEVER look back on our stay in Wisconsin and ask "I wonder why God sent us there". I always assume God sends us to where DAVE can minister. He is the pastor, our lives go for that direction. I am fine with that, I wanted that, I signed up for that. But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt (FAR BEYOND) that one of the many reasons we moved here was for God to show me some things I CAN do.
I love taking pictures, I love looking at photography, I love capturing the exact essence of the mood with my camera. When Rachel got engaged I was asked to be the wedding photographer. The Ciske family has confidence in me, and in that talent that maybe I don't even realize I have at times. I have wonderful subjects most of the time, so I always think the pictures are gorgeous. But they see something in me that I don't always see in myself. They make me feel like MAYBE maybe I could go into business doing this.
So, its wedding week. I've been online studying technique and poses. I've played with everything about my camera I will EVER understand, and have (not your fault, Rachel) lost sleep over this! I am scared out of my mind. I am nervous to the point I may pee my pants. I am so afraid her day will not be recorded correctly. The day is fast approaching. I have 4 days 18 hours!
And then I am reminded through that wonderful God I serve, of the principle we've been teaching our kids on a daily basis.
Zech says "I can't!" and I remind him (as he quote the verse from memory now!)
I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME! -Philippians 4:13
Why worry, when that doesn't make a better photography. I live for God, I love for God, I will work for God. He will take care of the talent, the inspiration, and the confidence. He will make me a better photographer!
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever (photography) you do, do it all for the glory of God." (photography added :))
So, I will stop. I will pray. I will do it for God's glory!

The Prayer
For Auntie Rachel's wedding, Dave is singing Celine Dion (well, Beckie sings that part) and Josh Groban's The Prayer (I don't think they are the original singers??)
So he's been practicing since its in Italian and Dave barely knows French after taking it in highschool... let alone picking up Italian in less than 2 months!
Zech thinks its pretty fun to hear Daddy sing jibberish. Zech is like "No big deal, I can sing jibberish!"
So we finally got it on video.
I guess you can't put Youtube videos on here... or I don't know how... so follow the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdjuOzwtf9c
And be sure to watch to the end... thats his best part!

A Healthy Snack Makes Happy Kids
A while ago when there was not enough cereal to make a complete bowl I started making a special snack for the kids. I'd mix really whatever I was running low on (Dry things only)in a big bowl and serve it as a snack. Now, its about all I make anymore. I specifically look for little treats that can be added to the "Funky Snack" as we now call it .
Recently Zech had a friend over to play and when I served Snack the boy said "What kind of snack is this?" Zech sat up proud and said "My mom made it!" I was very pleased. He explained "Its our funky snack". The boy actually loved it. They compared what they had in their mixture and what they were currently eating.








Ingredients for this particular "FUNKY SNACK"

• -Kix
• -Life Cereal
• -Quaker Oatmeal Bites
• -Baby goldfish
• -Goldfish pretzels
• -Sixlets
• -Raisins

And although you can't see it in Zech's bowl (because he eats it first) we can't have the funky snack without popcorn! And they LOVE when I put marshmallows in it (thats the special treat... more than the chocolate sixlets).

I think its kinda fun... They think its delicious, and I don't think they know how healthy it is! I am very pleased at how proud my kids are of it, and how happy it makes them!

I am married to a 30 year old Man!

My husband has turned 30. Its not really that big of deal to us. It doesn't seem possible that he is already 30, but it hasn't changed much.
I am in awe of my husband. I have been since our meeting, but even now thinking about him being "an older man" (which really, is 30 even "old"?) I can reflect back to when he was in his early twenties. We were getting married with so many dreams, and those dreams still exsist very much.
But he's grown so much as a man, just being a father. He's always been such a great husband to me, but to see him as a daddy to his kids, well lets just say I am amazed!
His immediate patience, soft spoken word, and fatherly embrace is everything I've ever dreamed about in a dad!
This man is amazing to me. He can get so upset, but listens to reason. I hear this isn't always a trait men have. He is "blessed" with a wife that is pretty outspoken, so when things don't seem right, the complaint is too often voiced. And he actually listens and thinks about it. And if it is something that should be changed, he changes... no glances back. If its something that I'm out of line in, he lets me know... thats good in my eyes!
This man is so amazing to me. He gives up sleep, money, food, comfort for the family. There are many times he has to stay up because I just can't keep my eyes open. He goes without so I can have some spending money (even when I don't realize he's gone without), he always gives me what I like even if its what he'd rather eat, and he ALWAYS lets me lay on the couch even if its not always comfortable for him... hehe!
But seriously, I don't just love this man because of all the things he does for ME! I love him for who he is.

I remember when I first met him, there was somethign about his hands. I wanted to hold them right away. I don't know what it was, but he had (and still has) really great hands. There is no doubt they were made for making music!

He is a godly man, A man that seeks his God for all his needs, A man who worships his Master with a beautiful voice and a wonderful character, and a man whose desire is to bring others closer to his Savior because he values the closeness he himself has. He is a man who plays music for an audience of one. He never looks out into the crowd because its only Jesus' face he sees!

I love this man! He is one collage of "wonderfulness"!!!
I wanted to be sure to document this 30th birthday with a page in our yearly scrapbook, so I took some pictures... He sure is handsome too!

He is a Genius!!!
Tonight was "playdough" night. It was a good way to wind down from a busy day so we sat at the table and played with the kits. Zech found one that hadn't been opened and asked if we could make it... this is what is was supposed to look like.

I am not an artist, and I warn him from the very beginning that I am not great at it but I will "try my best" (a lesson, right?). So I begin my sculpting best... reminding him it may not look identical.

At the same time, he has picked out some colors of his choice and wants to make one too. So I explain what I am doing so he can create along with me...

He is a genius! My mom and Sister are great artists and can mold, paint, draw with ease. Once at some mexican restaurant Zech was given some dough to play with and my mom whipped it into an airplane. Weeks later Zech screamed at my feet because I could not produce such great of an airplane. However, he was so pleased with his artwork tonight... and he should have been!!!

Oh yeah, thats mud his car is driving on. he insisted on having brown tires, brown man, and brown road... when I asked why the ground was brown , he cocked his head and reminded me that cars can drive in mud too!

He is only 3 years old... so this is huge for an artist idiot over here! Here is mine... which actually is my VERY best work... But Zech mimicked all I did, and I think he just did genius work!!!






Here is my request... if your 2 year old can do better... keep it to yourself! Right now, I think my baby is pretty talented,and would like to stay on my cloud nine! The pride he had in his work melted me! I let him stay up until Daddy got home to show him... however, he still wanted mine in the display case...how funny. I am honored!

***Yes, I missed a Birthday blog... I just want it to accompany some pictures I take of him, so Dave's 30th birthday blog is to come! With GREAT pictures, I hope!***

Scatter-brained

This is just some random thoughts that have been going through this scatter-brained head of mine. I may not act completely scatter-brained, but if only you could hear my thoughts....

This last week I sat in the sound booth at church. it was very important that I pay attention and click the new screens as the worship team sang (for the congregation to see the words on our new PLASMA TVS). I knew that my mind should stay focused, and found myself making my vacation lists, my todo lists, and wondering if Zech had to pee. Seriously... Zech had an entire glass of lemonade before church. I had forgotten to tell the workers that he'd have to go pee. And then I worried they'd send him by himself and he'd come out half naked... something we are working hard on... modesty and privacy. My fingers methodically clicked the right buttons, my mouth sang the words, I feel my spirit worshipped, but my mind was racing with all these things that could have waited until later... Does this ever go away?

Today my mind has been spinning about this new word Zech picked up... MOM! He has decided he'd like to say MOM instead of Mommy. At first I was doing my hair this morning with Lily perched ever so annoyingly at my feet saying her usual "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" with no response to my "what, what, what?" I thought about just letting him call me Mom, I mean, it beats hearing Mommy twelve-hundred times a day, right? But the more he said it the more I got that lump in the bottom of my throat that made me want to cry... loud and hard. So I asked him, " Can you call me Mommy a bit longer?" He said yes, but he'd already formed the habit, so the entire day we had to have the discussion "Please don't call me MOM"! I think people in the stores thought he wasn't mine.

I've also laughed at the things I DIDN'T think about before letting them come out of my mouth today... I won't mention them all, but they are those things that you never thought you'd say... for example...
Don't put Chicken in your Sister's face!
You can't yank her legs!!!
Be gentle with that steering wheel, you might break it!
The list could be longer if this scatter-brain would let me think...
Well, even as I sit here, I have my mental list of things I must get done... this isn't one of them. Sorry if I scattered your brain just by you reading this!

Should I change my Husband?
My husband is getting his bachelor's in Sociology that focuses on Family Studies. He is getting ready to start his final project that he chose. He decided to do a seminar for Father's and Husbands. He is a little over worked this week, and needs a annotated Bibliography. I asked if I could help... I love to do this kind of stuff. All he needed were books and their information. Six of them. So I did some research for him. I didn't do his assignment. I simply looked for some books for him to look further into. However that is not my point...
As I was looking, I noticed how many book there are out there on how to CHANGE your husband.
Did you marry him? Why change him? I get so frustrated at how much society belittles men.
I have taken some women's history classes and it was hard to handle as we learned about the Women's Lib movement. it was originally established to get equal rights. The right to vote, to own land, to work for comparable wages...etc. Not to knock Men down and trample them. It has really begun to wreck our family structure. Men are told from a very young age that they are not good enough. And we wonder why the absent father is on the rise. They are considered worthless from birth.
I married a great man. He has flaws, so do I. We love each other anyway. Sure we all need to make changes in a marriage, but do we need to marry a man just to change him? I am aware that sometimes people change in a marriage. They can be a great person when you marry them, then throughout time things change. However, who do we think we are to think WE can change them... I mean, I know that a woman can do mighty things, but to change a man's ways? We take too much credit. God can change situations. Prayer can change our mindset. The power of God's word can change the mess we've made. And sometimes it is us that need to change. Our idea of changing the man God gave us may need to change into "How can I treat my husband better."
Well, I give thumbs down to these books...
How to Change Your Husband by A Friend of Medjugorje
Husband-ry 101: How to Train Your Husband to be the Spouse You've Always Wanted Him to Be by Michael H. McCann
However, I have judge them by their titles... but it still brought up some ill feelings within me.
I love my husband... there are things I want changed in my marriage, but I love the man I married. And it takes two, right!?

PICA--

Definition
Pica is a pattern of eating non-food materials (such as dirt or paper... or lint). This pattern should last at least 1 month to fit the diagnosis of pica.

Well, I guess my daughter has Pica. At first I looked this up just get the information on the word Pica so I could add it to this funny blog... but as I read the article it is a big concern. And maybe I should contact our pediatrician... but not before I share Lily's quirky habit.

When she was sick a few days ago, I laid her in bed with me to sleep. I watched her for 45 min as she pulled lint off her afghan blanket and ATE IT! I've seen her do this for about a year. It used to be that she just pretended to pull things off my shirt and eat them while I rocked her to sleep (as early as 5 months old). That is when I knew she was almost asleep and it was my cue to lay her down (not fully asleep of course!). I figured it was just that she had learned a task and was practicing its motions (like eating cheerios). It has has since developed into eating the lint on her blanky. We see it wrapped around her paci in the morning. She does it only when she is falling asleep or is in those first stages of sleep.
As I watched her for that 45 minutes I was amazed at how she would search with her hands for the right amount of lint, then yank it off, remove her paci and shove it in. She continued until she fell completely asleep.
WHO DOES THIS? We think its so funny. However, as I looked it up it is very common among children to eat non food items (not just put them in their mouths, but to pick a specific substance and eat it... Like Lint) However, the reasons are a lack of nutrition in some area... well, what does lint substitute? Fiber maybe... hehe... And there are serious complications like lead poisoning for those who eat paint chips (isn't their mother watching them??) or other harmful substances... but for other things a hard mass can form in the stomach... So maybe I should ask the doctor... I mean lint over a year's span may have begun to form a whole new afghan in there... I'd hate to see the colors of that one!

My baby girl---
She is sick. It really bothers me when my babies are sick. Its like this lump sits in my throat and I could cry at any moment. Lils is just as limp as a noddle. She has given me quite a scare this time. She always runs high fevers, so I should be used to this. However, she is just SO lethargic and pitiful. I took her to the doctor's today, and I am not sure if I was uneasy because we didn't see her original doctor (and seriously, she has an amazing doctor who always puts me at ease!) or if I was being prompted to pray harder. I just didn't have a good feeling even as I took her. As the doctor was leaving Lily jerked as if she was startled, but she didn't stop shaking. I looked at the doctor and cried out "WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER?" I was convinced she was having a seizure. The doc said she didn't notice anything, but then put her hand on her and could feel her shaking inside. She quickly called out for the nurse to bring a thermometer and some Tylenol into the room. Then she checked her pupils and her heart and informed me she had not had a seizure. She said her eyes did not roll back in her head and that her pupils did not dilate. the doctor's urgency scared me just as much. I actually started crying in the office. It scared me so bad!
I really hate when my kids are sick. Its a huge step of faith for me. It hard to put them to bed. I want to hold them and watch their every move. I notice how much I have to put my faith to practice. I believe God cares more than I do, and he knows the final outcome. He knows how and when she will get better. I find solace in that. But its scary all the same... So, Lord, can you heal her quickly!?

My Kids

My kids amaze me sometimes. I mean they seem so different than me and Dave at times then so much like us at others. I haven't really blogged much about them lately... and since I don't really keep up with their journals anymore, I thought I'd record their personalities, and how odd they are... well, not odd as in WEIRD (although they are at times) but odd in a sense that they are very unique.


Zech can be such an obedient boy, yet still throws the same fits he threw the day he was born! He came out screaming so hard he lost his voice... when he didn't get what he wanted right when he wanted it, it was a lost cause. Although I want to think he's getting better, he sure does put up a fuss once in a while. Yet he can be the most obedient by doing everything I ask of him. He may cry while doing it, but he does it. I often times look at moms who seem to have everything together and think they are just better moms than me. Then I realize they do not have my children and all their intensities...

Lily is starting her fits as well, however a quick hug and cuddle cures her. I try not to give such positive reinforcement for that kind of behavior, but it does calm her instantly. Every hurt, fight, or discomfort can be cured just by sitting on my lap. I love that about her. There are times when I feel like I just have nothing left to give, she has taken so much from me that day... but then there are days I feel like I'm missing out if she's not in my lap. It is my blessing and curse. I remember saying to Dave when Zech was born that I hoped the next baby was a cuddler... I got what I wished for. And for the most part I really wouldn't trade it for the world.

Zech hates to clean... he's like his dad. He will do it, and understands that its his responsibility (as I tell him each time he cleans his room before bed), he still screams and cries the entire time. Dave may not scream and cry OUT LOUD, but he has the same feelings inside when I ask him to clean before bed too.
Lily loves to organize. If I tell her to pick up her dishes, she gets right to it. She places the plates on top of each other ever so nicely and stacks them inside the basket. She stands back and admires her clean room... just like Mommy!

Zech is boy of all boy (as seen in the baseball post). And is a whiz at the computer. He can have a ton of energy and run and play all day long with no break, and then again he can sit on a lawn chair with me and chat it up. I absolutely LOVE converstions with him. They are just the highlight of my day. I like that he has a shorter rest time as Lily so I get that hour just to chat, lounge, and cuddle with my boy (who has MANLY TOES).

Lily is girl of all girl... WAY girlier than me! She falls all over herself to get to the bathroom when I hollar for her to come get your hair done!. She watches me as I put piggies in her hair, or ponies. When we are done she smiles her best smile and nods her head in admiration. She says "Oh, HAIR!" She loves every baby doll equally, and is sure to share her snack with them. I love getting her up in the morning and hugging her tight, she is my baby girl (who has pretty toes!!!)

They both love to be outside... something I really don't remember liking. However, I am begining to love it more and more each day we are out. To sit and tan a bit while reading or listening to music is a nice treat to me.

I just look at them and think of how much I've changed. How much just in the last 3 years 3months. I praise God for giving me patience. I look back on the fits and the stress of having the two strong willed kiddos so close in age and think... I really want another! Some days I stop and think, I dont think I'll make it... but I always do. So I know that God has built a new character in me. A more compassionate, patient, loving character. And boy do I love them, so I love these new traits.


To try to keep this blog short enough to read in one sitting, I will have to end... not to mention I am half way to tears thinking of how much a blessing they are to me. I remember trying to get pregnant with Zech and month after month would go by with no pregnancy. I would think to myself... I'll be a good mom. It comes naturally to me, so why aren't I getting pregnant?" then when Zech hit about 10 months (thats when the big fits started) thinking, what was I thinking, I can't do this! This parenting thing is SO different than my peachy keen imagination, but I really think God has given me some really unique kids... and I'll take their negatives just the same. Their personalities are so much more than their miscomings... and I can easily overlook that when they sit and cuddle with me like this...

You know those were special... I hate pictures of me... but check this priceless one of Zech (below)

I want S'MORE!

For Father's Day, Dave got a fire pit. We had decided ahead of time that we'd get patio furniture and a fire pit with our stimulus package money... as mother's/father's day. So, that's what he got.

I put it together for him and we fired it up! Ahh, the memories. The smells of bug spray, the sound of crackling twigs in the fire, and the feeling of family & friends and good conversation. Oh and the taste of SMORES!!!

Zech was amazed at the fire, but was very cautious as he threw sticks in. And he LOVED roasting marshmallows, however eating them roasted was NOT his thing... he just ate them raw!

Lily would eat them either way... even the nasty burnt parts (YUCK!). I liked how Brooklyn cooked hers, just enough to be melty and a nice tan...

And then there's Arianna's way...I am convinced she just wanted to set things on fire... OH SO NASTY!

It was just so fun! As exhausted as I was, I still went to bed happy! and dreamed happy thoughts about yummy smores!

Can't wait for more fun times!