First Ski Day of the Season!

K tried out her new skis a couple of weeks ago.  This was supposed to be the year that she skied without a harness but after her AAI X-ray came back on the questionable side, I decided that I wanted to more control for at least a little longer. K is just starting to be able to turn & stop so once she is able to ski in control I'll finally untie the apron strings take off her harness & let her ski totally independently.

K only skied for a couple of hours but did well & seems to be remembering all she learned last year. Our hill is opening this weekend so we're excited to go again!With 3 older girls who ski race competitively the local ski hill will be our second home for the next few months.  K will be moving up from just having mom as her instructor & will be taking regular lessons so I'm anticipating big improvements in her skiing ability this year.

My Awesome Christmas gift!

K's fine motor skills were still testing at or slightly above average for a typical child her age when she turned 4 however she hated any kind of drawing & colouring.  Although she hasn't had her fine motor skills tested lately I was quite sure she had fallen behind due to the lack of writing pratice. In the last 7 or 8 months however she has suddenly decided it is great fun to draw & colour & with many different mediums - paint,crayon, pencil, iPad letter drawing apps, magna doodle etc.  All that practice has been paying off & it has been very noticeable in her drawing,colouring & printing.  We always get K to practice writing her name on worksheets & yesterday she insisted that I write my name first.  I obliged & the she proceeded to write too. After a few moments she said "Look Mom!"  I expected her to have written her name but instead I saw this:

In case you can't understand my messy writing hers is the Mom on the right!

Abbott

If you are planning a donation this holiday season please consider donating to Abbott's fund on Reece's Rainbow.

Abbott has been transferred to an institution & desperately needs funding to aid in his adoption.

If you aren't planning a donation will you please share his picture or repost this?

Abbott was born the same year & month as K & I've always had a soft spot in my heart for him. He was transferred over a year ago & it breaks my heart to imagine if it were my daughter in that situation.

Thanks everyone:)

http://reecesrainbow.org/8104/abbott-3g

Fun Christmas / Winter activities

I was looking for some fun but simple Christmas worksheets for K today & came across this blog.  Many of these ideas are a little too easy for K but sometimes I like to find things for her that are just fun & don't require her to work hard.  This winter Wonderland Pre-K pack has about 25 pages of brightly coloured activities & I'm sure K will love it!

Funnix Beginning Math Free Until December 15!

I haven't tried this program yet.  I just downloaded it but haven't had a chance to even look at it yet.  I thought I'd pass this on quicly because the free offer is only good until December 15th.

Funnix Beginning Math

Check back in at that site between December 16 & 31 to download their Funnix Reading program. 

I did download this program the last time they were giving it away for free & talked about it here but I'm not sure if it is the same program or if it has been changed.  I do know that they have tried to reduce the price to make it more affordable.

5 going on 13

This winter we've had one snowstorm after another so the other day when I was in town I decided I needed a new toque.  I found this one in the clothing section at the local health food store & loved it's funky colours so I bought it.

The next morning  K & I were getting ready for me to take her to school.  I put my toque on & bent down to help her tie up her boots.  K looked up at my hat & tried to take it of my head. I  told her to please leave my hat. Without hesitation, in a voice that sounded more like a 13 year old, she responded, "Mom, you can't wear that!" I wasn't sure what she meant so I explained that this was my new toque & it was cold so I was wearing it to take her to school.  "No mom, you can't wear that!"  she said & again tried to take it off of me. "Yes K" I insisted "I am wearing my new toque"  She repeated it 3rd time & again that disgusted teenage voice came out. "No, Mom, you can't wear that, you're too old for it!".

I love how this kid can make me crack up with laughter at her 5 year old adorableness one moment & in the next leave me wondering how she can be a teenager 8 years ahead of schedule.