Our Preschool Homeschool Room

I am so excited to share our homeschool room! It is a project that I've been envisioning for several months and I am ready to put it to good use. We are utilizing half of the upstairs bedroom (it's a large room) as our homeschool room and the other half is an office space. As Hadley gets older, I'm sure we will change things around, but I think this space will serve us well in the early years. 

Overview of our homeschool space as you walk in the door.

Bulletin board to display work & dry erase board.

Our calendar/weather/story time area.

Another overview. 

Built in bookshelves hold workbooks, printer & other items.

Music area. 

Hadley's 3rd Birthday Party

I had a couple of different party themes in mind for this year, but I figured Hadley was old enough to give me some input on what she wanted. :) I gave her a couple of different options and she always went back to pink and purple. Well, first she specified cake...then said pink and purple. 

Birthday morning presents! She loves her "lawnmower" that is just like daddy's.

Birthday morning low-protein pancakes! (Epic fail by the way...)

Low protein cupcakes!

These low-protein pretzels were the most popular food at the party. 

All About Hadley

I can't believe my baby is 3 years old! Every year that passes goes by that much quicker. She keeps me busy all day every day and I love watching her learn and grow. Here are some fun facts about Hadley on her 3rd birthday. 

• She is a tomboy. Give that child a stick and a mud puddle and she'll be happy for hours. Just don't ask her to play with a baby doll. 
• Despite being a tomboy at heart, she loves to pretend to be a ballerina and she absolutely loves dance class!
• She's very sensitive to my emotions. I try not to cry in front of her, but one day I did and she rubbed my back and said "don't be crying mama." I also got frustrated one day and she said "what is it?" If she ever bumps into me she says "oh I sorry mama." 
• She will read the same book over and over every night at bedtime for a good 2-3 weeks before she moves on to another favorite. 
• She loves animals and isn't scared of them at all. Except turtles. Terrified of turtles. 
• She loves to be a helper. Sweeping, taking the trash out, helping with laundry. She wants to help do it all. 
• She forgets nothing. She talks about things that happened months ago!
• She is a good eater and loves her formula! I am so thankful for that. 
• If she doesn't know what something is called, she makes up a name for it. For example, she couldn't think of the word dentist, so she called it the "toothpaste doctor." If she doesn't know somebody's name she calls him "mister person." 

These are just a few of the things about Hadley that make me smile. I am blessed to be her mommy. 

How We Potty Trained

Most parents can't wait for the day when they are done with changing diapers. I personally never minded it. I felt like it actually gave us more freedom because I didn't have to worry about finding a potty whenever we went anywhere. Hadley was never one to mind a wet or even dirty diaper anyway so I didn't *have* to change her right away which to me meant more flexibility. Since Hadley doesn't go to daycare or preschool, I also didn't have the "your child must be potty trained by this age" looming over me. So I basically just waited until I knew she was ready. 

For several months prior to "official" potty training, I would always put her on the potty right before bath time. This served two purposes. One, she got used to sitting on the potty so she wasn't scared. Two, she wouldn't pee in the tub. :) If she didn't go, no big deal. If she did, we praised her and told her what a big girl she was. She totally understood the concept of what was supposed to happen when she was on the potty. 

I also did my research prior to starting potty training. Most people who know me know that I am a big fan of the Babywise book series, and potty training is no exception. I read (twice, actually) Pottywise and also other Babywise-friendly blogs about potty training. I also pulled information from my previous work experience. There are so many methods for potty training out there, it can be overwhelming. I didn't feel the pressure to do any one method exactly as stated, so I pretty much picked the parts that I liked and went with that. I also relied on my knowledge of MY child. Every child is different! 

So basically, here's how we did it. I picked a day (Monday, April 7 to be exact) that we would wake up in the morning, go potty, and put on big girl undies. Just plain undies. No pull-up, no thick training pants. The week before, Hadley actually came to me more than once and told me she needed to go potty so I KNEW she was ready for this! So that first day, I took her to the potty every 15-30 minutes. If she didn't go, no big deal. If she did, great! Huge praise--which she responds very well to. As the week went on, I increased the time between potty breaks longer and longer. She can now go 2-3 hours between potty breaks and it is just over a month later. It's just a matter of building up the bladder muscle and gaining more control over it. 

If she had an accident I just said "uh oh you had an accident" and remind her that pee goes in the potty. After only a couple of days, if she started to have an accident she would tell me and then finish in the potty. She caught on very quickly to the concept of having an accident. They weren't that common though because by taking her potty every so often, I was setting her up for success. 

Here's what I didn't do. I didn't give her any more drinks or salty snacks (that would increase thirst) than I normally would. I basically wanted potty training to fit into an already existing routine. I also didn't use tangible rewards because first of all, Hadley responds so well to praise, and second of all, I didn't want to have to figure out how to wean her off of any sort of reward like toy or food. I also didn't use a doll like Pottywise recommends because Hadley pretty much already understood what was supposed to happen without having to have an example. 

Most kids catch on to one "process" quicker than the other. This was true in Hadley's case. She always liked to go to her room or the corner of my bedroom when she needed to poop. She likes her privacy! So it took a little while to get her to do that in the potty. She's still not 100% there yet but she's gotten a lot better! I can usually guess when she will need to go #2 and watch her for signs and then remind her to go to the potty.

My biggest piece of advice is to wait until they are truly ready! Hadley was 2 years 7 months when we potty trained and that may seem late to some people, but for us it was just right. You can't make it happen before they are ready. She is still not nap or night trained yet but again, that's a matter of waiting for the bladder and brain to mature. 

My other piece of advice is to do your research but don't feel like you have to do everything exactly the way someone else did it. You know your child and what he or she responds best to. I hope this is helpful! 

A Month of Milestones

April was a big month for Hadley! 

We started it out with a bang by going to UAB for her 6-month checkup. She is doing fantastic and growing and developing wonderfully.

Hadley had her first soccer class on the first Saturday morning in April. She is a total space cadet and is way more interested in watching the big kids play, but she enjoys it so that's all that really matters at this age I suppose.

Then came potty training! I knew I needed to have a clear calendar for about a week to really devote to the task. She picked it up SO quickly and has done amazingly well with it. She was truly ready for it. 

The next big step was transitioning to a big girl bed! She never once tried to get out of her crib (child LOVES her bed) so I really wasn't in a hurry to move her to a big girl bed. However, I checked the owner's manual and she was about 2 inches too tall to be in the crib. Ha...oops! We're doing a slower transition by putting up a bed rail that goes along the whole front of the crib. Then we will move to the guard rail that is meant to go on the front of the crib eventually. She transitioned with no problem and was super excited about it. 

Finally, we got her car seat turned around! She still had a while to go before she reached the weight limit for rear facing but her poor legs were squished. She never complained about it though, so I could have left her rear facing for a while longer, but we made it 2 years and 8 months rear facing so I'm pretty happy about that. 

Hadley has come so far in such a short amount of time. Her language is really coming along and she is speaking in longer and longer sentences. She also learned over half the letters in the alphabet in about 2 weeks! I am so thankful for her growth and development and I know it is possible only because of keeping her on a strict diet. It's hard but so worth it! 

Mantle Update and Small DIY Project

I wanted to add some more color to our mantle, especially with spring officially here (finally!). I found this box at an antique store and knew it would be the perfect size for what I had in mind. 

I'm patriotic and all, but this picture had to go!

The picture peeled off pretty easily and then I just sanded it down, stained it, and painted with chalk paint over that. I got the flowers at Hobby Lobby and put them in a styrofoam block inside the box. It turned out exactly how I had envisioned it and added a fun spring touch to the mantle. 

It's not perfect, but that's kind of the point! 

A Happy Low-Pro Easter!

The "candy-heavy" holidays can be difficult for those on special diets, including PKU. Thankfully I have found a few things that are low-pro that Hadley can enjoy. 

Delicious and very low in phe!

Also, here's a peek at her Easter basket! Bubbles, trains, Peeps, her very own flashlight, and a couple of other fun things.

We enjoyed doing some Easter crafts also. Hadley loves to paint!

She got some fun cards from friends and family!

We are blessed to have friends who take Hadley's PKU into consideration when planning events. We went to an Easter egg hunt and one of the moms wanted to make sure she had bought candy that was low-pro and put it in special Easter eggs that were kept in a special place so Hadley could find them. It truly means so much to me that other people care and want Hadley to be included. 

I hope everyone had a fun Easter!

Feeding Feathered Friends

Hadley LOVES looking out the windows and watching the birds. She also tries to chase them when we're outside and can't quite figure out why they always fly away. I decided to make our little friends a special treat. Don't worry, I did my research and made sure the food ingredients were safe for birds. I wasn't able to get a picture of any eating their treat, but they seemed to enjoy it! 

You'll need a couple of bowls, a spoon or spatula, peanut butter, oatmeal, and a pinecone.

Spread the peanut butter onto the pinecone.

Roll the pinecone in oatmeal. 

Ready to go outside!

You could hang it with string but I just decided to place it by our bird feeder. That way Hadley can look out the back window and see birds eating it.

Making a Looooove Cake...Yeah

Fellow watchers of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood will understand the title of this post. It's one of Hadley's favorites to sing. Here's a recap of our Valentine's Day fun. 

Fun painting craft

My pretty chalkboard

More painting fun

Yummy Valentine's cookies (low-pro of course)

Hadley's valentine from us

What Hadley Ate This Week: Dinner

Dinner is the one meal that I feel lacks as much variety, but Hadley doesn't seem to mind. I would like to mix it up a bit though, so hopefully she will like the new things I plan to try. Here is a look at the typical things she eats for dinner. She typically gets some sort of "dessert" after dinner but I forgot to take pictures of those. 

Low-protein pasta with spaghetti sauce, 1/2 slice of LP cheese, peas, peaces, 1/2 of a Gerber fruit and veggie pouch & metabolic formula

LP spaghetti, veggies, mangoes, cheese, fruit and veggie pouch & "milk"

Grilled cheese on LP bread, veggies, apples, fruit and veggie pouch & "milk"

LP hot dog, cheese, veggies, apples, some blueberries left over from lunch, fruit and veggie pouch & milk

Hadley's favorite! LP scrambled eggs, cheese, fruit & milk

January Favorites

I thought it might be fun to do a  "favorites" post. I like seeing other posts like this because I usually find a couple of new products I'd like to try. Plus it will be fun to look back on these posts and see some highlights from the month.

My "no special occasion" flowers from my husband. 

Blackberry pomegranate green tea. I'm not a huge tea fan but it has been so cold here lately and it's nice to have a warm drink. This is very fruity so I enjoy it.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. It's told from the perspective of a man with Asperger's Syndrome (who doesn't realize he has AS). Very interesting and funny read.

This is technically one of Hadley's favorites, but I like that she enjoys it so much. The Endless Alphabet app is 99 cents and it teaches letters and vocabulary.

What Hadley Ate This Week: Lunch

I didn't take many pictures of Hadley's lunches because they all follow the same basic formula: 2 veggies, 2 fruits, and half a slice of low-protein cheese. Every now and then I will throw a pb&j into the mix. These are not the only fruits and vegetables she eats though. She has a pretty wide variety of fruits that she enjoys so I try to mix it up as much as possible. 

Sweet potatoes, green beans (she still prefers the baby food kind over real green beans so I go with it--it gives her more variety), raspberries, mandarin oranges, 1/2 slice of cheese, and PKU formula ("milk").

Carrots, squash, pineapple, raspberries, 1/2 slice of cheese, milk & marshmallows

PB&J (low-pro peanut butter and bread), carrots, pears, grapes, 1/2 slice of cheese & milk. You can see somebody's grabby little hand that was ready to dig in. :)

What Hadley Ate This Week: Breakfast

I feel like Hadley has a pretty good variety of breakfast foods. I mean, I only eat 2 or 3 different things for breakfast, so I think it's reasonable for a 2 year old to do the same. 

About half of a gluten free pop tart, coconut milk yogurt, & PKU "milk." She gets 1/8 teaspoon of a tyrosine supplement in her food daily and I usually put it in yogurt or applesauce.

About half of a gluten free waffle, yogurt, and milk.

Oatmeal (she is still able to have the Gerber kind), about half of a small banana, and milk.

Cereal bar, yogurt, and milk.

Series Introduction: What Hadley Ate This Week

Most of the time when I explain what PKU is and what is off-limits for Hadley's diet (which is a lot!), people want to know what she *can* eat. To give you a better idea of the kinds of food Hadley eats on a regular basis, I thought I would show you her meals from the week. There are things other than what will be shown here, but this gives you a general idea of the type of food and the quantity. We are on a very strict phe limit per day so everything must be weighed to a precise amount. Her formula is very filling so that helps to keep her tummy full and get in the necessary calories. I decided to break up this series into 4 posts: breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. If I tried to do it all in one post it would be pretty "picture-heavy."  Some of these foods (like the goldfish, for example) will become off-limits as she gets older and is eating a larger quantity of food at each meal. I hope you enjoy! 

Stay tuned for the first post of the series! 

That time the washer exploded...

What a week it has been! Hubs has been out of town all week so I knew the potential for something to go wrong was pretty high. It always does. On Monday and Tuesday it was the coldest temps we've had in almost 20 years and things were pretty miserable. In an effort not to completely kill our central unit, I kept the heat a good 10 degrees lower than normal. We bundled up and survived. I'm positive that toddlers are impervious to extreme temperatures because Hadley didn't care one bit. 

On Wednesday the weather was much more tolerable. Wednesday is also my laundry day. Yeah....the pipes apparently didn't get the memo that it was above freezing again. I put a load of laundry in and went about my business until I heard Hadley saying "A puddle! Splash splash!" Cue major mama meltdown over the 1/2 inch of standing water in my kitchen. 

Thank goodness for my dad who left work to bring me his wet vac! He helped me clean up the mess and calmed my nerves. I think the floor itself will be fine (fingers crossed!) but there is some damage on a couple of pieces of the trim. I'm pretty sure I can fix that myself though. It also leaked onto the carpet in the closet so I've had fans blowing on it trying to dry it out. 

I haven't touched the washer since and I'm seriously afraid to attempt to run the dishwasher. 

You know the saying "one day we'll look back on this and laugh"? This will not be one of those times. 

Happy 2014!

I have to say, 2013 was one of our better years and 2014 has some big shoes to fill. I'm usually not one to make resolutions, but I will admit that I have made few (we'll call them goals) for this year. I'm ready to see what this year brings!