In reality, I am a perfectionist who doesn’t always give attention to detail.
I tend to move about quickly and take a long time to get things done at the same time.
I am a paradox of exceptionality and imperfection…and today I own it.
I woke up around 1AM yesterday morning. I fell asleep before closing out my evening. When I woke up at 1, I jumped in the shower, brushed my teeth, and put final touches on small heart gestures for my daughter: I wrote affirmations on colorful bug picture pages, slipped them in plastic covers and taped them at her eye level around the house. (We’ve been studying insects and bugs, what better way to end her week?)
As I reflect on our first week of reaching for the stars, I’m deeming it a successful week. Did it go perfectly? No. Did I follow my plan to the T? Of course not. Nevertheless, this has been a good week- exhausting but good.
Here’s a recap of the week, some highlights, reflections and goals for next week.
The Schedule
So, I finally got the schedule together. We visit it in the morning and throughout the day after tasks are complete. I ask, “Have you____already?” My daughter usually says, “yes.” We say, “All done,” and I guide her with flipping the card over.
I like the concept, but have given myself grace and liberty to rearrange the cards even in the middle of the day to adjust to our flow. It’s not a rigid schedule. For example, Monday, we had a 9AM dentist appointment. Things had to shift. Tuesday, I decided to go to the library for Story Time and to check out books. Thursday by 10AM, she was teething, sleepy, and fussy. I just had to pause everything and let her lay down…and I started a movie. :) My ideal schedule ends at 12, but in reality, we hit some of our picture cards later in the afternoon some days.
The Calendar
Um, so I wouldn’t consider myself controlling, but trying to navigate a linear calendar with my daughter makes me question myself LOL. I wanted her to cross off ONE day at a time with a neat little slash. Um, she’s about to be two and wants independence. I’ll get my life together next week and guide her hand less, allowing her more liberty in crossing off dates.
Word Wall for Theme
So, we learned about insects and bugs this week. It was more so a about exposure and repetition for me. We’d visit the word wall, and I’d point to the word and say the name for each picture. Eventually, she’d point and ask, “What’s this?” I’d tell her and ask her the same question, “What’s this?”
A Special Place
I used her table as her special place to leave surprises and smaller picture cards for her to play with when she ate snacks.
Thank God for Caitie’s Classroom!
We don’t know it all and don’t have time to do it all. It’s important to leverage our resources. I thank God for Caitie’s Classroom on YouTube. We watched this video (or at least some of it) about four days out of the week. She already had a lesson and songs on bugs. I’d run and grab one of our picture cards for Zora to make the connection between what we had on our wall and table and what Caitie was showing us.
Improvising and Teachable Moments
I let Zora move use her picture cards while eating snack and watching Caitie’s Classroom. My teething toddler started putting the cards in her mouth and tearing them. SMH. So, I used it as a teachable moment. We apologized to the insects for hurting them and used the pieces as jigsaw puzzles and reassembled them.
Free Writing, Fine Motor, and Brain-break for Mommy
I would write Zora’s name or draw the shape of the week and let Zora “draw” or “write” what I wrote and just have time playing with the dry erase board. This would give me a chance to check my email, take a call, etc.
Work with Shapes
I clipped shapes and numbers to the back of a canvas board each day and let her color. I added vocabulary to these coloring sessions by talking about the shape of the week (heart) and the numerals 1-3.
This has been a week filled with planned and unplanned activities, energy bursts and energy lows, cooked meals and fast food, a successful dish and dish I completely bombed. I’ve had moments when my patience started thinning and moments when I felt overwhelmed. Nevertheless, I count this week a success because I let learning flow. I gave myself and my daughter grace when we needed it. I refocused on anchor truths when I started to get overwhelmed or felt like I was falling short. We grabbed some stars this week and will continue to reach for more from our own backyard.
Some personal aspirations for next week:
I’d like to drink less soda…
I’d like to do more personal reading and studying…
I’d like to exercise twice…
…all while continuing to let learning flow with my daughter.
I’ll be back soon with Week Two’s plan. Until then, have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
AJM Ellis