Post Valentine's Day Hearts

"One sees clearly only with the heart. 
Anything essential is invisible to the eyes."

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

(The following post was written by Everly's godmother, Deeana, the day before Valentine's Day. She is an incredibly special person and friend.)

Everly,

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I’m thinking about the symbolic hearts that decorate the stores as well as my house. I have to wonder why we equate love with this organ in our body – this part of your body that was not fully developed and didn’t allow you to thrive in this world here with your mom and dad and brothers and sister. 

I’m quite sure that your Valentine’s shoe box will be full tomorrow with love notes, but know too that everyone here misses you so much. 

It’s hard to watch your mom because she hurts so much. She’s being so brave, getting up every day and taking care of your brothers and sister. She’s a very good mommy, as you know. They talk about you every day. Hunter wants to take some toys for you to play with in heaven and Emerson has made you some very nice pictures. They are trying very hard to honor you and everything you have taught them.

For me, Everly, I think Valentine’s Day and hearts will remind me of you and all that heart(s) really represent. 

(Emerson writing "I love Mommy, Daddy, Hunter, Cash, Baby Everly and Kathleen.")

You and your mom have taught me so much about this. How easy it is for us all to forget how fleeting and precious time can be. 

(I took this photo right after Cash said his first full sentence: "Hold hand, cold.")

While your mom was teaching you how to make a ham sandwich, I was busy complaining about the time it took each day to do Lorelei’s hair. What perspective this gave me on the gift of time I have with her. How long will she ask me to do her hair? Another 6 months maybe? Now these 15 minutes every morning have become a special time for us that used to be a frustration for me. Thank you for that gift.

The biggest thing your mom taught me was that heart and love is going all-in.  This is it, not the dress rehearsal. Let’s love deeply and get hurt. Let’s sing loudly and in my case be off key.

There is no do over and no reason to hold back. We hold back out of fear, but the fear doesn’t keep us from getting hurt it just keeps us from taking chances and leads to regret.  

I can’t imagine, not having met you, Everly. You have forever changed my life for the better.  I’m mailing you a very large Valentine Card.

Xxoo,

Aunt Deeana   

  

"All the knowledge I posses everyone else can acquire, 

but my heart is all my own."

-Johann von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther, 1974

Sick Day Activities

Heuristic (pron.: /hyoo-ris-tik/; Greek: "Εὑρίσκω", "find" or "discover") 

refers to experience-based techniques for problem solving, learning, and discovery. 

Where the exhaustive search is impractical, heuristic methods are used to speed up the process of finding a satisfactory solution; mental short cuts to ease the cognitive load of making a decision.

“Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves.”  ~Abbé Dimnet, Art of Thinking, 1928

This week in the Menoni household the flu and some nasty colds took over. Two kids were finally able to get back to school but if your kids are anything like mine, they’ll be in a needy, fragile state once they return home today.

In preparation for this, I put together some very quick and easy sensory activities. (For more of these types of ideas look here.)

Big Brother has really been into pirates the past few months. When I ran across  this Pirate Inspired Sensory box idea on one of my favorite blogs, I knew I had found a treasure. Pun intended.

(Pirate books for inspiration, our Dinosaur brown-colored playdoh, Popsicle stick with index card pirate flag, coins, Mardi Gras beads, wooden figures from our Acrobats collection, rocks, shells from our beach, a sword and kerchief from our dress up bin and some favors from a recent Pirate-themed birthday party.)

I have always loved doing sensory activities with my kids because it sparks lots of interesting questions from their curious minds, builds small motor skills, increases vocabulary through discussion, and provides a learning experience using all of their senses. Since all three of my children learn in different ways (kinesthetic, auditory, visual) then I know this is the best way to introduce them to new experiences and objects.

For Sissy I used objects from our Valentine's Day Sensory Box that I created last year and combined them with some other objects I found around the house.

This was my first time introducing Cash to a Treasure Basket. 

A Treasure Basket is a basket (or other container) filled with various objects that will provide a wonderful tactile experience. This particular basket included; wooden beads, water blocks, bead blocks, a wire whisk, wooden marble tracks, a rice shaker made from an old sprinkles container, a piece of fabric and ribbon.

 (My poor little guy is still under the weather but still always keeps the sweetest disposition.)

The activities proved successful and we all had lots of fun exploring and creating.

Although my goal is to foster a love of learning in my kids, it is usually me that seems to learn the most from their inquisitive minds and fearless creativity.

Winter break is upon us and I’m excited to come up with more learning experiences for all of us. Until then, enjoy the rest of your LOVE-ly Valentine week.

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. “ ~Clay P. Bedford