Engaging a Preschooler/Toddler

How can you engage a toddler/Preschooler at home in the severe Chicago winter weather?  It is really hard when you cannot really take the kids out in the snow, wind and cold.  On top of this if you have a 5 month old with you it gets even harder. At home you still have to cook, feed and continue with your daily chores.  I tried different ideas which I found online with George and it seems working and he is enjoying it.  He does not sit through and he needs my undivided attention through out these activities.  

In the pictures I am using the ideas from Along the Alphabet Path  and few other activities from one of my favorite catholic mothers blog Shower of Roses

Teaching the letter A

A for Angel

A for Apple

Matching game

He just learned how to hold scissors

George turned 3 last October which means he will miss the yearly cut off date for school and miss a year.  I really have this desire in my heart to home school my children if it is God's will.  I enrolled George in the  Seton Homeschool program for preschool this past summer. Even though I have not officially started teaching him, I do try to introduce this concept of sitting with him and teaching him little bit here and there.   

Puzzle time

Apple Activity

Snack time

I looked through the internet, read several other catholic moms blogs and came up with many ideas to entertain my George.  It is amazing how many great things mothers do for their children.I am so amazed at how much they invest in their children in raising them up to be a saint.  I hope and pray to get to that level one day.

Making a wrist band

I love to introduce children to books a lot.  I started reading books to George from when he was just few months old.  He loves listening and enjoys looking through the pics.

Sibling Love

I love to see the time they both spent together.  I can see how much they love each others company even at such a small age.  Anna can only smile or try to grab George's hair but even that small simple act means a lot to George.  I see how much he misses Anna when she is taking a nap.  He will ask me at least 5 times "Mamma is Anna awake?".  I am starting to see a brother sister relationship building up right here.  

Love this one

Daddy's little girl

Story time with Pappa

Home Made Pizza time with my kiddies

My Georguu, my sweet heart

It is definitely hard for George to share the attention which he alone got for the past 3 years.  I can see him battling his toddler ego and selfishness in sharing his toys, his Mamma, his Pappa, grandparents and the many other things with Anna.  It was hard for me in the beginning to see him get upset but I am starting to realize that it is only making him become a better person and he is learning to share, care and value another human being in his life.  In this little family, he will begin to take his first steps towards becoming a better person, learning the values of life.  The best gift we could give George was another SIBLING.  

Anna 5 months

My little Anna is 5 months old.  She is still a very happy and peaceful baby.  She is more on the chubby side compared to George.  I keep hugging her and squeezing her all day.  She also loves to be in my arms all the time.  I keep her on our dining table very often so that I still have an eye on her from the kitchen while I cook.  I also keep her in the bouncer with me while I am feeding George or folding laundry etc.  She will stay in there for good 15 minutes without crying or getting fussy.  Recently things are starting to change.  I think she is starting to understand that it is much nicer to be in moms arms than being on the table or bouncer. Now she starts getting very annoyed after 5 minutes of being in the bouncer or on the table.

She has not started rolling over yet which is one way a good thing because I don't have to worry much about her falling off from the table or from the bed.  She sleeps with me in the night and I just love to hug her and keep her so close to me.  She can now grab her little rattle and her hand movements are getting better.  She is cooing and making loud sounds. I love tickling her and just giving lots of kisses on her tummy, neck, cheeks etc.  She loves this and sometimes demands this from me.  She laughs the most when hugging her and kissing her.  She wakes up everyday at 8:00 am and starts her loud talking.  Looks like she is going to be talkative than George.

My Sleeping Beauty

I started her on rice cereal last week.  She is enjoying her solids and love the time she spends eating and chewing the spoon.  I also gave her some home made apple sauce and she is loving it.   George was a very picky eater and I still have a hard time feeding him.  I think he takes it after me.  I am hoping that Anna is going to be like her dad in eating and sleeping.

The blue sleeper is George's.  I'm making use of all the old clothes :))

I can kiss those chubby cheeks all day

I am just enjoying this period as much as I can before she starts crawling and running all over the place.

New Years in Atlanta

This New Years we had the privilege to drive to Atlanta and celebrate New Year with my Sister and family and my brother. We are part of a Catholic Youth Movement called Jesus Youth.  We were a part of it as Youth and we still continue as families.  Jesus Youth was having a conference at Atlanta for all the JYs.  We were going to attend the conference but decided to leave few days early before the conference and have a small vacation with my sister and family and my brother in Atlanta.  It was a lot of fun just being with everyone and the children got to play together.

We went to the Georgia Aquarium.  The kids loved it.  It was really amazing.  I have only been to another aquarium before and compared to that this was huge and beautiful.  It spent almost 8 hours there.  After the aquarium we got back to the hotel and everyone went for a swim.  It was a blast.  My sister has 3 kids and George always looks forward to meet them and play with them.  Since they live in Michigan we don't always get to see each other very often.

The kids had a blast

George with my sister

On New Years Eve we were able to spent some time in prayer and singing thanking Lord for the countless blessings he showered on us in the year of 2013.  We stayed awake till midnight and wished everyone Happy New Year before we went to bed.

The next day was time to go to the conference which was just  an hour drive from the hotel.  The next 4 days we spent at the conference.  It was a great time of fellowship, prayer, mass, adoration and sessions with another 600 people.  We left Atlanta on January 5th and on our way we hit the big snow storm near Indiana and the weather was so bad that they shut down the highway to Chicago.  We had to stay the night there at a DaysInn.  We had a bunch of other travelers with us from the conference.  It was great to have another 40 people with us especially during such bad weather.  The beauty of having wonderful family and friends.  The next day by noon we found out the high way was reopened.  Even though the ride was pretty tough we all made it back home safe and sound by night time.  A very adventurous trip!!

It was 58 degrees in Atlanta when we started our journey back to Chicago

Snow Storm

Chicago weather

My brother 

Thank you Jesus for keeping us all safe and sound and bringing all of us back home through a snow storm.  I wonder what God has in store for us this year.