Friday, March 19, 2010

Bad Mommy!




I've had really good intentions of doing "mommy preschool" with Dallin, but honestly it just hasn't happened. Well, the other day I was busy with something and Dallin was playing leapfrog. He usually just likes to make all the different sound affects in the games, so I didn't pay any attention to him playing. He asked me to help him find the "e" on the the page. I helped him find the car with the "e" on it and he pushed it. Then the pad said, "Very good! Now find the last letter in the word, bed." I was surprised he got the second letter so I decided to watch him play. The pad continued to ask him to spell several words, like mom, cat, dog, had, etc. and he got them all right! He'd sound each one out, "Mom...mmmm...M! Mom...mmooo...ooo...O! Mom...mommmmmm...M!" I couldn't believe he was hearing and isolating each sound in the words, let alone knowing the letters for each sound! He's never had any formal phonics training. And he loves numbers too. He's always been able to count really well, but lately he's made a game of showing me all the different ways he can make 4 with his fingers, or 7 or 6 or whatever. Imagine what he could do if he had even a little instruction! I'm sure my college advisers would hang their heads in shame. But I'm repenting and Dallin's really excited that I'm going to teach him to read.



This is what happens when mom leaves Andrew in his highchair too long. Bad mommy! :)

Sunday, March 14, 2010

NPR

A while ago, Steve and I were listening to NPR in the car. They sited a study where they found that parents of girls have more children than parents of boys. We both chuckled at that. Then they called in an "expert" to discuss the results. He said that the reason this happens is because the parents of girls are still trying to have a boy, and the parents of boys don't feel a need to try for a girl! Steve and I busted up laughing at that. I mean, really? That's the best the "experts" can come up with? They obviously are not in the parents of boys group! The parents of boys stop having kids because they're afraid of having another boy! I still think of that from time to time and it always makes me laugh.