The Kavanaugh Report

Tot school this week is all about the letter S! I have no pictures of Henry this week, because he went straight from tot school co-op on Friday to a weekend at Grandma's. These materials will be out for the rest of the week, so I'm sure Hen will get plenty of work in. On the first tray was a practical life scooping tray. The glass tray included two bowls, one filled with stars, and a metal spoon. Henry could then scoop the stars between the bowls. The spoon only allowed for one star per scoop so it took time and patience to complete. The second tray was another practical life tray -- scissors practice. I had cut strips of thinner card stock and used a permanent marker to draw different shaped lines {straight, right slant, left slant}. On the tray I included some safety scissors and a small bucket for the clippings. This was a really popular tray with the co-op kids. Although, it was a challenge for most of them. The scissors probably didn't help because you ...

Over the past year or so, I've been very open about my journey with pregnancy loss . Blogging about my losses has helped me to find a support system and heal. Last August, I made the decision to talk about something that is often kept so quiet, and I've learned that even on the internet, people feel guilty for sharing. And through this, I've heard from so many of you, thanking me for sharing and sharing your own experiences with me.  But, I realize that not everyone is so lucky to have this outlet. And I want to change that -- at least for small time. October 15 is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. During that week, I would like to host guest post from anyone who is interested in sharing their pregnancy or infant loss story -- either anonymously or under your name. You don't need to be a blogger or a writer, you just need to want to share. I will run the post during the week of October 15.  I made this announcement a couple weeks ago on Fa...

In our upstairs hallway is a gallery wall. Filled with smiling happy pictures of Henry, our wedding -- the usual. And, there is one empty frame. Originally, they were all empty And slowly we've found the perfect pictures. Pictures that Morgan and I are happy to look at all day, every day. But, through this process, we've struggled to fill the final frame. Did we really need more pictures of Henry? He's really cute, seriously, but how many pictures do we need of him in one space? More pictures of us? No. Our dogs? Didn't feel right. So, it sat empty, just waiting for the perfect picture. Then, it dawned on me. The picture hasn't been taken yet. Our family isn't complete. Sometime, somewhere, somehow we have another child waiting for us. In that moment of realization, I got the courage to try again to get pregnant. I've struggled for months to decide where I wanted to go after my last loss. And, deep down, this was my answer. Believe me, even typing t...

Since Henry doesn't nap anymore {or at least doesn't nap most days} we are constantly looking for things to fill our long afternoons. Summer made it easy, there was the pool, park, chalk, and just being outside. Well, this short summer is fading quickly and temps are only reaching the mid-70's at best. But with the cooler temperatures, also comes beauty all around us. While we live in the middle of the city, we still have beautiful signs of fall. I was determined for Henry to discover this beauty. We actually found the most amazing rainbow of things. It was perfect. And a perfect example of a rainbow for letter R week. Once we collected our nature rainbow, we took it inside to journal what we saw. Using some paper and some color pencils, we each recorded what we found.  This simple Montessori inspired activity was perfect for discovering the world around us and all the beauty the city has to hold.

As we work through the letters, we are concentrating on letter identification and phonics. This week we are back to letters at tot school this week after our back-to-school theme break! This week we have been working on the letter R, and so far Henry has enjoyed our letter R tot school theme. Prior to this week Henry could identify the letters R and r.  Henry is 30 months old. This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.  On our first tray this week was a rock cleaning and polishing tray. This was by far the most popular tray with the kids that come to our Montessori inspired co-op . However, Henry hasn't been super into it. On the tray, are several rocks that I grabbed from my yard, a small pitcher of water, some baking soda with glass spoon, a couple brushes, a magnifying glass , and some towels.  The kids were able to do everything on their own -- from pouring the water to scooping baking soda and scrubbing. I totally expec...

Sometimes, your kid is really crabby. And, a total mess. And, you have to bribe him to sit still because the light is perfect. Sometimes, he negotiates for two cookies. And, you give in. But, your negotiations didn't specify that he had to smile.  So, he doesn't. But you love the pictures anyway. This is real life. Not photo-shopped neatness and smiles. Not clean hands and faces. But peanut butter, dirt, curls, and negotiations. Life with a 2-year-old is pretty great.