Gwen's Sententia

: Name: Gwen (Vass) Nicodemus; Location: Broomfield, Colorado, United States

I do a lot of everything as I work, www.ShinyNewts.com, educate the kids, and clean up after ferrets.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Busy kids

Anna loves her yoga class and her pottery class. Quinn argues about going to preschool sometimes, but he usually smiles when he walks out of the classroom. Both kids love their computer class and their robot class. They ask for more swimming classes, and Anna looks forward to her singing/piano lessons.

I like that the kids can take these enrichment classes. There sure wouldn’t be time for those classes, however, if they were in a brick-and-mortar school.

I like homeschooling.

Labels: children, education, educational, family, fun things to do with kids, home school, home schooling, lifestyle

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Scifi Cons

When our kids were babies, we were very careful to keep violent television and movies from them. Star Wars had lots of fight scenes in it, for instance, so they didn’t watch it. Harry Potter was pretty violent too. So, the kids pretty much stuck with Disney Playhouse. When little, the kids didn’t know what science fiction was.

Leon and I occasionally go to science fiction conventions. I admire the costuming and Leon admires the makeup (prosthetics and the like). We like to wonder around for a day or so, look at stuff that we can’t easily obtain elsewhere, and then go back to our normal lives.

About a year ago we decided to brave it and take the kids to StarCon. I think Anna was five and Quinn was three, or maybe they were four and two. Anyway, we left the con mortified. Anna had loudly proclaimed that she was bored. Quinn displayed fear of Darth Vader. We grabbed the kids and left the con with our tails between our legs.

At the car, Leon and I made a decision. We decided to not protect them quite as much and started introducing them to science fiction. Their first sci fi movie, I think, was The Cat From Outer Space. After that we let them watch E.T. Eventually we got brave enough and let them watch Star Wars and Harry Potter.

We haven’t seen any negative behaviors from the kids since then. We haven’t been to a science fiction convention since then either.

Labels: fun things to do with kids, science fiction, socialization

Thursday, October 18, 2007

My son's socialization

My son is four years old and my daughter is six. I home school my daughter, but my son asked to go to preschool. So, I enrolled him in preschool. Quinn goes to school three days a week for two and a half hours a day.

After his first day of school, I asked him if he liked school. He said “No.” I immediately thought “tough, I paid for a month so you are going to have to go for a month.” I told him that he wouldn’t be able to tell if he liked preschool from just one day, and that he had to go at least five times before he would be able to decide if he liked school or not.

After the second day of school, I asked Quinn if he liked school. He said “No.” I then asked him if he wanted to go back to school, and he said “Yes.” The third and fourth days were a repeat of the second day. He didn’t like school, but he wanted to go back.

After Quinn’s fifth day of school he came out smiling and said “Mommy, I liked school today. No one hit me!”

“What?” I thought. I queried him more and found out that two boys had been hitting him. Well, I didn’t think much of that to tell you the truth. My kids are sensitive and “hit” could mean “touch” or “accidentally ran into.” But, I kept thinking about it.

After the next day of school, I stayed a little bit later until most of the kids had gone. There were still two boys in the classroom. I told the teacher about Quinn getting hit and asked her if it was possible he was hit or if he was just being sensitive. The teacher turned her head, stared at the two boys in the room for a noticeable few seconds, and said that there were a couple of kids she was working with about hitting.

Okay, so I deduced that my son had probably been hit a few times from the boys still in the classroom.

Now, here’s the odd thing. A few minutes later the teacher told me that the only thing she worries about with Quinn is that he doesn’t play very much with the other boys.

Hmm

Labels: education, educational, family, fun things to do with kids, home school, home schooling, homeschooling, parenting, social development, socialization

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

He did it

I have a dog. My husband doesn’t like my dog. I don’t really understand really, since my Valor is so perfect. Valor’s about as good a dog as anyone could want. He let the kids get away with a lot when they were babies. A toddler can pull a hamburger out of his mouth and not get bitten. He’s a good boy. Yet Leon describes his interactions with my perfect pooch as “annoying.” So, I am solely responsible for loving the dog.

I have a cat. My husband doesn’t like my cat. Tonka’s biggest flaw, in my opinion, is just that he’s a cat. Other than the cat-thing, he’s pretty good. He doesn’t hide from people when company’s over. In fact, he demands pets. He’s friendly. He doesn’t do business in incorrect places. He’s a decent cat. My husband describes his interactions with him as “annoying.” Fortunately for me, my daughter considers Tonka her cat, and so she helps out petting, and loving, the cat.

I had a dwarf hamster. The kids named her Peanut, and she was technically my daughters hamster. However, Anna was afraid of Peanut. Peanut bit her too many times. I was the only family member that held and pet the hamster. I actually had that rodent trained. She got to where she liked me holding her and she stopped biting me. It took a lot of work and patience, especially since I was the only one that took care of, and loved, the gal. She recently had a stroke, spent a day running in circles in one direction, and died. We had a funeral for Peanut, and my work load decreased.

Well, the only time my husband actually smiled when being around an animal was at the pet store holding ferrets. I made him a deal. I told him I’d take care of the ferrets physically, such as cleaning their cage, taking them to the vet, trimming their nails, and the like; however, I told him I wold not be solely responsible for loving them. Ferret love would have to be a whole-family affair.

Leon thought about it for six months. We made many trips to the pet stores and held a lot of ferrets. The kids really wanted ferrets and they got over their fears and held them.

So, last week we left the pet store with Mimzy and Simon. Mimzy is about ten weeks old and Simon is about 20 weeks old. Mimzy weighs a whopping pound and Simon is 2 pounds. They are both cute, frisky, smart, and stinky.

A friend at work doesn’t understand why Leon doesn’t like cats and dogs, but does like stinky weasels. I’m not exactly sure either, but he’s had a lot of smiles on his face, as have the children.

Labels: cat, dog, ferrets, fun things to do with kids, pets

Friday, May 25, 2007

Colorful games

I like games. I like games with bright colors, a need for strategy, and an element of randomness.

Tetris was my game of choice in college. I attribute the surgery I had for tendinitis at the age of 21 to Tetris. Tetris had bright colored squares, you had to use a bit of strategy when dropping the shapes, and the next shape was more or less random.

Conquer was fun too; but it didn’t have bright colors.

I’ve gone in and out of game addictions over the years. For a spell I liked World of War, a Risk-like game. I’d have 20-30 games going at once, and it took a lot of energy to play. Additionally, it was turn based and not usually played live. So, it took forever to finish a game. It met the requirements though. It was colorful, had die, and involved a fair amount of strategy.

Kingdom of Loathing is fun too. Despite the lack of colors, it does have randomness and strategy. Plus, its content is cool and has spoofs on everything from pop culture to obscure computer games from the early eighties. Kingdom of Loathing is a game that you play a little bit everyday for a few days or years, depending on how much you like the game. This game can eat up a lot of time. For instance, my husband thinks about this game all the time, researches the game, and thinks about every turn he makes. Kingdom of Loathing is a very long-term game.

Sometimes it’s nice to play a game that’s over in an hour or two, or in an evening. There’s a board game called Settlers of Catan that’s fun to play in groups. It has the bright colors, strategy, and die. The game lasts about four hours when you play with people and an actual board with pieces. If, however, you play the game online, you don’t have to set up the board or place the hexagons. Online, this game can be played in less than an hour. There are multiple online variations, but I like asobrain the best.

Asobrain had a cool game for a while called “Brainiac,” but they had to take it down for legal reasons. Now that game was fun. The bright colored shapes looked like candy. I think it was based off a board game called Ingenious. I have never played the actual board game. While the game took about a half hour to play online, I think it would take hours to play it with a board and pieces.

I don’t have any friends with Ingenious at the moment, but I do have a friend with a game called Ticket to Ride. Each player gets 45 train wagons and based on the cards drawn, tries to complete rail routes.

Ticket to Ride is my latest addiction. It’s even better because my husband likes the game too, and we can play together. I think my daughter might be able to play the board game with us. My son might need another year or two.

I’m NewtMommy. If you try any of these games out and see me, say hello.

Labels: colors, dice, fun things to do with kids, games, play, random, strategy

Monday, April 30, 2007

Lessons on money and life style from the kids

I wasn’t big on cars and other toys when I was in my late teens and early twenties. I read a few articles of Amy Dacyczyn’s The Complete Tightwad Gazette and decided that being frugal was cool. Being frugal was the environmental thing to do to boot. Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robins’ Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence promoted similar ideas. Why should I go out and buy a new plastic gizmo when my current gizmo works just fine?

That was my environmental and political phase. I did lots of things that many people consider crazy. I do believe my father called me a bleeding heart when I went five years without a car. Going without a car in Boulder, Colorado isn’t a big deal. My dad cooperated with my crazy recycling bin scheme when he visited. My sisters just thought I was nuts.

I was happy. The simplified lifestyle was also my choice.

For a few years, the lifestyle was forced on me, and it sucked.

I went crazy; I bought a car and toys I didn’t need as soon as my period of forced simplicity ended. There was a short period during which I even spent more money than I had. Egads, it was like I was a different person, and the rebellion wasn’t hurting anyone but me.

I eventually found a middle ground with money, lifestyle, and spending habits. I slide up and down the spectrum though. Sometimes I buy silly things that I don’t need. Sometimes I make something things last longer than I should; however, overall, I think I’ve reached a middle ground.

I think I need to take some lessons from my children. They are really good at “Mommy, this is broken. Will you fix it for me?” There are a few stuffed toys that have more of my stitches in them than the original manufacturer’s.

The kids are also good at creating something out of “nothing.” For instance, Anna decided to make her brother a stuffed shark toy. She took one of her dad’s old (and holey) socks, stuffed it with stuffing from a dead, giant stuffed dog, sewed up the end with yarn and a yard needle, and drew gills and fins on the sock. That shark is now her brother’s favorite toy.

The kids are even starting to understand when to use gorilla glue instead of super glue.

How long can I make things last with a needle, thread, duct tape, and some gorilla glue?

Even so, I draw the line at darning socks.

Labels: environment, fun things to do with kids, lifestyle, money

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Highlights from homeschooling

I homeschool my kids. I have a ton of reasons for this, but I feel like sharing some of the rewards of homeschooling. Here are some conversations that have been had in my family.

Preface: My daughter, Anna, loves dolphins. She likes them so much I wrote a dolphin unit s tudy on dolphins, and this has bought many lunches for the family. Anna understands that dolphins are mammals and that mammals have four chambers in their hearts. In fact, she’s seen plasticized hearts with four chambers at the Denver Museum of Science and Nature. Anna asked the following when she was five.
Anna: Mommy, how many chambers do sharks have in their hearts?
Me: I don’t know Anna. Let’s look it up.
(As it turns out, most fish have two-chambered hearts.)

Preface: Quinn did this just after he turned three.
Me: Quinn, why do you have ten glasses lined up on the window sill with sticks and grass in them?
Quinn: I’m doing an experiment mommy.
Me: What’s the experiment?
Quinn: I want to see what grows.

Preface: Anna asked this just before she turned six.
Anna: Mommy, how long do lady bugs live?
Me: I don’t know Anna. Let’s look it up when we get home. How do we look things up Anna?
Anna: Google, Mommy!
Me: How long do you think lady bugs live?
Anna: I think for three days, Mommy.
Me: I’m going to guess three months.
(As it turns out, lady bugs can live for a couple of years, so we were off a bit in our guess.)

Preface: Neither my husband nor I are religious; however, we do enjoy church and take the kids to Sunday school once in a while.
Anna: I think God is in outer space.
Quinn: I think God is in everything.
Me: Anna, why do you think God is in outer space?
Anna: Because teacher said he can see everything.
Me: Quinn, why do you think God is in everything?
Quinn: Because Daddy said so.
Me: Anna, can you see God?
Anna: No mommy.
Me: How do you know there’s a God then?
Anna: Because Aunt Amy and Mr. Nick said there is.
…
Anna: What happens when you die mommy?
Me: Your body gets buried and it disintegrates and turns to bones.
Anna: No, mommy, what happens to you?
Me: Well Anna, some people believe that people have souls.
Anna: What’s a soul?
Me: Well, it’s something you can’t see that has all the important parts of a person in it like their love. Anyway Anna, some people think that when you die your soul goes to heaven. Some people think the soul gets reborn in a different person or critter, and still others think that there isn’t a soul and when you die, that’s it. What do you think Anna?
Anna: I think that half the people’s souls go to heaven and half are reborn.

Labels: education, fun things to do with kids, highlights, home school, home schooling, unit studies, unit study

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Loads of fun for $7.60

When I was just a wee little lass, full of health and joy, I liked to pretend I was an adult, and copied my elders just about any way I could.

When I was a toddler, I talked on my bright colored toy phones. I typed on my dad’s whirring Selectric. I pretended to read books like my dad, and I sure hope I did not pretend to smoke like my mother. I have a vivid memory of “driving” a grocery cart to the store with my children (baby kittens) in the “car.”

When I was a tween, I had a bikini swimsuit. I occasionally wore the swimsuit top under my clothes pretending it was a bra. Imitation is a form of learning, and I liked to learn.

One thing all adults seemed to have that I didn’t have as a child was a wallet with a lot of cards and papers in it. I saved my allowance a few times and bought a wallet. I loved filling out the blank identification cards and fake credit cards in the new wallets. It was great.

Well, the years moved by quickly it seems, and I have my own little girl and boy. My children are just like I was and all children are. They like to pretend. They like to pretend to be animals. My daughter’s fond of making her baby brother play “doggie” and she plays “human” and they play fetch together.

Watching my kids pretend play, I never forgot how much I enjoyed the wallet toy. When my kids were really little, I gave them old wallets of mine. I laminated wallet size pictures of friends, family, pictures of food, and articles of clothing. I gave them those “cards” and the wallets, and they seemed to enjoy the wallet toy. And, I got to use my laminator to boot!

When my daughter turned 5, she started carrying her purse around everywhere. I decided to do what I could to get her real cards. What could it hurt?

At the age of 5, the Broomfield Library allows kids to have their own library cards. (I do have it set up in my computer so I can check to see when her books are due. She is only five.)

The next card she acquired was her “driver’s license.” I asked her to put on her prettiest clothes and she picked out a nice dress. I combed her hair and put two pigtails in and made sure her face was clean. I dug up her Social Security card and her birth certificate and we went to the driver’s license bureau. She felt like a big girl as she signed her name, had her index finger print taken, and her picture taken. They had to get a stool out for her to stand upon since the camera wouldn’t adjust that low. Her “license” came in the mail about ten days later and she loved it. She put it in her wallet. She’s had it for six months and she hasn’t lost it yet.

My 3-year-old son is getting bigger and he wanted a driver’s license. So, I found a non-stained shirt for him to wear. (That was a big challenge since he’s all boy and I’m not so good with laundry.) I actually styled his hair and put product in it and some blue spike gel, so he had blue spiky hair and looked really cute. My son was not as well behaved waiting for his turn at the driver’s license bureau as his sister, but we made it through. He also enjoyed signing his name, having his finger photographed, and having me hold him up high for his photograph. He had a big grin on his face.

State IDs in Colorado are currently running $7.60, and the moment he lays eyes on it, it’ll be his heart’s delight.

Labels: education, educational, fun things to do with kids, parenting, Tammy Vass