Asteroid Fly-By

This Friday we'll be watching the ASTEROID FLYBY: At 12:25 pm (MT) on Friday, Feb. 15th, asteroid 2012 DA14 will fly past Earth only 17,200 miles above our planet's surface. This will put it well inside the orbit of geosynchronous satellites, closer than any asteroid of the same size has come since regular sky surveys began in the 1990s.

We'll be watching it on NASA TV later in the day. 

Here's a simulation of the fly-by...

Playtime: Affectionate, less controlling mothers have strongest relationships with their children

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Playtime: Affectionate, less controlling mothers have strongest relationships with their children

How to Really Love a Child

An Alternative to 'Time-Out': The Calming Space

It is so very helpful to have a safe, calm space in your home where your child can go to be alone, calm down and de-stress away from the hustle and bustle of the home. This space can be a tent, a corner, a special space under the stairs, a cleared out closet with a door your child can easily open/close him/herself (with no locks), or a room dedicated to calming.

Lighting should be kept low. Night lights, fairy lights, rope lights, holiday tree lights and stringing garden lights are all great ideas.

Supply the calming space thoughtfully, keeping it simple and clutter-free. Ideas include relaxing music or audio books with headphones,  a few sensory items, such as a sensory/glitter bottle (google for ideas), glow sticks, flashlight or a star projector, a few fiddly toys to keep hands busy (and minds calmed), stress ball, and of course a few books.

A poster with faces showing emotions, something inspiring or calming like a scenic view of the ocean or forest, or just a simple heart.

Again, keep it simple. Choose items carefully, making sure there is plenty of variety, and place them in a basket so it’s easy for your child to take care of the space.

Video games, phones, gadgets, DVD players and TV’s have no place in the calming space!

Lay out blankets, some comfy pillows, or a beanbag. These will encourage your child to sit or lie down comfortably. A stuffed animal such as a special teddy bear or other comfort item should be included, as well.

Blank paper, coloring pages and crayons may be calming for older kids. Scents can be calming, too. Add a scented candle, though you won't burn it, and your child can sniff it in to have the same effect, or just let it scent the space on it's own (you can melt down scented candles and remold them without a wick into small candy or soap molds to keep the area scented, too). You can also make a scented sachet or pillow using essential oils or herbs. 

Rotate items as your child grows out of them or is ready for something new.   

At first, explain how to use the calming space and what it is for to your child. It’s a space that is just for them, to use anytime they feel they need it. Let them know their responsibilities, too, like keeping the space tidy when they are done using it. You might ask them to use it in the beginning when you feel they need it, and they will learn to use it on their own after a while. Join them sometimes to model calming behavior and to share some peaceful time together. 

From A Child's Point of View

Look at Me When I’m Talking To You!

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Emily Plank, Abundant Life Children

Hey.  You are Mixing Your Messages.  You know like when I’ve done something that makes you mad?  Like drawing in a book?  Or sitting on my sister?  Or eating the apple pie before dinner?  And you get your body real low to look me right in the face.  And you turn my shoulders so I have to look at you while you are angry with me.  And sometimes I don’t even know why you are angry.  I knowMarkers Are For Paper! but a book is paper and I needed to draw a lizard on that rock in the sunshine.  And I know Your Sister Is Smaller Than You! but I am smaller than you and I can ride on your back like a horsie and she likes the horsie too.  And I know now that The Pie Is For After Dinner! but I was hungry and I don’t know when dinner is coming anyway.

And then you say, Look At Me When I’m Talking To You!  but I want to turn my eyes someplace else because I’m embarrassed but I know you will get madder if I don’t just Look At Me When I’m Talking To You!  Then you talk and talk and talk and sometimes I get distracted by the cat or my friend or a shadow on the wall or the fly that landed on your ear.  Then my eyes go someplace else and you get mad again.

You know those times?  The times when you want my Undivided Attention?

Or when Important People come to visit?  And you talk and talk and talk, and sometimes I need to tell you about the painting in the kitchen or the boats I saw last weekend or my panties that are on backwards.  And you tell me toWait My Turn or Don’t Interrupt Me When I’m Talking.  Or you tell me to sayExcuse Me and I do but you don’t stop talking.  Or you tell me to say Can I Interrupt but you still don’t stop talking.  And when you do give me my turn you have a very heavy breath that tells me I did something Frustrating.

You know those times?  The times when you want me to Not Interrupt!

And then when I am in the middle of looking for my lost green butterfly and you say it’s Time For Singing but I don’t want to come because I am doing something important.  But you tell me Do It Later so I have to leave the spot where I almost saw her fly over a rock.  Then when I am running so hard and fast around the chair and you tell me No Running In The House. Sit Down And Read A Book. and I don’t want to read because of running so fast.  Then when I almost build a castle to the ceiling and then you tell me to Clean It Up Because It’s Lunchtime but I’m not done with it yet.

But I have a problem.  You want me to look at you, even when you are very angry and I don’t want to look at you.  And you want me to wait my turn for talking, even when I have something very important to say.  So why don’t you look at me when I’m doing my very important things before you tell me to stop?  And why do you get to interrupt what I am doing without waiting until I’m done?

Maybe when I am looking for my lost green butterfly when it is really singing time, you could let me keep looking, or you could ask me what I’m doing before you tell me that I have to come and sing.  You could come and look with me or maybe singing time could be after looking for my butterfly time.  Because no one told my butterfly it was singing time and she was almost going to fly over the rock.  Or maybe when I am running so fast around the chair and you don’t want me to run in the house you can tell me to run outside so I can still keep running so fast.  Or maybe when my castle is almost as tall as the ceiling, you could help me save it for after lunch so I can build it later.

If you want my attention then give me your attention,
even if you need me to change activities.

If you don’t want to be interrupted don’t interrupt me,
and if you have to, then help protect my important things until I can use them again.

It might make things a little more clear.

http://abundantlifechildren.com/2012/08/21/look-at-me-when-im-talking-to-you/

Making Music

How cute is this duo?

The Pets

Karma had an upset tummy last week and I woke up to a very big mess in his crate early one morning. Of course it was a work day. That kind of thing happening on a weekend would be crazy talk. So he got the 5 star treatment with a fresh blankie and laundry room accommodations. This was all during the single digits still so as I sprayed the crate down and scrubbed it it just kept freezing and I didn't think I had gotten it clean enough to be brought back in the house for several days.

Of course Hecate was eager to say Hi! to him in his new lodgings. They are friends usually. He likes both the cats, but only one of them likes him back. 

This one reminds me of that movie the Aristocats, with the Siamese cats singing the songs, 'We are Siamese if you plee-ease, We are Siamese if you don't please..."

Fun with Batman

We have these giant magnets that are fun for the kids to use to discover what is magnetic and what isn't. Today Batman visited us to show us how it's done. :-)

Batman found the fridge and metal stools were magnetic. 

Sadly, the castle, tables, cat, Mr. Alligator and Jace were not magnetic. 

Honoring Our Children

Dr. Shefali Tsabary: Honoring Our Children

Beautifully said and so very true!