Emma is learning to read using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We've started and stopped several times since she was 4 1/2 or so. This time we haven't had to take a lot of breaks or repeat lessons. We do about 4-5 lessons in a week, one a day (so most days we have one.) (Bridey is allowed to do reading if she wants to but only if she asks, which so far is about once every 2 weeks. She does well when we do them though! I ask Emma if she's ready for reading most days. Most days she says "Yes" but if she says "No" I don't force her. Some days she brings me the book eager to do it at that time, so we do it then.)
She's at the point (lesson 16) where I can see things really beginning to click in her mind. She's starting to really get the concept of "sound it out"-- say the sounds on the page without stopping, and they are strung together into words! Amazing! Her face lights up when she comprehends that she just read a word all on her own. Having seen when her brain wasn't quite ready for it, and seeing how quickly the lights turn on, so to speak, when she is ready, it's amazing to think about the capacity of a human brain to make symbols for language and learn to interpret them.
I mean, language in itself is amazing. We not only have the physical ability to make sounds, but to express complex thought through a series of them strung together and assigned a meaning-- and once we start learning the meaning of these sounds we have an almost unlimited capacity to learn more. Learning a new set of sounds (another language) is more tricky, but the younger we do it the better we are at it.
And we've learned to make written symbols for these sound-symbols. Having worked a bit with adults who did not learn to read as children, and watching a child in the prime learning-to-read age, children have it so much easier! The quickness with which the connections are formed and the interest in forming them seem to come together at this time in a conjunction that is very fruitful-- she learns the lesson and it really changes her whole though pattern, without her consciously re-training it, just by repeating what I say and playing these little "games" with me.
I don't remember learning to read, really. By the time I was 4 I was sounding out words, by kindergarten I was immediately placed in the highest reading group-- the kids who came in already reading, or very close to it. So I don't really remember this wonder, this lighting up of the whole being at being able to read. But it's great to watch it in her. It's marvelous, in fact. It really cements my happiness that I chose to be the one to do this with her, not send her away from me to have someone else do it. I'm loving seeing her make connections and learn things every day. I can't wait until she's a strong enough reader to read books on her own and come to me and discuss what she read in them-- comprehending these little symbols really does open up the whole world of stories, thoughts, and ideas. I am, in fact, thrilled to have front-row tickets to watch her journey.
Support my shopping habit-- please check out my eBay auctions! Feel free to add me to your favorite sellers to get access to periodic updates on items I list. Thanks for looking!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Friday, October 02, 2009
The Safety 1st Complete Air Convertible Review (or, how I got 3 rear-facing car seats in our Corolla)
Most of you reading this probably know that I'm a CPST. Most of you have probably also heard that rear-facing is the safest way to ride. If you haven't, check out this video:
Rear Facing is Safer
While EVERYONE is safer rear-facing, evidence (real life statistics as well as crash tests) shows a significant decrease in injuries and deaths when children under the age of 4 are properly secured rear-facing rather than forward-facing. Nor is 4 the limit; the benefit just becomes less and less significant after that-- but it's still there, and still the safest way to ride as long as the child is within the limits of the seat (in the US that means has one inch of shell above the head in most seats, though in some it's even with the shell, and is under the rear-facing weight limit.) The American Academy of Pediatricians has recommended since 2002 that all children should ride rear-facing to the limits of the convertible seat, and also recommended that manufacturers make seats large enough to accomodate the average 4 year old (40-45 lbs.) Seats are just starting to be released that can actually do this in the U.S. (If friends in Europe are reading this, in Sweden seats are available that rear-face even longer by weight, though about the same length of time by height-- since Swedish seats can typically be used rear-facing until the ears are even with the top of the shell. These seats are approved for use anywhere in the EU. If you'd like more information on them, please check out this site: carseat.se.)
Bridget is under 4, so there is a clear benefit to her rear-facing. While the benefit is not as clear for Emma, she really really really wanted to. And it is safer, though not as measurably so (part of that is that we don't have much data on rear-facing past the age of 4, as it's an age when even Swedish seats are often outgrown.) When one of my Radians' rear-facing limits was retroactively raised to 40 lbs. (applies to all Radians manufactured 9/08 or later) I turned Bridget back rear-facing. Emma got very jealous. She said it was "so comfy" (I let her ride in it one day) and "so safe" and she cried every time she had to get in forward facing.
Now, I'm not advocating giving in to a child's tears ( ;) ) but it's safer; we had the means to get a Complete Air (used the 20% trade in deal at Babies R Us to recycle a near-expired, unknown history seat we had been given and Jeff had a big check) and, well, it made my life easier... Emma loves being rear-facing, is "comfy", takes naps in the car again (which she had quit when forward-facing, for the most part), and loves the expanded view she has out the rear as well as the side windows.
The Complete Air is currently a Babies R Us exclusive (though also available at some Toys R Us stores that have a Babies R Us section.) We got the "Harvest" cover, which is an awesome orange and brown (the other cover currently available is a rather meh grey.)
I put the Complete Air behind the driver's seat in our Corolla. It was not very easy to get all three in and independently tight, and they have a slight tilt from the retractor I used to lock the belts (but not enough that it bothers my kids or that I worry about it.) The Complete Air needed a chunk of pool noodle under it in order to get even the maximum upright allowed angle of 30 degrees from vertical. (I didn't mind, I keep pool noodle chunks with me... And I rather expect that of most seats in our Corolla-- an '03, by the way. Be aware that newer models have prohibitions on car seats, or anything else, touching the back of the front seat.) I had to pull the cover up to access the belt path in order to tighten adequately, and it was difficult to get it back down. I scraped my knuckles a bit too (not uncommon with Dorel seats, unfortunately.) But the end result was that it was in, and all seats were independently tight (less than one inch of movement at the belt path if you remove the seats next to them and tug where the belt goes through.)
Emma, at 5 1/2 years old, has tons of room to grow by height (the Complete Air allows use until the head reaches the top of the headwings-- which go two inches higher than the shell!) She is on the third of five sets of harness slots rear-facing (straps come from at or below the shoulders rear-facing, at or above forward-facing.) She is above the stated height "maximum" of 40 inches. However, manufacturers put a height maximum on because they have to, not because there really is one. Every child will fit a seat differently at the same standing height. That is why these "maximums" are really more guidelines than set in stone-- and while the company will, for liability reasons, stand behind them, well, they're not really important, safety-wise. (Weight limits, on the other hand, should be followed exactly.) Where the head and shoulders hit is the important thing, and by those guidelines, she has a ton of room to grow. (Dorel is ALSO well-known for their idiotic height maximums which really have nothing to do with reality of how a child will fit the seat.) As a technician and as a mother, I am very comfortable using her in this seat to the maximum weight limit despite her being over the "maximum" height guideline. She currently has about 2 lbs. to gain before she will outgrow it by weight (well before height.) This is an excellent choice of seat for tall and skinny kids!
Emma loves the colors of the cover. I like that the seat is easy to wipe clean, though the quality could be better (especially for the price tag!) I prefer a seat that allows rear-facing tethering or has an anti-rebound bar-- this one does not. However I would choose it again anyway, because right now it is our only practical available seat to rear-face behind the driver's seat (the Radian installs too reclined to allow the seat back as far as my husband needs it in our car.) The headwings move with the harness, and are easy to adjust when installed. I have not had problems reaching the tightening mechanism. The tightening mechanism is also very smooth (though I don't have to use it much because of the continual loop routing of the harness strap.)
There are a few drawbacks. The straps tend to twist and need to be untangled every time. The crotch buckle falls under Emma's bottom and has to be fished out. There are no strap covers-- not a problem for her but might be for less narrow kids (if so, you can cut the toes off of baby socks and put them on the harness for neck protection and comfort.) Most significantly, it is not the easiest seat to install, and the bottom harness slots are amazingly high. It shouldn't have been too much trouble to put one more, lower set in. As it is I fear we will see many babies in this seat who have just outgrown a 22 lb. infant seat with a shorter shell, and do not yet fit it by height, especially if installed less reclined (as mine is.) That is something I hope to see remedied in future redesigns (as well as a reconsideration of the idiotic 40 inch height "limit" for rear-facing.) Also, the forward-facing harness weight is only 50 lbs.; while this should be more than adequate if Emma still needs harnessing once outgrowing it rear-facing by weight, a heavier child might reach that weight much earlier. It has tall enough top slots that I would love to see a 60 or 65 lb. weight limit on it.
Overall, though, I'm pleased with the seat, would recommend it, and would buy it again.
Here is our three across.
Our long term (okay, in the next few weeks) plan is to get a new Radian XTSL seat, which will rear-face to 45 lbs., and have that over where Bridget's current seat is (and move hers to the middle for Maggie.) The way Bridey and Emma gain weight, I'm thinking that Emma should be able to rear-face at least until 6-- at which point, provided she demonstrates that she can sit properly, I will be comfortable boostering her (if she wants to use a booster, and as I said if she is behaviorally ready. I'm thinking the Britax Parkway Slide Guard...) For now, we are quite happy with this setup, and the safety and comfort it affords our children.
Rear Facing is Safer
While EVERYONE is safer rear-facing, evidence (real life statistics as well as crash tests) shows a significant decrease in injuries and deaths when children under the age of 4 are properly secured rear-facing rather than forward-facing. Nor is 4 the limit; the benefit just becomes less and less significant after that-- but it's still there, and still the safest way to ride as long as the child is within the limits of the seat (in the US that means has one inch of shell above the head in most seats, though in some it's even with the shell, and is under the rear-facing weight limit.) The American Academy of Pediatricians has recommended since 2002 that all children should ride rear-facing to the limits of the convertible seat, and also recommended that manufacturers make seats large enough to accomodate the average 4 year old (40-45 lbs.) Seats are just starting to be released that can actually do this in the U.S. (If friends in Europe are reading this, in Sweden seats are available that rear-face even longer by weight, though about the same length of time by height-- since Swedish seats can typically be used rear-facing until the ears are even with the top of the shell. These seats are approved for use anywhere in the EU. If you'd like more information on them, please check out this site: carseat.se.)
Bridget is under 4, so there is a clear benefit to her rear-facing. While the benefit is not as clear for Emma, she really really really wanted to. And it is safer, though not as measurably so (part of that is that we don't have much data on rear-facing past the age of 4, as it's an age when even Swedish seats are often outgrown.) When one of my Radians' rear-facing limits was retroactively raised to 40 lbs. (applies to all Radians manufactured 9/08 or later) I turned Bridget back rear-facing. Emma got very jealous. She said it was "so comfy" (I let her ride in it one day) and "so safe" and she cried every time she had to get in forward facing.
Now, I'm not advocating giving in to a child's tears ( ;) ) but it's safer; we had the means to get a Complete Air (used the 20% trade in deal at Babies R Us to recycle a near-expired, unknown history seat we had been given and Jeff had a big check) and, well, it made my life easier... Emma loves being rear-facing, is "comfy", takes naps in the car again (which she had quit when forward-facing, for the most part), and loves the expanded view she has out the rear as well as the side windows.
The Complete Air is currently a Babies R Us exclusive (though also available at some Toys R Us stores that have a Babies R Us section.) We got the "Harvest" cover, which is an awesome orange and brown (the other cover currently available is a rather meh grey.)
I put the Complete Air behind the driver's seat in our Corolla. It was not very easy to get all three in and independently tight, and they have a slight tilt from the retractor I used to lock the belts (but not enough that it bothers my kids or that I worry about it.) The Complete Air needed a chunk of pool noodle under it in order to get even the maximum upright allowed angle of 30 degrees from vertical. (I didn't mind, I keep pool noodle chunks with me... And I rather expect that of most seats in our Corolla-- an '03, by the way. Be aware that newer models have prohibitions on car seats, or anything else, touching the back of the front seat.) I had to pull the cover up to access the belt path in order to tighten adequately, and it was difficult to get it back down. I scraped my knuckles a bit too (not uncommon with Dorel seats, unfortunately.) But the end result was that it was in, and all seats were independently tight (less than one inch of movement at the belt path if you remove the seats next to them and tug where the belt goes through.)
Emma, at 5 1/2 years old, has tons of room to grow by height (the Complete Air allows use until the head reaches the top of the headwings-- which go two inches higher than the shell!) She is on the third of five sets of harness slots rear-facing (straps come from at or below the shoulders rear-facing, at or above forward-facing.) She is above the stated height "maximum" of 40 inches. However, manufacturers put a height maximum on because they have to, not because there really is one. Every child will fit a seat differently at the same standing height. That is why these "maximums" are really more guidelines than set in stone-- and while the company will, for liability reasons, stand behind them, well, they're not really important, safety-wise. (Weight limits, on the other hand, should be followed exactly.) Where the head and shoulders hit is the important thing, and by those guidelines, she has a ton of room to grow. (Dorel is ALSO well-known for their idiotic height maximums which really have nothing to do with reality of how a child will fit the seat.) As a technician and as a mother, I am very comfortable using her in this seat to the maximum weight limit despite her being over the "maximum" height guideline. She currently has about 2 lbs. to gain before she will outgrow it by weight (well before height.) This is an excellent choice of seat for tall and skinny kids!
Emma loves the colors of the cover. I like that the seat is easy to wipe clean, though the quality could be better (especially for the price tag!) I prefer a seat that allows rear-facing tethering or has an anti-rebound bar-- this one does not. However I would choose it again anyway, because right now it is our only practical available seat to rear-face behind the driver's seat (the Radian installs too reclined to allow the seat back as far as my husband needs it in our car.) The headwings move with the harness, and are easy to adjust when installed. I have not had problems reaching the tightening mechanism. The tightening mechanism is also very smooth (though I don't have to use it much because of the continual loop routing of the harness strap.)
There are a few drawbacks. The straps tend to twist and need to be untangled every time. The crotch buckle falls under Emma's bottom and has to be fished out. There are no strap covers-- not a problem for her but might be for less narrow kids (if so, you can cut the toes off of baby socks and put them on the harness for neck protection and comfort.) Most significantly, it is not the easiest seat to install, and the bottom harness slots are amazingly high. It shouldn't have been too much trouble to put one more, lower set in. As it is I fear we will see many babies in this seat who have just outgrown a 22 lb. infant seat with a shorter shell, and do not yet fit it by height, especially if installed less reclined (as mine is.) That is something I hope to see remedied in future redesigns (as well as a reconsideration of the idiotic 40 inch height "limit" for rear-facing.) Also, the forward-facing harness weight is only 50 lbs.; while this should be more than adequate if Emma still needs harnessing once outgrowing it rear-facing by weight, a heavier child might reach that weight much earlier. It has tall enough top slots that I would love to see a 60 or 65 lb. weight limit on it.
Overall, though, I'm pleased with the seat, would recommend it, and would buy it again.
Here is our three across.
Our long term (okay, in the next few weeks) plan is to get a new Radian XTSL seat, which will rear-face to 45 lbs., and have that over where Bridget's current seat is (and move hers to the middle for Maggie.) The way Bridey and Emma gain weight, I'm thinking that Emma should be able to rear-face at least until 6-- at which point, provided she demonstrates that she can sit properly, I will be comfortable boostering her (if she wants to use a booster, and as I said if she is behaviorally ready. I'm thinking the Britax Parkway Slide Guard...) For now, we are quite happy with this setup, and the safety and comfort it affords our children.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Maggie's latest "accomplishment"
Maggie, after months and months of me trying to get her to, finally learned to sign "please" in church this morning.
Of course, after doing is several times, she then refused to sign it to Abba. Only when she's alone with Mommy.
Heheheh. Typical.
(Don't you love how they each come out with their own personality?)
Of course, after doing is several times, she then refused to sign it to Abba. Only when she's alone with Mommy.
Heheheh. Typical.
(Don't you love how they each come out with their own personality?)
Friday, September 18, 2009
When they grow up
A thread over on car-seat.org got me asking my kids what they want to be when they grow up. Emma has a whole list:
-a magician
-a firefighter
-a mommy
-a "cooker at Souplantation"
-and "I want to take a car seat class like you so I can teach parents how to put in their child's car seat!" (That would be a CPST. ;) )
I asked Bridget and she said, "I'm a Bridget! I want lunch!" *giggle*
-a magician
-a firefighter
-a mommy
-a "cooker at Souplantation"
-and "I want to take a car seat class like you so I can teach parents how to put in their child's car seat!" (That would be a CPST. ;) )
I asked Bridget and she said, "I'm a Bridget! I want lunch!" *giggle*
Monday, September 14, 2009
Bumbleride Indie Twin Giveaway
Kate at The Shopping Mama is giving away a Bumbleride Indie Twin stroller. It's a really cool stroller, folks. Head on over to her blog post about the giveaway to check it (and the super-cool stroller) out!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Ugh.
Maggie's been reacting to something. We're reasonably sure at this point it's soy. The store had ONE kind of soy-free bread today, and it was $3/loaf. For a small loaf. Ugh.
I think I'm going to have to get a breadmaker. (I Don't Do baking in the oven for anything more complicated than baking powder biscuits or a cake now and then. If it takes a rise, I don't bake it. Not from scratch anyway. We don't have room to rise anything!)
Anyone got recommendations for a compact, reasonably priced, well-performing, super-idiot-proof bread machine? I'm talking, "dump dry ingredients in. Dump wet ingredients in. Push no more than 2 buttons. Remove bread and eat it." That's what I need.
I think I'm going to have to get a breadmaker. (I Don't Do baking in the oven for anything more complicated than baking powder biscuits or a cake now and then. If it takes a rise, I don't bake it. Not from scratch anyway. We don't have room to rise anything!)
Anyone got recommendations for a compact, reasonably priced, well-performing, super-idiot-proof bread machine? I'm talking, "dump dry ingredients in. Dump wet ingredients in. Push no more than 2 buttons. Remove bread and eat it." That's what I need.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Summertime, and the livin' is... rainy?
We've been having "June Gloom" here. Not every year, but some years, it happens. It happened 6 years ago (wow, that long) on our wedding day. It rained out my little brother's birthday party many a year.
I kind of like it. (Well, when it doesn't drive my ring ceremony/wedding reception indoors in a tiny living room packed full of 80 people!)
It's a nice break before the heat of July and August. I like the grey skies, a change from the blazing sun we expect much of the year here... I actually love the weather when it's like this, as long as it doesn't ruin my plans!
On to other subjects...
We have a new bishop. So funny because I've been feeling for a few weeks we were going to get a new bishop. When they made the announcement I was out in the foyer with Mags. Later Jeff and I both agreed that as soon as we heard he was to be released, we knew who was going to be called as our new bishop! Funny how that works...
I went to a really fun baby shower Saturday night. I love baby showers. I really do. And afterward, I did a car seat check-- always fun! I found out that the woman whose seat I checked, one of my new best friends in the ward (they just moved in) lives literally a 1 1/2 minute walk (if I walk slowly!) from our apartment complex! She has an 11 month old and is due with her second in August... I think we will be over there quite a bit in the Fall! It's a hard adjustment sometimes to go from 1 kid to 2, I know from experience! And she's having them much closer together than I did, that can make for a hard few months as well, I've heard. I'm so glad to have a friend that lives so close. I don't think we'll ever be quite as close as my "BFF" Rayann and I are (we live halfway across the country from each other but we're close nonetheless) but it's nice to have a real friend in the ward, not just a friendly acquaintance you care about but aren't close to and don't "share" with.
Also, someone on car-seat.org found a company that is still writing liability policies for CPSTs, and I called up and found out that as a volunteer (I never take any money for my services) I can be covered at a discount (50% off the employed rate.) Woo-hoo!
A friend from my childhood found me on Facebook. It's so nice to hear from her. She and her parents are still in the area; I'm hoping some time to get together and meet her kids!
Jeff's little brother left for his mission. He'll be serving in the Washington Tacoma Mission. What's really funny is that Jeff guessed he'd be in Spokane! He was closer than anyone else in the family! We know Kevin is going to be a wonderful missionary. He's a great guy and Tacoma is lucky to have him.
Jeff's first day at his new full-time job today. It's going well, from what I hear so far. I'm really happy he's at a place he likes.
We have a new plan. Since Jeff will be getting home relatively early from the new job, every evening when he gets home we'll be doing a 30 minute cleanup. Everyone (well, not Maggie but everyone else) will clean, together, just for 30 minutes a day. We have some cleaning that needs catching up and seeing as Maggie doesn't let me put her down much right now (teething) and the kids can destroy 3 times as fast as we can pick up, I think putting them in charge of helping undo the damage they've done is a good idea. We'll do it 5 or 6 days a week until the entire place is really in order. (I'll also be de-stuffifying during this time, and try to get rid of 2 or 3 bags of stuff a day.) Then we'll scale back to just 10 minutes a day, and keep that up for, well, forever. We're hoping that this will work!
So, things are... going, here. Hope all my readers are well. :) Let me know if you want to hear more about a certain subject... I sometimes have no clue what to blog about. ;)
I kind of like it. (Well, when it doesn't drive my ring ceremony/wedding reception indoors in a tiny living room packed full of 80 people!)
It's a nice break before the heat of July and August. I like the grey skies, a change from the blazing sun we expect much of the year here... I actually love the weather when it's like this, as long as it doesn't ruin my plans!
On to other subjects...
We have a new bishop. So funny because I've been feeling for a few weeks we were going to get a new bishop. When they made the announcement I was out in the foyer with Mags. Later Jeff and I both agreed that as soon as we heard he was to be released, we knew who was going to be called as our new bishop! Funny how that works...
I went to a really fun baby shower Saturday night. I love baby showers. I really do. And afterward, I did a car seat check-- always fun! I found out that the woman whose seat I checked, one of my new best friends in the ward (they just moved in) lives literally a 1 1/2 minute walk (if I walk slowly!) from our apartment complex! She has an 11 month old and is due with her second in August... I think we will be over there quite a bit in the Fall! It's a hard adjustment sometimes to go from 1 kid to 2, I know from experience! And she's having them much closer together than I did, that can make for a hard few months as well, I've heard. I'm so glad to have a friend that lives so close. I don't think we'll ever be quite as close as my "BFF" Rayann and I are (we live halfway across the country from each other but we're close nonetheless) but it's nice to have a real friend in the ward, not just a friendly acquaintance you care about but aren't close to and don't "share" with.
Also, someone on car-seat.org found a company that is still writing liability policies for CPSTs, and I called up and found out that as a volunteer (I never take any money for my services) I can be covered at a discount (50% off the employed rate.) Woo-hoo!
A friend from my childhood found me on Facebook. It's so nice to hear from her. She and her parents are still in the area; I'm hoping some time to get together and meet her kids!
Jeff's little brother left for his mission. He'll be serving in the Washington Tacoma Mission. What's really funny is that Jeff guessed he'd be in Spokane! He was closer than anyone else in the family! We know Kevin is going to be a wonderful missionary. He's a great guy and Tacoma is lucky to have him.
Jeff's first day at his new full-time job today. It's going well, from what I hear so far. I'm really happy he's at a place he likes.
We have a new plan. Since Jeff will be getting home relatively early from the new job, every evening when he gets home we'll be doing a 30 minute cleanup. Everyone (well, not Maggie but everyone else) will clean, together, just for 30 minutes a day. We have some cleaning that needs catching up and seeing as Maggie doesn't let me put her down much right now (teething) and the kids can destroy 3 times as fast as we can pick up, I think putting them in charge of helping undo the damage they've done is a good idea. We'll do it 5 or 6 days a week until the entire place is really in order. (I'll also be de-stuffifying during this time, and try to get rid of 2 or 3 bags of stuff a day.) Then we'll scale back to just 10 minutes a day, and keep that up for, well, forever. We're hoping that this will work!
So, things are... going, here. Hope all my readers are well. :) Let me know if you want to hear more about a certain subject... I sometimes have no clue what to blog about. ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
