Deirdre, Author at JDaniel4s Mom

Deirdre Smith writes/owns JDaniel4’s Mom. After twenty years as a elementary school and technology resource teacher in Northern Virginia, she became a stay at home mom in upstate South Carolina. Her blog features ways she and her 5 year old are exploring learning, crafting, creating healthy meals and living life to its fullest. Deirdre can also be found on twitter as @jdaniel4smom and on her blog's FB page. You can also check her out on Google+.

Conversations with JDaniel About Gardening and Other Things

May 18, 2010 By Deirdre

JDaniel (He is holding a toy car from the garage): Bring in a car.
Me: Yes, but put it in the sink. I have to wash it.
JDaniel: Pollen! (Sigh)

My mom: Your sister’s sent beautiful flowers for Mother’s Day.
JDaniel: Dad brings roses. (He implied dad brought them for mom.)

JDaniel(Looking out the master bedroom window on the first floor): Mushrooms! Mushrooms!
Me: I can see them.
JDaniel: In basket Mom!
Me: We can’t gather them in a basket until we see the allergist.
JDaniel: Pollen! (Sigh)

Me: What are all your toys doing in a huge pile?
JDaniel: Mess! Mess!
Me: Are you going to help clean up the mess?
JDaniel (Lounging on couch cushions that are also in the pile): No!
Me: I think we will be having one bin of toys out at a time for a while.
JDaniel: Oh! No!
Me: (Guiding him to a bin and back to the toys): Let’s clean up now!
JDaniel: Sorry, mom.

I had three bins and a basket of toys out in the living room. Now we take a bin out each day.

JDaniel (Pointing to the baby monitor in my bedroom): Listen to babies.
Me: Yes, I can hear upstairs.
JDaniel:Listen to JDaniel.

I can’t believe he knows how baby monitors work.

Muffin Tin Monday- Nests and One Bird Gather Together

May 17, 2010 By Deirdre

The theme for Muffin Tin Monday is nests and birds. JDaniel’s first nest has a nest of cottage cheese surrounded by peaches. The second nest in raisins in a nest of quinoa salad (see recipe on last Thursday’s post). The third nest is vegetables in a nest of ham. The third nest is ranch dressing in a nest of cucumbers. Only one bird was in the meal. He was toast with shredded Mozzarella cheese.

The first thing JDaniel noticed was that there was an empty cup. He really wanted it filled to start the meal. I suggested he eat the meal and he would get to pick what we filled it with. He agreed with a little sigh.

Oh! If you get a chance, please check out my guest post on Quirky Mama’s blog. It is called Learning at the Grocery Store: Have a Color Hunt.

Children’s Books on Flower Gardens and a Circular Flower

May 14, 2010 By Deirdre

This week we have been reading books on flower gardens. I thought I knew which book JDaniel would like best and I was wrong. He really loves the book with the most detailed drawings and just a few words.

Links below are affiliate links.

We read:

Mortimer’s First Garden by Karma Wilson is about a mouse that decides to plant his last sunflower seed instead of eating it when he hears the people in his house say that planting seeds makes more seeds.

A Cottage Garden Alphabet is a beautifully illustrated book by Andrea Wisnewski. We have read it many times this week. I have walked in on him gazing at the pages on his own.

Zinna’s Flower Garden by Monica Wellington follows Zinna’s garden as it grows. She documents its growth in journal entries.

JDaniel made his own flowers by gluing circles onto paper plates. They made their way very quickly to the refrigerator.

Quinoa Salad with Veggies, Fruit, and Honey

May 13, 2010 By Deirdre

When I was reading this month’s issue of Family Fun magazine, I came across this recipe. I have modified to include ingredients I already had at home. Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown for its seeds.

Ingredients:

1 cup rinsed quinoa

2 cups of water

2 tablespoons of honey (My friend Kathleen says honey is supposed to help with JDaniel’s allergies.)

1/4 cup of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoons of coarse salt

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 cup of cut-up pieces of apple (It calls for Granny Smith and we had Gala.)

1 cup of finely cut celery

1/3 cup of raisins (It called for golden raisins and we had regular brown ones.)

1/3 cup of finely chopped parsley (We didn’t have parsley.)

1/2 cup of chopped almonds, toasted ( I took a handful of almonds from a can of mixed nuts.)

Directions:

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil.

1. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. The quinoa will be tender and the water absorbed.
2. Let it cool.

1. Mix the honey, lemon juice, and salt. Slowly add oil until blended.

1. Add remaining ingredients to the quinoa and toss well.

1. Add the dressing and toss.

1. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve cool.

This recipe will feed 6 to 8 people. Both JDaniel3 and JDaniel4 had seconds of this.

Getting Up Close to a Flower Garden

May 12, 2010 By Deirdre

Growing Plants and Parenting Takes Patience and Persistence

May 11, 2010 By Deirdre

We picked up these terracotta eggs with soil and seeds at an after Easter markdown sale. They have been sitting in this casserole dish for weeks. We have patiently watered them and given them sunlight. Finally little sprouts are starting to come up. JDaniel has been careful not to knock them over and to touch them carefully. With persistence in the care we give them they should grow into beautiful flowers.

Raising JDaniel right now is going almost parallel with the growing process of flowers. He is given enlightenment on areas of his life that need to change via timeouts and reading books about characters that display behaviors we want him to exhibit. We try to provide him with nourishment and steep him with praise in the areas of his behavior where little sprouts of goodness have started to grow. This is a slow process. My little one constantly wants to know if we will be persistent in our expectations and how patient we will be with him as he learns and grows.

Right now it is a challenge to tend to this little one. We are trying to help him develop deep roots and leaves that will reach for the Son. He is only two and we have a long way to go, but we hope that someday his life displays beautiful flowers.

Mom’s Night Out Became Parents Lunch In

May 8, 2010 By Deirdre

Thursday night was Mom’s Night Out! I was sent a $25 gift card from Pizza Hut to enjoy pizza and get together with some of my mom friends. It was a great idea in theory until JDaniel had an allergy flare-up and two of my friends’ children ran fevers. I decided to postpone the event until Saturday.

So, I invited some of my friends, their children, and one of their husbands over for pizza today. JDaniel had to be sequestered in the house due to allergies and my husband went to an air show for the day. This was a great opportunity to have people over to play and share a fun lunch. The Pizza Hut pizzas along with a garden salad were the perfect thing for the children and their parents.

Disclaimer: I was sent a $25 Pizza Hunt Gift card to use for this event.

A Mother’s Prayer

May 7, 2010 By Deirdre

I didn’t become a mom until I was in my forties. It is something I wasn’t going to be for a number for reasons. When my husband and I found out we were expecting JDaniel, my whole world changed. Being his mom lead me to write the mother’s prayer below.

A Mother’s Prayer

Lord,

Today help me to be the mother you want me to be.

Please watch over all the things I say and do as I go through my day.

Help me to guard the words a say.

There is a little one who will hear them.

He will think that they are fitting because I say them.

He will repeat them because I have voiced them to him.

He will listen to the tone of my voice as I say them.

Help me to show him what it looks like to be a follower of you.

Those little eyes take in everything I do. He will try to imitate my actions.

I will need patience with him and others even when I feel rushed.

I will need persistence to not give up when challenges arise.

I will need to show him how to ask for help when it is needed.

Help me to take the time to listen to what he is telling me and showing me today. This little one has so much to share.

He will share with me when he needs me.

Help me to put things aside when he says, “Come play with me” or calls for “Help!”

He will ask me questions and seek understanding from me when I am near. Place me where I need to be to hear him.

He will show me what he is learning. Help me to see them through his eyes.

Once the day gets started I will need gentle reminders of these requests.

Please Lord gently whisper them in my ear.

If you find yourself agreeing with these thoughts and concerns, I hope you will say this mother’s prayer too. I have written a number of posts on motherhood. If you like this mother’s prayer, I hope you will read them too.

Opening My Heart to Motherhood

Calluses on My Heart

This post is linked to Time Traveler Tuesday.

Plethora of Painting and Mother Day Books

May 6, 2010 By Deirdre

JDaniel and I went to Creating Artists for Tomorrow ( an art center for children) with the Mom Later Than Sooner Group we belong to. He had the best time painting with and on all kinds of mediums. Yes, he even painted on a tree.

I was hoping to send some of his work to my mom and mother-in-law for Mother’s Day. We read several books about creating Mother’s Day presents. Right now the pictures are on the fridge where JDaniel hung them to admire. I may have to sneak two down while he sleeps and slip them into envelopes.

Here are some pictures of our painting adventure. I have also placed a list of the books we read below.

Here is some of his work:

He painted this by rolling golf balls through paint.

Two of these were made by dropping water on the paper and spraying the paper with colored water. The dots on the upper right were made using paint stamps and salt.

Here are the books we read:
The links below are affiliate links.

This great book called My Mom by Anthony Browne is about how a mom can do anything. This mom can sing, make anything grow, and make her child happy when she is sad. The floral design in the mom’s shirt appears in every illustration.

In Mother May I? by Lynn Plourde the little girl tries to help mom for Mother’s Day and ends up making a mess. All her mom really wants is a hug.

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Mom Sneaks Fruit, Honey, and Yogurt into Popsicles

May 4, 2010 By Deirdre

I found the recipe below on the Whole Foods Market website and decided to try and make it for JDaniel. He loves fruit and yogurt. This recipe calls for honey. I thought JDaniel’s allergies might benefit from my making something with local honey.

Fruit and Yogurt Popsicles

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, strawberries or pitted cherries ( I used raspberries.
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
4 (5-ounce) paper cups Aluminum foil
4 popsicle sticks or plastic spoons

Method

1. Put yogurt, fruit (slightly thawed if using frozen) and honey into a blender and blend to desired consistency. I put the blender on the floor so JDaniel could reach it.

1. Pour fruit mixture into paper cups, filling each about three-quarters full.

Cover each cup with foil, then make a small slit in the middle of each foil cover. Insert popsicle sticks into foil, then freeze cups until solid, about 5 hours.