Category Archives: Parenting

Babies, Baby Blog, Child #5: Cumorah, Children, Family Life, Parenting, Photography, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Baby’s Name

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Her name is Cumorah. She is named after the Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, NY. The reason why this hill is significant to the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that it is the place where The Book of Mormon was discovered. The Book of Mormon is a history that tells of a family from Jerusalem who came to the Americas and their struggles. The book tells how this family overcame hard times by following the teachings of Jesus Christ. We read this book to help us get closer to God and to overcome our own struggles.

#newborn #photography #wideawake #cumorah #bookofmormon #anothertestamentofJesusChrist #jesuschrist #god

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Child #4: Jake, Children, Oregon, Parenting, Photography, Toddlers, Travel

4th Child Pretending to be Only Child

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I am pretending to only have 1 child today while the older kids are at their cousin’s house and daddy is at his interview. Time goes by a lot slower with just 1 kid because he needs to be entertained all the time. I have gotten a lot of “Is this your first?” 😂 and “He is so cute!” Jakey doesn’t get this much attention when all his siblings are around. I usually just get “Wow, your hands are full!” or “Are these all yours?” 😂 I wonder what people would say if I told them he’s the 4th child?! 

#waitingfordad #jakey #lovehim #portland #oregon

 

Child #2: Quentin, Homeschool, Parenting, Toddlers

Easy for Mom Preschool

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preschool

I couldn’t decide what words to use for this title. I wanted to say “Lazy Mom Preschool” or “Preschool for Dummies”… but I don’t want to call Moms lazy or dummies! I just mean this is an easy way to do preschool with very little cost and prep work. Easy and simple is my way of doing things now-a-days. With cleaning the home, teaching the kids, making dinner, church responsibilities and my hobbies… I need to maximize my time by doing things very simple and efficient.

Here are the general learning principles I follow:

  • Do every subject everyday
  • Be consistent & efficient
  • Get rid of distractions
  • Use a paper and pencil
  • Test knowledge

These are the subjects I try to do everyday:

  • Gospel Study
  • Handwriting
  • Scissors
  • Reading
  • Math

The only exception is that my husband is in charge of a science lesson once a week during family night. I try to add music or piano to the daily list… but I seem to never be able to get to that everyday… yet! My kids also to do crafts and art on their own so I don’t mandate that either.

I’ve seen people make weekly calendars… Monday is Math. Tuesday is Reading. Wednesday is Science… ect. The reason why I think this isn’t the most efficient way to do preschool is because preschool aged kids learn by repetition.

God tells us to read our scriptures and pray everyday. Why? It’s so we can learn his words, remember them and master them! Doing something everyday will help anyone master any skills they want to learn! I know from experience that reading my scriptures everyday has made me a better reader as well as a better person. Doing photography everyday has helped me get better at photography. So if I want my kids to get good at something… I’m going to have to help them practice it everyday.

So doing every subject everyday has helped my kids learn these various subjects really well. The repetition really works and they are mastering skills like using scissors and handwriting. We do however take a break on Sunday to go to church and do Sunday activities.

Now… you may think… “Well you must spend an awful amount of time doing this everyday!” My oldest child is 5 years old. We spend 30-45 minutes max on all the subjects. My second child is 3 years old and we spend 15 to 25 minutes. My youngest is 1 years old and we spend about 5 to 10 minutes on it! So for me I spend about 1 to 1.5 hours total in focused learning sessions with my kids.

The key is to be consistent and making the time worth it! I try to get rid of distractions and put my phone away and turn off the computer. These precious minutes are spent in one-on-one focused learning sessions. I make the time efficient by gauging their interest on the subjects. If they are bored then I changed it up. If they are wanting more I usually give them more but I eventually make them stop and say… “Sorry you have to wait to have more fun tomorrow!” “But mom! I LOVE Math… please let me do more math!” In order to be consistent, I have to make teaching a priority in my life. I try to teach even if the house is messy or my projects are not done.

Lastly, I test their knowledge. I am always asking them questions to make sure they have master the concepts I’m teaching them. I test them in all the subjects including gospel learning, reading comprehension and math.

So here is an example of what I do every time. I try to consistently do the same routine every time. I also teach every subject every time. I make things simple by just using a notebook and pencil. Everyday I just make a new page or two in the notebook. It’s really nice to use one notebook so I can see how they progress over days, weeks and months.

A preschool daily learning routine:

  • Pray
  • Book of Mormon Study
  • Writing (or tracing) their name
  • Tracing lines and shapes
  • Cutting out a shape
  • Counting & Recognizing Numbers
  • Letter & Letter Sounds

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Once my child is ready to write on their own then I add these into the curriculum.

Adjusting the way I teach for each child has been a fun challenge. My first son likes to do book work while my second son likes to play games especially computer games. No matter what the content is… the principles I follow are the same:

  • Do every subject everyday
  • Be consistent & efficient
  • Get rid of distractions
  • Use a paper and pencil
  • Test their knowledge

This all didn’t come naturally. I had to learn from my other mom friends! I also had to learn from trial and error. I get criticism sometimes… “Your kids are young… they should just play!” Yes it’s true… there’s lots of learning when they are playing. After I do the focused learning session with my kids… they get so sick of me sometimes that they run away and play the rest of the day. All I have to do after is referee and resolve conflicts with sharing toys… lol! Oh… and I guess I feed them too! So my kids do play hard and work hard.

Of course… I’m not perfect at this routine… we have good days and bad days! But I try really hard to be consistent. Over time I see that the routine is working. The repetition has really given my kids a foundation of skills and knowledge they need for future learning.

I have found great joy in teaching my children the basics and while I understand that this method may not work for all moms/kids. I would love to hear what works for you!

 

 

 

Child #1: Micah, Child #2: Quentin, Child #3: Emily, Creative Ideas, Family Life, FHE, Parenting, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Family Night in 60 Seconds!

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Here is our 2016 Hubbard Christmas Card Video! This Christmas we want to share with your our “funnest” thing we do at home!! …. which is Family Night aka Family Home Evening (FHE)! Enjoy our family in 60 seconds.

PS – See our last post for our digital Christmas Card!

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Babies, Baby Blog, Child #3: Emily, Family Life, Labor, Parenting, Pregnancy

Better Late than Never Birth Story #3

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Sorry guys… it took me over a year to write my birth story #3. Better late than never! If you haven’t written down your birth stories… I really encourage you to do so. You won’t regret remembering your baby’s birthday even if it’s years later.

Here’s birth story #1 and birth story #2.

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The Pregnancy… skip if you just want the good stuff

The pregnancy with Emily was much harder than the boys because I was sick and nauseous and tired. It was awful at the beginning. Second trimester was great because I had no morning sickness but by third trimester I was nauseous again.

Every afternoon leading up to the delivery, I was nauseous for about three weeks.

I lost my mucus plug at 36 weeks! I really didn’t want to go into labor so I took it “easy” until I was 37 weeks.

Pre-Labor… it gets a little funny but skip if you want!

Thursday – Best Friend’s Bridal Shower

I went in for a check-up. At 38 weeks and 1 day I was at 2 cm 75% effaced and -2 station. The baby wasn’t engaged yet. That night my best friend from high school was having a bridal shower! I felt strongly that I needed to go to her shower down in Provo. I made it there and back without going into labor! I listened to positive affirmations the whole time. Well, it was a good thing I went because the baby was born the morning of her wedding!!!

Friday – Nothing exciting…

Saturday – Neighborhood Pot Sticker Party

I was having regular contractions and nausea. I was making gluten-free pot stickers. I was working so hard that I was sweaty and tired. My brother came over too. Dallin, my husband was in charge of our neighborhood pot sticker party. I stayed home for a while but eventually went to the party. We had a lot of people come and it was fun.

Sunday – The baby disengaged and all labor signs stopped!

Monday to Wednesday – Test Days

Dallin had tests for medical school on Monday and Wednesday. It was really funny because I’m pretty sure the baby engaged on Saturday and I was having regular contractions… Then the baby disengaged on Sunday so Dallin can get through his tests!

And so Labor Begins!!!!

Dallin came home on Wednesday and said “Ok this is the best time to have a baby because my tests are over.” I guess Baby and I took it super seriously because by 7 pm. I was cramping and having contractions lasting about 45 seconds for every 6 minutes.

I stopped timing my contractions and decided to go to bed. Dallin spent until 10:30 pm playing on the computer.

When I woke up at 10:30 pm, my contractions seem to have stopped… but I told Dallin he needed to go to bed. Good thing he listened because I woke up at 1 am with really strong contractions lasting every 4.5 minutes for over a minute (~1 minute 10 seconds)… I thought “Wow… may be this is the real thing.” I got serious. I read scriptures for a while and the contractions wouldn’t stop.

By 2 am the contractions got stronger. I woke up Dallin and called the Midwife at 2:27 am. I was debating whether or not to go in. I told her that I’m already having my husband do counter pressure! I didn’t want to go in and have them tell me I’m not in labor. I asked her if I can take a shower. She pretty much gave me the ultimatum that if I took a shower and the contractions don’t stop that I had to come in because she didn’t want me delivering in the car or elevator.

Dallin and I did a few more contractions together. By now, I was not to be able to talk through contractions. Then Dallin took the initiative that we needed to go in ASAP… so no hot shower for me.

I told Dallin to go over to the Home Teacher’s apartment across the way. Dallin went over there but knocked on the wrong door. Dallin was sleepy apparently! A random guy opened the door and Dallin said… “woops wrong apartment!” and left! The guy closed the door and chained it. You have to remember that this was about 3 am. LOL! It was a funny story… even when I was in labor!

To the hospital!!!

So then Dallin went over to another neighbors apartment. During that time, I probably did a few contractions on my own. I felt in control the whole time. Dallin came back and told me our neighbor was coming. I got ready and went in the car while Dallin waited for our neighbor to come. By now I was listening to my Hypnobabies soundtrack and breathing very hard during my contractions. On the drive there I knew the contractions were actually doing something and I felt like I was dilating.

We got to the LDS Hospital at about 3:30 am and it was the best experience I’ve ever had. It was amazing!!! The staff was amazing!!! We did one contraction in the parking garage leaning on the car. Then we ran and did a contraction in the elevator. Then we got to the maternal newborn floor and rang the bell. They said “Yes?” Dallin said “I have a mom in labor!” We went into the check-in desk and I did another contraction learning on the desk. Dallin pushed on my back. The contraction was over and I could talk to the staff like nothing was going on. They checked me in quick and sent me straight into my room! No triage… No checking if I was in labor… No asking too many questions… They believe me to be in labor?!?!? Awesome… thank goodness!!! (This was very unusual for me!!)

We got into the room and they let me change into my hospital gown. Dallin and I worked through a couple of contractions during that time. The nurses did everything I told them to! They never checked me in between contractions. They were super nice!! I had my super simple birth plan pinned on the board… I made this in between contractions while I was waiting for my neighbor to come over. 🙂

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I got the big birth room I wanted!! It was one with a jacuzzi especially for natural births… not that I had time for that! I asked for a birth ball and birth stool. The nurse even got me and Dallin apple juice!!! Yum!!! This was a way different experience than my birth at the University of Utah or Ireland. It was truly perfect and I felt in control the whole time! They finally checked me and I think I was at dilated to a 6. They got me the birth ball and I did the harder contractions on there.

Finally, my midwife arrive and she knew exactly what I needed! She rubbed my back and squeezed my hips. Then she told the nurse to squeeze my hips while she was looking at my chart. I told my midwife… “I’m ready for you to break my water.” I got on the bed. She attempted to break my water but couldn’t get a good grip. I said “Now we need to wait until the next contraction is over!” So I got off the bed.

I think we did 2 more contractions and I got on the bed again. She successfully broke my water and I felt everything leak out. I got back on the ball and I immediately went through transition! I had 2 really intense transition contractions. The nurse and Dallin were doing great counter pressure the whole time! I breathed through every contraction without falling apart or getting distracted. I just kept saying “Can you guys push a little harder on my back and hips?!?!”… lol. I remember thinking “Ok this is it! It’s transition and it’s the hardest part!!!” My midwife rubbed my back told me it’s almost over.

Pushing!!

Yep… very soon I was like “I want to push!!! Where’s the birth stool?” By now I took off my headphones because I knew the hardest part was over and I didn’t need my relaxation tracks anymore. I was so stubbornly wanting to give birth on a birth stool because that’s how I had it for my second baby… but after about 2 contractions and lots of pushing the baby wasn’t moving. The midwife said that I needed to stand up. The baby was stuck on my pubic bone. So with the last strength I had… Dallin helped me stand up. Then during the next contraction… I squatted down (Dallin behind me holding me up) and the baby came out on the floor on the side of the bed. Don’t worry the midwife got there just in time to help the baby not fall!! I didn’t even pushed… all I did was squat down. LOL! I was lying on the floor by now and I was kinda worried because I didn’t hear the baby cry but she was just fine.

She’s here!!!

Our sweet little baby girl arrived at 4:57 am weighing 7 lbs 0.5 oz. We were only at the hospital for <1.5 hours and the labor was about 4 hours total.

I got on the bed. I don’t remember this part. It’s all a fuzz ball. I don’t even remember them giving me the baby but they probably did. I probably fed her. Good thing I have pictures!! Oh and I didn’t tear… what a miracle! 🙂

Well it was worth it. I was so proud of myself. I never lost control or wanted to give up! Angels were definitely helping me! It was by far my favorite midwife, hospital and birth experience out of my three experiences. It’s all a miracle!!

This was my midwife, Jennifer Jensen, CNM. She now practices at Riverton, Utah. She was honestly the best!!! ❤

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Babies, Child #1: Micah, Child #2: Quentin, Parenting, Toddlers

3 Easy Steps to Teach a Young Child How to Read

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How to Read

My oldest son, Micah, is now 3 years and 5 months old. He is starting to sound out words and reading short words! I’m seriously so proud of him. My goal is to teach him how to read before he goes into Kindergarten. I’ve been teaching my son how to read ever since he was interested in letters which was well before he was 18 months old. I definitely think this is from Dallin’s genes cause I have never been interested in reading very much at all.

I broke it down to three easy steps. I’m writing this down so I can teach my next kid how to read but may be it’ll help someone else too.

  1. Teach your child to recognize all the UPPERcase letters
  2. Then teach your child to recognize all the lowercase letters
  3. MAKE IT FUN!!! Teach your kids letter sounds as you would teach them animal sounds. (ex. What does a M say? mmmmmm) With this step I needed a little bit of help and guidance, I’ll list the resources I have used below.

After talking to my mom friends, I really think phonics is the way to begin teaching kids how to read.

First book, my neighbor suggested Teach Your Child How to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  This book has a really boring introduction of instructions for the parents, but once we started the lessons my son seriously took the book and blossomed. Everyday you only do one lesson and it last about 20 minutes. Everything is outlined for you so I didn’t even have to plan anything. It gives you the order to teach the letter sounds, starting with the more obvious sounds like M and S and A then moving towards more complicated sounds like silent E’s… ect. Three reasons why I love the book is 1) it’s super easy for me 2) it teaches kids how to read and not just memorize the words 3) It makes reading into a game.

Another friend suggested the Three Owl’s Reading Method which unfortunately is out of press and I can’t find a copy anywhere. Micah loves these little books!!! This is more of a Montessori approach to teaching kids how to read. The first sounds that it teaches kids are the vowels sounds: a, e, ee, i, o, oo, u. Since it’s out of print, may be I’ll recreate the books and put them online. Dr. Hulda Clark who created the reading system died back in 2009. I’ll email the publisher to find out what I can do. Micah loves Owl’s Eyes more than Teach Your Child How to Read in 100 Easy Lessons because they come in little colorful books his size.

The third resource I’ve used to help my child learn how to read is Hooked on Phonics Ipad App. While I’m not a huge fan of their curriculum (mostly their story books are weird), I love love the letter sounds songs and the games they made for their app. Micah loves this app!

Of course, I don’t believe in forcing children to learn how to read but it’s been so fun for Micah that he’s forcing me to teach him how to read!

Now I’m not an expert at this but my younger son, Quentin is 18 months… I started asking him “What sound does M make?” and he replies with “mmmmmmm”. So I truly believe that when a child starts imitating animal sounds they can totally start learning letter sounds too! 🙂

I’ll end with my favorite scripture in Doctrine and Covenants:

D&C 88:118 …seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.

What tips and tricks do you have to teach kids how to read?

Child #1: Micah, Family Life, Parenting, Toddlers

Paper Snowman and Other Preschool Ideas

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Micah has been needing a lot of attention and stimulation lately. My sister-in-law sent me this PDF Calendar of one year Preschool Ideas. I’ve been trying to do one or two things with Micah everyday. We made a paper snowmen and snow flakes this week. Before we made the snowman, we read this book called Snow by P.D. Eastman that we got from the library. I really like to read P.D. Eastman books to Micah. Another one of our favorite by Eastman is The Best Nest. Even though Micah is just 26 months old, I feel like he has a really good reading comprehension. I’ve been needing to read him stories with more complicated story lines. He is also starting to read memorize words in books. I’ve really been trying to read more to him everyday and we try to go to the library once a week for story time.

Like I said in our new years goals, this year I’m going to focus on teaching Micah how to read and do simple math. Micah already knows the whole alphabet and count to 20. He has an incredible attention span for another numerical or problem solving. He sat down for an hour with me to do three different – 24 piece wooden Thomas the Tank Engine puzzles. Micah repeats everything I say so I really have to be careful. It’s funny hearing use all my euphemisms like “Oh my goodness!!!” “So funny!” “You’re silly!” “Go to your room!” Micah put me in time out yesterday in my room. I don’t even know what I did wrong. Two year olds are so funny.

In the January 2014 New Era there’s an article titled Preparing Gifts for Your Future Family. The article counsels the kids to start this year to learn talents that they could use in their future such as writing, math, music and art. Lastly, it talks about the gift of repentance and getting our lives in harmony with the God.  It’s a good article! I guess these talents can be developed at a very early age.

What kinds of talents do you want your kids to develop?

Creative Ideas, Family Life, FHE, Parenting, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Toddlers

FHE #1 – Creating Paper Mache Worlds

FHE stands for “Family Home Evening“. To tell you the truth, our family has not been very good at preparing for family home evening. When Monday night comes around we usually ask each other, at the last minute, “What’s the lesson for FHE?” We decided that our lack of planning wasn’t working for us. We decided to set aside a time on Saturday to plan out our family home evening. We did it for the first time last week and our FHE rocked! We had time to think and plan the lesson. Then we had time to go buy supplies for our activity and also had time to plan out a treat to eat at the end.

Our church believes in modern-day prophets whole receive inspiration from God and give counsel to the church. The prophet Joseph F. Smith announced in a letter on April 27, 1915 that the church members should hold a weekly family home evening (FHE) in their homes. FHE is family time that is set aside for  “prayer … hymns … family topics … and specific instruction on the principles of the gospel.” In 1970, the prophet announce that FHE night is preferred to be on Monday nights throughout the church and asked that church/leadership meetings should not be held on Monday nights.

I believe that the LDS church sets aside time for families on Monday because we all get so busy with work, school, sports, and other activities that it’s hard to fit in family time at home. In the end, our families is the most important entity we have here on earth and I enjoy spending time with my family on Monday nights.

FHE #1

Song: “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228–29)

Lesson: Genesis 1:1 & Lesson 7 in Nursery Manual – Jesus Christ Created the World for Me

Activity: Make paper mache worlds. I found this blog about making paper mache planets.