Milestone Moment: A.J.’s First Hair Cut

A.J. sitting in fire truck preparing to get his first hair cut.

Boy did A.J. surprise me today! He experienced his first hair cut and stayed in the fire truck chair with minimal crying. The only time he became upset is when the barber took out the clippers. She had to cut his hair old school style with scissors and a comb.

To prepare for this day, I took him to the shop to see where he would sit to get his hair cut. Each day leading up to his hair cut I enthusiastically shared how he would soon get his first hair cut. Maybe all the preparation paid off.

A.J after his first hair cut.

Pray, Persist and Prosper!

Advertisement

A.J.’s First Trip to the Pumpkin Farm

Together at Pettit Creek Farms

It was a gorgeous fall afternoon to visit Pettit Creek Farms. They house exotic animals such as zebras, camels and lamas. They also have goats and lambs that you can feed, a corn maze and pony and camel rides. They even had a bounce house for kids.

A.J. was a bit apprehensive at first. He had only seen such animals in his books. To see them and have an opportunity to touch or ride them was a whole different story. Toward the end of our visit, he felt a lot more comfortable and seemed to get a second wind; so much so that he wanted to run unencumbered. By that time however, we were in the parking lot preparing to leave. Oh well, I’m sure he will enjoy it better as he gets a little older.

(Once again, I don’t have many photos. This time, I can’t locate my digital camera. Urghhhhhhh! Luckily I uploaded two photos to Facebook that I’m able to use.)

A.J. meticulously selecting his pumpkin

Pray, Persist and Prosper!

My Little Drummer Boy

A. J. took his first drumming lesson today. It took him about 20 minutes to warm up. Once he warmed up to his teacher, Baba, A.J. began to play his  own drum and even danced around.

He will take lessons once a month until he gets a bit older. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the video of the session off of the cam corder, but we do have video from my iPhone of A.J. drumming. Check out this 15 second video and you’ll see why I call him “my little drummer boy.”

Milestone Moment: Sweeping Floor & Returning Broom to Proper Place

I love to witness A.J. participating in practical life activities. For example, whenever I’m in the kitchen, he retrieves the broom and dust pan from the pantry and proceeds to sweep the kitchen floor.

I plan to purchase a child size broom to make it easier for him to manage and to use properly. But for now, I allow him the freedom to sweep away using the oversized broom. When he finishes sweeping, he voluntarily returns the broom and dust pan to where it belongs. When he feels the urge to leave it laying in the middle of the floor, I ask him questions about where the broom belongs, instead of ordering him to put it back.

I’m learning to help A.J. to be more self-directed by inspiring him to right-action through questions, instead of asking or demanding. Of course I ask on occasion, but it’s much more empowering for toddlers to take action based on the answer that they think of versus me simply telling them what to do. My questioning tactic will have to suffice until A.J. grows into the understanding that we put items that we use back where they belong.

As I improve my organizational skills and create a “prepared environment,” restoring items to their proper place should become easier for the entire family. I must be patient with myself and 14-month old A.J. Although he is barely over one, he understands a great deal. He is capable of following simple requests and demonstrates that he can process questions by displaying appropriate actions.

Here is an example of A.J. returning the broom to its proper place:

There are occasions when I ask A.J. to return an item to its proper place and he laughs at me or ignores me. When this happens, I offer to help him and explain that “I’m putting the broom back where it belongs.” Then I give a short explanation why, “We want to keep our kitchen neat and safe.”

While A.J. may not understand all of my words, lately I have observed him putting more items back where they belong without having to prompt him. This progress is worth celebrating, which is one of the reasons that I created this blog; to keep track of A.J.’s development and to remind myself to celebrate these milestone moments daily.

Pray, Persist & Prosper!

Back in the Blogosphere!

Thank you in advance for stopping by Beacon Villages! As many of you know, I used to blog about topics related to the nonprofit sector and about personal development. Now that I’m a mommy, I have changed my focus.

While I still work in the nonprofit sector, you won’t find  any topics related to nonprofit management here, unless it fits, of course. However, you still will find posts related to “personal development.” I can’t help it. I’m a work in progress.

To give you a better idea of what you can expect to read, here are my 7 reasons for starting this blog and how you can benefit from reading it.

1. My son is growing up before my eyes. I’m documenting his progression while savoring the journey. Writing frequently prompts me to reflect on the why, what, and how of my parenting.

That was then…August 13, 2010 

This is now…as of October 2011

2. We live in Atlanta and our family is mainly concentrated in Wisconsin, California, and Texas. We also have friends around the country who are interested in keeping up with A.J.’s adventures.

3. I desire to improve my writing skills. This blog is a great way to practice.

4. This blog will hopefully connect me with other homeschooling Montessori moms from which I can learn a whole heap.

5. My experience may help other Montessori newbies navigate through the process of putting philosophy into action.

6.  As an African-American Montessori homeschooling mom, I may face unique challenges and opportunities. Sharing from this perspective may help other moms like me.

7. I plan to create learning materials for my son. These materials can serve as inspiration for other mom/teachers or possibly be sold to save them time and money.

If we can’t meet in person. I’d love to meet you in the blogosphere! Your comments, questions, and musings are always welcome!

Pray, Persist & Prosper!