ABC's : Coloring Aa
First day, we started the day with coloring Aa. In the beginning, Fritz was so enthusiast to do it. Few minutes later, he showed some refusal and got out all the crayons. Then he preferred playing along with the crayons, putting in and out. I had to stopped this activity and tidy up the crayons by myself...-__-'

Numbers : Coloring #1
I think, he didn't really like much in coloring. He just did it in a minute! The rest, he scrambled out the crayons. Then I gave him a blue color pencil. However, he wanted to color it though it just took 5 minutes and then he was busy to pose.

Colors : Green

This week, I continued the color's things pasted in the drawing book. It's time to learn the secondary colors, after we had done with the primary colors (red-blue-yellow). He is able to point the right things that I mentioned in every single colors.

I asked him to paint the drawing book with green by paint brush. He loved to do it (using paint brush and applying to the drawing book). Few minutes after that, he became so uncontrolled. He painted his table and in the end, he refused to continue painting.
I'm done with the painting and continued again 2 days after that to paste the green things. He's so eager to do it. I applied the glue and gave him to paste it on his drawing book. He can do it now!

Things: green frog, green turtle, green grass, green peas, 2 green frogs, green crocodile and green tree.

Shape : Circle

This activity is supposed to be going on Thursday. As I didn't have many things to do in the afternoon, I decided to do this.

Science : Hot and Cold

As the first experiment that we did in the last day, I gave him 2 containers. I filled one with the some ice cubes and the other with the hot water. I asked him to put on both of his hands in every containers. *No pictures*

Practical Life
* Put the beads on the bottle*
He really loves to do it. He can finish it! We did it for 2 days. In the 3rd day, he refused it...

*Pouring water from glass to glass*

We did it during bathing time in the afternoon by using 2 plastic glasses. He still couldn't coordinate his both hands. When he wanted to pour the water, he still couldn't see where the other glass was. So the water was spilled out again and again. Keep trying, boy!

*Transferring objects from bowl to bowl*
He excels in doing this!

Learning Toys:
*Farm Puzzle*
Fritz is able to do this. He can put the animals in the right path and able to recognize the animals.

*Piggy Bank*

He also excels in doing this. He loves to save his money on his Mickey Mouse's Castle's Bank.

*Ring Sorter*

He refused to play this, so no pictures!

Reading Books:
This week he reads:
1. Vocabulary's Book - My Body
2. Touch and Feel Sheep
3. Barney, Go to the Pet Shop (Indonesia Version)

Movie:
1. The Cars
2. Baby Einstein (Farm Animals)

Happy sweet 17th months!

Same days 17th months ago, Wednesday...

This month, he really shows lots of developments.

Now, he is able to recognize some icons; Carrefour, Giant, Hypermart, Hoka Hoka Bento statues, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Bear in A&W, and few more...even I forgot to remember those....;p
He will point when he sees them along the way.

During his visit to one of hypermarket, he likes to take a thing that he had shown in the advertisement. One time, he could recognize Skippy Jam in the Alfa Midi when accompanied Poppa hunting some stuffs. Next, he took Milkuat Milk and insisted to bring them (he took 2 bottles) to the cashier and I had to pay those. Other times, he took a Pulpy Orange and again I had to pay in the cashier. In the end, he even didn't really like those things.

Most of all, he understands the orders we say to him. Some times, he wants to help me to do some chores, such as put the clothes to the laundry basket after taking a bath or throw the litter to the dust bin. Even, he ,with his awareness, threw the litter when he saw it in the floor. Nice boy, huh!

And some times, he can show his bad attitudes. Refused to take a bath in the afternoon by waving both of his hands and continuing his activities or even refused to wear his pajamas in the night because he felt so hot. He really doesn't want to wear it. If I put in, he always pulled his pants up till his thigh or pull one of his sleeve up.

He really a neat boy. No crumbs in his mouth or hands during eating time. If there is something messy in the table, he will wipe it with the tissue.

He is also a proper boy. He always reminds us to do something in proper ways.

One time, his Poppa wore his shirt untidy. He pull up half of his shirt on his belly because of the hot day. Then, Fritz pointed to his Poppa and asked him to put the shirt down and wore it properly.

Other case, we can't put off our sandals, he will asks us to put on again. If Opa takes off his eyeglasses for a moment to wipe his sweat, he will insist Opa to wear it again. He will stop grumbling if everything is done properly. That's Fritz!

He does what the elder do!

When I cook, he wants to see what I cook. When someone go with car, he wants to follow. When he wants to watch movie, he will try to turn on the DVD player by himself.

Truly copycat!

Pretend feeding his toys using spoon like I feed him.
Laughing like me with a big open mouth and cover it with hand.
Greeting when someone is going home by raising up his hands and saying "aaaaaaahhh" means "hi"

He is so close with his Opa. Likes to play along with Opa in his upper room and ask Opa to turn on his fave TV channel, Playhouse Disney and let Opa not to watch other channel. Opa is pampering him much.

He is also close with his Poppa. During teaching time, Poppa is taking care of him. Play along or doing afternoon walk with him. See a dog in the church or just see some oxes in the back side of our residential complex. Bathing him and feeding him. What a nice moment between dad and son!

He is babbling much nowadays. The clear words are "go-go", "oop" for stop, "baa" for peek a boo. That's all.

He loves appraisal. He shows it by showing his two thumbs as good sign.

Other bad attitudes are he doesn't want to share his belongings but he wants to take the others. He also doesn't want to play along with the younger and prefer playing with the elder. Next job of me to maintain these attitudes in his social life.

He's getting bigger and bigger now. He can drink UHT milk, the chocolate flavor ones. He also consumes vitamin everyday to complete his nutritious. He's taller. All of his clothes are getting tightly and also with his pants. I really need to buy the new ones.

My boy is really growing up now. I really can't wait to see him jumping, running, talking and screaming.

Two days ago, Friday, I just realized that Fritz has discovered new things. He loves to moves his toes under his socks.

When we went to Hypermart at Mall Matahari, BSD, suddenly he asked me to take off his left shoe and refused to put in again. Then he moved his toes under his socks in the middle of our shopping time!

I had to put him into the trolley because of his refusing. Here's the photos...

Presents...

Simply-hood!!

It's my new home-education's logo.

Simply-hood is my home learning education based on Montessori method. I take some teaching ideas from some American creative moms' blogs who also teach their own children. They are so creative with their ideas in teaching and really insipiring me to do as well as they do to their children.

With my simple things that I have, I'm trying my best to educate Fritz. I'm going to accompany him to explore and discover lots of new things around him.

Red Day
I had bought a drawing book and also had printed out the things in red. Such as red shirt, red shoe, red car, red short pants, red cellular phone and red bag. Then I cut it into pieces.

I asked Fritz to scribble the crayon on his drawing book with red crayon. After that, I applied some glue on the pictures and I gave to Fritz to paste it on his book. He didn't want to paste it actually, so I helped him to do it and told him the things I pasted.

In the end of this project, I replied again the red things on his drawing book. Hopefully, he will be able to recognize RED next.

Blue Day

Things in Blue are Blue Butterfly, Blue Spoon, Blue Fork, Blue Bottle, Blue Bowl, Blueberries, Blue bird and Blue Jeans.

I asked Fritz to apply blue paint and blue crayon in his drawing book. Firstly, he refused to paste the things. For the last 2 things, he wanted to paste it by himself.

In the end, I replied again the things he has pasted by pointing to the things.

I'm trying to make a simple schedule for Fritz.

Here there are:

Every week, I have to prepare 3 trays of Practical Life's things and 3 activities; Toys, Books and Movies. The Practical Life contains Pouring, Transferring, Sorting and Open-Close activities. And the activities contains 3 toys he has to play, 3 books he has to read and 3 movies he has to watch on that week. So he will not play with the same toys, read same books and watch same movies. Some ideas are taken from here.

Everyday he will learn a different lesson.
Monday-Alphabet
Tuesday-Colors
Wednesday-Numbers
Thursday-Shape
Friday-Science/Art & Craft

Alphabet - every week, I will prepare a print out of Alphabet and I'm going to ask Fritz to color it. After 26 weeks, I'll cut the alphabet and I'm going to make like this (at that moment, Fritz is in Pre Nursery stage). Then here will be the next project. Other activities are tracing the Alphabet (in the middle of Pre Nursery or Nursery stage), playing puzzle and coloring pages of Alphabet things.

Colors - I had done some colors' project. I prepared the drawing book and asked Fritz to paint it with the related colors and stick some things related. I just continue this project for some weeks. I took the ideas from here. Then I'm going to do sorting and matching the things with the colors. For the worksheet, I'll take from here.

Numbers - introducing the numbers by coloring the numbers itself, 10 weeks. Then do some coloring numbers with the things and paste things related to the numbers as the art and craft projects. Next, do some worksheet I had such as tracing the numbers and simple math. I have tons of math worksheet.

Shape - as same as numbers and alphabet's worksheet. Firstly, I'll give shape's coloring pages. For the rest activities, I'll see from here and here. Some worksheet and activities will follow next.

Science - simple experiment such as hot and cold, tasting, smelling, heavy and light, sinking and floating, rough and smooth, etc.

Hopefully it can work well and GOD will lead me to be more creative day by day. (also lead me to be not lazy and consistent with what I do)

Yesterday, we went to one of my best friends' house at Gading Serpong, Tangerang. She, with her hubby, has just moved there since June. She has a teaching contract with one of the school nearby, Pahoa School.

Together with my other best friends, Emil and Mandha including with her hubby and Vei, we gathered and threw some jokes like we did few years ago in univ. Few hours after that, Emil has to pick up his fiance at airport and few minutes after she's leaving, Dinna and her cute daughter came minus her hubby.

Honestly, I really felt so relax from my tense I had for few days recently. Sharing some stories from the others and giving some advices to them were the best parts I had with them.

Then I made some conclusion bout life we pass.

Before, we were teenagers who liked to throw some jokes and do some silly things, also laugh at silly things too. We never thought about the future we will going through. Money was still out of our mind.

Then, so many stories came nearby after that, we chose our future life by ourselves and no one can disturb our decision. We have our personal problem in every each person life.

And I believe every problem that we face will mature us in every aspect of life. To be a better person and better life after that. No one will face the stagnant life, one day the wheel is going to the top and maybe the better life will come to us. And one day when we get older, we will have lots of lessons' stories left behind and we will share it to our young.

Hopefully, when we get older, we can stay along together to share these stories...

I have my own blog to note all the things that related with Fritz's learning days. By the time, it's abandoned. I did it twice. I always tried to do all the things in schedule and the fact, it was out of controlled. Everything can't be on schedule track.

Again, I have to reschedule my baby's learning time days as I read one of Americans homeschooling's blog. And I'm so being inspired with it.

For the last few weeks, I really didn't have much time to teach Fritz much. Actually, he still learns lots of things from his days. As I'm a schedule track person, I think I'm lost my way when I didn't do my schedule (actually I'm not at all).

Fritz is still learning many things from his surrounding, I believe it! He gains his gross motor skills.

One time I brought him to the nearest mall in our area and there is a play area there where he can jump, slide and develop all his gross motor skills. Firstly, he looked unexcited as he is not a gross motor person. He prefers playing with the merry go round. By the time, he continued his exploring by climbing up, walking in the high place (he's quite afraid and also me ;p) and the last was sliding. Overal he enjoyed it. One day, I'm going there again to practice more his GMS.

Then, one time, three of us was going to one of Ali's relatives for buying the second hand monitor from him. He could play along with the sisters, Bianca and Jevvy. Both of them are so cute. When both preferred to play upstairs, Fritz wanted to come along with them. Surprisingly, he was able to go up 3 stairs by himself.

I'm trying to develop his GMS more as he is not a GMS person who likes to run here and there, jump or do some physically things.

So now, I have to more focus with his daily learning time.

Here are the plans:
1. Daily schedule which contains only 1-2 hours of learning time and the rest of it is for playing time
2. Weekly plan...I'm still do it as my track for daily use but I don't want to strict with it anymore
3. Preparing the flash cards (alphabet, numbers, shape and colors)
4. Preparing the activities things such as coloring pages, art & craft ideas, practical life things, etc
5. Still using Montessori and Charlotte Mason method
6. Do the simple equipments as we're still struggle
7. Blog the weekly activities here as the notes for his improvement and development in learning.

Hopefully it's going work...as my mood is up and down in teaching him because of lack equipment and environment and also money...hehehehhe....so just trying the best with the simply things....

I'm totally exhausted with the days I passed. I have to teach for 4 days in a week and do some things related to Fritz.

I have 4 days of teaching. Tuesday to Thursday from 3 PM to 6 PM. I have to go at 2 PM after Ali has closed his shop. We change the shift, Ali takes my role, baby sit Fritz, while I go for teaching.

I go with Ali's car which hasn't power steering and an aquarium window car. Then I have to face the traffic jam in the afternoon that sometimes it took 1 to 1,5 hours in the street (supposed to be it took half an hour only).

I really need to use a motorcycle. Unfortunately, we don't have enough money to make a motor license. Plus some money we had spent for the broken gadgets..So I have to face the traffic jam and pray lots hoping there aren't bad traffic jam during my going home way.

Then I have a private class on Saturday. Luckily, I don't need to drive and again, Ali takes my role taking care of Fritz. The class has just started last Saturday. And Ali had gone to a big supermarket nearby with mom along them.

With those days I pass, honestly, I don't think lots of Fritz's meal and forget to make a weekly menu for him. I'm so bad!

Recently, his appetite isn't back normal again. With his 8 grow teeth, he totally refuses all the meal I cooked. He just wants the tasty food with the MSG inside....oooh...dear......

My felt creation is also untouchable. I left it totally. I really don't have any time to do it.

I really need arranging my time!!

For last few weeks, I really lost one by one my gadgets. The first one was my camera pocket. One of our relatives had borrowed it since beginning of July and it's still be with her till today. I really missed my camera.

Actually, Ali has borrowed his. He took it from his house and brought to my house. Honestly, I'm a saver pictures. Usually, I save all the pictures the good as well as the bad ones, the new and also the old ones. With Ali's camera, I couldn't do it. So I have to save some pictures and delete it some if I want to take others. It really took times and I really missed my camera. I'm gonna ask it tomorrow....hehehehe.....

Then last few weeks, suddenly in the one morning, the TV in our room was broken when I had turned it on. It had no pictures at all, just the sound. After a week, Ali brought it to the nearest service center. It has to be fixed for a week. Now, the TV is back to normal...*yay*

The 3rd ones was my computer's monitor. Ages has taken my monitor and it died already. We have to buy the new one. It has been with me since 2002, so I have to let it go. Ali asked one of his relatives and bought the second computer's monitor.

Sometimes, when we really lack of money, there lots of "accidents" come nearby and ask us to spend more money than we have. That's happen to us!!

Grrrrr....

Last 2 wedding ceremonies, Fritz has shown uncomfortable being there. He always cried and cried and cried aloud.....-_-'
First wedding ceremony was in Yohana & Rubein's. Yo is one of AdEM's (Association de Eight Madam) members. She is the 7th member who got married and still have 3 more left. Both of them were celebrating their day at poolside of Hotel Arya Duta.

Three of us came together using Jun's car. There were Jiska, Vivi and Re's mom. So there were 7 of us in the Xenia car. Then there was X-tine and her hubby, dad and mom in the other car.

When we arrived, Fritz has just woken up. So when we have been on the spot, he might be shocked with the situation there. The party was going on with the loud voice of MC and big sound of the music. Suddenly, he cried so loudly and sadly.

He still cried and cried till the time we wanted to go home. Till we moved away from the venue. Gee.....can u guess how long it be?? it's almost one hour we've been there and Fritz didn't want to go down or being hug by others except me.....even with his dad......don't ask how tired I was......-_-'

Both of us didn't take enough food and still hungry when we arrived at home. Fuiiiiih......

Next wedding was one Ali's friends from high school, Hanky & Heidi. They held it in Gedung Arsip. Another outdoor party. First was the poolside party and now was garden party. Both of them hasn't good light as well as in the indoor party.

The same situation we had last night. When I arrived at the venue while Ali was still looking for the place to park his car, suddenly Fritz cried loudly and sadly (again...). It happened till the time we left the venue.

All of Ali's friends were asking what happened with this boy. And again...it's all because of the loud voice and his unfeeling well of his body.

Fortunately, in this 2nd party, we had enough food though we can't grab all the booths. ^^ And Fritz can control his emotion, he stopped his cry when he ate krupuk and saw some little children especially some girls. ^^

I'm still wondering what happened with this boy...
First caution might be because of his unfeeling well or getting sleepy.
Then maybe because of the loud sound.