I usually have an 'almost' NO T.V. rule in my house.  I use the T.V. for educational dvds, the weather network, and the odd time when the choice is between rip my hair out and use the T.V. as a babysitter for a few moments.  However, the olympics are being hosted in our home country and winter sports are in interest to everyone in my family.  I tried watching a few events today and my 2 year old said to me 'Turn the T.V. off, Please Mommy'.  I explained the olympics to her, and then turned the T.V. off.  I might try to watch more tomorrow.

Are you watching the Olympics?  Are your children watching?  Is there any value to children watching an activity to help increase their interest/desire to do the activity?  Such as watching skating to help them want to skate?

I am very excited for you.  I was not even aware of the crawling track with my first.  I would like to try it with my second child.  I would be interested in updates and details (if you have time).  How often and for how long will your co-sleeping baby spend on the track?  I am concerned about the temperature - I think Doman recommends 90 degrees.  How are you accomodating your child's need for warmth vs your child's need to be bare armed and legged to crawl? 

Thanks for posting, and I am looking forward to reading more.

I noticed this product on the yourbabycan.com website.  It comes in Spanish, French, German, and Italian.  Has anyone tried it?  How does it compare to Little Pim?

Here is the directlink:
http://www.yourbabycan.com/Category/Speak/

I am still interested in a few pictures, if possible.  I'm trying to see if I am on the right track.  Thanks.  The 81/2 by 11 in a plastic sheet sounds easier.  I have been cutting and pasting onto cardstock and that takes a lot of time.

I was looking for a good book or internet resource on HOW to set up my home or area of my home in a Montessori manner.  Any suggestions?

I just discovered this new website www.kidsdreamgym.com it sells monkey bars, hanging bars and a few other pieces of childrens acitivity equipment.  Has anyone purchased from this website?  Please provide a review if possible. 

I want to know if the doorway hanging bar can be installed at different heights, and if it is easily adjustable from one height to another.

Thanks.

Kizudo, if I recall correctly you are from Manitoba.  Check the homeschool regulations in MB.  I know in SK a homeschooled child is allowed full access to the schools, including extra-cirricular activities such as art, sports, music, etc.  I am also considering the idea of homeschooling, perhaps with some school time.  In SK it does not have to be an all or non option.  The schools are manidated to provide as much service as a homeschool parent requests, including allowing the child to attend school part time.  I like the idea of using the school as a resource to not only help with cirriculum, but help with certain subjects (I'm thinking French, Gym, and also perhaps science).

I believe that as long as you are aware your child needs some social interaction and provide it in some way, then homeschooling an only child is still better than sending them to school full time.  Good Luck.  I'm also very interested in what others have to post on the idea.  Although I hope my dd is not on only child for too much longer.

I love reading DadDude's posts!

I second that motion!  I like that he can admit to being guilty and snotty while positing his thoughtful opinions.

I was considering the last time I went to an old drafty cement floored art gallery, I didn't find it relaxing. Sure, the art was great.  However I was shivering and my back and feet hurt for days after the visit.  Is that healthy for an unborn baby?

Now!  It is much easier to teach them before they start to run around and can't/won't sit still.  Good Luck to you.  Thankfully LM has great cirriculum that makes it very easy to be organized.

Happymomof5, LOL, Eskimo village?  Not quite, just small town Saskatchewan, Canada.  That is the best laugh I have had today.

I really really admire those pioneers who settled the north - the isolation they must have felt.  At least I can get in a car and drive 2 hours.  Imagine having to dogsled in -40 for days and days even to speak with another adult?  Although I suspect those mothers were not concerned with early learning but instead they were concerned with early survival.  Tonight I shall be thankful of our progress and happy for all the posts.  The simple suggestions have been very useful and I still have a few more to try out.  Tomorrow I am going to set up a bowling alley!

Thanks for all the posts, keep them coming....

I love Mommy2keaylan's schedule.  Seems very normal and similiar to lots of my friends.  My dd schedule is very odd in comparison, but it seems to work for her.
 
9:30 Wake up and Independent Play - she likes to sit and read or do puzzles by herself in the morning.
10:30 breakfast and a quick Doman session
11:00 Get dressed - She now wants to do this herself so it takes a very long time
12:00 - Game time (Memory games, counting games, word games, cards, etc.) or craft time or computer time (starfall and LM or LR)
1:00 - Lunch
1:30 - Leave the house time.  Somedays this is her walking or playing outside in the snow or at the park.  Other days it is her riding in the stroller while we do errands.  Sometimes it is a drive to a playdate. Whatever it is, it means us leaving the house and no matter how I try I never get out the door before this.  Don't ask me to attend a morning event - at this stage of my parenting I consider it impossible!
3:00 Back at home.  If our outing wasn't active for her I use this for physical time - dancing or obstacle courses in the house.  If the outing was active I use this as downtime, reading or puzzles.  I can often leave her for independent play for a while as well.
4:00 Snack and quick Doman Session.
4:30 No more naps for her, she wasn't sleeping enough at night, to avoid her getting cranky at this time I give her lots of attention after her snack.  We do more crafts/puzzles/games/reading/computer time/joint activity stuff.
5:30 Dinner prep.and I try to engage her help with cooking or cleaning.
6:30 Dinner and Doman Session.
7:00 Thankfully Dad has arrived home!  A new person to entertain her.  Dad does Doman Balance Program with her.
8:00 Independant play. (I'm trying to do SOMETHING to make this house look cleaner!)
9:00 Story time - she likes way too many to read them before bed.  So I have learned to read them early to simplify bedtime.
10:00 Computer time -I'm too exhausted to do anything else.  She has WAY more energy than me.
11:00 very small snack or maybe just a drink.
11:30 Pajama time - she likes to do this herself so it takes a LONG time.
Midnight:  Potty time.  Teethbrushing.
12:30  Hopefully she is ready to go to BED!!!!  I like to start around 12:30 but honestly she can go to bed as late as 2:30ish and one night it was 4:30AM  however most nights she is asleep by 1am.

The days seem to last forever.  About once every 3 months the T.V.  temptation is too much and I let her have at it for an hour or so.

BestMom, well my 'baby' is now 2 and I am still disorganized and tired.  My dd doesn't sleep well or a lot and as a result neither do I.  So I am often sleeping at odd times of the day and feeling lethargic the rest of the time.  Off and on I get frustrated with the sitution but most days I have just learned to accept it.  All the suggestions are wonderful, I have tried almost all of them to no lasting effect.  My dd sleeps less than 9 hours in a 24 hour period, that doesn't leave enough time to get myself to bed and alseep for 8 hours a day, let alone get anything done while she is sleeping.

I hate to say I have given up, but honestly, I have really really LOWERED my standards and that has helped a lot.  I don't need to accomplish 1 thing a day.  I try for one thing a week and I let it be O.k. if it doesn't happen.

I'm so sorry for the space you are in and I hope that you find something that makes it better for you.  Best wishes for the holiday season.

My 2 year old spends about 9 hours MAX sleeping in a day.  8 at night and a 1 hour nap late afternoon. Sometimes we skip the nap and she will sleep 9 hours.  On the negative side she is awake a lot and I do not get anytime to myself.  On the positive side there is lots and lots of time for teaching opportunities.

I feed her about 4 times a day.  I try for every meal to have 2 fruit or vegtable, 1 source of protien, and 1 serving of dairy.  In between meals she snacks on lots of crackers and cereals.  She eats a lot and at least 90% of it is healthy and a good variety.  The other 10% I try not to worry about, a piece of chocolate birthday cake is fine.

Do you have Doman's Physically Suberb book?  If so, your baby would fall somewhere between Stage I and II and maybe even a little of stage III - no $$ required and very little time.

Checklist for Stage I is:
Mobility Program - It says 10 floor opportunities day. [Sounds like a lot, so remember that even 1 or 2 is better than none.  I scheduled mine after diaper changes and after baths, but still only managed about 5 a day]

Manual Program - It says 10 sesson of hanging from your thumbs a day (should hang about 10 seconds per session) [I accomplished some of these by incorporating it into every time I lifted my baby up for something, for a diaper change, or out of the carseat I would lift her up by my thumbs and then help her hang]

Balance Program - It says one each 15 basic activies (15-45 seconds per activity).  [I didn't buy the book until my dd was over 18 months and by then it was too late to do most of this.  If I had know I might have tried to incorporate this into the small amount of time during the day when she was awake and happy].

The 15 activies are:
Cary Baby Around, Move Baby through space, Rock in a rocking chair, Rock a pillow, Pitching, Accelerating on a mat - forward, backward, right and left, Horizontal rotation clockwise, counterclockwise, horizontal spin prone, left, right, pitching up and down, rolling, and trot about with your baby.

How can I determine which Parts of the Semester 1 Content that I previously downloaded?  Thanks.