Let's learn.

Back in the day I used to stay up late and plan what the girls and I were going to do the next day.  Every morning they'd come into my bedroom all excited and would ask "Whatarewegoingtodotoday???"  We seriously had the best times, making, baking, reading, inventing.

I used to sit down and actually TEACH them things.   Hayley knew a hundred words in sign language by the time she was 2. She memorized the pledge of allegiance when she was barely 3.  She could recognize and name every single state in the U.S. when she was 5.
I read books about the body to Tia and she could identify most of the body parts AND tell me what  they each were responsible for.  Her favorite topic was Red and white blood cells.

I don't know what happened, but it seems like over time, this Mom has become LAZY.  I haven't sat down and 'taught' them anything in forever.  When Hayley asks me what we're going to do the next day I say ,  "I have no idea."  Then she asks me if she can play wii.  Sad.  

So yesterday I sat down with the girls and the computer and said "Guys, think about something that you've always wondered about...ANY question that you have, and we are going to find out the answer right now."  They were all excited and you could see their wheels starting to turn.

"I have ALWAYS wondered, how a caterpillar makes a cocoon,"  Tia said.  "I want to see one hatch!"  So we pulled up a couple videos on youtube and watched the entire process.  She was amazed.

"I have always wondered how tornadoes happen," Hayley said.  (Does that one surprise anybody?)
Really she didn't want to know how they were made, she just wanted to watch a video of one.  So we watched one.  And then another and then another.  She was all freaked out by the end.

Then Tia wanted to watch a bird hatch from an egg.
Hayley wanted to watch a video of an earthquake.
Tia wanted to see cool rainbows.
Hayley wanted to see a tsunami.
In the middle of the Indonesian tsunami video, tears were forming in my eyes, and Hayley got all upset that I was  crying, and was sad because of the video, and in the end, I realized that none of us really LEARNED anything through all of that, we all just became super paranoid.  Next time I think I'll take a different approach.

One thing I know, is that I'm done being 'lazy mom'.  Time to step it up a notch and resurrect 'awesome mom.'  My kids will know the periodic table inside and out before this summer is over.