Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and the internet is abuzz with heartfelt words of thanks to mothers everywhere and hilarious anecdotes about what real moms want for Mother’s Day. Since I not only have a mom but am a mom myself, I would like to address both of those topics. Oh, and I’d also like to add in a little something about my mother – in – law. Don’t worry, it’s nice. I would like to think that when I was a little girl, my mother knew how much I appreciated everything that she did for me. I can only hope … Continue reading →
Toddler development is a funny thing, isn’t it. As your baby grows into a toddler, it’s anybody’s guess as to what skills he will master first. Some toddlers walk early and speak late while others build a pretty hefty vocabulary before they take their first steps. There are plenty of guidelines in books and online that provide a good estimate of what your toddler might be doing, and when. Today, I realized that I did not keep track of many of Dylan’s milestones and I have not really been keeping track of Blake’s either. I have been taking lots of … Continue reading →
Today I had an interesting experience at a local gas station convenience store. I was on the way home from a play date at the park with my boys, and the boys were thirsty. They had both had full cups of water when we went to the park, but they played hard and drank all of their water. When Dylan asked if we could stop and get a drink, I said that we could because there was a store on the way home. At the gas station, I got the boys out of the car and went inside. We took … Continue reading →
A funny thing happened yesterday. For a couple of months, Dylan has wanted to watch a few shows on PBS every weekday morning. It was something that we started in the middle of winter, when it was too cold to go out and play until around lunch time. As the weather warmed up over the past couple of weeks, I started to fear that perhaps Dylan’s morning TV time would cut into his outdoor play time. While I think that the shows that he enjoys are of good quality, I don’t necessarily like the idea of him sitting there watching … Continue reading →
I don’t know who you are, strange man sitting on a rock by the corner of the playground. I do know that it’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I’m at the playground with my two young children. We came here to have a good time, and to play with the other kids. I am not sure why you are here, but something tells me that you probably shouldn’t be. Maybe it’s the way that you are sitting on that rock, just staring at everyone. Maybe not. That is creepy, but sometimes people are a little socially awkward like that. There’s … Continue reading →
When I became a mom, I had no idea about the amount of judgments that people make about moms every day. It does not matter whether the judgment comes from another mom who does things differently than you do or from your parents, or even from random people at the grocery store – it does not feel very good. Even worse, people make judgments about things over which you have no real control, like when your child becomes potty trained. Since every child is different, every child potty trains in his or her own time. This is such a simple … Continue reading →
One of the challenges of being the parent of a toddler, especially a very young toddler, is that toddlers like to put everything and anything into their mouths. If they can pick it up and it will fit, into the mouth it goes. For some reason, it seems like Blake started this everything – into – the – mouth behavior well before becoming a toddler. Now that he is a toddler, he still does it and I have no idea when this particular phase will end. Since I know that I am not the only one who is constantly checking their … Continue reading →
Now that it is time to spend lots of time outdoors with the kids, it is also time to think about keeping the kids safe in the yard. Each of our homes and yards presents different safety issues for young children. Keeping curious toddlers safe can feel like a full time job sometimes. Next time you go outside, take a look around the yard and identify any poison ivy or other dangerous plants that are native to your geographic area. Remember where they are and either remove them (learn how to do so safely first) or keep your child away from … Continue reading →
Now that outdoor play weather is here, my boys and I have been spending plenty of time out in the yard. That has been wonderful, and we have lots of fun together, but to keep things interesting we like to go out to some local parks and playgrounds a few times each week. Not only do the various play structures enable my little guys to develop new and exciting (okay, sometimes terrifying) physical skills, the presence of other children gives them a chance to play and interact with someone other than me. While I do have to stay pretty close … Continue reading →
Many people think about indoor activities like reading, doing crafts, watching movies, or baking whenever they hear the words “rainy day fun”. Tuesday was a rainy day here, but we just were not having much fun indoors. There are plenty of fun things to do indoors at our house. We have blocks, a workbench with tools, tons of toy vehicles, stuffed animals, inflatable blue dogs that you can sit on and bounce around the living room, art supplies, books, movies, and more. However, even though it has officially been springtime for almost a month, the weather here has been cold … Continue reading →
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