Terrific Toy Tuesday: Memory

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Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory
Playing Minion Memory & Collecting Matching Cards
Playing Minion Memory & Collecting Matching Cards

One of my favorite childhood games to pass the day away either by myself, with my siblings and mom or friends was “Memory.” Now, it is one of my favorite games to play with my two and a half year old daughter, and it’s becoming one of her favorite games too. Though the game is for ages three and up, she quickly grasped the concept, and after dinner she’ll ask, “Can we play the Minions Memory game please?”

When I played it as a youngster, I did not think about the cognitive aspects of the game, like sharpening my memory and the critical thinking and strategizing associated with the game. I was just focused on winning and finding the most matches. That seems to be Quinn’s focus too as she sometimes sneakily and sometimes unabashedly turns over multiple cards hoping to find a match. But it pleases me to know that this is a wonderful game for her cognitive development and for us to have some mother/daughter bonding.

Playing games with children, especially with my young daughter is tricky because I am not only teaching her the game but want to help her develop confidence in playing it. Since there are nearly fifty cards, we usually do half so that the game is not too long and to ensure that finding matches is not too daunting of a task for her. Then, I hold back and allow her to win. When she does collect more matching cards than I do, her little face lights up, her hands start waving as she holds on to some of the cards, and she dances around cheering, “I won, Mommy! I won! Guess what, Daddy! I beat Mommy at the Minion Memory game! I must admit, however, that Quinn is getting better and better, and I have a feeling that she will be beating me at memory in no time without me “helping” her to win.

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s “Moment” Monday

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Quinn Letting Me Know That She Knows How to Hold a Pocketbook

With each passing day, my little girl reminds me that she’s not so little anymore. Though she’s only two and a half, she often utters the phrase, “I can do it myself, Mommy! I don’t need help!” Of course, I’m so proud of her as she puts on her shoes, pushes up her sleeves to wash her hands or carries her dish to the sink, but it’s times like this when I need a “mommy moment.” I’m conflicted because I want my little girl to need me, but I also want her to be independent and willing to try tasks on her own. What’s interesting is the only instances when she will ask for help is if she thinks she cannot do something perfectly.

Just today, she was hesitant to draw her own happy face because she could not draw, according to her, a “good” circle. Then I found myself convincing Quinn that her circle and face did not have to be perfect and that she did a great job. I must admit, however, that I too am the perfectionist and have been since I can remember. I know what it’s like to put too much pressure on myself to be perfect or to stress over not making mistakes, and I certainly don’t want this type of pressure for Quinn. But as I am composing this post, I know that I am struggling with wanting to be the “perfect” parent who is there when my daughter needs me but able  back off and let her be independent and learn on her own.

This is my mommy moment this Monday, but I have a feeling this moment will be ongoing for years to come. Am I alone in this? I hope not.

All the best,

Tanya

I “Heart” Projects with My Sweet Little Girl

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Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project
Quinn’s Heart Project

Many people focus on how commercialized Valentine’s Day has become or use it to demonstrate the intimate and romantic love they may have for a significant other. While I do make a conscious effort to show love year round, I am grateful to experience the love of my daughter through togetherness and doing special Valentine’s projects together. For this project in particular, we purchased a heart person kit at Target which my two and a half year old selected because she really loved the rainbow hair.

She could not wait to get started. I loved it because the project was a great way for her to follow directions and demonstrate that she knows all of the parts of a face and where they belong. When we finished, she immediately insisted, “We have to show my heart with the crazy rainbow hair and moustache to Daddy! Please, Mommy!” As she went to show it to him, Quinn asked me, “Do you think Daddy will love it?” I responded, “Of course he will!” Her dad smiled and told her that she did such a nice job and that he loved it. She then asked if we could hang it up for everybody to see. I just love doing these projects with my little girl. It’s these sweet moments that I hold near and dear to my heart.

All the best,

Tanya

What Would We Do Without It Wednesday!: I Can Do It Reward Chart

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I Can Do It Chart!: Just Two More To Go for the Day!
I Can Do It Chart! Just Two More To Go for the Day!

Regardless of age, we all occasionally need some type of incentive or positive reinforcement to keep us motivated and on track with our goals. This is certainly the case with most two and a half year olds, including my little girl, who are testing the boundaries while trying to find their way as individuals. Sometimes, it’s a struggle to get them to listen, follow routines and put those “temper tantrums” aside, but there are many resources out there to help establish those boundaries and to promote positive behavior.

A few months ago, I purchased the, “I Can Do It Reward Chart” for my daughter from Amazon. Of course, I could have made up a chart myself, but having something already constructed with actual reusable stars and pre-made labels made the process easy for getting started. I did, however, add a nice border and frame to display it. I know some people are against star charts, and that is fine because everything is not for everybody. But my husband and I love this chart, and my daughter loves it too and will remind us if we do not review her behavior/tasks at the end of the day. Some of the labels we have chosen to use are no whining, clean up your mess, no yelling, eat your veggies and fruits and a few others. Something I do, however, is use more positive phrasing. For instance, instead of focusing on “no yelling,” I’ll ask her did she use an indoor voice? Each task has a picture along with the words, so Quinn is able to point to them as will say what she is supposed to do, “I cleaned up my mess today, Mommy!” she excitedly informs me.

This chart does a wonderful job at holding her accountable as long as we are consistent with going over what stars she has earned and where she may need to do better the next day. Every once in a while, she may be in a bad mood or may struggle to control her emotions, which is a struggle adults even have. Since we started using the chart, when she doesn’t earn a star, My husband and I will let her know that sometimes we all have rough days. She then informs us, “I can start over again tomorrow, and I will have a better day.” Yes, I would be kidding myself if I didn’t think that she is partially on her best behavior and completing tasks all day in hopes of earning a star and then getting a special reward, but I also believe that the chart helps to develop good habits and behaviors, and that she also does the tasks and behaves as she should because she knows what is right. What would we do without this chart!

All the best,

Tanya

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Play Dough Crazy Cuts

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Quinn making crazy hair
Quinn making crazy hair

When I was younger, I loved sculpting, molding and building what I believed were masterpieces out of play dough. I was consumed for hours, and my two and a half year old daughter is no different, so Santa brought her a new play dough set, “Crazy Cuts,” for Christmas.  Just about everyday she will ask, “Can I do some play dough hair cuts today with the barber chair, Mommy?”

What makes this set so great is that it helps with her dexterity and pincer skills because it comes with little plastic scissors, and plastic razor, hairstyle molds and little people to do the hairstyles with, and she has to turn the crank so that the little people can grow hair. It has even enhanced her vocabulary as she refers to the barber tools by name and will ask for specific colors to create her hair masterpieces.

One of the drawbacks is that when Quinn is ready to give one of the little people a “haircut,” little play dough pieces have a tendency of going everywhere, but I easily remedied this by putting a mat under her desk to catch any loose play dough “hairs.” Then we can collect them with minimal fuss. If you are looking for a fun toy not just for your child but maybe even from your own childhood memories, consider the play dough barber chair. It only cost Santa $11.99.

 

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s “Must Have” Monday (Spanish for Kids)

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Quinn Watching the Spanish DVD

As a parent, I want the best for my daughter. I want her to be well-rounded and to have fun learning. I also want her to embrace diversity and be versatile as an adult. English is my first language, so I was looking for a resource to assist me with teaching my daughter Spanish when she was just about a year old, I purchased a Spanish for Kids: Early Language Learning System through Amazon. Though some people may scoff at the hefty price of $64.99, it comes with four DVD’s, a music CD, a book, flashcards, games and apps. When I first opened the package, I was expecting it to have a better presentation for the money, but once I got beyond judging it by its cover and began playing the DVD’s and following up with the flashcards with my little girl, we both were hooked. The DVD’s are entirely in Spanish, but Quinn knows what is going on from the context clues.

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Quinn Showing off Her Spanish Skills

Now, it is a year and a half later, and I am very impressed with my daughter’s Spanish vocabulary. While she does not always pronounce the words correctly, she can identify several animals, body parts, household items, colors and numbers and loves singing along with some of the songs, especially “Caminemos de puntitas.” I actually think this would be an excellent resource for a teenager or even an adult who wants to learn Spanish. This is definitely one of mommy’s must-haves!

All the best,

Tanya

Here’s a little video of Quinn displaying her skills:

 

Bounce with Me Big Girl!

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Two weeks ago, I posted a blog entry about how much fun my little girl has jumping on the bed. She’s full of energy, giggly, and whenever she’s in a “I’m two and a half and I’ll whine if I want to mood,” jumping around always puts a smile on her face. I ended the post saying, “One of the ways to counter a tough day or to get rid of some negative energy is to kick off our shoes, jump around, be silly and laugh.” Yesterday, we were able to do just that at my niece’s first birthday party at Bounce U.

Admittedly, I was just as excited if not more excited than Quinn as we bounced around together, climbed through obstacle courses, up ladders and slid down the huge sliding boards. I got a good sweat going, had a heart rate of 164 at one point, according to my Fitbit, which was actually a plus for me. I got to have fun with my daughter while working out. Now that’s an idea: a facility that has parent and child trampoline and bouncing workouts, not just for birthday parties. I’d love it if my little girl and I could do something like this once, twice or even three times a week. I think she would love it too because it was tough getting her to “bounce” on out of there when it was time to go home.

All the best,

Tanya

Snow Much Fun with My Little One

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2016-01-23 16.42.51I hate snow! I’m not stepping one foot outside of my house! What’s there to love about snow? I have to get out there and shovel! These are some of the comments I’ve seen from people on social media, and I couldn’t disagree more. While I don’t necessarily like the short fuses many people have over parking spaces and getting stuck behind that person who is afraid and doesn’t know how to navigate in the snow, I do enjoy having fun with my daughter and the exercise that I can get out in the snow.

About a week and a half ago, we had some flurries, and my two and a half year old’s eyes widened as she excitedly asked if we could go sledding outside. She was so disappointed when I told her there just wasn’t enough snow, so yesterday when we got our first real snowfall, two feet of snow (maybe a little more), Quinn could not wait to go outside and use her sled for the first time.  We both put on our snow gear, headed outside with her little sled and we both had a blast. She had fun slipping and sliding and giggling, and I got a little exercise pulling her up and down the block.

Now, we both are looking forward to the snow stiffening up some so that we can build a snowman together. I’m hoping this can be one of our activities this week. I could easily join the masses of people who hate snow, but the love and excitement my daughter has makes that difficult to do. I am so thankful that she brings out the child in me and lets me have fun in the snow, even when I’m shoveling it.

All the best,

Tanya

One Little Toddler Jumping on the Bed!

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Quinn Having A Blast Jumping on the Bed

Who doesn’t know about the five little monkeys jumping on the bed? If you grew up in the 90s, you probably got hype to the hit song “Jump” by Kriss Kross or “Jump Around” by House of Pain. There’s something fun and exhilarating about jumping, and my two and a half year old has known this even before she could walk. Almost every day she’ll ask, “Can we go to Mommy and Daddy’s room and jump on the bed?” On many occasions, she is more excited to do this than to play with her toys. Her laugh and smile are infectious, and whenever she’s having a rough day, jumping around, having fun and being silly immediately sends any frowns or tears on their way leaving a big smile on my face too.

I actually think companies are getting hip to this idea of the positive energy that comes from jumping around. More and more trampoline and bounce places are popping up, and more and more people are jumping at the chance to pay them a visit and have some fun. In many of my posts, I talk about how my little girl is constantly teaching me something new. In this instance, she has taught me that everything in life does not and should not be serious. One of the ways to counter a tough day or to get rid of some negative energy is to kick off our shoes, jump around, be silly and laugh.

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s Little Girl Is Not Too Little for Chores

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Quinn helping wash dishes
Quinn helping wash dishes
Quinn helping wash dishes
Quinn helping wash dishes
Quinn helping wash dishes

On October 17, 2014, when my little girl was just 17 months, I posted a blog entry entitled, “Not Too Little for Chores Baby!”  about how eager she was to help me sweep, so I got Quinn her very own broom and dust pan set. Now, my two and a half year old still loves it and will even run to get her broom if she sees crumbs on the floor.

Since she was two, she started displaying interests in helping me wash the dishes. At first, I was hesitant at allowing her to help because I just wanted to get the task done quickly and figured she’d just make more work for me. I could have easily had her help me put the dishes in the dishwasher, but when there’s just a few dishes, my husband or I just wash them in the sink which is what Quinn wanted to do.

Within the past couple of weeks, I decided to provide her with a little “dishpan” of her own and let her wash the fork and plate she uses for meals. She actually does a great job with her little sponge and wanted to keep washing the same fork and plate over and over again as I continue washing the main dishes.

It really pleases me that my little girl views what some kids and adults may consider “chores” or “work they dread doing” as fun activities. “Can I help wash dishes again?” she will eagerly ask as she sees me or her dad preparing the water in the sink. I truly do hope she will continue to be excited to help her mommy and daddy around the house and have fun doing it well into her teens.

All the best,

Tanya