Tag Archives: Family Togetherness

On the Second Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to me… Terrific Teamwork Decorating Our Christmas Tree

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On the Second Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to me…terrific teamwork decorating our Christmas tree. After selecting and bringing home our Christmas tree, the excitement to decorate it with my daughter quickly builds. We stuck with our theme of pink, purple and blue this year since blue is my favorite color, and pink and purple are Quinn’s top two.

For the first time, we actually filmed hanging decorations from start to finish as part of her YouTube video, but as I reviewed and edited the footage, I found myself in awe at how we worked together as a team. We asked for advice on what should go where. I made sure to not hang certain ornaments I know she loves so that she’d have the opportunity to hang them herself. And we managed to get the tree decorated from top to bottom with the lights, ornaments, tulle and start within less than an hour.

We both love looking at our lovely tree all decorated for Christmas. It most certainly puts smiles on both of our faces.

All the best,

Tanya

On the First Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to me…fun times picking out our Christmas Tree!

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On the first day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…fun times picking out our Christmas tree! With Covid restrictions in place, some of our usual Christmas traditions just won’t happen this year. Even though we’ll miss spending time with family, going to see Santa and having fun dining experiences, that won’t stop us from having extra special moments this Christmas season.

One of our favorite activities is selecting our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Usually, it’s just us and a handful of other families, but there were far more this year. It was nice to see how many people were already in the Christmas spirit. Quinn even decided to do a video for her YouTube channel on picking out our tree. Our tree isn’t as big as the previous years since we have our puppy Zack and weren’t sure how he would do with the tree, but we love it just the same. We both just love this time of year!

All the best,

Tanya

Bending Over Backwards: The flexibility of a Mother Daughter Relationship

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A few weeks ago, my seven year old started practicing “back bends” and was absolutely ecstatic when she was successful at doing it. Now, she wants to teach me, her mother who’s definitely not as flexible, how to do it. This got me thinking about how flexible we must be as parents, especially during these COVID restriction times. I may not be able to literally bend over backwards for Quinn, but I am more than willing to bend over back for her figuratively.

I don’t ever want my daughter to doubt the love that I have for her. I want her to always feel she can come to me, and that I will be supportive and help her in any way I can. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be able to literally bend over backwards with her help.

All the best,

Tanya

Oh Snap! Selecting Circuit Fun with My Daughter

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A few weeks ago, my daughter and I went to the Franklin Institute for their social distancing Halloween event and had a great time. Our day ended with her cajoling me into buying a $40 Snap Circuit kit. At first, I was hesitant because of the price, but after reading the box and knowing how much she enjoys doing projects, I knew it was perfect for her.

Yesterday, she did a couple of projects: lighting and LED egg and snapping circuits for a musical doorbell. She did these all by herself with me filming for her YouTube channel. I immediately wondered, “Where was this kit when I was younger?” I had to wait for science class in higher grade levels to do one of these projects.

My seven year old really loves the kit, and I do too. I even recommended it to a friend whose kids love projects too. I’m actually quite excited to do some of the projects with her during winter break.

All the best,

Tanya

Politicking and Celebrating the Election Victory with My Daughter!

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Excited About the Election Results

As soon as my seven year old’s ten minute break from virtual learning started, she said, “Mommy, I need to check the numbers!”“What numbers?” I asked. To which she responded, “The election numbers of course! We need Biden to win!” I was pleasantly surprised at how involved my daughter became in the election.

I don’t talk a lot about politics with my daughter, but it’s all around us. Quinn made up her mind some time ago on who she was supporting. She emphatically told me that we need Biden to win because Trump is mean and doesn’t like us. As we waited for the votes to decide Pennsylvania, our state, Quinn couldn’t understand why Trump was winning at first. I too was and am concerned with the turnout supporting someone who clearly is negative and mean spirited.

Happy Days!

When the news finally came yesterday, we all cheered. Even many of our neighbors, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (who helped secure the win for Biden), specifically Cheltenham Township, came out of their homes to cheer in the streets. We had a great play date where Quinn and her friends even talked a little about the election and how they were very happy. Later on, Quinn asked if Trump had his temper tantrum yet, which made me chuckle because even she’s noticed his childish behavior.

In the evening, Quinn, my husband and I watched and were moved by the speeches of the Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, and President elect, Joe Biden. Though there’s plenty of work to be done, it was a wonderful way to end our day. Quinn is happy and hopeful, and So am I!

All the best,

Tanya

Another Happy Halloween with My Daughter

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Halloween Over the Years

For the first time in a long time, I failed to post a blog entry for the week. Little did I know, my daughter really looks forward to reading them and let me know early on Monday that she noticed there wasn’t a post. I felt so bad. Last week got away from me, and I was so busy working on her Halloween post that I forgot all about mine. It certainly didn’t leave me feeling like “Wonder Woman.”

Though Halloween was yesterday, the fun of the day’s events were so memorable. Something else just as memorable that has become a tradition, and I hope will remain, is our mother daughter costumes. This year, we were super heroes and even included our puppy Zack. My seven year old is definitely makes me feel like a super hero. She keeps me going, and her words, hugs and smile have a way of making me feel invincible.

All the best,

Tanya

Halloween Fun: A Great Adventure With My Daughter, Sister & Niece

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Great Adventure Halloween Fun

Summer 2020 was very different for my daughter and me: no amusements parks, trip to the beach only once and limited outings to the park. So today was extra special when we, along my sister and niece, went to Six Flags Great Adventure. It was such a lovely day with a cool breeze and the sun shining.

We got on some rides, had yummy funnel cake, had some Halloween fun with a mirror maze, corn maze and trick or treating and enjoyed each other’s company. Though the experience was different with Covid restrictions, we had a a “great adventure!”

All the best,

Tanya

Inspired by Inspiring My Daughter: An Exercise in Inspirational Moments at its Finest!

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Mother and Daughter Boxing Team

I love exercising. It’s my way of not only staying fit but relieving stress and turning off the negatives of the world for just an hour or two. On occasion, my seven year joins me. Little did I know how closely she’s been watching me and how much of an impact my exercising has made on her.

Quinn loves doing Youtube videos and decided to do an exercise video for her latest post. She came up with all of the exercises she wanted to include on her own, and I was pleasantly surprised when she said, “Mommy, I want to include boxing as one of my exercises just like you!” As she recorded her video, she said that I was her inspiration.

As I watched her hit the bag and do her other exercises, I thought to myself, “Wow, Quinn is my mini me when it comes to exercise!” She actually inspires me to keep going in knowing that I am her inspiration.

Who knows, maybe we will do a mother and daughter exercise video one day and inspire other mothers and daughters.

All the best,

Tanya

Glad My Daughter Has Self(ie) Confidence!

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Selfie Confidence

Ever been scrolling through your phone and come across random pictures you don’t recall taking but quickly realize that your child had a little fun taking selfies? As tempting as it may be for some parents to delete them and possibly admonish their child for taking crazy pictures, silly selfies or even using snap chat and different filters, I find myself smiling and chuckling at the pictures my seven year old takes.

When I was her age and well into adulthood, I struggled with self-esteem and lacked confidence. Though I enjoyed taking pictures of other people with my Fisher Price camera, long before the days of phones with cameras and cell phones in general, I was often nervous about taking pictures and had an awkward, forced smile. Sometimes, I wonder if I had an opportunity to take wacky, silly selfies if I would have been more comfortable and confident as a child and young adult.

Quinn uses my old cell phone through wifi, so any pictures she takes automatically are added to the cloud for me to see, and I just love seeing her smiling face, pursed lips or tongue hanging out in a crazy way displaying her not only her confidence but innocence too. Of course, there’s a thin line between being confident in one’s self and being self absorbed, so I try my best to model the right behavior. Also, selfies do have the potential to become an issue if filters become the norm, so we often talk about taking pictures and using filters for fun and how I love seeing pictures where it’s just her being natural with no filters at all.

I’m so glad my daughter has selfie confidence, and with virtual learning and her being at home even more, I’m sure she won’t disappoint by having more random pictures appear through the cloud in the weeks and months to come.

All the best,

Tanya