Tag Archives: Mommy’s Baby Steps

Christmas in July with My Little Girl!

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When I was a little girl, I loved Christmas, not just because I received presents, but there is just something so magical and joyous about this time of the year. My three year old is no different. Though it is now July, she will still sing the Christmas version of the Sesame Street Parade and still makes references about Santa. So when we went to have a Day Out With Thomas Last weekend, I figured it would be a great idea to stop off to the National Christmas Center, which was not too far away in Paradise, PA, before going home. At first, my husband joked that the place was closed because there was only one car in the large parking lot, but I assured him that I double checked the hours online.

Upon walking through the entry door, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas. There were decorations, trees and Santa. It was set up like a Christmas Museum, and there was a $12 fee for touring the facility. I was glad that the parking lot was empty because we were able to take our time without the bombardment of several people. The Christmas displays were from Nativity scenes around the world, the evolution of Santa Claus around the world and even Christmas through the eyes of children from different decades and countries among other displays.

Quinn enjoyed the exhibits, but something I did not think about, however, was that while there were many cardboard cutouts of Santa, decorative figures and even lifelike mannequins of Santa, Santa, in human form, was not there. This did not sit well with my daughter who kept asking, “Where’s Santa? When are we going to see Santa?” I had tot explain to her a few times that he was in the North Pole working, which she eventually accepted.

I would recommend this place to anyone who loves Christmas and has children who love Christmas. Just make sure the kids know that the “real” Santa will not be there. It was a lovely family experience and brought back some great childhood memories for me too.

All the best,

Tanya

What Would We Do Without It Wednesday: Wishes Do Come True! Dancing With Super Grover

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The music was pumping. Everyone was clapping, cheering and so excited. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly he reached out for her hand to join him in a dance. I’ve never seen my little girl so happy, starstruck and enamored all at the same time. It was Super Grover, one of her absolute favorite characters (Quinn even insisted on making a Super Grover pumpkin last Halloween.) asking her and my niece and even her little Grover who she carries everywhere to join him in the Sesame Place Parade.

Mind you, she loves the parade and will request to watch it frequently on Youtube. Seeing the parade live is a treat, and she would have an absolute meltdown if we were to ever leave before the parade occurs at Sesame Place. This truly was a special and memorable moment for her, and I’m so happy I quickly whipped out my iPod to record it for her. Though she occasionally danced and followed the moves, all she wanted to do was hold Super Grover’s hand and stare at him. This was just last week, and we just went back again today with our season pass she was not selected this time, and she thought Super Grover did not want to dance with her anymore. I had to reassure her that this was not the case, but this also allowed me to teach her another lesson about once in a lifetime events and how we must be grateful for them.

Regardless of our ages, we all deserve to have those opportunities and moments in our lives. It pleases me so much that I was there to witness one of these moments with my daughter. What would we do without them?


All the best,

Tanya

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Remote Control Thomas the Tank Engine

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“Full steam ahead!” Thomas the Tank Engine says as he moves forward after my little girl presses the green arrow on her remote control. She received this toy this past Christmas, and since we had a Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine this past Saturday at the Strasburg Railroad, she’s been wanting to play with it more frequently. This is a wonderful toy because it not only reinforces colors but it helps with her sense of direction with moving forward and moving backward and is a perfect size for her little hands. It also allows her to problem solve as Thomas gets stuck in a corner or is too close to another toy. “I need to have Thomas back up and turn around,” Quinn says. Another benefit is  that the batteries last a long time too because they have yet to be replaced, and it is not six months later. I wish I had something like this when I was younger.

All the best,

Tanya

 

Mommy’s Monday Moments: My Little Girl’s Name is Poppin’

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Years before my daughter was born, my husband and I knew her name. I’m one of those people who believes that we often are allegorical representations of our names, and I wanted our child to have a name that empowers her and demonstrates her abilities. Quinn means intelligent, and Victoria means victorious. Though it is 2016, we purposely selected a gender neutral first name where she will be recognized for her intelligence as a person rather than people focusing on her being a smart or capable in her abilities for a “girl.”

Surprisingly, when we went shopping the other day we stumbled upon one of my favorite childhood and adult treats with her name: Quinn’s Real Butter & Sea Salt Microwave Popcorn! Not only did it have her name, but a mother started the “Quinn’s Snacks” company on behalf of her son, Quinn, because she wanted more healthier options for him. This popcorn is made with no chemical coatings, basic Non-GMO ingredients, Butter that’s rBGH-free and real butter instead of butter flavoring, and actually taste good too. I’m looking forward to us trying out some of the other snacks.
While I initially selected Quinn’s name to represent her intelligence, I think it is so awesome that it now represents a brand that makes healthy options for children and adults that has received many accolades and positive reviews for clean packaged, Non-GMO foods.  Also, it’s terrific that the company includes my favorite treat because Quinn certainly is one of my favorite people.
All the best,
Tanya (Allegorical Name: Fairy Queen)

A Fun Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine

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“Look, Mommy! It’s Thomas! He’s pulling into the train station!” my daughter excitedly informed me. I must admit that I was just as eager as she was to hop aboard and take a train ride on Thomas the Tank Engine. Yesterday, my husband and I took my little three year old along with my mom to the Strasburg Railroad Station in Gap, PA (not too far from Lancaster, PA) for this all day adventure.

It was a lovely, sunny day, and there were so many happy children wearing their Thomas shirts and cute little conductor hats. Since I had the feeling that Quinn would thoroughly enjoy the train ride, I opted for the $32 package that included a ride on Thomas (about a 18 minute ride), his best friend Percy (about a ten minute ride), the tour train (about a 45 minute ride) along with many free activities and photo opportunities with the Thomas and Percy as well as Sir Topham Hatt.

I was pleased with how well-organized the event was. There was on-site and off-site parking with adequate shuttle buses that ran quite frequently. There was one waiting when we arrived and one waiting when we were ready to go back to our car, and there was no fee for this service. Also, there were plenty of restrooms available, some standard and some port-o-potty with outdoor stations for hand washing. I also found the food to be tasty and reasonably priced considering how much they usually cost at these type of events. The kids meal, for $6.99, came with either chicken or a hotdog, fries, a juice, apple sauce and a whoopee pie for dessert. Even better, we were permitted to bring our own little lunch bag with snacks and drinks to save a little money.

While were were in line waiting to get on Percy, my mother and I were conversing with the family behind us. The grandmother was telling us that she’s been bringing her grandson every year since he was a year old. Now he’s six. This event is a wonderful tradition for both kids and families alike.

Though Quinn was all tuckered out from all of the fun and activities and dozed off on our third train ride, she had a ton of fun and was so excited when she saw Thomas and Percy actually talking (Yes, they actually talk!) She even said, “I can’t wait to come back!” Now that I know Thomas and Percy will be visiting again in late August through September then again in November, we just might have to have another Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine very soon.

All the best,

Tanya

What Would We Do Without it Wednesday: Fun in the Sun on a Summer Day

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2016-05-23 12.59.51Though we’ve been experiencing some warm and even hot days for the past couple of months, the start of summer just occurred a couple of days ago, and my daughter and I are both excited to have some fun in the sun. Whether it’s going to the park, the zoo, Sesame Place or just playing in the front yard, the long summer days seem to enhance the level of fun we’re having. This summer is especially special because it is the last one that Quinn will be home with her father and me full-time as she starts school this fall. I’m truly enjoying these moments with my little girl and don’t know what I’d do without them. As the cliche’ phrases go, “She’s only a child once” or “Childhood is fleeting,” so I want to not only have fun with my little girl this summer but to make memories that we’ll both cherish and reminisce about as she gets older. Here’s to a wonderful summer with my little girl!

All the best,

Tanya

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Colorful Fruits and Veggies

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“I have a banana, a lemon, corn, a yellow apple and yellow pepper,” my three year old informs me as she takes fruits and veggies from her basket. When she was just over a year, I purchased the learning resources farmers market color sorting set to help her learn colors, but they do so much more than that. Now that she is proficient with all of her basic colors, she likes to sort and identify the items based on what is a fruit and what is a vegetable. What’s great is that she has realized that apples come in multiple colors, such as red, yellow and green. The same goes for grapes and peppers.

Quinn likes to count up the items too. This is great because when it is time to put them away she will occasionally count them and say, “There’s supposed to be six purple fruits and vegetables, but there are only five. We’re missing one, Mommy!”

My little girl even wants to use them when we play in her kitchen or sit down for a meal she prepared. “Would you like a tomato and carrot, Mommy?” she will ask. Now if only we could get beyond pretending to eat healthy veggies and get her to try them in real life!

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s Monday Moments: Meet Momma Bear!

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Momma Bear

Today was my three year old’s second dance class, and she’s doing a wonderful job transitioning and not having me in the class with her. Unfortunately, the inevitable happened within a blink of an eye. As I looked through the glass observing Quinn have fun following along with the dance instructions, another little girl, who was having a hard time and refused to hold Quinn’s hand as the teacher instructed, decided she would take out her aggression on my daughter with a quick swat to the back of her head.

My little girl’s demeanor quickly changed as her smile morphed into a frown with tears welling up in her eyes. Though she tried to maintain her composure and did not burst out crying, it took everything in me to contain myself and remain in my seat as I muffled my deep sigh which caught the attention of the other parents except the one whose child hit mine, of course. The teacher handled it very well and stopped class to discuss why hitting is not allowed and not nice, but I found myself feeling helpless. I was not able to protect her, and I really am not sure what technique I should have her employ to address aggressive children who choose to hit her or put their hands on her.

When I was younger, I was not aggressive and did not like confrontation nor conflict. Quinn seems to be the same way. My dad would say, “If someone hits you, you better hit them back!” I just did not agree with this way of handling it then and do not now. On the other hand, I dreaded being bullied and found myself at the end of harsh treatment from children quite often. I want Quinn to stand up for herself but in a civil way. I asked her if she enjoyed class today, and she said, “I had fun until someone hit me. Why did she hit me, Mommy?” It upset me quite a bit, and all I could tell her at this point was, “If someone hits you, tell them to please stop and that it is not nice to hit.” I know this may not solve all of the future problems, but for now I think it is age appropriate. I hope and pray that there will not be many more situations like this, but Momma Bear needs to be ready when and if they do.

All the best,

Tanya

Happy Father’s Day: Can’t Forget About Daddy’s Baby Steps!

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On Mother’s Day, my husband joked about how restaurants are booked to capacity, yet on Father’s Day you can just walk in the day of with no reservation and be seated immediately. While he said this lightheartedly, the reality is that there are many children without fathers or father figures in their lives. He is such a wonderful and caring father and very involved in our daughter’s life. He even works from home two days a week to be home with her.

As soon as Quinn woke up this morning, she asked, “Is today Father’s Day?” When I responded, “Yes it it.” She smiled and belted out, “Yipee! It’s Father’s Day! We get to give presents to daddy.” Though my blog focuses mainly on my journey as a mom to my now three year old little girl, I could not imagine this journey without my husband. He’s always been a great and giving person since I’ve known him, but watching his journey as a father and observing him develop a bond with our daughter has brought us even closer and makes me love him even more.

My hope is that he feels appreciated not just on father’s day but everyday.  I wholeheartedly appreciate all that he does for our little girl and our family. Here’s to all of the fantastic fathers out there: Happy Father’s Day!

All the best,

Tanya

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Let’s Have Some Magmagic

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“I’m building a train track this time!” my daughter exclaims. While I enjoy getting down on the floor and playing with Quinn, my husband, who has a STEM background, especially loves helping her with this attractive and educational toy: Magmagic. It’s a geomagnetic construction toy she received for her birthday. It comes with squares, triangles and a booklet for constructing different objects. My three year old likes building everything from rocket ships to three-dimensional boxes and of course, train tracks. Along with my husband’s help, she has built many of the examples in the booklet. It’s an excellent way to not only learn about shapes but how different shapes put together can make other shapes. For instance, my daughter informed me the other day, “When I put together these triangles, I can make a diamond shape!”

The other day, Quinn was leafing through the booklet and found a car she wanted to make but then realized that we did not have the shapes for it. My husband seemed a little disappointed at not being able to construct this cool car from the magnet pieces too, so I may need to order the set to create vehicles. This honestly is a cool toy for all ages as it stimulates creativity and critical thinking. I know my little girl is very happy to have received such an awesome toy for her birthday.

All the best,

Tanya