Tag Archives: Mother Daughter Bond

Oh Snap! Selecting Circuit Fun with My Daughter

By

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!

By
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

By
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

By
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

Glad My Daughter Has Self(ie) Confidence!

By
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

Small Yet Memorable Moments with My Little Girl

By
At the Regional Rail Train Station

Since my daughter was a toddler, she would ask if we could meet her dad at the train station so that we could all walk home together when he arrived from work. Since a March, my husband’s been working from home and only reported to the office a handful of times. So when he went into work a few days ago, my seven year old said, “I have an idea! Why do we meet Daddy at the train station? It’ll be Zack’s first time too!” Zack is our toy poodle puppy.

Though we take neighborhood walks often, walking to the train station to meet my husband reminded me of we must appreciate the little things. We’ve had so many fun moments and great conversations on our walks. As we waited for my husband’s train to arrive, I thought about how simply walking to the train station and waiting on a loved one to arrive is a luxury and a moment worth embracing.

When his train arrived, Quinn started cheering, and Zack’s tail started wagging in overdrive. I couldn’t help but smile myself as I imagined this simple task eventually being the norm again.

All the best,

Tanya

Breaking for Happy Moments as the COVID 19 Summer of 2020 Comes to an End

By
End of Summer Break Outing

Just like that, summer break is winding down, and the new school year’s about to start in the coming weeks. With this summer quite different from the past ones due to COVID 19 restrictions, I tried my best to be creative and even asked my seven year old to come up with a list of activities she hoped to do. We successfully tackled most of the activities on the list and even added a couple along the way.

Though we did cancel her postponed birthday party, we still had a great time at a restaurant with outdoor seating with my sister and niece. With a smile on Quinn’s face, she said, “I had a great summer, Mommy!” There’s so many memes circulating about how 2020 is the worst year ever, so it definitely puts a smile on my face knowing that despite all of the negative circumstances my daughter still has a positive outlook and enjoys the little things, just like her mom 😊.

Never Tabling a Montage of Memorable Moments

By

I enjoy spending time and doing projects with my daughter. I especially love when those projects are meaningful and double as DIY home projects. Most recently, we worked on repurposing her old table by doing a Mod Podge of colorful pictures. We talked, laughed and reminisced as we prepped pictures, cut them, decided which ones we wanted to go where and adhered them to the table. It took a few hours, but the finished product is perfect and a constant reminder of what matters most.

Family, friends, joy, love, togetherness: a montage of memorable moments over the years will never be tabled. Thankful Quinn and I will always have our project to remind us of what’s most important.

All the best,

Tanya

Color Me Happy! This Mommy Loves Bonding with Her Daughter

By

When I was younger, I loved coloring. Who am I kidding…I still love coloring; it’s just a matter of making time for it! But when it comes to making time for my daughter, I know how fleeting it can be, so I’m constantly trying to find activities that will not only be fun but will bring us closer together.

A few weeks ago, my cousin recommended the Me & My Coloring Book for Mom & Daughter by Latoya Nicole. I took a look at it through Amazon.com and loved the pictures, so I purchased it the same day. When the book arrived, and Quinn looked at the cover, she was so excited for us to use the coloring book. “There’s so many cool pictures in here, Mommy!” In some of them the little girl looks like me, and you look like the mom!” She decided on a picture that was all too familiar for us, “A mother and daughter eating popcorn and watching a movie.”

We sat on our deck with music playing in the background as we colored occasionally remarking on how we liked the colors the other person was using. “Next time, you get to pick the pictures we’ll color, Mommy!” Quinn said.

My daughter adds so much color to my life, so I’m grateful that I made time for us to color together.

All the best,

Tanya

Kindness “Rocks” with My Daughter

By

“I have some ideas of where to put mine, Mommy,” my daughter excitedly told me as she continued painting. “How about the park? Plenty of people, especially kids go to the park!” While on social media, I saw a post from my township encouraging citizens to place “kindness rocks” around town in public places for people to find, and I thought it would be a perfect activity for my daughter and me to not only bond but to spread some kindness and positivity.

To get started, we selected rocks my husband had for a landscape project and then decided on colors for our rocks. Quinn wanted pink, her favorite color, a light blue that’s like the sky because it makes her happy and a mixture of pink and blue to look like a “space” rock. I used royal blue, one of my favorite colors, green, orange and a nice bright yellow.

“I already know what I want one of my rocks to say, Mommy! Be yourself because some people are afraid to be themselves, but they should be proud of who they are!” Quinn informed me. I was very impressed by the wisdom of my seven year old because even adults (including me) sometimes struggle with simply being themselves and being happy with that. I decided on, “You are special” for one of my rocks because oftentimes we must remind ourselves that we “are” special, and it’s a message I want to make sure my daughter always remembers.

People locating our rocks around town really fills both Quinn and me with joy. We’re both hoping they attract those who’ll benefit the most from our positive notes and that they will possibly decide to create their own kindness rocks for Quinn and me to find on our daily travels!

All the best,

Tanya