Tag Archives: Tanya H. Franklin

A Happy Easter Weekend with My Little Girl

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This Easter weekend flew by so quickly, but I couldn’t let the day go by without acknowledging and celebrating the fun moments I had with my daughter. We spent time with our family, something we both look forward to doing. We went on an Easter egg hunt yesterday, dyed eggs, and at Quinn’s request, we made rice crispy treats. She woke up excited to see what she received in her basket and immediately wanted to divide up her treats with her father and me so that we’d have some Easter treats too. I’m so grateful for such a sweet and thoughtful daughter. Happy Easter to you and yours.

All the best,

Tanya

Mother and Daughter Twins: Flattery from my Little Girl

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“Mommy, do you think we can dress alike or wear the same colors for the performance tonight?” My daughter asked. “Sure, honey. Why do you like dressing alike?” I inquired. To which Quinn exclaimed, “I love when we’re twins! Then I’m just like you! Do you like being me twin?” I smiled and said, “Of course, I do.”

Since my daughter was a baby, I’d often dress us alike or in color coordinated. Now that she’s almost five, it melts my heart that she wants to dress alike and will request that we do. Though, in my opinion, she resembles her father more than she resembles me, I am so flattered that she wants to be just like me. We do have similar mannerisms and personality traits. Many people often tell me that I am a caring and thoughtful person. These are attributes I clearly see in her.

Of course, I would never intentionally try to make my daughter a carbon copy of me. I simply want her to learn from me and always put forth her best effort. It am, however, flattered that my sweet girl looks up to me and wants to be my twin.

All the best,

Tanya

Score! My Preschooler Wants to do Chores!

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“Mommy, can I help you clean? What chores do you think I can do?” my four and a half year old asked me. I asked, “What chores do “you” think you can do?” My daughter quickly responded, “I can dust, clean tables, rinse out my dishes. I can do anything you need me to do, Mommy!” Since my daughter was a little over a year, she’s express interest in helping out around the house and doing chores. She would grab her little broom to help sweep, and at three she was asking to help with the dishes.

“I want chores to do too, Mommy,” Quinn says quite frequently as she sees me folding the laundry, vacuuming or doing any other household chores. Though I want her to enjoy her childhood and have fun playing, I am so impressed with my little girl. At a young age, she understands the importance of contributing towards our household, not to earn an allowance or treat but because she sincerely wants to help. My fingers are crossed that she continues on this path and is eager to do chores even when they are not so fun.

All the best,

Tanya

Surprise! LOL with My Little Girl

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“See, this little sister is color changing, and she squirts water from her mouth,” my daughter explained as she showed me the enclosed booklet. My four and a half year old was so articulate and had no problem telling me all about the different L.O.L. toy options and how these little surprise toys can be categorized. There’s Big Sisters, Little Sisters, Pets, and charm fizz all waiting in different size L.O.L. Balls in the aisles of Target, Walmart and other retail stores where children, young and old, empty the shelves hoping to collect all within a series or that special one that will fulfill the collection group.

While they do come with little pieces and are basically knick knacks that amount to clutter over time, I do love seeing my daughter’s eyes light up as she unpackages her latest L.O.L surprise. She has even made an effort to take on chores around the house to earn them. I know I would have wanted them when I was her age, so I find myself laughing out loud as she surprised me becoming the teacher and I becoming the student learning all about L.O.L surprises.

All the best,

Tanya

Being a Mom is No Piece of Cake, But Baking One with My Daughter is a Wonderful, Memorable Experience

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“I’m so excited, Mommy!” my daughter exclaimed as we gathered up the ingredients to bake a cake. She’s helped me bake cookies, cupcakes and even dinner in the past, but yesterday was the first time she helped to bake a cake almost all on her own. As we did our measurements and added the ingredients, it made me think about the phrase, “Life is  no piece of cake!” Being a mother and trying to balance family life and work life certainly is no piece of cake at times, and it truly is a sweet treat when it all falls in place from time to time.

Actually, as we were preparing the frosting, I realized that I did not let an extra stick of butter sit out to be softened, and it made me think about how as a mother it is sometimes necessary to improvise and find a way to make it work, In this instance, softening up the butter was an easy fix, but there are some instances when it’s simply not. For instance, I would not feel comfortable using regular flour instead of cake flour or using some type of egg substitute instead of real eggs for the recipe. But something my grandmother taught me about baking still resonates with me. The recipe and ingredients are just guides. As I begin to feel more comfortable, I will eventually make the recipe my own.

I feel like the same applies with motherhood. I don’t have all of the answers, but as time goes on I am beginning to feel a little more at ease with my child rearing techniques in hopes that we will have more sweet moments than bitter ones.

As Quinn frosted her cake, she nervously said, “Mommy, I’m trying to frost it like you showed me, but it’s getting everywhere.” I assured her that it was okay and the more she bakes the better she will become. It just takes time and patience. I just love how there is a teachable moment in just about everything we do, and I hope that I am demonstrating this lesson to my daughter as well as we share these memorable moments together.

All the best,

Tanya

It’s All About the Love! Memorable Moments with My Valentine, My Little Girl

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“What do you like most about Valentine’s Day, Mommy?” My four and half year old asked me. “I like showing people who I care about how much I love them, especially you!” I said. My daughter then smiled at me and said without hesitation, “That’s what I like the most too! Well, I like getting candy sometimes too!” As this Valentine weekend comes to a close, I just couldn’t let it end without acknowledging how wonderful it feels to experience the love of my daughter. She’s so sweet, kind and caring. After saying good morning, she’ll often ask me how I slept. When I pick her up from preschool, she genuinely wants to know if I had a good day at work.

Even though there are times when I may be exhausted or just need a moment to relax to myself, I never tire of loving my daughter and being a recipient of the unconditional love I receive from her on a daily basis. I am grateful for the many memorable moments we’ve shared and truly do love being loved by her.

All the best,

Tanya

Watch Want to Learn Today? Fun with Sid the Science Kid at the Please Touch Museum

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What to you say when it’s a rainy day… “Whatcha want to learn today!?” Today, my husband and I surprised my daughter by taking her to The Please Touch Museum for the new Sid the Science Kid exhibit, and it was a fun, educational experience for all. If you allow your child to watch television or cartoons, Sid the Science Kid is a perfect choice because you learn about creating hypothesis, experimenting and even reporting results all in one episode. Today, it was as though we stepped into Sid’s world as not only members of his classroom but members of his family.

There were many activities for different age groups using magnets, triple balance beams and even household items so that a child may be encouraged to try some of the experiments a home. There were even papers and pencils available so tat the child can write down his or her thoughts about the experiment. Even though there are many more exhibits at the Please Touch Museum, we spent about two hours in this area trying out the different activities. I love that my four year old loves science and was fully engaged in the experiments.

If you are in the Philadelphia area, I encourage you to stop by the Please Touch Museum to check out the exhibit. It runs through May 6th, so I’m sure we may return a few more times before it ends.

All the best,

Tanya

Math the Fun Way: Cashing in on Learning with My Little Girl

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“Everything is one dollar! Since you have three things, your total is three dollars,” she said. I then replied, “Okay, here’s a five dollar bill.” She then thought for a moment as she went back to her cash register and responded, “Since you gave me five dollars and purchased three toys for a dollar a piece, you get back…two dollars!” She then reached in her drawer, grabbed the two one dollar bills and gave me my change.

Playing store with my four year old is a fun activity. She enjoys setting up her items for sell and determining the prices. Sometimes, she even comes up with backstories on the items to explain why they cost what they cost.

I especially love playing store with her because I know it is so much more than an imaginative play activity. Quinn is using math skills and critical thinking. Sometimes, she’ll negotiate with me on the price. It also teaches her the value of a dollar, what different coins are worth and even information about who’s on the money. “This penny has Abraham Lincoln on it, right Mommy? This one is easy to remember because the coin is brown,” she informed me.

One day when I picked her up from preschool, her teacher told me how excited Quinn was when she found a shiny dime when they were outside and how she couldn’t wait to put it in her piggy bank. It is never too young to learn about money, and I am glad that my daughter loves not just spending but saving and collecting.

All the best,

Tanya

Along for the Ride: Another Milestone Boost for My Little Girl!

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“It’s perfect!” my daughter says as she smiles sitting with her elbows on the armrests of her new booster car seat. Just a couple of years ago, we had to replace her first car seat as her legs grew longer, and about a month ago, we found ourselves in the same position again as we struggled to snap the three point harness on Quinn’s car seat. Being in the 95th percentile for her height, my four year old is reaching certain milestones ahead of schedule and refuses to slow down. She was so excited to get her booster seat and asked, “Can I be in charge of unbuckling myself when we get to our destination, Mommy?” I told her, “Sure, you can.”

As much as I love seeing her grow and know it is imminent, there are times when I feel like we’re in the fast lane, and I’m just along for the ride asking her to slow down just a little. I want to enjoy the sights and sounds along the way. I want to take in the scenery and commit it to memory. Yes, at the end of the day, it may just be a booster seat, but it represents change, growth and time, and while I am certainly not the driver at all times, I am grateful to be a passenger in the vehicle of my daughter’s life.

All the best,

Tanya

Celebrating Multiculturalism Preschooler Style

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Tomorrow starts multicultural week at my daughter’s preschool, and the children will bring in special snacks that represent their culture or heritage. Quinn’s very excited about it, and I am too, but I initially drew a blank on what we would make to represent our culture or ethnicity. There will be Greek, Polish and Ecuadorian snacks, which is awesome, and while I know my genetic makeup from 23 and me, (There’s some West African, South African, Asian, Irish, English, Scottish, Indian and a few others in there), when it comes to my culture and ethnicity, I simply identify as African American or simply American.

So instead of focusing on a treat that represents us as solely Americans, I thought it would be nice for Quinn and I to bake a treat that represents the importance of family and togetherness. “So your grandmother, my great grandmother, showed you how to make the chocolate chip cookies we’re baking, Mommy?” my daughter asked as we got all of our ingredients together to prepare baking. “Yes, she did, Quinn!” She then followed up, “And the hermit cookies too?” I confirmed, “Yes, the hermit cookies too.”

Even though she’s only four, she was more of the chef, and I was her assistant. She added all of the ingredients, with the exception of me cracking the eggs, and she even sifted the flour. “This is baking soda, not baking powder, right Mommy?” she asked. “Yes, you’re right, honey!” I told her. The experience of baking with her reminded me of the moments I shared with my mom and grandmother learning to cook and bake.

Then, when Quinn said, “I love baking with you, Mommy!” it melted my heart because, a cliche as it is, one of the main ingredients in baking is “love.” While we could have just went to the store and purchased some chocolate chip cookies, part of our culture is togetherness, teaching each other and being supportive of one another as a family. Today, was a wonderful experience, and I hope Quinn’s classmates are able to not just enjoy the cookies but taste the love and energy that was put into baking them.

All the best,

Tanya