Tag Archives: Tanya H. Franklin

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Festive Music By Charlie Brown and Friends

By

 

On the sixth day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…festive music by Charlie Brown and friends. “Close your eyes, Mommy!” my daughter signaled as she got ready to press the button of one of the characters. She then said, “You can now open your eyes, Mommy! Which character do you think is leading the band this time?” I thought for a few seconds and said, “Linus!” She shook her head, “Nope, but I’ll give you a glue. The person is next to Charlie Brown.” I then shouted, “Lucy!” Quinn smiled and said, “Yes, you got it right!”

Last year, I purchased a Mickey Mouse character musical set from Hallmark, and this year, I could not resist purchasing the Peanuts set with Charlie Brown, Lucy, Schroeder, Linus and Snoopy. This one even has the option of adding spotlights, which I just had to have and my four year old loves. Since the holiday season has been in full swing, not a day goes by that she doesn’t press a button or two to hear a Christmas tune by one of the characters. She even inquired if I thought Sally, Charlie Brown’s sister would be added at some point. It’s such a cute set, and I think it will become a collectible and one of the decorations Quinn will look forward to in the years to come.

 

All the best,

Tanya

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Fun with Santa, Bert, Ernie and Abby

By

On the fifth day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…fun with Santa, Bert, Ernie and Abby. Since Quinn was one and a half, we started the tradition of going to Sesame Place to have some fun and enjoy the Christmas festivities,  and each year gets better and better. This makes our fourth year attending the Dine with Elmo and friends lunch, and there’s always a great selection of kid friendly food and tasty desserts that I surely couldn’t resist.

But what made this year extra special is that this is the first time that Santa, himself, joined the Sesame Place characters and went around to each table greeting the children and their families. He even invited Quinn to dance with him as the music played which really made her day. Even at my age, I would have loved to share the dance floor with Santa.

After lunch, we braved the cold and got on a few rides and the caught the Elmo the Musical Christmas show to warm up a little before ending our day with the Sesame Place Christmas parade. It was a fun-filled day, but what really made my day was when my little girl came running up to me smiling after getting off of a ride with her dad. Trying to catch her breath, she said, “Thank you, Mommy for taking me to Sesame Place for the Christmas lunch and activities!”

While I’m glad she demonstrated her gratitude, little did she know I really look forward to this even every year and am glad she’s been on her best behavior because I would have a hated to go without her…just kidding, of course!

All the best,

Tanya

 

 

On the fourth day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…A Train Ride with Santa Through the City

By

On the fourth day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…a train ride with Santa through the city. “Here he comes, Quinnie! He’s on his way!” I told my daughter as Santa made his way up the train aisle. How excited she was as Santa gave her a special Strasburg Railroad ornament for our tree and took a picture with our family. Not only did we see Santa on our forty-five minute train ride, but we were entertained by carolers and people playing Christmas songs with their instruments. There were even Christmas activities at the Strasburg Railroad, such as meeting Mrs. Claus and writing a letter to be delivered to Santa, taking in the beautiful sceneries and doing the different Christmas activities.

This was actually our first time having this experience, and I have feeling that it will become one of our many fun Christmas traditions. Maybe next time we’ll pay a little more to dine on the train while meeting Santa.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Third Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me a Meet and Greet with Santa, Her and Me (and Grover too)!

By

Santa and Quinn 2017 3On the Third Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me a Meet and Greet with Santa, Her and Me (and Grover too)! When it was time for Quinn to talk with Santa and take a picture, she signaled for me to come too. I sat on “What’s your name?” With a nervous smile, she quietly said, “Quinn.” He then asked, “What would you like for Christmas, Quinn?” She paused and drew a blank reminiscent of the scene from “A Christmas Story” with Ralphie when Santa coached him into getting a football. My four year old, still drawing a blank, blurted out, “A cat!” “A cat,” Santa replied and smiled. “A cat, I thought to myself with a puzzled look.” I then asked, “Do you mean the robot cat, Quinn?” “Yes, that’s the one!” She confirmed.

When it was time to take the picture, Santa said, “Quinn, do you want to make sure Grover is facing the camera? I can tell he is well-loved.” I thought that was so nice and will be something she will remember.

Later on, she told me she was nervous and just couldn’t remember what she wanted. She even wanted to go back and talk to Santa some more and ask him how Mrs. Claus was doing. There’s something special about seeing Santa. Even as an adult it’s a nostalgic experience for me. I sense Quinn’s innocence and willingness to hope and believe, and I love the magical feeling that Santa gives. As you can see, I look even more excited to sit next to Santa than Quinn.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Second Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Too Much Fun Decorating

By

On the second day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…too much fun decorating and one great outing selecting our Christmas tree. Whether purchasing a real Christmas tree  or digging the artificial one out of the attic or basement, the hope is that it will be a fun time for all decorating the tree and that it will not be just one person doing all of the work.

Luckily, my four year old loves decorating and wanted to start putting ornaments on our tree as soon as it was erected in our dining room corner. We waited one day in the event that the tree expanded some after being tied up to our car and in the cold, and that Sunday after Thanksgiving we got to work.

Last year, Quinn wanted a rainbow tree and asked for the same this year. While she handled the lower colors: green, blue, purple and pink (I know pink is technically not in the rainbow, but Quinn loves the color), I handled the upper colors: red, orange and yellow. This was such a great activity because Quinn loves sorting the colors as she did last year. This year, she even asked if her doll’s could help. How could I refuse? “Sure, the more the merrier,” I told her.

After we finished decorating, she asked me, “Do you think Heavenly Brownie (That’s what she named our tree) likes the way we decorated him? Do you think he’s happy to be in our home?” I responded, “Absolutely!”

All the best,

Tanya

On the First Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Help Selecting Our Christmas Tree

By

On the first day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…help selecting our Christmas tree. Since Quinn was one year’s old, we started the tradition of getting our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Now that she’s four year’s old, there is no containing her excitement, and just like her Mommy, she wanted the biggest, widest and tallest tree available. Good thing her daddy was there to reign us both in as we had our eyes set on a nine foot tree that would’ve surely scrape our ceiling.

As simple as this task can be, having it as a tradition makes it so much more meaningful, especially now that my little girl not only helps to pick out the tree but has taken over with the naming of our Christmas tree: a fun tradition my husband and I started for her first Christmas. We’ve had BG, short for Big Green, BGJ, short for Big Green junior and BG3, short for Big Green the third. This year, Quinn picked a very interesting name: Heavenly Brownie! When I asked her what made her come up with that name, she said, “I just like it!” Who knows what we’ll call our tree next year, but I’m definitely looking forward to the experience.

Here’s to fond memories with our 2017 Christmas tree: Heavenly Brownie!

All the best,

Tanya

 

The Tooth Fairy’s Visit: A Memorable Moment and Milestone for My Little Girl

By

“Did you see her, Mommy? “She came! The tooth fairy came!” my missing tooth little girl told me still not fully awake from her slumber. Yesterday, my four year old lost her first tooth, and though it was emotional for me, I wanted to make it memorable for her. We talked about the tooth fairy, and Quinn asked me many questions. “Will she take the tooth back to her castle? Will she come in my room? How big is she? Will she return my tooth so that we can save it?”

I remember losing my first tooth when I was about her age. Wow, have things changed with the tooth fairy since then! There’s so many ways to make it a memorable experience beyond getting a monetary gift.

I purchased Quinn the complete tooth fairy kit through Amazon that included a satin bag for the tooth, a special case to house all of her baby teeth as she loses them and a hanger for the door knob so that he tooth fairy knows to stop by her room.

Though the tooth fairy is very busy collecting teeth, I wanted to ensure that there was a record of her visiting Quinn. She was kindly took the time to carefully examine my daughter’s tooth and to wrote up a detailed receipt.

The tooth fairy even gave me heads up through an App called Tooth Fairy Camera so that I’d know when she was stopping by so that I could get a little video clip of her to share with Quinn, which she just loved! Despite still coming to grips with my daughter having a milestone that signifies leaving behind babyhood and being a sliver of a step closer to adulthood, this was a memorable experience for us both.

 

Check out the one minute trailer below about he ooh fairy’s visit. She makes a cameo appearance it the end.

All the best,

Tanya

From Loose Tooth to Missing Tooth: Mommy Needs a Little Fairy Dust to Deal with This New Milestone

By

Last Saturday, as my four year old talked, I caught a glimpse of something that didn’t look as it once did. “Open your mouth, honey,” I instructed my daughter. My facial expression said it all as Quinn asked, “What’s wrong with my mouth, Mommy?” Her little bottom tooth shifted, and there was a wider space between it and the tooth next to it. “I think you might have a loose tooth,” I told her. After washing my hands and then examining the tooth much closer, my suspicion was correct, and I was filled with angst.

Of course, Quinn losing her first tooth is imminent, but I just thought I had more time. It just so happened that she had a dental appointment this past Monday, and her dentist confirmed that she was about a year early with losing her first tooth. I then thought about when I lost my first tooth, and I was around her age as well, so the dentist said that losing teeth early can be hereditary.

I wondered how much time I had before her tooth would fall out and if it would fall out on its own or if I’d need to help it along. Could she possibly swallow it?  Then I started to think about what the loose tooth represents. One of the earliest signs of adulthood: an adult tooth coming in soon. Yikes! Quinn could sense that I was not totally happy about her losing her first tooth as asked why I was upset to which I responded, “You’re not my baby girl anymore.”

How is it that I was so excited when my little girl got her first two teeth at five months, but now I’m filled with anxiety? This major milestone makes me wonder. As she continues to mature, become her own person and learn about the world, am I doing all that I can to support her and leave a good imprint on her well into adulthood?

Today, while Quinn was having daddy and daughter time, I got a call with her on the other line, “Guess what, Mommy!” I lost my tooth! It came out a Red Robin!”  Even though  I am still struggling with this milestone a little ahead of schedule, I am happy that Quinn was excited. For her, the loose tooth represents being a big girl and getting a visit from the tooth fairy. For me, it represents many more emotional milestones to come. I just hope that I’m ready.

All the best,

Tanya

Thankful for Precious Moments in Disguise: Turkey Day with My Little Girl!

By

My four year old smiled saying, “I want to disguise my turkey as Princess Poppy!” Last week, my daughter’s preschool teacher assigned a special Thanksgiving project to the class: disguise the turkey who fears being eaten for Thanksgiving.  The instructions encouraged family involvement, which was fine by me, especially since I love doing crafts. We discussed exactly how Quinn wanted her turkey to look, rounded up the supplies, most that we already had since I am a crafter, and got to work!

It brought back memories of before Quinn was in preschool and was home with her father and me. We would do fun projects all the time. Though we still do them now, it is not as frequent as it once was. When we finished the project, Quinn said, “Thank you so much for helping me, Mommy!” Our turkey looks just like Poppy! She was so excited to show Princess Poppy, the turkey, to her teacher and friends and even asked me to take her picture once all of the disguised turkeys were on display.

Since I teach college courses, the last couple of months in the semester get hectic, and it is difficult to carve out the extra time to just do a fun activity and enjoy each other’s company. Even knowing that this is my first blog entry for this month is a reminder that time gets away from us all, so it’s moments like this that are so precious to me.  I am grateful to have Quinn in my life and am glad for this memorable moment in disguise.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

All the best,

Tanya

 

A Lesson from My Little Girl: Swimming in The Metaphorical “Deep End” of the Pool

By

“Did you see me, Mommy? Did you see me dip my head in the water?” my little girl excitedly inquired. “Yes, I did! I’m so proud of you, honey!” I exclaimed. My little girl went from panicking and crying when getting her hair washed about a half year ago to standing in a swimming pool without me by her side eager to learn and follow her teacher’s instructions.

Just about seven weeks ago, I enrolled my four year in swim lessons at Kids’ First Swim after she expressed an interest in to learning swim. I wasn’t sure how well she would do without me considering that she was very nervous when she was a little over a year taking lessons in the water with me. To my surprise, she did not cry and readily got into the water. She did inform me ahead of time, however, that she does not like getting water in her eyes and ears because of the “funny feeling” she gets, which is understandable.

Nevertheless, on level one, one of the skills was for Quinn to bob her head under water five times, so I knew this would be a major hurdle for her. In week one and two, she did everything but put her head under water; I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. Before going into the water during week three, she said, “Mommy, I know I have to put my head under water, and I’m trying really hard, but I’m just nervous.” I reassured her that it’s okay to be nervous and that the more she is in the water the more comfortable she will feel.

That day, I observed her through the one-way mirror as she slowly put her little chin in the water. After class, she asked if I saw her, and I smiled and told her I did, to which she responded, “You see, Mommy, it may take me some time, but I’m going to get there, you’ll see!” By the fifth class, she was making progress but still not quite getting her head under  water, so I sat her down and we talked about her possibly needing to take level one again.

I was impressed that she was not upset but  was just eager to try again so that she can continue to improve. I asked, “Are you enjoying learning how to swim?” Quinn smiled and said, “Yes.” I asked, “Are you having fun?” In an even louder and confident voice, Quinn said, “Yes, Mommy!” She then said, “As long as I try my best, that’s okay, right Mommy!?” I smiled and told her, “Absolutely!”

Last week, we started a new session on level one, and Quinn put her head all the way under the water for the first time and arose with this huge smile on her face demonstrating how proud she was of herself.

This is one of many experiences my daughter will have which will present a challenge, and I just love the way she’s handling it. I just hope I continue to handle it as well as she does with the many challenges  and hurdles that may take us both in the “deep end” of life.

All the best,

Tanya