Tag Archives: Tanya H. Franklin

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Not Too Puzzling for My Little Girl Has It Under Her Spell

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As an educator and lifelong learner, I can’t help but want my daughter to have some educational toys that stimulate her cognitive development. What’s wonderful is when she has fun and embraces learning too. I stumbled upon the perfect puzzle that does just that at Five Below. It comes with picture puzzles that spell words. What makes this a great resources is that it not only promotes spelling but critical thinking by having just one letter on each puzzle piece with a portion of the picture. Though the box says for children four and up, my soon to be three year old has been enjoying doing these puzzles shortly after she turned two. Now, with little to no assistance from me, she is often able to complete the puzzle and will use the picture to determine what the word spells. I love observing her say, “C-a-r spells car! I spelled car Mommy!”

Some people may frown upon the idea of a child Quinn’s age learning to spell, but as long as she is interested I will encourage it and applaud her efforts as the proud mommy and teacher. I’m so grateful that my little girl will actually request to play with this puzzle and many others that are similar.

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s Monday Moments: My Little Sprout is Growing Up!

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My little girl loves flowers and plants and enjoys helping me water them, so I purchased her a little plant to grow all on her own. It was actually grass that grows in as little as seven days so that she can see the growth process in a short duration of time.

My soon-to-be three year old insisted that we take pictures so that we could see how much her plant grows, which made me think about all of the pictures I’ve taken of her since she was born and how she’s growing up so quickly, physically, mentally and emotionally. We planted her little seedlings a day before I left town for a work-related event, and when I returned just a few days later, the grass was already sprouting up an inch or so. Seven days later, and the grass is  so tall that it needs a trim, which Quinn is eager to do.

Each day since we potted our little grass seeds, my daughter will ask to see her plant and inform me, “We have to keep it in the window so that it gets sun and water it when it’s thirsty, right Mommy!” This plant is not only a wonderful opportunity for her to learn about life and taking care of plants, but it is a terrific representation of my little girl. With proper nourishment and love my little sunshine is growing up so quickly, and it is up to her father and me to “groom” her as necessary so that she may grow into a lovely young lady.

All the best,

Tanya

Simple Sundays Sayings from My Little Girl

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2016-04-11 17.57.41Some of the best shows involve children from “Kids Say the Darnedest Things” to Steve Harvey’s new show, “Little Big Shots.”  My little girl, who will be three in the coming weeks, often amazes me with her displays of wisdom that are far beyond her years. Just the other day when she saw that I was upset, she said, “It’s okay mommy. Just take a deep breath and use your imagination. Imagine that you’re happy!” She reminded me that it all starts in the mind. There are times when I allow the little things to impact my day in a negative way. Then, there are times when it carries on and snowballs throughout the course of the day. Focusing on the positive and even imagining that I’m happy actually does work. It puts me in a better mindset and makes me feel good inside.

Now if only Quinn would take heed to her own advice when she is upset because she can’t get that toy she wants when we go shopping or frustrated because she’s having a difficult time doing something. I’m confident that as she becomes older she will be able to imagine that happy and calm place from within and we will share wise advice to one another.

All the best,

Tanya

What Would We Do Without It Wednesdays: Books, Books and More Books!

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Reading Before Bedtime

Since my daughter was just one day old, I’ve read books to her. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t have a book read to her or leaf through a book on her own. Within the past year or so, I’ve observed my soon-to-be three year old looking at the pictures and composing her own stories more frequently. “Let’s read one more story, please!” she asks. Two books is the minimum when it comes to bedtime stories. When we’re out and about, she observes different words and will spell them out then take an educated guess at what it says. I’m amazed at how often she is correct.

Though her interest in reading may seem natural and even expected by her father and me, I must keep in mind that having access to books and having parents and family members who encourage the enjoyment of reading and learning is a luxury and difficult for some. Also, not all children are interested in books let alone reading, so I am grateful that Quinn is intrigued by books and stories. My little girl went from being an observer simply absorbing what I read to her to wanting to take the book and curl up on the sofa and “read” it to herself.  I don’t know what we’d do without books. It’s a wonderful way for us to bond and for Quinn to continue to develop and discover a never-ending world of imagination and exploration.

All the best,

Tanya

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Boy, Oh Boy! Race That Car Girl

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“Dolls are for little girls, not toy soldiers” “You can get a mountain bike; dirt bikes are for boys.” Many children, including me, have heard phrases like this growing up.”So called boy toys” were off limits based on my father’s rules; luckily, my mother was more open-minded. I vowed that when I became a parent my child would be able to play with whatever toy he or she wants, regardless of what gender it is typically identified with.

Since before my soon-to-be-three year old was walking and talking, she developed a love for cars. So for her first Christmas, one of the gifts she received was a Vtech Go Go Smart Wheels race car set. Two years later, and she still loves playing with it. The cars can talk and sing little songs. She has a race car, taxi, fire engine and police car. The set is almost as tall as she is, and there’s even a pit stop to pretend to wash and repair cars and a fun loop that the cars can circle.

Though playing with toys is supposed to be fun, it’s a shame that even in 2016 some little girls are not permitted to play with cars or even dump trucks because they are considered “boy” toys, and some boys are not permitted to play with dolls or in the play kitchen area because they are considered toys for girls. I am, however, glad that both my husband and I agree that Quinn should be able to have fun playing with different toys regardless of the “target gender.” I love watching her explore the world without the constriction of fitting into the societal gender box. She’s got plenty of time for that struggle as she gets older, but my hope is that she will be prepared as a result of us not saying, this toy is “only” for boys.  It also doesn’t hurt that I’ve always loved playing with cars too.

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s Monday Moments: I Miss Being Missed

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My Little Girl Having Fun Without Me at IHOP

Last week, I posted a blog entry about missing my daughter because I’d be out of town for the majority of the week. When I saw her yesterday after missing her sweet smile for days, my heart melted as she excitedly hugged me. Then, my little girl revealed something; maybe she didn’t miss me as much as I thought she would.

“Guess what Mommy! We went to IHOP!” she exclaimed. We often go to IHOP on Fridays as a family, and it doesn’t hurt that kids eat free. What’s funny is that whenever we drive near IHOP, Quinn will say, “I want to go to IHOP, but we can’t go without Daddy! We’ll have to wait until he gets home from work.” Since I was out of town, they went without me. I couldn’t believe it! My husband even mentioned that the servers inquired about my whereabouts. He sent me a picture of Quinn with her giddy smile so excited to eat her pancakes. She told me that they went Target, our favorite shopping spot, and said, “I had the best day ever with Daddy!”

Of course, I’m happy that my husband and Quinn are so close and that they had a great time together to bond even further. Though my husband is home with her on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I must admit that I thought she would miss me more and constantly ask about me. My husband told me that she asked a few times to see me on the video (Skype and FaceTime ), but for the most part, she was fine. Am I wrong for wanting her to miss me a little more?

All the best,

Tanya

 

Thanks to My Little Girl, Everything’s Sunny This Sunday

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I Just Love Looking at that Sweet Face!

This past week has been a bit of a struggle being away from my daughter four out of seven days. I posted entries about missing her but also about how sometimes we need time apart to grow closer together. It was wonderful getting to see her through FaceTime and Nest (formally drop cam) a few times, and it pleased me to see her face light up when she heard my voice and saw my face.

She was so excited to see me this Sunday morning. We had a relaxing day playing Candy Land, dancing around being silly and just sitting there while she played “hairstylist” and brushed my hair. Being away from her for that short duration of time makes me so grateful for moments like this with my sweet little girl.

All the best,

Tanya

What Would We Do Without It Wednesdays: Momma Bird Watching Over Her Birdie Nest (Video Chats)

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My Little Girl Waving at Me Through Our Nest Cam

Just this past Monday, I posted a blog entry about missing  my little girl since I’ll be away for many days this week. I didn’t get to kiss her goodnight on Monday and will be away for the next three days. I’ll miss both her and my husband, but it’s great to know that with today’s technology they’re only a Skype, FaceTime or Nest visit away. On Monday, when the event I attended was ending, I quickly checked in on my little girl through our Nest Camera (formally called drop cam), which has been a wonderful resource since Quinn was a little baby, and was able to say goodnight to her from afar. Though she could only hear my voice, I could see her little face light up as she waved goodnight to me with her Christmas pajamas on that she requested her dad let her wear.

This evening, we did a test run with Skype to ensure that it works when I’m away which makes me feel less guilty being away from her and eager to see her face and hear her voice when she’s on my mind. While one can point to the negatives associated with technology and its advancements, I am extremely grateful to be able to connect with my daughter and to see her smiling face. What would we do with out!?

All the best,

Tanya

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Let’s Shape Up and Have a Ball!

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Quinn Getting Ready to Insert Her Shapes into the Shape O Ball

My grandmother ran a daycare in her home, and when I was younger I’d come over often and play with the other children and toys too.  One toy I enjoyed playing with was a red and blue ball with yellow handles on the sides and different yellow shapes. I would challenge myself  and other kids to see who could get all of the shapes inside the ball the fastest, similar to the game “Perfection.”

When my daughter was not quite a year, we were at a “Home Show,” and low and behold, I saw that very ball I played with when I was younger at a Tupperware station. I had to purchase it for  Quinn. Initially, she would chew on the shapes or play around with the ball, but just about two years later, she will announce, “This is a square!” or “Here’s the triangle!” before inserting it into the ball. What really impresses me is that she will count the sides too. “The Octagon has one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight sides!” Then there’s times when she just wants to roll the ball back and forth, then empty the shapes and start naming them and counting the sides all over again.

Even though my little girl loves toys with all of the “bells and whistles,” it’s nice to know that she enjoys a basic toy from my childhood which is helping with her cognitive development.

All the best,

Tanya

PS. This toy is available on Amazon too.

Mommy’s Monday Moments: Missing My Little Girl

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2016-03-11 14.15.41“Absence makes the heart grow fonder” is one of those cliché phrases people utter to soothe others or themselves when they are away from their loved ones. Even though there’s some validity to this phrase, it unfortunately is not soothing me as I cope with being away from my daughter throughout the course of this week. Shortly, I’ll be traveling a little over two hours away to Harrisburg, PA for a work-related function and will miss our daily bedtime routine of me hugging her, kissing her and telling her I love her and she doing the same to me. Then I’ll be traveling to the Washington, DC area this Thursday through Saturday and will not see her in person until Sunday.  Thank goodness for FaceTime, Skype and Nest.

We had some fun earlier today doing activities, and I’m going to make sure we enjoy each other tomorrow when I get home from work and Wednesday when we have the entire day together. Yes, I’m sure we can both benefit from having time apart to miss each other and recharge, but I truly do treasure our time together, and it’s moments like this when I appreciate the bond we have even more.

All the best,

Tanya