Tag Archives: Toddler Fun

Special, Simple Sundays: Chalk it up to Having Fun with My Little One!

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Some months ago, I did a blog post about my little girl the artist and how she enjoys painting and the arts in general. Yesterday, was the first time she used sidewalk chalk as her art medium, and she had so much fun and wanted to use every single color from red to orange to green and even black. Then, she wanted to do it again today. Actually, I think I enjoyed this activity just as much if not more than Quinn because when I was younger there weren’t many opportunities to use chalk on our sidewalk, but I always imagined the wonderful drawings I would do. I really got into this project and made a pretty rainbow and stars. Then, my daughter started giggling as she grabbed the gray chalk and started drawing over my rainbow exclaiming, “Here comes a rain cloud over your rainbow, Mommy!” Even if she did think it was hilarious to draw on top of my “masterpiece,” I really did enjoy our simple yet special time together. I look forward to many more of these moments with my little one.

All the best,

Tanya

Terrific Toy Tuesday: There’s No Place Like Home, Especially an Eco-Friendly One!

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“Okay, Mommy! I’ll see you later! I’m going to my house, and you can go to yours,” my daughter informs me. She then proceeded to go into her house in our front yard and closed her little door. My little girl loves playing outdoors and the idea of having a place to call her very own. So for her third birthday, just two weeks ago, my husband and I got her a little play house. Selecting the right house can be just as intense as looking on the market to purchase a real house. What features should it have? Should there be a sitting area? Should it have enough room for multiple children? What color would Quinn like it to be? Though I wanted the house to be a surprise, I thought it was only fair to have her be a part of the selection process since she would be the main one playing inside of the house.

I showed her a few. One had a sliding board attached. Another had a little bench, but the one she actually liked the most was the Little Tikes Go Green Eco-friendly Learning Playhouse. Now, of course, my three year old did not say, “I want the eco-friendly one,” but she did like that it came with a sink, has an outdoor and indoor light, collects rain water and has an area to plant a little garden. I love that it is teaching her the importance of protecting the environment, saving resources and energy. The sink recycles the water, there is a drain to catch all of the rain water that can be used for watering the flowers in her garden along with the flowers and plants in our yard. There are two areas for recycling, and the house has a green roof feature and solar power for the lights. This is the wave of the future, and I’m excited that my daughter is learning about it at a young age.

Last week, the weather was chilly, and it rained just about everyday, so Quinn did not get to fully enjoy her house, but her container did catch quite a bit of rain which was awesome because we were able to use it when we did the green roof this week. I think it’s fair to say that Quinn will be spending a lot of time in her house throughout the course of the spring and summer.  We’re both looking forward to seeing the grass grow on her green roof and flowers grow in her flower bed on the side of her house.

All the best,

Tanya

The Terrific Three: Happy Birthday to My Little, Big Girl!

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Happy 3rd Birthday!
Happy 3rd Birthday!
Happy 3rd Birthday!

On May 3rd, 2013, my life forever changed when my husband and I welcomed our little girl into the world. As I compose this 158th blog entry, today, I feel like I’m skipping along rather than taking “Mommy’s Baby Steps.” My little, big girl has grown so much, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. She truly is her own person, and though it may be raining today, she is my ray of sunshine who fills me up with energy and hope for the future. Here’s to many more birthdays, milestones and cherished moments together with my little lady, Quinn!

All the best,

Tanya

Photos by Lindsay Hamilton Photography

 

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Learning About Cash Can Register at a Young Age

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2016-03-07 10.19.53“That’ll be five dollars, Mommy!” my daughter informs me as she presses the number five on her toy cash register. My-soon-to-be three year old loves shopping at Target and really enjoys pretending to be a cashier at home. When she was about a year and a half, I purchased her a little “Let’ Go Shopping Cash Register” from Lakeshore Learning. It comes with milk, juice, little fruits and vegetables, an area for weighing the fruit and a little basket, an even a scanner to ring up items. There’s a few coins and a little toy credit card she swipes to open the register drawer.

Cash RegisterWhat I love about this cash register is that it has multiple settings. One is for basic play, one that allows the child to add, divide, subtract and multiply, another presents questions, asking, “How many milks do you have?” or “How many strawberries are you purchasing.” It is a great toy to enhance Quinn’s vocabulary and to help her further understand the importance of a dollar. I wish I had a toy cash register this advanced when I was younger. Watching my daughter make decisions while “play” shopping and counting her change is awesome because I believe one is never too young to understand the concept of money and all that it encompasses.

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s Monday Moments: My Little Back Seat Driver is Moving Forward

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Waiting to Pick up Daddy at the Train Station

“The light’s green, Mommy! Let’s go” my little girl instructs me. Just a few months ago, she went from rear facing in her car seat to forward, and a whole new world opened up for her – well for me too. I used to drive along with minimal conversation from her. She might have remarked about a car or dog she saw out of her window, but now, she observes any and everything. As soon as she hops into her car seat, the chatter starts and doesn’t end until we reach our destination or she falls asleep after having fun and feeling exhausted.

“Why are you stopping? Oh, I see the light is red! The light is green. Why aren’t we going?” she inquires. A car comes near us, she will insist, “Let’s race, Mommy! Don’t let them pass us. We have to win!” I’m not too sure where she got this idea from, but it got me thinking about how just from having her seat reversed from backward to forward, she developed an eyeopening perspective.

My husband delayed turning Quinn’s seat forward, as the manufacturer and safety experts encourage people to keep them rear-facing as long as possible. He initially did not believe my theory about our daughter talking more, almost non-stop, as a result or her seat change. Then, he admitted a couple of days ago that I was right and jokingly said that he was considering turning her chair back to rear-facing because she talked his ears off and asked so many questions.

This experience really got me wondering about  how many of us are in a “rear-facing” position in life or a backward line of thinking and who are waiting to be mature enough or just bold enough to reverse our positions to forward thinking. There just may be a world out there that we didn’t even know existed because we just couldn’t see what was in front of us.

All the best,

Tanya

 

 

Simple Sunny Sunday Sayings From My Little Girl

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“Look at me, Mommy! I’m going up and down on the see-saw with no hands.” My little girl exclaimed. Then with a tickled look on her face, she said, “You can do it too Mommy! You just have to be careful and balance when we go up and down.”  Though just about everyday my soon-to-be three year old has some wisdom to bestow, on Sundays, I often reflect on what I have learned from her. As we went up and down on the see-saw, singing Quinn’s made-up song, “Let’s go up; now lets go down!” it brought out the child in me.

Later, I reflected on the ups and downs that occur in life and how I must sometimes hold on and endure the ride, and other times I must be brave enough, like my little girl, to go hands-free and let loose a little, especially when I may not have any control over the situation. Sometimes, what appears to be disconcerting to adults is just a walk in the park or ride on the see-saw to children. I’ll have to keep this in mind and maybe even apply this analogy as Quinn gets older and experiences some ups and downs.

All the best,

Tanya

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

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