Books. Over the summer Dragons Love Tacos was hands down her favorite book. It’s a really fun story with lots of repetition that just begs for her to jump in and finish the sentences for me! The great part about this book is that I never tire of reading it; the weird sense of humor and zany storytelling are right up my alley. With that in mind, imagine my excitement when I discovered a book by the name of Secret Pizza Party, also written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. Check it out on Bookworm.com as it’s the ‘October Book of the Month’ (30% off ain’t bad!)! You can bet I scooped this gem up and have my eye out for any others! Bats at the Beach is another silly book that we’ve enjoyed lately. Great for summer or fall, it’s a fun read as long as you’re not looking over your shoulder for the real thing (or in my case double-checking the shower, but I think we’ve taken care of that little problem…)!
Big girl everything. Go big, or get out. The success of potty training and ‘big girl’ undies brought on a need for big girl everything else imaginable. We’ve retired her toddler utensils, sippy cups, plates… etc. (so sad to see those cute little forks and spoons go), along with the table ware, she refuses to sit in a high chair anymore. E demands her independence when it comes to tasks such as opening/closing doors, getting food out of the fridge, and other little chores around the house, except for picking up after herself (figures). Besides potty training, the greatest big girl accomplishment of all has been detachment from her pacifier. I will never forget the night all the paci’s mysteriously disappeared. It’s been several months but I was afraid to mention it for fear of jinxing the situation which seems to happen every time I compliment her bedtime routine. Once the paci’s were out of the picture there has been no going back…. except for the one morning I woke up to find her in her room blissfully sucking on 3 at a time. She had found a stash that I hadn’t hidden very well. The timing must have been right because it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be to take them away. Not sure if ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ or ‘Big girl, don’t care’ applies here.
Making masterpieces. Earlier this summer I discovered the most brilliant and yet simple water painting activity book. This thing has gotten us through lots of rides in the car, there are several pages and she loves to paint the pictures over and over again — once the water dries, the color disappears and you’re good to start all over! I am definitely going to remember this for stocking stuffers this year — Melissa and Doug Water Wow Coloring Books. When we aren’t on the go, she could color for hours with markers and crayons, filling the entire page with precision strokes and every color imaginable. These pieces are crafted with intense concentration and a lot of thought. It is quite apparent that she’s very proud of the finished product, and I am very proud to showcase them on the fridge.
Picky eating. If she was picky about eating healthy like she used to be, I’d have no problem with that! Unfortunately her eating habits have taken a turn for the worse. At best she will take a few bites of dinner and tell me she’s full. For breakfast she requests cheese, cookies, chocolate granola bars, apples, and hash browns. It’s been weeks since she’s shown interest in her usual yogurt, granola, and fruit favorites. The one thing she does enjoy is when Papa bakes fish and she will almost always ask for more. At the end of the day, I figure anything is better than nothing… right? Hopefully she’s eating better with her friends at preschool!
Play time. This is unpredictable. Hour-long bath sessions, making pretend cookie soup and hosting tea parties, marching, phantom phone convo’s, Kindle games, sing-a-long sessions, and caring for her babies and stuffed animals are a few of her favorites. She’s still a collector of the great outdoors and will pick up rocks and ‘trees’ (sticks) wherever she finds them. Sometimes she comes home from preschool with her pockets filled with playground rocks, other times she mixes these items together in a bucket of water to make ‘grass soup.’ Tiny little treasures such as buttons, ‘jewels,’ hair accessories, and change catch her attention as well and she is perfectly content moving them from one special box to another. Watch out for your valuables because she’s sly like a fox and loves to hide things (always check underneath the seat of her big wheels if you’re missing something).
