Zhana’s 3rd Birthday

Well…my baby is no longer my baby. Until she turned 3, I did still think of her as a baby. Now, she’s a little girl! I can’t believe it has been 3 years.  Here’s a montage of her day…

Dear Zhana,

Tonight I think about the night you were born.  For 9 months, you were a part of me and I knew you before you were born.  I can’t explain it but I knew your personality.  Throughout my pregnancy, I listened to Enya’s Wild Child. Somehow, I knew you were going to be a little firecracker.  I must remember to honor your firecracker spirit and to not get frustrated with you.  I honor these qualities about you because I believe they will lend to you a strong will, persistence, and leadership qualities. 

So, what are you like as a 3 year old? You want to do everything your self and I do mean everything.  If I open a door, you close it so that you can open it yourself.  Your favorite food is still meat products, as it has always been. It is a good thing you weren’t born into a vegetarian family! You also adore your chocolate milk.  Your favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Mommy tried to limit tv to educational shows but one morning you caught it and immediately fell in love.  You also love anything faerie and princess.  In fact, it is because of faerie panties that you were finally potty trained! We started potty training before you were even 2, but you weren’t all that interested.  You fully understood the concept but would actually say that you didn’t want to stop playing, so you’d just use your pull-up.  I bought you some faerie panties and you loved them so much, you stopped wearing a pull up. You love to make people laugh and are a clown most of the time.  You are in a stage right now, where you are Bolt (a dog) about 95% of the time. In fact, you are play barking even as a write this.  You still sleep with us every night.  Your father and I like you there with us, knowing you are safe and being able to cuddle with you.  People tell us we need to move you out or you’ll never leave, but none of us are ready for that.  In some ways, I treat you like you are older than you are and in other ways I very much baby you.  You love to be outside swinging or playing in your sandbox.  You very much enjoy our school time together.  You tell me that I’m your best friend. I hope you always feel that way, my daughter.  Happy Birthday Zhanabear. 

Last Minute Independence Day Crafts

This holiday really came fast for me.  This is the first holiday all year that we haven’t had several crafts for.  It’s the day before the 4th and not a single craft has been done.  Well, we plan to do a couple today. If there are other craft slackers out there, here are some ideas I found online…

Tye Die T Shirts: http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/07/tie_dye_tees_for_the_4th_of_ju.php

Fourth of July Confetti Popper Rockets!: http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/06/make_your_own_fourth_of_july_c.php

Sidewalk chalk stars: http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/06/sidewalk_chalk_stars_1.php

Americana Craft Round Up: http://www.makeandtakes.com/americana-crafty-round-up

Fourth of July Tutu: http://www.joyshope.com/2009/06/all-america-tutu.html

Fourth of July Mobile: http://www.growninmyheart.com/4th-of-july-crafts

Cookie Cutter Star Prints: http://amommysadventures.blogspot.com/2009/07/star-prints.html

Cupcake Liner Fireworks: http://www.teachingtwo.com/2009/06/29/fireworks-happy-4th/

Tear paper flag: http://moremillers.blogspot.com/2009/06/america.html

Window Decoration: http://scottandcrystal.blogspot.com/2009/06/stars-and-flags.html

Patriotic Wreath: http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2009/05/patriotic-wreath-craft.html

Handprint American Flag: http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/2009/06/kid-craft-handprint-american-flag.html

Food-

Red, White & Blueberry Skewers-http://www.makeandtakes.com/red-white-blueberry-skewers

Edible Rockets and Sparklers-http://thislittleproject.blogspot.com/2009/06/edible-sparklers-and-rockets-for-your.html

Otto Grows Down

Otto Grows Down is an adorable book written by Michael Sussman, that all children will enjoy.  I believe it could be especially beneficial for children hesitant about welcoming a younger sibling into their lives.

The book is about a little boy who goes back in time, all the way to the days he was an infant, after making a birthday wish that his baby sister had never been born.  It is so much fun to read and anticipate what will happen as time unwinds.  My daughter’s favorite part is when he brings the trash in on trash day, finds going to the bathroom “downright disgusting”, and takes baths that make you dirty.    The illustrations by Scott Magoon make it even more enjoyable.  The book would also be a good idea when teaching palindromes as all the names used in the book are the same forward and backward-Otto, Anna, Bob, Mom, and Dad. 

I have a fondness for the author, because he is trained in psychology, such as myself.  While my daughter enjoys it, I also anticipate using it when working with children having difficulty with a new sibling.  Actually, it is great to teach all children to be careful with their wishes. So often, books that are useful for working with children in therapy are serious and melancholy.  Fortunately, this book has a lot of humor and is upbeat! In our professional circle, there are certain books that all psychotherapists have, such as Freddie the Leaf.  I can see Otto Grows Down joining a special place on psychotherapists’ book shelf for years to come.  Certainly, you don’t have to be a therapist or have a little one struggling with sibling arrival issues to appreciate and wholeheartedly enjoy this book, however. 

You can purchase Otto Grows Down at Target.com for $11.66 or through several online book retailers such as Amazon and Barnes an Noble.

You can also learn more about Otto Grows Down HERE!

What is Bothering Carl?

Have you guys heard about Story Fort? If you haven’t, you’ve got to go check them out! Story Fort is a website with interactive books for kids.  I have the book, “What is Bothering Carl?” and love it!

What is Bothering Carl? is the tale of a young cyclops named Carl whose laid back attitude is disrupted by a single nuisance. Readers will discover Carl’s dilemma and follow along as he tries to solve his problem in this colorful interactive adventure. I think the characters are so cute! You can easily adore this digital book and can’t imagine any child not enjoying this story. 

  If you click on the objects in the book they come to life with sounds, animations, and more.  The book comes with a fun memory game too.  My favorite part are the songs.  I actually enjoy the music. Click below for an example of a song. 

So to summarize…

The book includes:

• 19 illustrated scenes that come to life with the simple click of a mouse

• Full (optional)
  audio narration by the author

• Highlighted phrases to help your child read along

• Illustrated keywords to build vocabulary

• Two original songs with animated music videos

• Bonus memory game with 3 difficulty levels

Right now, because of the situation of the economy, they have the books on sale for $9.99. 

The owner of this company used to be a leading designer for Melissa and Doug and we all know how great that company is!

So go on over to StoryFort today by clicking here. You can download the book and have it immediately. 

The Good Times Are Back

Things are busy, busy, busy here. I realize I haven't given you all an update about how things are going. I want to thank all of you for your prayers. Lately, I've really started to understand the power of prayers and can finally accept the advise of my mother that "everything happens for a reason". Aren't we all blessed to have a God who hears our prayers? As most of you know, my husband had been laid off from his job. We went through a few very hard weeks but you know what I'm proud of how we handled that time. It was a pure illustration of how our marriage has grown and matured. During that time we didn't fight, blame, or draw away from one another like I believe we probably would have during the early years of our relationship. What we did instead was hold each other, talk, and become closer than we ever had. God became a more prominent part of our household and our lives. Anyway, for those of you that read this and are currently suffering, just remember that eventually you will be able to pull yourself out of the bottom of the dark hole and into the light. The world is always balancing itself and sometimes to really appreciate happiness and the good things...you have to also go through the bad. Readers, I'll be back shortly.