Television? What Television?

A funny thing happened yesterday. For a couple of months, Dylan has wanted to watch a few shows on PBS every weekday morning. It was something that we started in the middle of winter, when it was too cold to go out and play until around lunch time. As the weather warmed up over the past couple of weeks, I started to fear that perhaps Dylan’s morning TV time would cut into his outdoor play time. While I think that the shows that he enjoys are of good quality, I don’t necessarily like the idea of him sitting there watching … Continue reading →

A Letter to the Drunk Guy at the Playground

I don’t know who you are, strange man sitting on a rock by the corner of the playground. I do know that it’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I’m at the playground with my two young children. We came here to have a good time, and to play with the other kids. I am not sure why you are here, but something tells me that you probably shouldn’t be. Maybe it’s the way that you are sitting on that rock, just staring at everyone. Maybe not. That is creepy, but sometimes people are a little socially awkward like that. There’s … Continue reading →

Potty Learning Happens – Eventually

When I became a mom, I had no idea about the amount of judgments that people make about moms every day. It does not matter whether the judgment comes from another mom who does things differently than you do or from your parents, or even from random people at the grocery store – it does not feel very good. Even worse, people make judgments about things over which you have no real control, like when your child becomes potty trained. Since every child is different, every child potty trains in his or her own time. This is such a simple … Continue reading →

When Your Toddler Puts Things in His Mouth

One of the challenges of being the parent of a toddler, especially a very young toddler, is that toddlers like to put everything and anything into their mouths. If they can pick it up and it will fit, into the mouth it goes. For some reason, it seems like Blake started this everything – into – the – mouth behavior well before becoming a toddler. Now that he is a toddler, he still does it and I have no idea when this particular phase will end. Since I know that I am not the only one who is constantly checking their … Continue reading →

Keeping Toddlers Safe Outdoors

Now that it is time to spend lots of time outdoors with the kids, it is also time to think about keeping the kids safe in the yard. Each of our homes and yards presents different safety issues for young children. Keeping curious toddlers safe can feel like a full time job sometimes. Next time you go outside, take a look around the yard and identify any poison ivy or other dangerous plants that are native to your geographic area. Remember where they are and either remove them (learn how to do so safely first) or keep your child away from … Continue reading →

What Toddlers Learn at the Playground

Now that outdoor play weather is here, my boys and I have been spending plenty of time out in the yard. That has been wonderful, and we have lots of fun together, but to keep things interesting we like to go out to some local parks and playgrounds a few times each week. Not only do the various play structures enable my little guys to develop new and exciting (okay, sometimes terrifying) physical skills, the presence of other children gives them a chance to play and interact with someone other than me. While I do have to stay pretty close … Continue reading →

Redefining Rainy Day Fun

Many people think about indoor activities like reading, doing crafts, watching movies, or baking whenever they hear the words “rainy day fun”. Tuesday was a rainy day here, but we just were not having much fun indoors. There are plenty of fun things to do indoors at our house. We have blocks, a workbench with tools, tons of toy vehicles, stuffed animals, inflatable blue dogs that you can sit on and bounce around the living room, art supplies, books, movies, and more. However, even though it has officially been springtime for almost a month, the weather here has been cold … Continue reading →

A Great Day For Us

Saturday was a great day. It was productive, yes, but that was not the thing that will make it stand out in my mind as a great day. What made Saturday so great is that I was able to do a couple of things with the boys that we don’t usually get to do. Most days, we have a fun time at home, especially now that we are able to be out in the yard. On Saturday, I combined the business of going out to do errands with the opportunity to bring Dylan to a special event and also to spend some time … Continue reading →

Saying so Little, Learning so Much

My family had a fun day today. Part of our Easter celebration included meeting up with the boys’ grandparents at a playground for some outdoor fun before we went out to dinner. We all had a lot of fun, and while we were there I realized that we were all sharing the experience of Blake’s first “real” playground experience. It was by no means the first time he has been to a playground. In fact, we probably went to a playground two or three times a week from the time that he was about a month old until the time … Continue reading →

Sunny Days are Here Again

Today I finally got my wish for weather that was warm enough so that the boys could be outside for more than an hour at a time. I knew this morning when I woke up that it was possible that today could be the day that I had been waiting for. The sun was shining and the sky was cloudless, ith a color that was the most beautifully perfect shade of blue. By the time that we were done eating breakfast and sending my husband off to work, the morning chill had worn off and it was time to go … Continue reading →