Valentine's Day Extravaganza 2013

1. Creating a lovely Valentine's box isn't as easy as the end project looks. First, I had to dig out the Christmas wrapping paper (thanks sister for buying thousands of extra feet) and then I had to dig through my various scrap-booking supplies. Of course, I did this Saturday morning while the tiny person was sound asleep. I used the box from last year and was sad to see it go. Also that photo in the upper left-hand corner is what Lila did for me last evening...um, she wanted to hole punch something and then she strung the ribbon through the loops. I think she's going to tie her shoes pretty darned early. :)
2. Modeling the photo-booth glitter kissy lips. She didn't want to wear the mustache...as it is for boys, "probably for daddies"...I'm pretty sure that one day she will see the fun of silly mustaches.
3. Helping put glitter on all the lips. Frankly, I'm not really sure Valentine's Day is actually coming up if my husband isn't complaining about glitter and glitter isn't getting into the grooves in the dining room table.
4. I tried to find a project that the kiddo could help me with, so here she is helping me tape the backs of the props, after I showed her what to do (and I pulled out pieces of tape), she could do that pretty much on her own.
5. The front of the little card is the picture you see below (created in Picasa using the Creative Kit)...the back is simple directions to create a photo-booth in your home. They aren't just for weddings, you know! Frankly, I think I may do one for her next birthday party I loved doing this so much!
6. The box with the extra kissy lips and mustaches (there are only 10 kids, counting Lila, in her preschool class...not sure what I'm going to do when there are more than 10!) and the completed little Valentine's: Twizzler pull and peels, two props (a mustache and kissy lips, I found those here by the way and used those to make a template and I bought the dowel rods for $.27 at Wal-Mart--they're the 1/8" size and I cut them into 4...all Saturday morning before everyone woke up), the pictures (I wasn't really sure if people would get why they had lips and mustaches with candy for a Valentine's Day card) and directions.
7. The back of the box. It had to be able to be opened.
8. Seriously, we've been having fun with our photo-booth props since Saturday. I hope the other kids have fun with theirs.

X is for Xanadu

xan·a·du

Noun:

Used to convey an impression of a place as almost unattainably luxurious or beautiful.

W is for Works of Art

Below you will find the 10 works of art that I want my daughter to see in person.










"The Starry Night"
Vincent Van Gogh
MOMA, NYC

"Rain, Steam and Speed"
J. M. W. Turner
The National Gallery, London

"A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" 

George Seurat

The Art Institute of Chicago

"Convergence"

Jackson Pollock

Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY

Frank Lloyd Wright Estate

Frank Lloyd Wright

Oak Park, IL

"The Kiss"

Gustave Klimt 

Osterreichische Galerie Belvedere, Belvedere Palace, Vienna

"The Old Guitarist"

Pablo Picasso

The Art Institute of Chicago

Murals

Thomas Hart Benton

Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO

"The Problem We All Live With" (Ruby Bridges)

Norman Rockwell

The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA

"Migrant Mother"

Dorothea Lange

Oakland Museum of California

What works of art do you suggest she see?

S is for Singing...as in we love ourselves some music!

My friend Becky, the same one who had the idea for the topic for my A to Z, had a wonderful topic for the letter 'M', however, I already had an 'M'...I've moved it to 'S'. Here's what she said would be a good topic:

"Music you really have liked throughout the last 15 years and ones you think you would want to share with Lila. Everytime I listen to my U2 I think of you. Maybe you could share a few songs that happened during certain times in your life and what challenges you overcame at that time, or what the song meant to you...Or your first song you and Chris both liked, as well as Lila's first song."

And, here are my thoughts...

I can chart my life by music. I didn't realize how nostalgic this made me until I got old enough to have life moments worth remembering. Benny Goodman, Cliff Richards and "The Grease" soundtrack remind of weekends at my grandparents house. "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac reminds me of the moment I realized I loved this boy in high school; that song also reminds me of the huge fight we had that damaged our friendship. If I want to remember significant high school moments I just pop in the "Boomerang" soundtrack or listen to a little NKOTB or Ace of Base. Yesterday I was just talking about slow dancing to "November Rain". I can chart every moment of my college career by song; DC Talk and Jars of Clay, "The Reality Bites" soundtrack, Oasis, Tim McGraw, "Dare to Care" concerts and Mazzy Starr. I remember sitting in the living room of a house I shared with friends talking and listening to Sheryl Crow's, "If It Makes You Happy"...I remember this moment like it was yesterday...my cat Winnie is at my feet and the smell of a cake we just baked is wafting from the blue walled kitchen. I knew that Chris and I would get along just fine when we spent a night listening to music and talking about our memories we pretty much went through our own personal catalogs of music and events. I knew that our relationship was perfect, when we bought tickets for the opening U2 show in Chicago.

The thing is I think that every single moment of life is wonderful and marvelous. I think that they should not be forgotten.

It just makes sense that I would chart our lives with Lila in the same manner. For my personal baby-shower I made the following compilation for each guest. I wanted a list of songs that I enjoyed that were all about raising and loving little girls. We also had U2's "Vertigo Tour" DVD playing in the background.

Baby Girl CD

Sugar, Sugar The Archies                      

Gracie Ben Folds Five                 

She's Gotta Way Billy Joel                             

Where You Lead I Will Follow Carole King and Louise Gaffin                   

Never Grow Old The Cranberries                              

It Won't Be Like This for Long  Darius Rucker                  

Sweet Child O' Mine Guns and Roses                              

Amazing Janelle                

Intelligentactile 101 Jesca Hoop                       

Little Miss Magic Jimmy Buffet                   

There Goes My Life Kenny Chesney                              

Time of Your Life Little Steven                     

In My Daughter's Eyes Martina McBride                            

Seven Years Norah Jones                     

Songbird Oasis                   

Little Wonders Rob Thomas                     

Pretty Dress Rosie Thomas                  

My Little Girl Tim McGraw                    

Original of the Species U2                        

My Darling Wilco     

The other day I came home from being away for the whole weekend, Chris and Lila were just vegging on the couch watching the waving PS3 screensaver listening to Pink Floyd. One time in the not to distant past, Chris came home and we were watching the videos and dancing around to:

"Dog Days" by Florence + the Machine

"1, 2, 3, 4" by Fiest

For the most part, however, on her own Lila has pretty chees-tastic taste...I can only assume that all 2 year-olds are like this and would prefer:

Elmo and India Arie singing the ABCs

"10 Little Numbers"...and, if you sing it "10 Little Indians" she will freak!

Chris and I are both lovers of music and from an early age we have instilled that love into our daughter.
At 7-months she would hum along to:

"From Where I'm Standing" by Schulyer Fisk in the movie I Am Reed Fish

Music she likes and will seek out
Pop music, every kid goes through this phase and I can jam out to Justin Bieber, "High School Musical" and Selena Gomez right along with her..."I love you like a love song, baby"...try getting that out of your head.
The first song she every sang the words to was:

"Rhythm of Love" by The Plain White Ts...we just call this the Ba-Ba Song

The thing is our musical taste have seeped into her everyday thoughts. I know that my kiddo will have no choice but to like U2 and Coldplay and Michael Jackson, just as I know that I have no choice about liking Elvis and Abba and Michael Jackson. This is the kind of music that I grew up with and I have wonderful memories associated with every song. I hope that when Lila Jane turns 35 she can say the same.

For more about my life in music, check out my 30 Day Song Challenge.

"Music & Me"
Michael Jackson

We've been together for such a long time now
Music, music and me
Don't care whether all our songs rhyme
Now music, music and me

Only know wherever I go
We're as close as two friends can be
There have been others
But never two lovers
Like music, music and me

Grab a song and come along
You can sing your melody
In your mind you will find
A world of sweet harmony

Birds of a feather we'll fly together
Now music, music and me
Music and me

R is for Riding in the Car or Road Trip Prep

Feel free to hum "Born to Be Wild" as you read...imagine toddlers on Harleys, sippy cups secure in their fringed leather jackets.

How To Prepare For A Road Trip

What We Bring for Her

1] Snacks (it seems that no matter how many times we stop being in the car makes her hungry) such as fruit snacks, crackers, Cheerios and raisins. And, water to drink...
2] Books, I've noticed something about our kidlet. She does not get car-sick and can read or play games or draw in the back seat. I am jealous. I can't do that even in the front seat. Read all about some of our favorites here.
3] Layers in the form of jackets, sweaters, blankets. We've used layers to block the sun from a spot that just couldn't be covered any other way. Sometimes the air is too cold, but we like it that way in the front...so many ways to use layers.
4] The Nook, read all about what she does with it here.
5] Toys...of the squishy, noiseless variety. Pillow Pets, while expensive are AWESOME for this. She has two; a big purple unicorn and a tiny Dora (yes, Dora the Explorer) one, complete with a Backpack that works. This is the strangest looking chimera/Sphinx thingy, but it was the best Christmas gift from her Great-Uncle.

What We Bring for Us
1] Patience...lots of patients
2] Time...see #1 of this list if you have a hard time understanding how it might work on a road trip.
3] Strategies, for instance, we like to leave around nap-time if it's going to be a long trip...something about the car just makes her sleep and sleep...and, sleep. Or, I'll sit in the back if she needs someone to talk to...I mean it has to get lonely back there, right!?

What we do when she finds a pen
and writes on herself and then falls asleep
so we don't know about it
until we stop to get gas?
Take a picture of course!

4] "Fun Parent Mode" as in cheesey Mom and Pop time...yes, there's singing...yes, there are road games (which are so much cooler now that she knows her shapes and colors)
5] Music that is kid-friendly (just so you know some classic rock can be clean and sound cool and entertaining to a 2-year old), but doesn't drive us crazy. God Bless MP3 players!!! We also understand that there are songs (namely by Justin Bieber...how did she even find him?) that we'll have to listen to more than once...

What We Do When...
1] She has to go to the bathroom?...we stop, of course, each time...
2] She gets fussy in her car seat?...we stop at a rest-stop or a park and we don't get back into the car until she's ready (about 15 minutes).
3] There's bad weather? We wait...safety first!

And, oh my gosh, when Road Trippin' with your tiny one know that they rule the road, and if you are trying to make it somewhere in record time that's not going to happen! It's just easier that way.

P is for Princess

I have two confessions to make...

1] Even after reading Cinderella Ate My Daughter, I don't mind the whole Disney Princess phenomenon.

2] I love pink and dainty girl things. 

Each year the three of us received Barbies for Christmas. However, we didn't grow-up with bad body images. I think this was because our mother always told us we were beautiful. Heck, she still does. I was raised on "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty". I remember when "The Little Mermaid" came out and watched "Beauty and the Beast" in the theatre. These facts did not distort my sense of reality or help me make poor choices later in life. I do believe that being enveloped in all things 'girl' and still watching shows like "The Six Million Dollar Man" and owning a large set (that I wish I still had, boy, would I be in the money!) of Matchbox cars made me the well-rounded woman I am today. I was always being told to do my best and I was never told that my dreams were impossible.

Now, let's look at those Princessess...I mean really and let's not look at them with the jaded eyes of adulthood, but in the way little girls do...

Each and every little girl that wants to be a princess can find within our Disney heroines such traits as thoughtfulness, caring, friendship, bravery, sweetness. I think it's OK that they learn these aspects of character from girls who sing to mice and worry about what they will wear to the ball. Do I like that every princess has a waist the size of a thimble? Do I like that each princess finds her prince in the end to create that 'happily ever after'? Do I like that the princesses that get the most face time are blonde? Sometimes I find these very traits quite irksome, but then I remember what I thought of the princesses when I was a kid.

I can tell you that I never noticed that:

1] in 1984 (when I was 8) that the majority of the princesses were white, or blonde.
2] those princesses weighed less than I did.
3] Disney princesses live, impossible 'fairytale' (duh!) lives.
4] the villians were always dark or alone or obese.
5] they only found worth by being noticed by their 'prince'.

I just sang the songs while playing outside in the yard.

Growing up with Barbies, Disney Princesses and other girlie stuff doesn't make little girls turn into selfish prosti-tots...it's how we, the grown-ups, present those things that determines that.

I know this to be true.

I know that I can use the Disney princesses to teach my daughter about:

1] being herself
2] standing her ground
3] altruism
4] the power of family
5] the power of friendship
6] sacrifice
7] determination
8] facing adversity
9] understanding her strengths and weaknesses
10] respecting her differences and the differences of others

Now, I can spend a large part of my time getting all worked up over the sexualization of toddlers brought about by these gals and I can go on and on about the fact that Disney is being used to sell everything including veggies or I can combat all of that by using my time to teach my daughter to have her own self-worth and how to be self-reliant and then I can let her go play in the yard in her Princess tiara and dress up gown.

I'm learning that the latter bit is a lot more fun to a two-year old.

Check out this blog post. It list six (we own three) amazing princess books...and, they aren't Disney at all!
Or, read this article titled The Lessons of the Disney Princesses...hmmm, she list wayyy more than I do!

I is for Interracial

Note: I thought about putting this under biracial or multicultural (which seems to be the more PC terms nowadays), but already had a "B" and "M", so here it is under "I", I hope that you are not offended by the word.

Being able to gauge how open minded a person or group of people is easy, just go with your seemingly white family out in public. Having come from an interracial background (read more about that here, read what About.com thinks about it here), I have gotten used to the stares and occasional whispers (yes, it's 2012 and there are still occasional whispers), but it doesn't mean I like them, especially in relation to my family.

The dilemma I've been having in my mind is how to raise my kiddo in such a way that she understands and is proud of all (she is a quarter African-American you know. with some Native American, French, Scottish, German...) of her cultural heritages and is still true to herself, whatever and whoever that 'self' might be.

A couple of weeks ago we had a conversation that went something like this:

To set the scene I had just picked her up from daycare and had put her in the car. They'd been learning a color each week for that month; that week's color was brown. I was buckling up the car-seat.
"Mommy, your arm is brown and your face is brown."
"Yes, I'm brown all over."
"What color am I?"
"What color do you think you are?"
"Um...(and, I could tell she was thinking really hard, she's 2 and almost a half)...uh, I don't know."
"What color is Daddy?"
"White"
"What color are you?" *more thinking* "Are you white and brown?"
"I'm white and brown."
"And, so am I."
"Oh, that's really cool." ('really cool' has been her phrase of late)
We drove home.

This conversation, of course, had me in a panic. On the one hand (living in and coming from a rural area in Missouri) I understand that looking white (I mean flip she has blue eyes--as does her father and my mother--and I've read enough literature and watched enough movies to know what that means) makes her life easier and I want her life to be easier, but I don't want to go all Halle Berry on her either (read here and here) and have her choose a race (every time Halle talks about being a black, I wonder how her white mother, the person who raised her feels, and I wonder how the white father of her daughter feels). To be honest, at times I've chosen race, especially for scholarship purposes and I told a teacher one time that if people felt they had to give a scholarship to someone just for being diverse and then tell that someone that all she had to do was keep a 2.5 GPA to keep said scholarship I'd take it and not complain--ugh, I still believe this, as colleges still give out Multicultural and Minority scholarships. However, I believe choosing a race neglects part of who you are (we can talk about why I think that later, I don't really want to go into it right now, it's been a 35 year process and I'm still processing) and, I love that questionnaires and tests and such now allow you to circle more than one or fill in whatever you think...whatever you think, isn't that refreshing? Annnnnnndddddd, I do want her life to be easier...

Then I wish we lived in a place that didn't identify people by race. I wish we lived in a place where Halle Berry didn't feel she had to identify her child as black, just because she looks it.

So, I found this list of books and bought a few, I watched a TV show on PBS--wish I could remember what it was--about teaching biracial children about their heritage and they talked about family trees and this interracial couple was talking about how and what they teach their children about their heritage using photo albums and family trees and then on the internet I found so many good family tree post! I can't wait to try out one or two with the tiny person. I don't want her to have to spend 35 years trying to figure it out and I don't want her to ever have to choose sides.

Build Your Family Tree from Family Tree magazine
Genealogy for Kids at Kids Central
Free "Family Tree" Template
Themes for Preschoolers about Family Trees
A Family Tree of Hands

Isn't it cool? I believe every kid (aren't we all of mixed heritage?) should know about their heritage and cultural background.

F is for Friendship

I am Lila Jane's best friend. How do I know this? She tells me every day. "Mommy, you are my best friend and I am your best friend." And, I always agree. I will always agree, even after she no longer thinks that. Even when she yells, "I hate you, you're ruining my life" (that is, if she's as angsty and dramatic as I know *cough, cough* teenage girls can be).

I don't really get all schmoo and soft often, but I truly like these 25 Rules for Mothers of Daughters and can even apply some of them to my life with Lila Jane without cringing or feeling too cheesy.

From Diapers and Daisies:


1.  Paint her nails.  Then let her scratch it off and dirty them up.  Teach her to care for her appearance, and then quickly remind her that living and having fun is most important.\

2.  Let her put on your makeup, even if it means bright-red-smudged lips and streaked-blue eyes.  Let her experiment in her attempts to be like you...then let her be herself.


3. Let her be wild. She may want to stay home and read books on the couch, or she may want to hop on the back of a motorcycle-gasp. She may be a homebody or a traveler. She may fall in love with the wrong boy, or meet Mr. Right at age 5. Try to remember that you were her age once. Everyone makes mistakes, let her make her own. 

4. Be present. Be there for her at her Kindergarten performances, her dance recitals, her soccer games…her everyday-little-moments. When she looks through the crowds of people, she will be looking for your smile and pride. Show it to her as often as possible.

5.  Encourage her to try on your shoes and play dress-up.  If she would rather wear her brother's superman cape with high heels, allow it.  If she wants to wear a tutu or dinosaur costume to the grocery store, why stop her?  She needs to decide who she is and be confident in her decision.

6.  Teach her to be independent.  Show her by example that women can be strong.  Find and follow your own passions.  Search for outlets of expression and enjoyment for yourself-not just your husband or children.  Define yourself by your own attributes, not by what others expect you to be.  Know who you are as a person, and help your daughter find out who she is.

7.  Pick flowers with her.  Put them in her hair.  There is nothing more beautiful than a girl and a flower.

8. Let her get messy. Get messy with her, no matter how much it makes you cringe inside. Splash in the puddles, throw snowballs, make mud pies, finger paint the walls: just let it happen. The most wonderful of memories are often the messy ones.

9. Give her good role models- you being one of them. Introduce her to successful woman - friends, co-workers, doctors, astronauts, or authors.  Read to her about influential woman - Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie. Read her the words of inspirational woman - Jane Austen, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson. She should know that anything is possible.

10. Show her affection. Daughters will mimic the compassion of their mother. “I love yous” and Eskimo kisses go a long way.

11. Hold her hand. Whether she is 3 years-old in the parking lot or sixteen years old in the mall, hold on to her always - this will teach her to be confident in herself and proud of her family.

12.  Believe in her.  It is the moments that she does not believe in herself that she will need to believe enough for both of you.  Whether it is a spelling test in the first grade, a big game or recital, a first date, or the first day of college.  Remind her of the independent and capable woman you have taught her to be.

13. Tell her how beautiful she is. Whether it is her first day of Kindergarten, immediately after a soccer game where she is grass-stained and sweaty, or her wedding day. She needs your reminders. She needs your pride. She needs your reassurance. She is only human.

14. Love her father. Teach her to love a good man, like him. One who lets her be herself…she is after all wonderful.

15. Make forts with boxes and blankets. Help her to find magic in the ordinary, to imagine, to create and to believe in fairy tales. Someday she will make her 5 by 5 dorm-room her home with magic touches and inspiration. And she will fall in love with a boy and believe him to be Prince Charming.

16. Read to her. Read her Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. But also remember the power of Sylvia Plath and Robert Frost. Show her the beauty of words on a page and let her see you enjoy them. Words can be simply written and simply spoken, yet can harvest so much meaning. Help her to find their meaning.

17. Teach her how to love- with passion and kisses. Love her passionately. Love her father passionately and her siblings passionately. Express your love. Show her how to love with no restraint. Let her get her heart broken and try again. Let her cry, and gush, giggle and scream. She will love like you love or hate like you hate. So, choose love for both you and her.

18. Encourage her to dance and sing. Dance and sing with her - even if it sounds or looks horrible.  Let her wiggle to nursery rhymes. Let her dance on her daddy's feet and spin in your arms. Then later, let her blast noise and headbang in her bedroom with her door shut if she wants. Or karaoke to Tom Petty in the living room if she would rather. Introduce her to the classics - like The Beatles- and listen to her latest favorite - like Taylor Swift. Share the magic of music together, it will bring you closer - or at least create a soundtrack to your life together.

19. Share secrets together. Communicate. Talk. Talk about anything. Let her tell you about boys, friends, school. Listen. Ask questions. Share dreams, hopes, concerns. She is not only your daughter, you are not only her mother. Be her friend too.

20. Teach her manners. Because sometimes you have to be her mother, not just her friend. The world is a happier place when made up of polite words and smiles.

21. Teach her when to stand-up and when to walk away. Whether she has classmates who tease her because of her glasses, or a boyfriend who tells her she is too fat - let her know she does not have to listen. Make sure she knows how to demand respect - she is worthy of it. It does not mean she has to fight back with fists or words, because sometimes you say more with silence. Also make sure she knows which battles are worth fighting. Remind her that some people can be mean and nasty because of jealousy, or other personal reasons. Help her to understand when to shut her mouth and walk-away. Teach her to be the better person.

22. Let her choose who she loves. Even when you see through the charming boy she thinks he is, let her love him without your disapproving words; she will anyway. When he breaks her heart, be there for her with words of support rather than I told-you-so. Let her mess up again and again until she finds the one. And when she finds the one, tell her.

23.  Mother her.  Being a mother - to her - is undoubtedly one of your  greatest accomplishments.  Share with her the joys of motherhood, so one day she will want to be a mother too.  Remind her over and over again with words and kisses that no one will ever love her like you love her.  No one can replace or replicate a mother's love for their children.

24.  Comfort her.  Because sometimes you just need your mommy.  When she is sick, rub her back, make her soup and cover her in blankets - no matter how old she is.  Someday, if she is giving birth to her own child, push her hair out of her face, encourage her, and tell her how beautiful she is.  These are the moments she will remember you for.  And someday when her husband rubs her back in attempt to comfort her...she may just whisper, "I need my mommy."

25.  Be home.  When she is sick with a cold or broken heart, she will come to you; welcome her.  When she is engaged or pregnant, she will run to you to share her news; embrace her.  When she is lost or confused, she will search for you; find her.  When she needs advice on boys, schools, friends or an outfit; tell her.  She is your daughter and will always need a safe harbor - where she can turn a key to see comforting eyes and a familiar smile; be home.

My mother, my daughter and I at the airport last summer.

E is for Entertainment

Toddlers are quite entertaining...just watch one dance to Yo Gabba Gabba or just listen to any stories they have to tell. Two of my favorite stories are:

1] I received tulips from my mother for Valentine's Day. Lila got one out of the vase and quietly pulled open all its petals. She looked up at me, "Does Thumbelina live in here?". I said, "No, I don't think so". She replied, "Oh, she must live in the other one."

2] One day this last Winter, I went to pick her up from Daycare and the Daycare lady had a story to tell me. It went something like this
"Lila what did you do last night," she asked.
Lila replied, "Daddy was crying."
"Why was he crying?" the worker asked.
"Because Mommy hit him," Lila said, matter-of-factly.
The Daycare lady stepped back, "Mommy hit Daddy."
"Yes *pause* with a snowball."
"With a snowball? It wasn't snowing yesterday."
"Well, it was at our house," Lila said indignately, hands on her hips.

Not only are they entertaining, but it's also a delight to entertain them.

We've:
1] Watched movies (more on that for the letter "M").
2] Created crafts using glitter, glue, buttons, scrapbook paper...whatever we could find.
3] walked around the yard. This was especially fun when she first started walking and every blade of grass, every bug, every rock was something new to explore.
4] Played in the snow.
5] Practiced our letters and numbers with flashcards and Leap Frog.
6] Played ball.
7] Played "The Tickle Bug" game.
8] Role played, as in she assigns us parts (I'm always Dora, Chris is always Map and she's always Boots) and then we play find the treasure...this is a game she totally thought of herself.
9] Swimming (in lakes, rivers, the ocean and swimming pools)

And, the list goes on and on and on...

How are toddlers that you know entertaining? How do you entertain toddlers that you know?

D is for Daddy/Daughter Date Night

New friends! Thanks for the comments and the follows, I hope that I am following you back (I think I am!), if not please messages me and I will. I am so enjoying this A to Z challenge!

For the record I love, love, love my little (well, not so little anymore) tiny person. I love her sooo much that I like taking her with me wherever I go. I love her so much that I would quit my job if it ever seemed to interfere with my need to take care of her and be a good mother.

However, there are times when I want to, crave to, need to be alone (I wrote all about them here) and there are times when I need to get things done (grading, lesson planning, house cleaning) and these things are hard to do with an inquisitive two-year old.

After a rather heated discussion (OK, it was an all out fight) were I told Chris that I was going crazy and I wanted to be alone, and I gave him lots of time to be alone in his own home and that if I didn't have time alone in my own home I was going to make it to where I was always alone *whew!*...we devised a plan and our week looks something like this:

Monday Normal day with Family and friends or just family or whatever

Tuesday Normal day with Family and friends or just family or whatever

Wednesday Chris goes out with his friends and my friends come over and we play and grade and watch Tangled until our eyes bug out

Thursday Daddy/Daughter Date Night...thanks good 'ole college friend for posting all those wonderful pics on FB of you and your daughters, so I could have an idea of what I wanted to talk to Chris about after the tidal wave subsided

Friday I go out with my friends, or I just go out alone, or Chris takes care of the tiny tot while I take a nap

Saturday The day we may have a planned activity, that planned activity may involve Chris working on his brother's car while the tiny tot and I stay in our pjs all day long

Sunday Normal day with Family...church, perhaps???

So, since November (there were a few days in December that it didn't happen, but December is ka-razy!) I know that I have Thursday evening (at least 3 hours, sometimes more) to do whatever I want to do like take a nap, grade papers, watch Bradley Cooper uninterrupted, read a book and Chris takes the wee one on adventures to Dairy Queen or the park or to Springfield shopping for car parts and eating at the Olive Garden. They come home, she's tired, they've bonded (last week I said I didn't know what I was going to make for dinner and I was informed by Chris, that I could not come eat with them because he was his time with Lila), I'm relaxed and the world is a better place. 

This is not a 'Date Night'
but it is a cute picture of Chris drawing
the tiny tot a picture of a heart and Jack the Pumpkin king per her request.

C is for Cooking

I don't know about any kids that you may know, but Lila Jane loves to cook and eat and talk about cooking and eating...

I learned really quickly that when making anything in the kitchen if I didn't give her a task than she'd give herself a task and that task usually involved trying to grab the knife and/or trying to touch the hot stove.

Last summer a friend suggested just letting her hang out in the kitchen and helping, that turned into letting her "help" by washing off the fruit or trying the ingredients and morphed into adding more and more task as she got older and could do more. She helped make appetizers for Valentine's Day and helping with the dishes (what is it about the kitchen sink that draws kids to it?), and puts food into measuring cups. It can get messy, but who cares, she's learning and it's fun!

Enter...Dora and Diego Let's Cook!

Overview from BN:

Dora and Diego teach kids to make awesome (and healthy!) recipes-and learn Spanish along the way.
Just in time for the tenth anniversary of Dora the Explorer-the top-rated preschool program on commercial television-comes Dora and Diego Let's Cook, a cookbook from Nickelodeon that gets kids safely exploring and learning in the kitchen. Guided by Dora and Diego, kids will help measure, stir, shape, and decorate 50 exciting and super-tasty recipes like Pirate Adventure Pizza Coins and Incan Quinoa Pudding-all while learning Spanish words and phrases.
These simple, delicious recipes emphasize healthful ingredients children ...

If you have a kidlet that loves Dora and Diego as much as my kidlet, owning this cookbook is a must. It has a lovely guide at the beginning that helps parents figure out age appropriate tasks for their kiddos to do as they create things like Dora's Backpack Snack Pack, Diego's Silly Snake Sticks and the two we, or should I say Aunt Nellie and the tiny person, made Boot's Banana Pancakes and Tico's Nutty Stuffed French Toast (you can look at these recipes more closely on Amazon).

I look forward to buying more ingredients for these simple recipes and creating more of these wonderful concoctions. There's a silly face salad that Lila Jane is just itching to try.

It also makes excellent bed time reading.
Yes, Lila wanted Aunt Nellie to read the Dora cookbook at bedtime.

Valentine's Day after a snow day is R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.

First, we made Valentine's Day cards for Lila's preschool class by taking lots of pictures with a PVC pipe!

The big one is the one we chose for the project,
although I like several of the others.
Can you tell she enjoyed wielding the PVC pipe around like a little Jedi?

I then spent a couple of minutes finding a way to cut-out the picture, I found directions here and then spent the next hour cutting it out using MS Paint. Yes, Paint! Who knew!? I love that you don't have to use Photoshop to do that. Here is the end result.

I love this! And, Chris does too!
Expect one in the mail all you relatives! 

Lila helped me make the Devils on Horseback...

Prunes wrapped in bacon...
who knew they  would be so tasty?

Here's the little helper putting toothpicks in a bowl of water to soak.

And, here's the little Devils, so no pics of the finished product...I don't know why I forgot to do that!

Then we decorated her Valentine's Day Box!

And, finally...
VDay poetry love from The Guardian
Perfect Couple movies

Golly, WOW! What a productive snow day!!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!