TIDWTFT
Sam:
Sam has a new game he likes to play I call "What Else?" It started one day when we were talking about the zoo we visited and the animals we saw. He wanted to know what other animals might be at the zoo. My husband and I listed off animals until we ran out of ideas (which took a loooonnnngggg time) and he had a ball listening to us. For most animals, he said or did something he associates with the animal after we said an animal name. For instance, he said "giraffe- long neck!" or "fish live in water!", signed seal and made a moose sound for those respective animals. Since then, we've played what else lives in water with animal names, and what else you'd find on a farm. I am continually amazed at the amount of animals he knows and can tell you something about or sign. If we take too long to answer because we're stumped, he repeats over and over, "What else, Mama? What else???"
Anna:
Anna (well, and Sam as well) love to play ring-around-the-rosie with us. They especially get a kick when we have our dog join in the circle too by holding her collar as we circle around. Lately Anna has been doing ring-around-the-rosie with her doll house people. Tuesday, the Grandma, the Daddy and the Baby did ring-around-the rosie together, purposely holding them so they were "holding hands" together. Tonight, Anna got a hold of my fork... and then spontaneously decided to have the 2 forks she had do ring-around-the-rosie while she sang the song, complete with the forks falling down at the same time and a squeal of enjoyment.
Both:
Sam and Anna are getting more expressive with their feelings. They like to tell us when things scare them now, or what makes them happy or sad. It adds a new level of insight when we know what they are feeling when they are resistant to something.
At mealtimes, the current trick du jour to get our toddlers to eat more of something is to try to get Sam and Anna to eat "baby bites" and "monster bites" of whatever food offered that hasn't been well received at that meal. I use a baby, squeaky, high pitched voice when offering the baby bite (in a small piece) and a deep growly monster voice when giving the larger monster sized bite. And oh boy, it works. They like to make the voices with me while shoveling the food in, too.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Wordless Wednesday
Sometimes, you pick your battles with toddlers... and that may mean eating a meal wearing sunglasses.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Superstar Sharers
Sometimes I'm blown away at the level of fair share toy usage that comes unprompted between Sam and Anna. (Other times, it's typical 2 year old grab-yell and maybe physically lash out, I won't deny that.) What's more, they communicate want they want so well with each other, it often bowls me over. It definitely makes our days easier when they get along well considering they are rarely apart.
For discipline we use a 1-2-3 count for most minor misbehavior, and we also say 1-2-3 when their time is up to have something and it's time to hand it over to their sibling for awhile. If we get to 3 and they continue disobeying after that, they get a time-out. It has worked extremely well for us so far. (Overall, I would say our discipline style is a combination of Love and Logic and 1-2-3 Magic. I've researched both for a grad course and combine both in my classroom as well.)
Three I-Don't-Want-To-Forget Moments:
The other day while we were going for a walk, Sam had his daddy's hat and Anna wanted it. She said on her own without adult intervention "Sam, 1, 2, 3!" and Sam handed that thing right over without hesitation. Then, believe it or not, Anna said, "Thank you Sam" and we continued on our merry way.
Today, I took out a new-to-them toy that had been sitting in our basement and I had forgotten about. Anna was playing with it first while Sam watched nearby. He said,"Anna, you share, okay?" and she kept on playing. Sam counted 1, 2, 3 and then said "Anna you move over?" and lo and behold, she did. Sam got his turn and she started playing with something else.
Also today, Sam and Anna were eating a snack and Anna had a box of bunny crackers while Sam was eating pretzels. Sam took a bunny cracker from Anna and she cried. Daddy told her that they were everybody's crackers, not just hers and asked her to give him one. She did, and then unprompted Sam said "Thank you" while signing it. She responded "You're welcome" and then made it into a little game- after he put a cracker into his mouth, she fished out another to give to him. He kept saying thank you after each one, and she kept replying you're welcome until the rest of the box was gone. It was too cute.
For discipline we use a 1-2-3 count for most minor misbehavior, and we also say 1-2-3 when their time is up to have something and it's time to hand it over to their sibling for awhile. If we get to 3 and they continue disobeying after that, they get a time-out. It has worked extremely well for us so far. (Overall, I would say our discipline style is a combination of Love and Logic and 1-2-3 Magic. I've researched both for a grad course and combine both in my classroom as well.)
Three I-Don't-Want-To-Forget Moments:
The other day while we were going for a walk, Sam had his daddy's hat and Anna wanted it. She said on her own without adult intervention "Sam, 1, 2, 3!" and Sam handed that thing right over without hesitation. Then, believe it or not, Anna said, "Thank you Sam" and we continued on our merry way.
Today, I took out a new-to-them toy that had been sitting in our basement and I had forgotten about. Anna was playing with it first while Sam watched nearby. He said,"Anna, you share, okay?" and she kept on playing. Sam counted 1, 2, 3 and then said "Anna you move over?" and lo and behold, she did. Sam got his turn and she started playing with something else.
Also today, Sam and Anna were eating a snack and Anna had a box of bunny crackers while Sam was eating pretzels. Sam took a bunny cracker from Anna and she cried. Daddy told her that they were everybody's crackers, not just hers and asked her to give him one. She did, and then unprompted Sam said "Thank you" while signing it. She responded "You're welcome" and then made it into a little game- after he put a cracker into his mouth, she fished out another to give to him. He kept saying thank you after each one, and she kept replying you're welcome until the rest of the box was gone. It was too cute.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Mama Loves Our DIY Learning Tower
Have you seen a Learning Tower before? A Learning Tower is a safe way for young children to be at counter height to participate in cooking or whatever activity you are doing. Learning towers have adjustable shelves so that as your child grows you can lower the shelf they stand on and the counter can continue to be at the perfect height. It's like pulling a chair over to stand on, but so much better. Google them and you will see that they sell for around $199 most places.
This one by Little Partners is $199 on Amazon
A $199 price tag is pretty hefty for me, especially since I'd need two for Sam and Anna. So when I saw plans to build your own learning tower on pinterest (claiming a material price tag of only $20!), I quickly had my husband forward the plans to my very handy father-in-law. He had it completed in time for a birthday present... with one slight modification: twice as wide for double the kids to stand on it. I LOVE it!
This thing is ridiculously awesome. Before the DIY learning tower, we tag-teamed Sam and Anna for counter top projects: one of us would be the spotter to catch kids that might topple off the chairs we had them stand on, while the other adult got to participate in the fun. This also meant that I wasn't brave enough to have both Sam and Anna stand on chairs at the counter unless both adults were home. Not an ideal situation.
Best things about it: It has an adjustable height with the shelf. Non-tipping! The sides make it extremely difficult to fall out. Fits flush with the counter. Easy for toddlers to climb into and off on their own! And did I mention the materials only cost about $20???
Our tower (the other side has Sam and Anna's names stenciled on it. I didn't realize it was facing that way until I uploaded the pictures.)
I will admit that it is large, especially since ours is made to be roomy enough to fit two kids at once. We don't permanently keep it in our smallish kitchen, but we store it against the wall on the other side of our breakfast bar. 100% of the time Sam and Anna can have counter top viewing if they want, but if we do a project or they help with cooking we move it over to the other side of the counter. The plans on Ana White's website do include directions for hinges to make the structure foldable, but we chose to forgo that part to make the tower more sturdy (since it would be twice as wide and hold two times the kids, we thought that was important).
I can't wait to use it as a fort with blankets this summer, too! Or gosh, even a puppet theatre as they get older. This thing is going to be around for many years to come.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Anna and Sam -isms at 2 Years Old
Sam has been very concerned lately with who's doing something when we talk about what's going on that day. He runs through the list when we say we are going to the zoo, daycare, etc.: "And Anna? And Daddy? And Mama?" Almost always at the end he'll add an emphatic "No Bella (our dog)!" with a shake of his head. Imagine his surprise when we told him that in fact, Bella was coming too when we all treked to PetsMart last weekend to buy our dog birthday presents! When we talk about things in the distant future like going swimming this summer, it's the same list run down: "And Anna? And Mama? And Daddy? No Bella!" with an occaisonal variation of names with daycare people, grandparents, etc.
Along the same lines, he's asked to go to work with me in the mornings with a "Me work?" It's hard to resist not smuggling him in by hiding him in my school bags.
Maybe he's just going through a little bit of an increased Mama-Love stage, because in the past few days he's also asked me every night to stay by him after I lay him in his crib at bedtime. "Mama stay right here?" and "Mama sleep right here by me?" make it awfully hard to tear myself away at night. Every night I explain that Mama and Daddy have to sleep in our own bed and so last night he added, "Bella sleep right here by me?" I have a feeling that separating rooms with Sam and Anna down the road is going to be harder on him than her.
And finally, lately Sam's been expressing things in the world of make believe more often. He'll often say things like "A bee bit me!" when there isn't even a bee around, or things like "Wind blow me over!" He isn't trying to pull one over on us, I think he's just trying to sort out what's real and not, and what's okay to say and not.
*****
Anna's her own little cheerleader. She's always been big on referring to herself in third person, although she does use the words I and me appropriately as well. Whenever she does something that requires a little effort, she's the first one to say, "Yay Anna!" I think it's cute that she's so proud of herself for what she accomplishes- from opening a tricky door on her own to picking up toys unprompted, or singing a song to drawing something well.
Yesterday on our walk with the stroller, Sam wanted to wear his Daddy's hat. After he had it awhile, Anna on her own said, "1, 2, 3... Anna's turn!" Then Sam handed it over without a fuss. We generally use 1, 2, 3 for doling out discipline or stopping something they would want to carry on longer. It's vindicating when it works so well that they use it unprompted to share nicely.
Miss Smarty Pants now recognizes stop signs where ever we go. If you ask her what one says she says "Stop!" So now when I'm driving she'll be my little backseat driver and tell me to stop before I get all the way to the sign. Both Anna and Sam can also "read" the Target sign where ever they see it(it's called environmental print- a pre-reading skill to recognize words you see often in your familiar environment). Not sure what that says about how much I shop at Target...
Anna has also moved on from the lots of repetitive NOs stage. Of course we still hear a fair share of nos from our toddlers, but for now Anna's phrases du jour are "I no like it" or "I no want it." I'm finding that the extra words make the refusals a lot more pleasant and easier to diffuse with the options of choices for her. She's being a lot more particular about what she wears and often turning down my pajama or hair clip selections. Her current faves are the pjs with hippos on them and the hairclips with purple stars.
Along the same lines, he's asked to go to work with me in the mornings with a "Me work?" It's hard to resist not smuggling him in by hiding him in my school bags.
Maybe he's just going through a little bit of an increased Mama-Love stage, because in the past few days he's also asked me every night to stay by him after I lay him in his crib at bedtime. "Mama stay right here?" and "Mama sleep right here by me?" make it awfully hard to tear myself away at night. Every night I explain that Mama and Daddy have to sleep in our own bed and so last night he added, "Bella sleep right here by me?" I have a feeling that separating rooms with Sam and Anna down the road is going to be harder on him than her.
And finally, lately Sam's been expressing things in the world of make believe more often. He'll often say things like "A bee bit me!" when there isn't even a bee around, or things like "Wind blow me over!" He isn't trying to pull one over on us, I think he's just trying to sort out what's real and not, and what's okay to say and not.
*****
Anna's her own little cheerleader. She's always been big on referring to herself in third person, although she does use the words I and me appropriately as well. Whenever she does something that requires a little effort, she's the first one to say, "Yay Anna!" I think it's cute that she's so proud of herself for what she accomplishes- from opening a tricky door on her own to picking up toys unprompted, or singing a song to drawing something well.
Yesterday on our walk with the stroller, Sam wanted to wear his Daddy's hat. After he had it awhile, Anna on her own said, "1, 2, 3... Anna's turn!" Then Sam handed it over without a fuss. We generally use 1, 2, 3 for doling out discipline or stopping something they would want to carry on longer. It's vindicating when it works so well that they use it unprompted to share nicely.
Miss Smarty Pants now recognizes stop signs where ever we go. If you ask her what one says she says "Stop!" So now when I'm driving she'll be my little backseat driver and tell me to stop before I get all the way to the sign. Both Anna and Sam can also "read" the Target sign where ever they see it(it's called environmental print- a pre-reading skill to recognize words you see often in your familiar environment). Not sure what that says about how much I shop at Target...
Anna has also moved on from the lots of repetitive NOs stage. Of course we still hear a fair share of nos from our toddlers, but for now Anna's phrases du jour are "I no like it" or "I no want it." I'm finding that the extra words make the refusals a lot more pleasant and easier to diffuse with the options of choices for her. She's being a lot more particular about what she wears and often turning down my pajama or hair clip selections. Her current faves are the pjs with hippos on them and the hairclips with purple stars.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Bubbles for Ainsley and Evelyn
On Saturday, Jennifer & Mark Knepper lost their 16 month old daughter after a lifelong battle in the hospital. Jen's blog, Maybe If You Just Relax was quite possibly the first infertility blog I began reading years ago. At least some part of the existence of this blog is due to reading hers, although I lack the wit and humor that she graciously shares with anyone who happens upon her little corner of the internet. I remember the successful pregnancy test after IVF from their first daughter Olivia, following her birth and beyond to the frozen transfer that resulted in the twin pregnancy of Ainsley and Evelyn. Evelyn tragically died at birth, and Ainsley fought a long, hard battle in the hospital for the past 16 months. Ainsley Knepper passed away this weekend; the day before Mother's Day. I cried when I read the news Sunday afternoon. I cannot fathom what Jen and Mark have been through since the day Ainsley and Evelyn were born, nor can I wrap my head around what they are going through now. You can bet that I've hugged my own little ones a bit longer; a bit tighter and lingered at their cribs a bit later at bedtime in the past few days.
Tonight, from 5-8pm the Knepper family is having a memorial service for Ainsley. During that time, a large number of people will be blowing bubbles to show Ainsley and Evelyn how many people care about them and have been touched by them during their short presence on earth. Sam, Anna and I headed outdoors after getting home from daycare to remember another very special set of twins, together again in heaven.
No one should have to lose a child. Losing two in less than two years is unimaginable. Hug your loved ones and remember that life is fragile and tomorrow is never a guarantee.
From the facebook group: If you want to read more about the Knepper family, you can find their blog here: www.jennepper.com. If you want to do something else to help them, there are many things in the works. Please email knepperfamilydonations@gma |
Monday, May 14, 2012
A Busy, Busy Weekend
We (by choice) had a busy, busy weekend.
On Saturday, we went to Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic to make flower frame flower planters. Sam and Anna really have fun when we go to these, so it doesn't even matter to me anymore if what they build is something we actually use once we get home. It's free and they love helping to hammer in the nails. Sam won't wear the goggles anymore, but Anna will, and both don the Lowes aprons happily.
Before heading home, we made an impromptu trip to feed the ducks and geese by the river. Some hissing mama geese didn't like us getting anywhere near their babies which made me a little nervous, but other than that, Sam and Anna had a ball throwing bread to feed them.
As we were leaving the park by the river, we saw a sign for the local (also free) cultural festival that I had forgotten was also that day. We had a little time left before lunch, so we made a detour to head there before home. While I didn't take any pictures, Sam and Anna had a good time there as well. They liked hearing the music and seeing the colorful ethnic outfits. In the kid area, we helped them make Olympic torches, medals and olive wreath crowns in honor of the Olympic games this summer. I'll have to add a picture of them modeling their creations later! All that was free and before lunch on Saturday. We tried to eat lunch there, but Sam and Anna wouldn't eat much so we had a quick meal at home before naptime.
Sunday, I had my choice of what to do for Mother's Day- and I decided to forgo sleeping in and breakfast in bed to be able to head to a zoo we've never gone to before. It happened to have no admission fee, so I guess this was a weekend of (mostly)free fun for our family! We made a big mistake in forgetting to put a stroller in the car, but that was easily fixed with renting push cars once we were there.
Sam's biggest positive reactions were to the swimming seals and giraffes, although afterwards he declared his favorite animals were the monkeys. The animal Sam liked the least? The giant tortoise- it actually scared him the most, we think because it didn't move at first so it looked like a rock to him. Then when a foot stuck out, he clung to Daddy and wouldn't let go for awhile afterwards.
Anna really liked the rhinos, seals and giraffes as well, but her favorite was the grizzly bear. I'll tell you why: When we arrived, the grizzly bear was lounging in a pool of water with its head sticking up. Anna ordered it to "Get up!" and the bear actually did shortly after she said so. She was pretty pleased with herself for getting the big bear to do what she wanted!
I also read Mockingjay (the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy) from start to finish, among the usual 7 loads of laundry, grocery shopping and grass mowing by my husband. It was a busy, but fun weekend, and I even have the sunburn to prove it.
On Saturday, we went to Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic to make flower frame flower planters. Sam and Anna really have fun when we go to these, so it doesn't even matter to me anymore if what they build is something we actually use once we get home. It's free and they love helping to hammer in the nails. Sam won't wear the goggles anymore, but Anna will, and both don the Lowes aprons happily.
Before heading home, we made an impromptu trip to feed the ducks and geese by the river. Some hissing mama geese didn't like us getting anywhere near their babies which made me a little nervous, but other than that, Sam and Anna had a ball throwing bread to feed them.
As we were leaving the park by the river, we saw a sign for the local (also free) cultural festival that I had forgotten was also that day. We had a little time left before lunch, so we made a detour to head there before home. While I didn't take any pictures, Sam and Anna had a good time there as well. They liked hearing the music and seeing the colorful ethnic outfits. In the kid area, we helped them make Olympic torches, medals and olive wreath crowns in honor of the Olympic games this summer. I'll have to add a picture of them modeling their creations later! All that was free and before lunch on Saturday. We tried to eat lunch there, but Sam and Anna wouldn't eat much so we had a quick meal at home before naptime.
Sunday, I had my choice of what to do for Mother's Day- and I decided to forgo sleeping in and breakfast in bed to be able to head to a zoo we've never gone to before. It happened to have no admission fee, so I guess this was a weekend of (mostly)free fun for our family! We made a big mistake in forgetting to put a stroller in the car, but that was easily fixed with renting push cars once we were there.
Sam's biggest positive reactions were to the swimming seals and giraffes, although afterwards he declared his favorite animals were the monkeys. The animal Sam liked the least? The giant tortoise- it actually scared him the most, we think because it didn't move at first so it looked like a rock to him. Then when a foot stuck out, he clung to Daddy and wouldn't let go for awhile afterwards.
Anna really liked the rhinos, seals and giraffes as well, but her favorite was the grizzly bear. I'll tell you why: When we arrived, the grizzly bear was lounging in a pool of water with its head sticking up. Anna ordered it to "Get up!" and the bear actually did shortly after she said so. She was pretty pleased with herself for getting the big bear to do what she wanted!
I also read Mockingjay (the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy) from start to finish, among the usual 7 loads of laundry, grocery shopping and grass mowing by my husband. It was a busy, but fun weekend, and I even have the sunburn to prove it.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Summer is Just Around the Corner
That's right, I've now got less than 20 days left of work before three-ish glorious months off this summer. Since my daydreams lately are all about sunny summer days, here's my summer bucket list. I have no intentions on ticking them off as blog posts as we do them, but I'm sure a good chunk of them will end up being shared regardless! Some are just for me, but most are for Sam and Anna to do with us as a family.
1. Sleep in :)
2. Travel to Grandma and Grandpa's cabin
3. Visit other grandparents
4. Go camping (if I can forget the epic failure of last year)
5. Swim in a lake
6. Swim in a pool
7. Play in the sprinkler
8. Enjoy a boat ride
9. Go fishing
10. Play on the beach
11. Go to the Children's Museum
12. Check out current Lowes Build and Grow workshops
13. Cook/bake together
14. Read books outside
15. Sand and water table play
16. Go to a zoo
17. Watch trains
18. Watch planes
19. Blow bubbles
20. Use sidewalk chalk outdoors
21. Hike in the woods
22. Explore a nature center
23. Picnic
24. Bring a picnic to Daddy at work
25. Watch fireworks
26. Attend a parade
27. Celebrate the 4th of July
28. Catch bugs
29. Go to the library often
30. Use playdoh
31. Color
32. Make musical instruments
33. Buy food at the farmer's market
34. Feed ducks
35. Watercolor
36. Paint
37. Art projects weekly
38. Finger paint
39. Handprint art
40. Alphabet Days
41. Discover a new playground
42. Go to our favorite playground, KASH park
43. Eat Popsicles
44. Walk to get ice cream
45. Plant flowers
46. Pick vegetables from our garden
47. Mommy/daughter matching pedis
48. Visit a fair
49. Attend an outdoor concert
50. Eat dinner outside on the deck
A few Just-For-Me Goals:
1. Scope out garage sales for toddler stuff
2. Hold a garage sale to get rid of baby stuff
3. Read 6 or more adult books
4. Tutor a kindergartner and 2nd grader
5. Take summer graduate classes
6. Set up big kid rooms and get new carpet... or move (more on this later!)
1. Sleep in :)
2. Travel to Grandma and Grandpa's cabin
3. Visit other grandparents
4. Go camping (if I can forget the epic failure of last year)
5. Swim in a lake
6. Swim in a pool
7. Play in the sprinkler
8. Enjoy a boat ride
9. Go fishing
10. Play on the beach
11. Go to the Children's Museum
12. Check out current Lowes Build and Grow workshops
13. Cook/bake together
14. Read books outside
15. Sand and water table play
16. Go to a zoo
17. Watch trains
18. Watch planes
19. Blow bubbles
20. Use sidewalk chalk outdoors
21. Hike in the woods
22. Explore a nature center
23. Picnic
24. Bring a picnic to Daddy at work
25. Watch fireworks
26. Attend a parade
27. Celebrate the 4th of July
28. Catch bugs
29. Go to the library often
30. Use playdoh
31. Color
32. Make musical instruments
33. Buy food at the farmer's market
34. Feed ducks
35. Watercolor
36. Paint
37. Art projects weekly
38. Finger paint
39. Handprint art
40. Alphabet Days
41. Discover a new playground
42. Go to our favorite playground, KASH park
43. Eat Popsicles
44. Walk to get ice cream
45. Plant flowers
46. Pick vegetables from our garden
47. Mommy/daughter matching pedis
48. Visit a fair
49. Attend an outdoor concert
50. Eat dinner outside on the deck
A few Just-For-Me Goals:
1. Scope out garage sales for toddler stuff
2. Hold a garage sale to get rid of baby stuff
3. Read 6 or more adult books
4. Tutor a kindergartner and 2nd grader
5. Take summer graduate classes
6. Set up big kid rooms and get new carpet... or move (more on this later!)
Monday, May 7, 2012
Where I've Been
Posting has been few and far between, but besides the normal working more than 40 hours a week and full time mama to twin toddlers gig, I'm been a little busy... reading novels for fun.
When The Hunger Games hit the big screen it just happened to be a date night weekend for us, and so we went and saw it in the theaters- before I even picked up the book. There were parts of the movie I didn't like (like the whole kids killing kids theme, for one), but I was curious how similar the movie was to the book. I can't remember another time when I've read the book after watching them movie. I picked up the novel The Hunger Games a few days later and tried to squeeze in a chapter here and there when I could. Then just like that, my blogging time flew out the window.
After finishing the first book, I quickly picked up the second in the trilogy, Catching Fire. I personally think it was better than the first book, but it may be because the plot was all new to me this time. I'm currently waiting to get the third and final book from a friend to read (hence the posting about it now instead of curling up with a book to read!)
I used to be a voracious reader. I devoured books, pounding them out in a day or two by reading for hours a day until the book was finished. I love to immerse myself in the world of the story until it is concluded. My current lifestyle just doesn't make that possible, so I'm learning how to be the kind of reader that reads a chapter or two before bed, finishing a book in a week or so. I'm finding it is hard to adjust- and my resolve to read "just one chapter" usually means I'm forcing myself to turn out the lights 5 hours before I have to get up in the morning. I realized there were a few drives to and from work when I itched to open the pages as soon as I got home (but quickly forgot as soon as I was covered in kisses, hugs and cries of "Mama!"at the daycare door).
Reading The Hunger Games trilogy reminded me of the last series I read- the Twilight books. It was just before our IVF cycle, and I dove into those books headfirst. They were such a great break from our real-world struggles, stressors and infertility battle. I'm realizing that a girl sometimes needs a break like that to lessen the stress levels and weight of the to-do list. Reading novel might just help make me a better mama. After I'm finished with the third and final Hunger Games book, I may just have to find a new fictional series to begin! Last summer, I read 5 adult books (some for work, some for fun). My goal for this summer is to increase that number.
Suggestions welcome!
When The Hunger Games hit the big screen it just happened to be a date night weekend for us, and so we went and saw it in the theaters- before I even picked up the book. There were parts of the movie I didn't like (like the whole kids killing kids theme, for one), but I was curious how similar the movie was to the book. I can't remember another time when I've read the book after watching them movie. I picked up the novel The Hunger Games a few days later and tried to squeeze in a chapter here and there when I could. Then just like that, my blogging time flew out the window.
After finishing the first book, I quickly picked up the second in the trilogy, Catching Fire. I personally think it was better than the first book, but it may be because the plot was all new to me this time. I'm currently waiting to get the third and final book from a friend to read (hence the posting about it now instead of curling up with a book to read!)
I used to be a voracious reader. I devoured books, pounding them out in a day or two by reading for hours a day until the book was finished. I love to immerse myself in the world of the story until it is concluded. My current lifestyle just doesn't make that possible, so I'm learning how to be the kind of reader that reads a chapter or two before bed, finishing a book in a week or so. I'm finding it is hard to adjust- and my resolve to read "just one chapter" usually means I'm forcing myself to turn out the lights 5 hours before I have to get up in the morning. I realized there were a few drives to and from work when I itched to open the pages as soon as I got home (but quickly forgot as soon as I was covered in kisses, hugs and cries of "Mama!"at the daycare door).
Reading The Hunger Games trilogy reminded me of the last series I read- the Twilight books. It was just before our IVF cycle, and I dove into those books headfirst. They were such a great break from our real-world struggles, stressors and infertility battle. I'm realizing that a girl sometimes needs a break like that to lessen the stress levels and weight of the to-do list. Reading novel might just help make me a better mama. After I'm finished with the third and final Hunger Games book, I may just have to find a new fictional series to begin! Last summer, I read 5 adult books (some for work, some for fun). My goal for this summer is to increase that number.
Suggestions welcome!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
God Bless
We say prayers every night with Sam and Anna. Our prayers have morphed into something that looks a little different than what we start out with, but its that much more endearing too. At first, we said the same prayer I remember saying every night as a child, as we held Sam and Anna in our arms: Now I lay me down to rest. I pray the Lord my soul to bless.
Then one day Anna decided on her own that we needed to kneel in front of their cribs and now that's what we always do with hands folded. The "Amen!" Sam and Anna always say in conclusion is so adorable that sometimes I can't stand the cuteness overload.
A little bit ago we added in at the end "God bless Mama and Daddy, Sam and Anna (although we alternate which toddler name goes first every other day), Bella (our dog) and ________." Each night we supply one additional thing that stood out in our day. It's something that is important to us, or something we are thankful for. Almost always the adults have been the ones to add the new word.
Tonight our blessings went like this: "God bless Mama and Daddy, Sam and Anna, Bella and ..." then without skipping a beat, Sam enthusiastically added, "ice cream!"
Yeah, we took an impromptu walk after dinner to the nearest ice cream shop instead of our usual route. It was warm out, my job is stressful and I was craving ice cream, and I think that's reason enough. Bedtime may have started almost 30 minutes late, but after shortening the routine a little, Sam and Anna's bedtime was only a little delayed.
Yeah Buddy, God bless ice cream, too. Especially the kind with chocolate in it.
Then one day Anna decided on her own that we needed to kneel in front of their cribs and now that's what we always do with hands folded. The "Amen!" Sam and Anna always say in conclusion is so adorable that sometimes I can't stand the cuteness overload.
A little bit ago we added in at the end "God bless Mama and Daddy, Sam and Anna (although we alternate which toddler name goes first every other day), Bella (our dog) and ________." Each night we supply one additional thing that stood out in our day. It's something that is important to us, or something we are thankful for. Almost always the adults have been the ones to add the new word.
Tonight our blessings went like this: "God bless Mama and Daddy, Sam and Anna, Bella and ..." then without skipping a beat, Sam enthusiastically added, "ice cream!"
Yeah, we took an impromptu walk after dinner to the nearest ice cream shop instead of our usual route. It was warm out, my job is stressful and I was craving ice cream, and I think that's reason enough. Bedtime may have started almost 30 minutes late, but after shortening the routine a little, Sam and Anna's bedtime was only a little delayed.
Yeah Buddy, God bless ice cream, too. Especially the kind with chocolate in it.
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