Reston Mom

Who's in charge here?

I'm so amused by the way my youngest daughter Maddie checks my authority.  It's not at all subtle or sneaky, it is blatant and hilarious!  Case in point: tonight at dinner Maddie quickly drank all of her milk and then asked for more.  I told her that she could have water but would not be allowed to have more milk until she had eaten her dinner.  At that point, Maddie defiantly screamed at me with a whiny undertone, "No mommy! No water! Maaaaaaaahmy!"  To which I calmly responded, "Maddie, you may not talk to me like that.  If you do so again, you will be told to go sit on the stairs."  She looks at me and in a softer tone says, "noooo".  Now I'm watching to see what she will do, and likewise she is watching me to see what I will do.  So she cranks out a louder whine "NOOOOO MAAAAHMEEEE" followed by a conspicuously fake whine "ahhh ahhh wahh".  She looks at me.  "Maddie, go sit on the stairs."  She looks at me, stands up easily and proceeds to the stairs while producing a completely contrived set of whines "ahh whahhh.....wahhh...sniff sniff...fake frown"   Once seated on the stairs she continues for a moment with the fake whining (while I snicker at Matt over the obviousness of her acting).  And only a moment later sweetly calls, "Okay mommy, I'm better now."  "Okay darlin'" I reply, "you can come back and join us again."  She happily trots in, sits down, holds up her cup and smiling says "Mommy, may I please have a cup of water?"
This charade clearly had nothing to do with water, and everything to do with her checking the rules again today to see if Mommy and Daddy are still the ones in charge around here.

little bookworm

I love when Maddie climbs up in a big chair with a book to read by herself.  It is just very cute....look at the way her little feet just poke out from beneath that book and barely hang over the chair at all!  She gets mad when I interrupt her with taking pictures.

Stop taking pictures mom.

No, I mean it....you better stop....

rockin' dreams

The capture is a little blurry...but here's my rock-star Maddie still pumping her fist to the music even after falling asleep.

Hope discovered trampoline fun!

milestones

All I can say is that it is an amazing feeling when you trust your young children with a certain level of responsibility and they come through! We are finally to the point where I can tell my kids, who are playing with toys downstairs, that I am going upstairs to take a shower and get ready for the day and that I'd like them to go get ready too. And, by the time I've finished my shower, the girls - who could have chosen to stay where they were and continue playing, have instead worked together to choose their clothing and dress in it, brush their teeth, and brush their hair. 
Now mind you, the outfits they pick might not be what I would have chosen for them - sometimes they leave the house looking a tad ridiculous...and their teeth might not be cleaned perfectly.  I'm okay with that. I try very hard not to criticize or re-do their efforts.  They can't quite manage barettes and ponytails by themselves yet, so I get to finish their hair.  But I'll help with their teeth before bed and lay down my pride in having children who are dressed in super cute little outfits in exchange for seeing them grow in responsibility and enjoy it....and it saves us all some time too.

overheard

I overheard this conversation while my 4 yr. old was playing with some toys...it just cracked me up!

"Cows in the jungle?"
"I don't see any cows in the jungle"
"that's because cows don't live in the jungle, city kid!"

Paper's Edge

I can't help but adore the simplified design of these paper cuts from Emily at Papers' Edge.  Share the colors of your child's room and a little bit of information, and she'll create an original one of these super cute and modern personalized images of your child/baby.  I would love to have one of these for each of my two girls hanging side by side on their currently blank bedroom wall - when they are grown, I would hang them in my own space to remind me of the preciousness of their childhood.

the perfect playhouse

The men at my church decided to get together regularly for a couple of weeks to talk about men stuff and....to build this amazing playhouse for my girls! How cool is that?  It's beautiful.  The details are amazing - inside a little white board and a bar for playing/eating at; outside fully trimmed with silicone caulk to water proof it and the most adorable little window ledge and corrugated roof.  So much time and effort and finance went into this and I feel so totally honored. The girls are absolutely loving it and are negotiating for their favorite paint colors.  Those guys don't know how much joy they've brought to my little girls - what an amazing gift!  Thank you seems too small.

backyard graffiti

Spent a few hours today with my good friend and her two daughters.  The weather was so beautiful, we knew we had to be outside.  Having four energetic kids four years and under in our tiny paved backyard seemed like asking for chaos.  But, the day was whiled away peacefully as Lena and I sat and sipped our coffee and watched the kids play happily for hours.  All the credit goes to those giant cardboard box castles left over from family night and a box of markers.  Who knew that crawling in and out of boxes while covering them in abundant graffiti could captivate the girls for so long!  I'm definitely going to throw a couple of boxes and some art supplies into the backyard with the kids again from time to time!

lilaguide

If you aren't familiar with lilaguide, you might find it a helpful resource.  Self-tagged as the "word-of-mouth survival guide" it is chock full of information - baby gear, shops, activities, groups, services, restaurants and more are listed and then reviewed by real parents.  It's available for tons of different cities nationwide, including several right here in Northern Va.  Click here to see if there's one for your city.

little singers and dancers

Spent a couple of hours today at the playgrounds over at Bready Park in Herndon (good uncrowded playgrounds, if you've never visited.)  The girls were enthralled with watching people play tennis on the nearby courts and clapping for them.  But, they spent at least 30 minutes straight simply dancing and singing on the sidewalk.  No kidding.  30 minutes dancing and singing, happy and free.  I couldn't help but be slightly envious and totally entertained.  I also found myself wondering - do all little girls do this?  'Cause mine are always singing and dancing - all around the house, in the car, outside, everywhere! 

when preschoolers paint....

I love to let the girls paint, but their creativity and interest seem to stretch beyond the boundaries of the paper.  Somehow it always ends up like this.  No, I take that back - because this isn't where it ended.  I failed to get pictures of them using each other as full-body canvases shortly after this. I see their motive now in suggesting that they just paint in their underwear instead of donning their designated "painting" clothes.  No staying in the lines here......

4 yr old funnies

.....when Hope found that her spoon had been completely licked clean of brownie batter, she turned to her rather messy little sister.....

playground parenting

My daughter Hope had two separate run-ins with some poorly behaving children at the playground recently.  The first was when she was waiting politely to ask a girl (who was climbing up and down the slide repeatedly) if she might have a turn, but before she got the chance to even approach the girl, the girl came bolting at Hope for no reason - stopping an inch from her face to yell menacingly.  My daughter's feelings were so hurt.  Secondly, a little boy pushed Hope from the ladder, landing her on her butt on the ground - and then lied about it repeatedly.  In both cases, any parents were either completely absent from the scene or totally disinterested in being involved in any way.  Clearly, I am not going to allow the safety of my own children to be jeopardized...but when otherwise is it okay to step in and deal with another child's behavior? I don't want to lash out in an emotionally driven response to another child and I do want to leave room for my children to learn to deal with things by themselves (I don't want to be the playground police).  But what is the correct response for dealing with children who are making playground time miserable for the other kids present and whose parents don't care? My daughters are still learning how to deal with this kind of thing, how do I best stand up for them in the meantime?

no taunting your sister!

Usually Hope is the one who sometimes likes to tease her little sister - by holding a toy out of reach, for instance. (Most of the time, the girls are busy hugging and kissing and loving each other - but there are those moments....) Of course, teasing and taunting are not tolerated in our household.  But little Maddie has a streak in her that she keeps under wraps until just the right moment.  Up until now she has really never been guilty of this particular offense, but I totally had to restrain my laughter today when she grabbed some dolls Hope had previously been playing with (and hadn't allowed Maddie to join in) and started running through the house all smiles singing "you can't catch me! you can't catch me!"   Of course, Hope could catch her and did.  Still, this tactic has never been demonstrated to either of the girls - Maddie pulled it out all by herself.  Just goes to show that kids don't need mischievous others to teach them how to tease or misbehave...it's inherent. 

Age-Appropriate Manners

I recently attended a parenting seminar where I received a bunch of resources.  One thing that was touched upon was the decline of "manners" in our society and the necessity of teaching and holding our children accountable for common courtesy.  Among our hand-outs was a list of age-appropriate manners taken from the book You Can Raise a Well-Mannered Child by June Hines Moore.  It's clearly not exhaustive, but I've included it below.  However, let us remember that the goal is not to hold your kids to a long list of obligatory rules but rather to train our children to be considerate of others rather than self-serving individuals as a whole. 
age 3-4

• saying hello and good-bye
• saying please and thank-you
• shaking hands
• making eye-contact

age 4-5

• saying excuse me
• using a fork and spoon properly
• asking for food to be passed
• using a napkin
• talking without a mouth full of food
• not interrupting others

age 5-6

• proper behavior for a reasonable amount of time in public places, such as not making a scene or talking too loudly

age 6-10

• saying excuse me when interrupting becomes necessary
• respond when spoken to
• showing respect for disabled individuals
• offering help when it is needed
• showing respect for elders, such as allowing older people to enter/exit first, speaking respectfully and offering assistance
• refraining from making hurtful comments of judgements such as "that's an ugly dress"
• good manners when visiting
• making the bed
• writing thank-you notes

age 10-12

• exercising discretion
• speak softly when calling someone to the telephone
• refrain from sassing
• respect property at home and away
• answer the telephone properly
• keep his/her room neat and clean
• do assigned chores cheerfully, punctually, and efficiently
• play music at a resonably low decibel
• respect privacy of others
• wait one's proper turn in line
• say excuse me when bumping into someone
• attend to one's guest
• write thank you notes for gifts, overnight visits, and special treats of any kind
• be punctual
• respect the driver of the car
• deposit trash in the proper receptacle
• observe rules of safety
• be kind to animals
• respect others' privacy, including siblings

age 12-20

• observing house rules about the noise level
• leaving sufficient gas in the tank of family car
• not blocking driveway
• cleaning up after parties
• not receiving or making late-night phone calls
• not having unapproved friends visit when parents are away
• cell phone etiquette

flossing for preschoolers

Maybe some of you are already ahead of me in teaching your kids great hygiene habits such as flossing their teeth...but I've just recently introduced this to my girls and received a really amazing response.  Since Hope has seen me floss my own teeth, she's asked about it before - so we did have a little "prep" conversation several months ago.  However, on the way to the store this week I casually told the girls I was going to pick up something special for them to use to floss their teeth.  I purchased a package of G.U.M. Eez-Thru flossers and brought them home.  The girls were dying to try out this new small plastic colorful gadget and literally begged me to let them brush their teeth and then floss.  I anticipated the excitement wearing off as soon as they met the reality of running the floss between each of their little teeth - but nooooo, amazingly they still thought it was really cool.  The next morning they both came charging into my room asking to brush their teeth right away so they could have them flossed. They are still totally into the flossing thing even now.  Who would have guessed?

Ask RESTONMOM - 4/11/07

Dear Restonmom,
"I know that you are a mom of girls, but I didn't know if you knew anything about little boys. There is a problem with a five year old and wetting the bed, and we don't know what to do anymore. He is not allowed to drink an hour before bed, he gets woken up before the last person in the house goes to bed to make him go, and he still ends up wetting the bed consistently Do you know of any other tricks? He just recently started doing it consistently instead of an accident every now and then, but I also know children will go through phases. Do you know anything? Thank you." - Ashley

Dear Ashley,
Bedwetting - called enuresis - is an extremely common thing among young children (even wetting every night), so don't be alarmed! Some things you might not know are that it is more common among boys than girls and it runs in families - in other words, it's likely that there is someone else in your family who had this too. Usually it eventually just stops on it's own without treatment.  The important thing to remember is that the child can't control it, it isn't their fault...but they can feel very uncomfortable, even ashamed about it.  Therefore, you'll want to avoid any kind of consequence or punishment regarding it, including verbally communicating disdain, anger, or disappointment.  It is better to encourage the child that there is nothing wrong with them, lots of people do this, and they will overcome it at some point.  Consider asking him to help take the sheets off in the morning when he awakens and put them in a designated spot with the soiled clothing as it may aid him in feeling that he is being responsible and helpful in the matter of something he otherwise cannot control.  There are no tricks to really help with this, it generally isn't caused by drinking too close to bedtime, etc... however the steps you are taking can be very helpful. Primary enuresis happens when a child has not managed to ever completely stay dry overnight through the course of time, while secondary enuresis is the term given when a child has been free from bed wetting for at least six months and then it reappears.  Secondary enuresis should be talked about with your pediatrician or child's health-care provider to make sure that there aren't other problems involved - but again, don't be alarmed as other problems are pretty rare.  I know this can be frustrating, exhausting and concerning as a parent - but take heart, it will get better and you can just be glad he doesn't have encopresis :)

in-the-bed storage

I recently saw this blanket from funkymoose - it has pockets on the side! I immediately got this - and I'm sure you will too if you have the kind of child that must have a ton of stuffed animals, books, or other items accompany them to bed. Aside from the fact that these items inevitably end up all over the floor, under the bed, twisted in the covers, shoved between the wall and the mattress, or slept right on top of....I thought this would be a great incentive to limit the amount of items that could be brought into bed...three pockets? three items! And what kid doesn't like to hide things in pockets and pull them out over and over again?  For a child who is slightly older, this would be a great idea for hiding a book and a flashlight or a journal.  It makes me want to go and sew fun little pockets all over my girls' blankets!

No slippy hair clippy

I ran into a friend at the grocery store who was so excited about these No Slippy Hair Clippy barettes that she just had to tell me! Apparently they really do work great!  I wish I had known about them when my girls were born with heads totally full of fine baby hair - even now, I continue to search for really great barettes.  I have to say that these are so super cute too that it's really hard to choose! Here are a few of my faves - but there are a ton of styles to choose freom. My girls would go crazy over these and I'd go crazy over finally being able to keep their hair out of their faces!

Where Fish Go in Winter....

We discovered this book which is simply great for curious little minds - Where Fish Go in Winter and Other Great Mysteries by Amy Goldman Koss.  The book is a Puffin level 3 easy-to-read and does a straightforward job of answering questions such as why does popcorn pop?  What do clouds feel like? Why do leaves change color? Do spiders stick to their own webs? What is the sound inside a seashell? and more.  Each question is answered in rhyming poetry and accompanied by brilliantly colored illustrations. For young children who are in the "why? why? why?" phase, this is a fun and captivating choice - and it's sure to develop a greater interest in noticing and understanding the world around them for any child. 

ASK RESTONMOM - 4/2/07

Dear Restonmom,
"What preparations, if any, (and other than potty training) should you do with your kiddo who's getting ready to go to preschool? Thanks." - Leah

Dear Leah,
  Thanks for your question - a great one! I'll be there's a bunch of moms wondering the same question as they look ahead to fall preschools.  "Pre" school is really a big tutorial for what's to come...so don't worry to much about preparing a child to go and be preparing for school and other activities - that's kind of what it's all about.  The best suggestions I can make are simply to talk to your child to reassure them in advance of such a big transition in their routine - talk about preschool, other kids who go, read books about it, etc.  Keep reinforcing all the good manners, sharing, etc... that you are already working on, and begin to let them take on some bits of responsibility like getting dressed or helping to pack snacks/lunch so that they can feel excited about this new preschool thing that only "big kids" get to do and so that they feel a little bit empowered to handle life.  I would teach the child the name of the teacher and make sure that they know they can talk to him/her.  For example, my daughter Hope (who has been well potty trained for a long time) had a bit of an accident during class when she started ballet simply because she didn't realize that it was okay to ask the teacher to leave instruction to go use the bathroom.  It seems obvious, but sometimes children are timid about things like that.  And, make a special "good-bye" ritual to ease the separation anxiety - such as a special phrase, handshake or whatever.  I hope these tips are helpful, but I especially help that some other moms who have been through this will offer some comments here since we aren't sending our daughter to preschool.  Best wishes - preschool is an exciting time!

kids and bad dreams

Recently, we've been experiencing a phenomenon which apparently isn't so uncommon to children around Hope's age - bad dreams.  Luckily, Hope is very verbal and is able to tell us exactly what is going on.  From that, we've been able to deduce that her dreams aren't clearly related to anything that she has read or seen (which is both comforting and a little unsettling for me as a parent).  Also, we've thought through things such as "Is she feeling insecure due to lack of routine, change, stress or other things?"  We don't think so.  So, we've just been doing the best we can to talk to her, reassure and comfort her.  She's asked us to play some lullaby-type music at bedtime so that she can think about the words - and I thought that was a great idea.  And she asked us to pray for her and I think it has been helpful for her to feel that big, strong God is watching over and protecting her.  I was wondering, if you have encountered this with your own children - what seemed to help them?

I'm going on a bug hunt.....

I love Target's dollar spot!  Today after running some errands, I allowed the girls to pick out two butterfly nets and a package of plastic bugs.  It doesn't sound like much, but it makes for hours of fun around here.  Last year, we attended a birthday party that had a cute bug theme.  The mother hid plastic bugs around outside, provided cute little bug catcher box thingys and sent the kids on a scavenger hunt. Ever since then, my girls have occasionally set up their own such scavenger hunts in our house or around the backyard.  The addition of the nets was such a hit....and they'll get to try them out on real butterflies soon. 

enlarging the fun

Hope had been bugging me for a magnifying glass for a while, so I included them in the Easter baskets this year.  They've been a big hit!  The girls are having tons of fun exploring their world a little more closely.

Community Spelling Bee

Here's a great opportunity!   SCORE! (located in the Northpoint Village Center) is hosting a community-wide spelling bee.  The spelling bee is completely free of charge and open to kids from K-10th grades.  The winners have the chance to WIN UP TO $1500 in college savings bonds! Here's what you need to know:

When:
Saturday, March 29th
11-2:00 pm

Where:
Mott Community Center
12111 Braddock Rd
Fairfax, VA 20124

To Register:
registration is free
call (703) 464-9300 or visit SCORE! at 1424 North Point Village Center before March 29th.

If you are unfamiliar with SCORE! Educational Centers you may find it a great resource.  Their mission is to deliver academic progress in a fun learning environment to inspire kids grades Pre-K through 10th to love learning.

 

A morning in the life of mom

Got this email from a dear friend of mine (who will remain anonymous) and I just had to share it with you.  Now this is authentic parenting!!!!

My day so far-besides starting the day sick with my congestion and a significant cough:

9:00 let the hooligans out of their rooms, both arguing about what they won’t wear

9:15 breakfast

9:30 While I’m on phone with doctor’s office on hold for a bill I already paid for and have the receipt for, Baby Girl dumps bowl of milk on top of her hair. Despite quick attempts to wash it out, it is currently sticking straight up and has the consistency of straw. While cleaning that up, Little Boy stands on the fireplace and projectile spits an entire mouthful of milk all over the floor and carpet. I never did get through to the doctor’s since I had to get off the phone to deal with the kids.

 

The rest of the exact times are a blur now, it’s 11:30 currently:

 

-My mom calls. The cordless phone dies. I plug in the other phone. While plugging in other phone, Baby Girl pulls out the craft box. Little Boy finds the red glitter glue and spreads it all over the tv screen, couch, fireplace, children’s chairs and coffee table(in mere seconds). After cleaning that up and disciplining him, I call my husband to also give Little Boy a talking to. For the two minutes on the phone with my husband, Little Boy walks over to the corner and pees on the carpet. While I get off the phone and deal with him climbing on the dresser and peeing, Baby Girl takes out every beauty product and medication from under the sink. After I secure Baby Girl, Little Boy goes into the living room and dumps a glass full of milk on the floor(supposedly by accident). I decide at this point that I need coffee so we have a few serene minutes while Little Boy and Baby Girl help me make coffee. While I set up our craft, I realize Little Boy had misplaced a major piece of the craft in his morning dealings. I tell him to find it and he sweetly asks for help. While I help to look for it, he takes the opportunity to spray Windex from the entertainment center, still there from cleaning up the glitter glue, into my coffee and into Baby Girl’s eyes in one foul swoop. At this point, I put him in his room to think about his actions and locked the door, taking care of Baby Girl. I go pour a second cup of coffee. Upon taking it out of the microwave, I somehow lost hold of it, spilled hot coffee on every piece of clothing I had on and broke my favorite mug(however, glad to not spill it on Baby Girl). At this point I gave up and am writing this email! I’m still trying to decide if its in Little Boy’s best interest for survival to let him out of his room…

Easter Bunny? yeah right.

While Hope is fully willing to believe in Santa Claus, she's apparently a little too astute for a bunny who delivers colorful eggs and candy.  Here is the simple straightforward conversation we had recently - out of the blue, Hope asks:
"mom, is there really no Easter Bunny, right?"
me: "well, yes, not really"
Hope: "then who puts the stuff in my Easter basket?"
me: "well, who knows what kind of stuff you like?"
Hope: "you and daddy."
me: "yes."
Hope: contently "okay then."
So much for childhood fables, my girl is a realist.

flip n' flop

Here's a novel idea for the coming warmer months.....flip n' flop flip-flops for ages 4 - 8 feature a book hidden inside the secret compartment of each sole.  The books are designed to teach compassion and empathy "put yourself in my shoes."  The books are tear resistant and water resistant and kids will love keeping the books or other small treasures tucked away in their secret compartments.  You can also buy pairs of stories separately to keep the fun coming. The flip-flops come in four kid-friendly colors.  I'm a sucker for creative ideas like this!

in search of shapes

We've been loving the awesome spring-like weather around here.  A few days ago, I took the girls on a walk around the neighborhood.  Hope and I had recently been talking about shapes and so I decided to hand her my camera and allow her to take pictures of shapes that she noticed along the way.  Here are some of what she came up with - squares in a circle, cylinder, semi-circle, and rectangles.  It's great when you can do really simple things to make learning fun - and almost every four-year-old I know loves to use the camera!

Daddy Gymnastics

Oh the fun things daddy's are good for!

Ask RESTONMOM - 3/9/08

Dear Restonmom,
" I don't know how well you will know this or not but I was wondering if it is natural for toddlers to hump as they go to sleep. I was at a day care the other day and I was told that it was natural. I saw your blog and thought I would email and see what you thought or if you know of any books or websites that I could go to. I have never heard that and it is something that I want to be cautious about. Thanks." Dottie

Dear Dottie,
I'm so glad you asked this question! This is something which may feel very embarrassing to parents who might have real concerns and questions.  I actually can speak to this and am glad to have the opportunity.  This activity, humping - or otherwise masturbating, by young children is extremely common. Just as children explore and learn about all the other parts of their bodies, like hands and feet and ears....they will eventually discover that rubbing or playing with their genital areas can feel good.  This behavior becomes particularly common at times when a child is tired, stressed, watching t.v., or bored. It is done simply for soothing, comfort, or because they like the way it feels - it is not related to sex or fantasy for young children.  I have experienced this with my own daughter and I admit it is really kind of a weird and potentially uncomfortable subject to deal with. There are a few key things that are helpful to remember: first, that it is very common. Secondly, that it won't hurt the child or lead to strange sexual thoughts or practices - nor is it a symptom of poor parenting or abuse.  Third, it is important for children to learn about and appreciate all of their body as well as to have a relationship with their parent that will allow good communication about sexual values and so forth.  Therefore, it is important to be careful as adults how we react to this behavior.  We don't want to communicate anxiety or shame or punishment or fear.  The best thing to do is just to totally ignore it if it is happening at bedtime or while the child is alone in a private setting.  In any setting, it should be handled matter-of-factly but unashamedly.  Young children don't have discretion between private and public behaviors.....in the same way that you would discourage a child from other behaviors in public, you can discourage this behavior as well - either by offering distraction or simply telling them that if they would like to do that they will need to go to the bathroom or to their room and not do it when other people are around.  And one last thing to keep in mind, is that this behavior can't really be completely stopped and a parent or caretaker should not show any punitive action or demeaning attitude to the child but should learn how to teach them and direct them to what is appropriate and what is valued by their family. This is a good opportunity to start establishing natural and good means of communication with your children about their feelings and their bodies.  This can be a bit embarrassing for the parent to ask questions about, but a pediatrician can be very helpful in answering more questions about this.  It is very common, and I believe there is lots of information

Dear Readers,
Have you experienced this with your children?  How did you feel or react? Did you talk to anyone such as your pediatrician about it?

Planning with kids

I am an organized person - I feel better when everything is in a designated place, typed, arranged, filed, planned, alphabetized, categorized....you get the picture.  Then came motherhood - and let me say that I've had to let go of a lot of my expectations for remaining organized and neat at all times.  Now, some hybrid form of organized chaos now fills our days.  Nevertheless, I do find that a little bit of effort in planning ahead can go a long way toward maintaining a mother's sanity...and helping her to feel like she is making and employing good decisions for her family instead of simply being pulled along by the massive weight at the other end of the leash.  I'm still trying to figure out how you find the time to plan for things that you already are having trouble finding time to do.....but nonetheless, I do manage to plan some things - like my dinner menu for each week, though planning other things that I'd like to like a regular routine for my housework, I cannot seem to pull off.  Anyway, I found this site - Planning with Kids, and I think it's great.  So whether you are a Type A personality who is just constantly looking for more ideas and better ways to plan or whether you are looking for some help to just survive another day of this adventure with kids - or if you are just looking for ways to make family life more simple and fun..it might be worth checking it out. 

Second-hand education

I'm always amazed at what sponges little kids are...they have such an immense ability to retain stuff that they hear.  It is always fun to hear Hope suddenly include some crazy word in her vocabulary when I have no idea where she got it from...and spend the next few days like a sleuth trying to figure it out until we run across the word again in a library book or she remembers who she heard it from.  And it always tickles me when Maddie starts spewing out stuff that she clearly has overheard but that I had no idea she was paying any attention to.  For example, Hope and I have been having some fun with shapes recently.  The other day while eating at Chipotle, Maddie picked up a triangle-shaped tortilla chip, bit off the top point, held it up to me and said, "look mommy, a trapezoid!" The cuteness of a tiny two-year-old voice using such a technical word totally bowled me over!

The "responsiblity" chart

This is our little corner.  I always keep some sort of book display here in the playroom and now also the "responsibility chart" we started with Hope at the new year.  This has been one of the best things ever! It has really helped us to gain a better handle on a regular daily schedule, for Hope to accomplish things that she needs to do anyway throughout the day and feel great about it, and to eliminate a lot of the whining about picking up her things and brushing hair.  We've started very simply with just 5 things on her chart - for us, it's getting dressed in the morning, brushing hair and teeth in the morning, doing whatever "preschool" activity we have planned for the day, reading at least one book to me, and picking up her toys whenever asked. If she completes her responsibility then she gets a check for the day, at the end of the day if there are all five checks, she gets a star.  At the end of Mon.-Fri., if she has five stars, she gets to choose a coupon from mom's special coupon book.  Her coupon choices range from a pack of bubble gum or an ice cream cone to visiting the playground or playpit of her choice, to staying up 30min. past bedtime, to a book from Barnes and Noble or $2 spending money...etc...we try to keep the rewards small but enticing and as many rewards involving time and play and relationship as possible vs. food or money rewards.  So far, our chart has had big success.  I think the key is to keep the amount of tasks limited and have rewards that are instant (check), daily (star), and fun/worthwhile (coupon).  Hope is also gaining money handling skills by being issued a signed coupon that she then has to safely keep until she presents it for use and she has learned all seven days of the week. The tasks are things that for the most part she needs to do anyway, so eventually we will remove these items from the chart (while keeping them as part of our regular day) and replace them with additional items - such as maybe setting the table for dinner or sorting her own laundry for washing. 

It's bathtime, kids! (Why I love !)

I love bath time for the girls...cute naked tooshies, rosy clean faces, kids contained all in one small space! What's not to love? Though, sometimes at the end of a long day as we're getting the kids ready for bed, I admit it seems a bit of a chore and I have a hard time not rushing them through it.  But occasionally, like today, we rearrange our schedule a bit and the girls get a morning or mid-day bath instead.  They get to stay in for a really long time and enjoy themselves...and I get to have them both contained and entertained while I soak my feet or sit nearby and give myself a little mani/pedi....or maybe indulge in a magazine or book...or even just enjoy the time to play with them.  While there might be a few extra wet towels and washcloths and a mountain of toys left in the tub in the end, at least there is no mess being made elsewhere and I get some time to slow down a bit and it all results in clean, well-groomed children.

Hear this! proclamations of a 4 yr. old

My daughter Hope has an interesting way of requesting attention.  Instead of "listen to this, mommy" or simply just speaking, she starts with a nice loud emphatic "Hear this!" and occasionally just a mild, "hear this, mommy...."  The manner in which she does this is sometimes startling - it jolts me into listening as if some great orator was about to impart life-changing wisdom unto me...."Hear this:"  and the fact that it is coming from a small girl and is usually followed by some nonsensical word she made up for the sake of laughter or some small observation about the world around her, always tickles my sense of humor.  It's a truly cute quirk, but it also serves to remind me to focus and really hear what she is saying (verbally and otherwise), to acknowledge her as she makes discoveries about life or creates jokes and stories, to not miss out on all the excitement of life through the eyes of a child nor the preciousness of life through the eyes of a mother. 

cousins and writing plays

Recently our girls got to visit with a few of their cousins that they don't see very often.  Emily is two years older than Hope, but the two of them make easy pals. Hope adores her cousin and relished the opportunity to play with her.  The two of them ate early and spent dinnertime creating "plays" for the adults to watch.  Ahhh...the memories.  I can't believe my little girl has graduated to the age where she is totally occupied with play at family gatherings - excited to see her cousins, off doing her thing...engaging in that age-old girlhood pastime of making plays. 

Ask RESTONMOM - 2/16/07

Dear Restonmom,
"We are moving to Oakton this spring and I am looking for summer camp-like activities for my 3 and 5 year olds. Any art or science like activities in the area that you know about? Thanks for your time!"  Jen

Dear Jen,
  Welcome to the area! There are so many camps here that you'll have more difficulty deciding among them. While I am most familiar with the Reston area, most of the neighboring communities will also have a lot to offer you. Narrowing it down to art and science for 3-5 year olds, I can hopefully give you a few places to start.  The Reston Association has some good camps which might fit what you are looking for, specifically "Nature tots" (3-5), "Hug a tree" (5-7), and the mini camps (5-10).  If you can get past the sub-par names, they are worth checking out.  The Reston Community Center also hosts a variety of camps that would be worth taking a look at as well.  I don't know if either of your children are girls or are interested in dance or performing arts, but the Reston Conservatory of Ballet offers some spectacularly cute summer camps too.  You might also want to check out Abrakadoodle for some good art-based camps as well as Curiosity Zone (in Ashburn) which has some really cool science based camps for ages 4-6. Frying Pan Farm hosts summer camps for youngsters as well where they get some fun experience around the farm and animals. These are all basically week-long day camps (as opposed to overnight camps) which is what I suspect you are looking for. There are a myriad of other camps that I am neglecting, so if none of these seems to fit what you are looking for, the community center and other local businesses often carry publications which list every camp available in the area.  I do hope that you will enjoy Oakton and find just what you are looking for. Thanks for your question, very apt as many parents will soon be researching summer camps as well!

Dear Readers,
If you know of any other camps to suggest to Jen, please help our friend out by leaving a comment.  Also, if you have kids who have attended camps, we'd love to hear about your experience - positive or negative.  Thanks!

Crazy 8 clothes

We don't have one of these yet, but I hope that we will soon.  In August, Gymboree opened it's first of a new chain of concept stores which offer those cool styles that have made Gymboree really popular, but at 30% of the price.  For example, long sleeve T's start at 2 for $6. Crazy 8 outfits newborns to child size 14, both boys and girls. While they hope to have plenty of stores up and running soon, you'll have to shop online until then.

Put a little Oompa in your playtime

And, though the toys go on and on...and so does my fondness for them, I'm going to wrap up my little excursion and showcase with these by Deglingo. I love Molo the lobster. So cute in that quirky, offbeat kind of way - they just beg to be taken home with you! And you can find these and all the other toys I have highlighted this week at Oompa toys.  I hope you have as much fun perusing as I did!

This toy really stacks up!

I'm not through with my big toy kick yet - I just couldn't leave these out! They are everything a basic block set is and so much more!  Creative, fun, versatile and ultra cute! Haba Stacking Animals.

a real treat from Yellow Label Kids

Okay, how can you resist these???? They are just too sweet! Utterly Irresistible!
Knitted donut assortment from Yellow Label Kids.

The workings of a 4 yr. old mind

Hope is masterful at bombarding me with questions while we drive, I sometimes find myself at a loss at how to answer them.  Here are just a few quotes from our ride today:

• Why do some people call Santa Claus St. Nick?
• Why do mosquitoes need to live near water?
• Is the Easter Bunny not really real and who puts the candy in the basket?
• How do we get babies? How do babies get in our tummies?
• Why is there water in the clouds?
• Why do we build more roads?

I'm hung up on P'kolino!

Continuing my obsession this week with really cute toys and items for the kids, I have to include this. Love it! It would make such a great item in our play room to hang dress-up clothes on, or brilliant in the winter for all those hats,scarves, coats, snow gear and things that seem to be floating around the house, or just every day in the bedroom for miscellaneous apparel. Any little boys out there with growing ball cap collections? Totally cute! Clothes tree from P'kolino.

Maggie Tales

Maggie Tales instant storytime offers a great solution to waiting in lines, riding on planes or in