Monthly Archives: June 2011

Toddler Book Review – Tanka Tanka Skunk, by Steve Webb

Posted on June 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

I want to start out by saying… I L-O-V-E LOVE this book! It’s not often I find a favorite by random selection at the public library… but this was one of those rare finds!

Tanka Tanka Skunk, by Steve Webb, is a great way to introduce your toddler to rhythm. You follow Tanka the elephant and Skunk the, you guessed it, skunk, through the book as they drum away their own names and the names of all sorts of other animals. Learn that “kangaroo” has three beats and “caterpillar” has four beats, then put all the animal names into stanza form and chant out the rhythm.

This book is perfect for toddlers. It is great for pre-readers and early readers because it teaches the division of words into syllables. It is not story-driven, and there are only a few words to read on each page. The illustrations are fun, lively and colorful. They only add to the already engaging read. My two-and-a-half-year-old loves the pictures and asks what all the animals are. He also loves to chant along with the line that’s repeated throughout the book, “Skunka Tanka Skunka Tanka Tanka Tanka Skunk!”

Pick up Tanka Tanka Skunk on Amazon… like, now. Or check it out at your local library. You and your toddler will love it! Promise promise.

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Tagged Nest

Discouragement in Motherhood

Posted on June 14, 2011 | 2 Comments

I want to start a business.

I want to be a known choreographer.

I want to speak into young people’s lives.

I want to lead Bible studies.

I want to read… for pleasure.

I want to go to half-price sushi with friends.

I want to take a shower, just one time (or maybe two), without a child in the bathroom with me, or worrying that someone will wake up, or injure himself while playing with the fan when he’s supposed to be on the bed watching a video. I want to let the water fall down over my head without the thought, “ok how much longer do I have before someone freaks out” going through my head.

Do you ever have one of these days? It seems that everything you don’t get to do is right at the forefront and it’s all you can see. You wake up in the morning, look at your kids, and say to yourself, “Well, Self, I guess we have another day of the same ‘ol diaper changing, snack-giving, truck playing, baby nursing, afternoon-slump-avoiding, dinner making, baby nursing, diaper changing, baby nursing, baby nursing, baby nursing…”

Today was one of those days for me.

Motherhood can be so discouraging in some moments. It can seem thankless, pointless, purposeless, and endless. But things aren’t always as they seem.

I want to remind myself tonight, and remind you (in case you had a day like this today) that I am BLESSED. Being a mom is hard work. It is from the moment I open my eyes in the morning to the moment I close them at night and sometimes a few times in between HARD WORK. But it is not purposeless. It is not pointless. And while it might not have an END in this life, there will be a time when my children no longer see me as their confidante, and they will turn to other friends and partners in this life. And I want to know, when that day comes, that I have invested my whole heart in those lives, that I can confidently send them into the world knowing I have done the job that the LORD God Almighty, the greatest Father, has given me to do.

We don’t always get what we want. That’s part of being the grown-up. And I don’t think I can raise kind, giving, Godly kids unless I’m ok with being the grown-up.

But sometimes we do get what we long for, because God loves to give good gifts to His children. So I will trust that this is only a season. Winter is cold, and icy, and windy, and melty… but when the snow falls so softly over the tree outside my front window, and the sun comes out and shines on the white mountain peak, and I get to cook hot chocolate on the stove top, I am reminded that there is beauty and bliss and wonderfulness in even the harshest of seasons.

Here is my heart, Lord. You can have it all. In giving to my children, I really give to You. In serving them, I really serve You. In loving them, I really love You. And I believe that You will return to me all that I invest and more.

And this is a season worth investing in.

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Posted in Family

Tagged Family

Homemade Play-Dough

Posted on June 11, 2011 | 2 Comments

Every morning Maddox and I do something I like to call “Table Time!” When Lily goes down for her first nap, we head to our used-and-abused kitchen table and bust out ANYTHING fun (and usually educational, but don’t tell him that) that he and I can do together, just the two of us, with no distractions. There is finger painting, puzzle assembling, sticker sticking, glue slopping, letter finding, paper coloring… I could go on and on. But one of my favorite things we’ve done at Table Time is PLAY-DOUGH MAKING! That’s right. Super fast, super easy, super FUN… it’s Homemade Play-Dough! Here’s how ya do it…

Gather your ingredients. If you’re working with a toddler or young kiddo, you might want to measure everything out before unleashing the beast. That keeps things less hectic at my table, anyway.

You Need:
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/8-1/4 C salt (I prefer less salt, you might prefer more)
1 Tbsp cream of tartar
1/2 C water
1 Tbsp oil
food coloring, if desired

Mix your dry ingredients together in a bowl. Is it just me, or do you totally see a man with a mustache waving at you in the flour???

How bout now…

Ok enough of that. Now pour in your water and oil and give it a good stir. Get the lumps out.

This is a great thing for that young one to help with. Maddox wanted to wash his hands. Nope, sorry son! You’re stayin’ messy till we’re all done!

Stir in your food coloring. This was Maddox’s favorite part!

Now transfer that goop to a pot or saucepan on the stove and turn the heat to medium. (There is not some freakish neon light over my stove – you’re just getting photos from two different batches, hence the new color.)

You gotta keep stirring… it only needs a little heat before it starts taking form. If you walk away you will scorch your play-dough. I speak from experience.