The Kids' Reading Corner: Library Success!

We have had some successful library picks this month! I did find several them from a podcast I listen to and some were ones that caught my eye. 

From the top picture: 

Ratings 1= not so good, 2= OK, 3 = Awesome!!!

Owl Diaries #1: - This is a super cute book. Reading it out loud can be a little annoying with the "owl" made up words - like "owlerrific" but I am improving! There are already 5 or so of these books out. When I went back to get #2 they were all out. We picked up #5 that we are reading now. I do not think it is a series that has to be read in order. The art is adorable and the words per page are not a lot, which makes it perfect for Meli's age (5/6).

Colin = 3

Meli = 3

Mom = 3

Ninja!  - The kids loved this book! It was very cute and entertaining. 

Colin = 3

Meli = 3

Mom = 3

Just a Minute: I really enjoyed reading this one. It was very cute! Meli was a little confused as to why the skeleton wanted the grandma to go with her. It had a happy ending though.

Colin = 3

Meli = 3

Mom = 3

Without You: I picked this one, since I have a moody girl. I think the message was understood. Hopefully. Both kids liked the art. 

Colin = 2

Meli = 2

Mom = 3 (topic)

Dog Man: I did not read this book, but Colin did on his own. He loved it!! I got it since it is similar to the Diary of a Whimpy kid books, which Colin has read over and over. 

Colin = 3

The Parthenon: I loved how this book was organized and the information was great for his age. He is getting into mythology which makes this mom so excited. I did a minor in Greek Civilization, so right up my alley!

Colin = 3

Mom = 3

We finished the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. This has been our longest books we have tried to read out loud. Colin and I loved the book! We are excited for the second book. Meli enjoyed it on days that she paid attention more. The author had a very smooth writing style, which I love for read aloud books. I highly recommend this book.

Colin = 3

Meli = 2

Mom = 3

Everybody Loves Cupcake: Super cute book!! I loved the jokes, the kids did not get them all.

Colin = 3

Meli = 3

Mom = 3

Magnificent Magical Beast: Colin just read this himself. He loved it!

Colin = 3

Shh! We have a plan: The kids thought this was so funny!

Colin = 3

Meli = 3

Mom = 2

Meli loved all of the books above. I think the best for reading (Meli) are the Otto ones. I got all of these from a list of books that were supposed to be the level (1) that they say they are. I get frustrated with some of the early reading books that say one, but then have way too many words and not the easiest words. The four of these Meli could read on her own, with my help with a few of the words. 

Nuts in Space: This was a cute book. The order of reading was a little hard to know with all of the word bubbles. I love the incorporation of Star Wars and Star Trek. Very entertaining.

Colin = 3

Meli = 2 (grumpy)

Mom = 3

Very Red Riding Hood: A very cute book. 

Colin = 3

Meli = 3

Mom = 3

                                                              ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                                         The B Family

One Lucky Lady: Reflection on Mother's Day

My Mom

I am not a big fan of holidays that are based less on traditions and more for consumer spending. I know that a lot of the traditional ones have been invaded by that as well, but for me, I know why I am celebrating those and I have strong feelings for doing so. My husband and I do not celebrate Valentine’s Day, but we do something with the kids. I personally do not have expectations for the holidays like that (for me), but am not against doing something if the kids enjoy it. It just means more to me if it is random rather than “I got you these flowers because the stores told me too”.  I am though, very grateful for the amazing moms that I am blessed to have in my life… I also love making things and giving gifts. So, I tend to make things for people for Mother’s Day. This year, I made jewelry hangers, lotions, and lip balm. I also tried making a watercolor card!

My Mother-in-Law

I love my moms! I do not know what I would do if I did not have my mom and mother-in-law in my life. They have both given me such love and friendship. My mom is easily my best friend. I love that we can talk about anything and we have fun doing projects together. She has so much knowledge and skills to share with me. I am sad that I do not live near Liz anymore. I love her sense of humor and just being around her. I regret that when I was DC we did not do more mom/daughter dates like we did in Occoquan. These two women are such great examples of strength, love, and kindness.

“Let me love you a little more before you’re not little anymore” -  Unknown

The other part of this holiday, is from the perspective of me being a mom. This Mother’s Day has made me focus more on the stage my kids are at and just how truly fast it goes. I love the quote above.  I want to cherish the moments of their childhood more. The little quirks, things they say, are so easily enjoyed but forgotten. I need to be better at my journal I am writing for each of them, so that I do not lose those. I want them to know how much fun I had with them and  how funny they were.

I was picked to be the mom to two very adventurous, loving, sweet, funny, and caring kids. I want to always work on being in the moment. In this day and age it is so easy to get lost in the “world” and lose track of what is going on. I do not want to miss their crazy stories, their silly jokes, and their little giggles. I may not be a perfect mom, I make mistakes, I lose my patience, but I want to make sure that they see me as a happy mom. That they know they are loved and that they make me so happy. If they end up having me (as a mom) in their head moving forward – I want to take care of what that voice is. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating one of the toughest but most fulfilling roles. Sending positive vibes to all of those moms who are struggling, to those who have experienced the horrific loss, & those who may not have the title of mom but have hope to be. Love & Light...It pains me that this day can be a tough one for some. I hope that peace finds you...

                                                   ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                                 The B Family

The Birthday Girl

First birthday

On Wednesday, my daughter turned the big 6! I am excited and sad at the same time. She is growing up way too fast for this mama. Recently, there have been some very noticeable changes in her personality and maturity that have thrown me for a loop. Well, I should not say changes…that is not the correct word. Certain aspects of her personality have really blossomed and have become more noticeable. So more emphasis on key characteristics. 

She loves rain & sunshine

With her birthday being so close to Mother’s Day, we usually try to celebrate with her friends a different weekend. She still does not understand that concept fully. She was confused as to why her friends did not come over on her birthday or this weekend.  She does get to have a friend sleepover, which should be fun. Her best friend is so sweet! I think she wants her party to happen because she really wants her Moana cake. She keeps changing her cake request. It started with Moana, then Trolls, then Shopkins. Now it is back to Moana. Thankfully, I have not ordered it yet, since we still have some time. 

A few hours before heading to the hospital

My darling little baby is becoming such a sweet, fierce, free-spirited girl. I love her style and admire some of her qualities that will help her when she is older. Ones that can be frustrating as a parent, but I think can be a real benefit later on. If she uses them in the right way. Chooses to use her powers for good (as Will would say, lol). 

During my pregnancy with her, we already knew that we would not go past a certain date (unless she came early on her own). I remember the day before. We were going into the hospital that evening to start the induction process. It was the first night Colin ever stayed the night away from both of us. Such an exciting and nerve-racking time. 

Meli LOVES Moana!

Our little adventure seeker - she loves her scooter

I am so blessed to be this little sunshine’s mom. What a joy she brings to our lives. Stress at times too, but mostly joy.

Will is so excited that she loves Lego sets.

Happy birthday to my little cuddle bug. My sunshine. My hummingbird.  Walela.

My sunshine

She chose a blue monster for her home cake

She loves her gifts from Grandma!

                                                      ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                              The B Family

A is for Awesome!

I love to see the different aspects of Meli's personality starting to blossom and really show in every day situations. She is really funny! It just brightens my day to hear her little imagination play to herself or when she is making up a story. She is doing fairly good at reading now, but she still enjoys just looking at the pictures and telling her own story. Colin told me last night that he loves to listen to her stories that she makes up. Love my kiddos! 

Meli got a hold of Daddy's hat the other day. I turned to see her as she is in the top picture. I think she was sitting like that for a good chunk of  time before we noticed. She can be very patience when she wants to. Then when everyone noticed her she just started laughing. 

I cannot believe this is her last day as a 5 year old.

Tea Time w/Meli

Using Grandma's Tea set

A right of passage in many girl's life is tea time. Whether pretending or real tea it is something that is gravitated towards. Even with as much of a tomboy that I was, I enjoyed tea time with my mom and brothers. Now in our "tea time" there was no dressing up or anything like that. We did however, use real tea (with lots of cream). 

Meli is a mix of tomboyish roughness and girly interest. She loves tea time. I think in this picture she may have her Supergirl costume on. 

I tried to get her to try real tea, but she ended up with warm cocoa. She was able to add her cream still and actually a sugar cube, which made me cringe a little. 

It was an impromptu event with a friend of hers. So, I had to make due with the snacks I had on-hand. They both loved it, even though I thought it was the weirdest combinations and not the healthiest. 

The Hair Says It All

Meli asked me to cut her hair on Saturday. I have personally never understood requiring that a girl keep her hair long. I maybe would not let her do certain hair cuts at this age, but if she wants to try shorter - all the power to her. This may come from my upbringing in a church that would try to restrict certain things. At one point a lady's hair was one of those. That was pre- my attendance but the concept just amazed me. 

I was not saddened by her hair being cut off, but more by the way she has been acting older lately. It is hard to explain because she has always had her own style since she could communicate it, but it was more with her confidence and how she said it. Previously, when she asked for certain hair styles it just came across as a little girl asking for braids. Now she knows exactly what she wants and that is to chop it off. She also wants to dye her hair red (like Ariel red), but that is not happening for a while. I draw the line at things that are not healthy for her. 

I guess it also has not ever been a request for something a little more permanent. I know her hair will grow back but it seems like an older choice.  She is growing up too fast. Big enough to make some of the choices that would have been a mommy decision. I know I still have a lot of the decision power (obviously, she is only 5...well almost 6) but I seem to be noticing lately more of the stages and signs that they are getting older. Little things that before I would have failed to even see. 

It was fun seeing her come to life after it was cut. She loved seeing the change. I  cut it myself. I really should start taking the kids somewhere professional, I still am able to fake it for a bit longer though. 

A Sign You Live in Oregon

When a sunny day happens your kids instantly ask for the sprinklers, even though it is only 60 degrees. The day I finally said yes, it was warmer than 60 degrees but not by a lot. I could not believe that they wanted to get wet. They had a blast!

Kids reading corner: Catch Up

I have been horrible at posting the books that the kids have been reading or I have read to them. I am hoping to play catch up the next few weeks. I thought it would be fun to have the kids rate the books 1-3. 1 = eh, not so much. 2 = Enjoyed it. 3 = Loved it!

Nobody likes a Goblin (Ben Hatke) – The kids enjoyed this book. Meli thought it was adorable that his friend was a skeleton. It is a good book to use to use as an example for stereotypes. No one likes a goblin, but the kids can see that he is a nice goblin.

Meli’s Rating: 2

Colin’s Rating: 2

King Baby – (Kate Beaton) – Meli LOVED this book! I had heard about it on the New York Times Book Review Podcast. I also thought it was a cute book. She thought it was funny that the baby was talking like he is a king.

Meli’s Rating: 3

Colin’s Rating: 3

The Princess and the Pony (Kate Beaton) – This is by the same author as King Baby. I looked for King Baby at the library but it was checked out, so I tried this one. Meli thought it was cool that the princess was a warrior. The horse was also super cute.

Meli’s Rating: 3

Colin’s Rating: NA

Ida, Always (Caron Levis) – This was a very sweet book. I will admit that I teared up. It does deal with death. Colin liked hearing that this was based on the life of two real polar bears.

Meli’s Rating: 2 

Colin’s Rating: 3

Leave Me Alone (Vera Brosgol) – Colin loved that this had her going into outer space. Meli thought it was funny that she could not be alone. They both liked the ending.

Meli’s Rating: 3

Colin’s Rating: 3

Echo, Echo (Marilyn Singer)- I personally love this book! It does poems about Greek myths. So it is a good way to show the stories young. It also does poems that can be read reversely, which are called reverso poems. One side of the page has the poem read top to bottom, then the other side of the page has it flipped. The first reading would be based on one character (like Perseus) and then the reverse poem is from the other character’s side (Medusa). I loved it! I love poetry and am impressed when people can write this style. Especially over 10 poems all on one topic (myths). Colin noticed that there were two other books similar to this Echo, Echo and Mirror, Mirror.

Meli’s Rating: 2 - Meli loved the art - but was not really paying attention to the poems. 

Colin’s Rating: 3 - He loves mythology right now.

A Library Book for Bear (Bonny Becker) - The kids loved the one about the visitor but this one did not grab their attention as well. It may have been an off night. I did not enjoy reading it as much either.

Meli’s Rating: 1 

Colin’s Rating: 1

No Sleep for the Sheep (Karen Beumont) - this one read very well. It tends to repeat the last two sentences each time.  Almost like a song. Meli tends to listen to those more.

Meli’s Rating: 3

Colin’s Rating: 3

Almost...a Six Year Old

Alexandria, VA - 36 Weeks

We are getting ready for Meli’s birthday next month, I cannot believe that she is going to be six! Once they start elementary school, it just seriously flies by and so many changes occur. They seem to transform from little babies to kids overnight. As I tend to do this time of year, I reminisce on my pregnancy with Meli, her birth, and the years we have had. Facebook assists in this with all my time hop pictures.

I love brick 

 My pregnancy with Meli was (in certain aspects) more enjoyable than with Colin. My first pregnancy the morning sickness never seemed to went away. So, with Meli I had the expected 3 months or so and then I was done. No more. I craved food that was abnormal for me to do so with Meli. I surprised Will by requesting a steak dinner more than once! I am pretty sure that was our first time eating at Outback together. I also started to like peanut butter! That one stuck, but the meat cravings did not.

Mama

My position at work during this pregnancy required traveling, which was an interesting experience. I got a chance to see how other countries approach pregnancies. Like in Italy the restaurant owner insisting that I have a liquor shot after my meal (I thanked him and snuck it to my co-worker).  I will say that European airlines treat pregnant ladies so nice! It is like the princess treatment compared to US airlines. At least in my experience. I should note that most of my conus travel was done United Airlines,so I can only really say that about them. I was not treated horrible whatsoever, but a stark contrast to the European airlines I traveled with (a few different ones) throughout my pregnancy.

Love

One of my favorite things about my pregnancy (for selfish reasons) was that my doctor prescribed me to have ice cream every night. This was because once I had reach the time where you typically feel the baby kick and move, I was not feeling Meli. The only time that I would feel her was when I ate ice cream. I was totally OK with this. I love ice cream, but my stomach does not always do well with it. During my pregnancy with Meli, I had a stomach of steel. All my typical triggers for an upset stomach did not seem to bother me. So, I enjoyed my ice cream time guilt-free!

Alexandria

One reason we had to monitor Meli, was that at one point very early on she seemed to have been trying to come way too early.  My doctor kept an eye on her from then on.  This was also due to her discovering with my first birth that my body did not create the best placentas. She had likened my placenta to what they call “Smoker’s Placenta”. Now, from recent lessons-learned – I should clarify. For those who do not know me very well, this DOES NOT mean that I smoked during my pregnancy. It only means that my body creates not so great placentas and like those of someone who chooses to smoke during the pregnancy, mine deteriorate earlier than most. This is not good for the baby. That is why I have had to be induced with both pregnancies. I was not able to sustain both babies in my womb past a certain number of weeks. For some women, they have things that cause it to be difficult to deliver without a c-section, for others producing milk is difficult…For me, creating placentas is not my body’s strength. We all have our things. My doctor even told me after delivering Meli, that “I was built to deliver babies – I just cook them too fast”. Rest assured, I did not smoke at all while pregnant. I have never been what I would call a “smoker” anyways. I was what you would call a “stress smoker”. Meaning I smoked only under extreme stress (like a major break-up or my parents’ divorce) and only in my super early 20’s. I would buy a pack and then maybe buy another one 3 or even 6 months later. I have never had a cigarette while Will and I have been together (which covers both pregnancies). I do not condone smoking while pregnant whatsoever. There was even a young girl who was in the same pregnancy week that I was (IAP) that talked about smoking while pregnant. I am fairly certain that she left the group due to the comments that myself and the other moms made. Not that we were mean, but gave our thoughts and encouraged her to quit. Hopefully that clears up any confusion that maybe out there from my past posts. I hate the thought of people getting the wrong idea of me.

National Harbor

Meli has been such an interesting girl. She is such a free-spirit, stubborn (just like her mom), funny, and a tad grumpy. Her body knows when she needs food (meaning she gets hangry) and she needs her sleep. She definitely dances to the sound of her own drumbeat. I am so glad for the privilege of being her mom. It may have its difficulties at times, but any parent knows that comes with all kids. None of them are very likely to be a cake walk.  I love her difficulties and all. 

Alexandria

One of my faves

Greece, 28 weeks

Italy - 27 weeks - sadly my ownly belly pic from there

I tried to post different pictures than I usually do for post about my pregnancy with Meli. All of the Alexandria pictures and National Harbor were taken by my sweet friend, Amy.

~ Love, Hugs &; Kisses ~ The B Family

Wardrobe Expression

She loves accessories

And my socks

Something that I never thought I would get complimented for as often as I do, is letting Meli wear the outfits she wants. I have had several people (young and old) say “good for you, letting her express herself” or something close to that. At first, I thought maybe it was a way to tease me.  I was not sure if it was kind of related to a “bless your heart” kind of thing. Where it sounds like a compliment, but it really is not.  Like “Oh my, you really let her wear that”... Now, I think it really is a compliment. 

Meli is definitely allowed to show her personality through her daily clothes (and more recently hair) choices. I do not want her to feel that she has to fit into a certain box made up for her. I may not agree with her combinations at times (I do despise red and pink together), but it is what she chooses to put out there and show the world – “this is me”. I wish I would have done that more as a child. I loved bright and a little more out there outfits, but I was so shy that I did not like standing out. My mom would have let me wear what I wanted to, but I learned (somehow) pretty early that I did not want to get attention for standing out.

She asked me to do her hair this way

Now, the only time I use the mommy card for controlling an outfit is on holidays. I still let her pick, but I do make them match a bit more. Mostly, for the sake of my family pictures. If I can get Will to cooperate.

This is Meli on Easter, she wanted to have a polka dot shirt underneath the dress, which I did veto. I did let her wear her little cowgirl boots. I think she did love her outfit even if it was a little more “put together”. She loves long dresses right now. 

                                               ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                       The B Family