Xmas School Holiday Party 2014!

She's growing up so fast. It was so amazing watching Nui Nui perform today, thinking about last year's xmas party and how far she's come. They did a full song and dance! Videos to come, stay tuned!

Reading Polar Express And Feet Together #LikeMotherLikeDaughter

The Giving Tree By Shel Silverstein - Reading Together

Last week I introduced Nui Nui to Shel Silverstein. I wasn't really an avid reader when I was young but if I had to name some writers who got me interested, they would probably be Shel Silverstein, Roald Dahl, Dorothy Haas (author of the Peanut Butter & Jelly series), and Susan Saunders (author of the Sleepover Friends series).

For the past week or so it's been all about The Giving Tree, which I honestly never read before. (Where The Sidewalk Ends was my keeper). I had The Giving Tree, however, for a while now— from when I was in New York, in fact, but can't remember where I picked it up from. Now that I think about it, though, I'm pretty sure it was free and probably found somewhere amongst other books that someone didn't want and I remember thinking when I took it that I'd keep it for my future kid(s), knowing I'd want to share Silverstein's works with him/her.

Writing that now, knowing the hurdles it took to have a kid, I smile at the hard work paid off. How naive of me to think it was a necessarily a given, to some extent. :>

Anyway... This book is amazing. Period. And it might actually be my favorite one yet.

The picture-to-text ratio is perfect. Moreover, the life-lesson/edu-taining/learning factor is present. I have to say, I'm pretty sick of the majority of children's stories that don't really have a point. Perhaps they all do, stirring up some sort of imagination but I much prefer the learning element, whether it be in concept or reading skill.

The Giving Tree does both. It's a moving story about a boy [eventually a man] who takes and takes from the tree, who is ever so giving. She just keeps giving with hopes he'll just be happy, even when he's stripped her of everything [literally]. Her happiness is dependent on his. Like a mother.

As I mentioned, there weren't a lot of pictures, no colors, a lot of white space, but just enough drawing on each page to prompt her to ask a lot of questions. And on the first several reads, she did.

Also during those first reads, it was really interesting to see Nui Nui's reaction as she saw the tree down being torn down, little by little, by the boy. In her eyes, her eyebrows, and whole facial tension, you could see her concern.

After those initial readings and when she got to know the story better, we were then able to read together. This is what I call my mad-libs teaching method. I start saying something and have her work to finish whatever it is I am saying.

Examples included:
Alphabet:
A... b!
C... d!
E... f!

Numbers:
One... two!
Three... four!
Five... six!

Alphabet Song:
Now I... know my!
ABCs... next time!
Won't you... sing!
With... me!

Twinkle Twinkle:
Twinkle... Twinkle...!
Little... Star!

Days of the week:
Wednesday, Thursday... Friday!

And from the book:
And the boy loved... climbing up the tree!
and... eating apples!
and... playing hide-and-seek!

To give you an inside look, watch us read The Giving Tree together! :>




We're always looking for good books to read. If you have any recommendations...

Share them in the Comments below, we'd love to check them out! :> xoxo

Marshall's Back-To-School Educational Books/Toys! Infant/Toddler Edition

Back-to-school is well underway and so I thought I'd share a few cool (educational!) items I saw at Marshalls the other day. Two of them have proven to be fun, as we already have. If you're a parent, are you like me? I'm always on the lookout for educational goodies, even scoping out the stuff that my kid has already outgrown.

One thing I love about Marshalls (aside from the shoes :>) is the discounted books and toys. We gotten a few gems in the past so I always scope out the merch when I'm there. Check out this book rack! In all my times shopping there, I've never seen it so packed!



So the first thing I stumbled upon was this shapes barn.



We have the basic Fisher Price version and love it. Nui Nui's mastered the shapes but still plays with the pieces. For a couple of dollars more, I think the animals, letters, and swinging-door barn are worth it :>

Next I stumbled upon were these alphabet foam puzzle pieces, which we also have and got from Marshalls.



Nui Nui really used these letter pieces as she was learning the alphabet. They're perfect because they are small and handle-able by their little hands, have a relevant picture associated with each letter, and can be built into a little cube or pieced together. For less than $5, this is a steal.

Last, but definitely not least, is another alphabet-learning item, which, again, Nui Nui loves and got from Marshalls.



This book comes with magnetic letters, which can be matched and magnetized in the book. This really helps not only with letter recognition and word association but with alphabet sequence as well.

The only cons about this book is that magnetization of the pieces onto the pages is not that great and, with 26 letters afloat, it's easy to lose a piece or two. Nui Nui's 'N' fell down the toilet and it took a couple of weeks for her to get over it :< :>

As I mentioned, I'm always on the lookout for educational toys and books. If you have any suggestions, please share them in Comments below or Tweet/Instagram us, we'd love to hear! :> :> xoxo

Spring Toddler Haul! JC Penney, H&M, Marshalls, Kohls, & More! :>

We haven't been shopping, or purchasing anyway, much but have been on a recent kick with the seasons changing and weather getting warmer. We are completely stoked. It's a best feeling to breath in the fresh air, running around free and with weightless clothing :>

It's Saturday and you can tell I'm stoked. This week has been in the drab 60s and slightly windy, this weekend is forecasted in the 70s, only to go back down to the 60s on Monday. #ishouldbeaweathergirl

So, finally, here we have it— our latest collective haul of Nui Nui's goodies from JC Penney, H&M, Marshalls, Kohls, and more :>

Enjoy and thanks for reading and watching!



Do you get as excited as we do for the weekend? What're your plans? Share below, we'd love to hear! :> :>

Toddler Haul! Target, Marshalls, Old Navy, Starbucks!

This video was filmed a couple of weeks ago and I'm just getting to it today... #idratherbetoobusy :>

I also just noticed I'm wearing the exact same sweater as I was in the previous haul video. Go figure. When you love to wear something, you love to wear something and it makes it totally worth it :>

So I love watching haul videos despite the weirdness some feel about it. It's not showing off what you got, it's showing others, or highlighting, what's out there. There's a lot of stuff out there and it's hard (or impossible) to plow through it all. Having someone showcase and review products is helpful! :>

This video (or things in it :>) is all for Nui Nui. I went on a spree that day, I felt. But she needed a lot of things, books especially. I used to think I'd just take her to the library and we'd borrow but at this age I really think she needs staple books of her own and I'm all about education :>

So I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading and watching! Your support means the world! :>

Links to all of the items in the description box of the video on Youtube!



What cool things have you or your little one gotten lately? Comment below, we'd love to hear! :>