Counting With Mr. Darcy

Have you seen these?


If your kids already know how to count, you might not have.
Sweet Pea already knew how to count by the time I discovered them, and our library only has the Pride and Prejudice one, but I still LOVE them.

They're called BabyLit, and they're counting primers that expose children to classic literature by counting objects that are essential to the plot and/or theme of the original work. For instance, in this adorable Pride and Prejudice volume, there are two eligible gentlemen, three manor houses, five sisters, and seven others that have escaped my memory.

In addition to Pride and Prejudice, my favorite, the series includes Romeo and Juliet, Jane Eyre, Alice in Wonderland, Wuthering Heights, Moby Dick, Dracula, A Christmas Carol, and Sense and Sensibility.

I have read some reviews on Amazon, et al, in which parents have complained that they were disappointed that the books deviate so far from the plot of the classic books after which they are patterned.
Uh, they're counting books. For toddlers. They are picture books. You know, for babies. How much of the intricacies of class divisions among the aristocracy of 19th century England, do you expect your two-year-old to understand?

The illustrations are fabulous and the concept is great.

It's too bad I don't have any baby showers to attend any time soon. Do I? Anyone? This would be an awesome gift!

Bananarama

I usually don't talk about recipes on the blog, but I wanted to share this one because a) it's incredibly easy, and b) I was stunned at how much my kids loved it.

I won't share all my weird food issues with you, because frankly, I don't have the time and you probably don't have the attention span. However, I will say that I am really into the natural foods thing.
God gave us the foods we're supposed to be eating, and they weren't created in a lab. I don't care how much thinner I can be from eating "I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Food," I just don't think it's a great idea to feed my family "food" that is petroleum-based or contains the same ingredients as my shampoo and hand lotion.
I believe God knew what he was doing when creating healthy things for us to eat and when giving us the brain power to figure out how to make our own food (turning milk into cheese, for example). Have you even noticed that the "food" we humans create out of chemicals to make us healthier or to make us skinny, usually has long-term terrible effects on our bodies?
I won't lie to you and tell you that my family never, ever eats anything that is processed or contains artificial ingredients. We do. It happens. But, when I make meals and snacks for my family in my home, I prefer to keep it as natural as possible. This is why you won't be able to sweeten the coffee I make for you with anything that comes out of a pastel-colored packet. Sorry.

For that reason, I was pleasantly surprised to see an easy snack recipe show up on Disney Jr. as we watched Sophia the First the other night. It was so simple that I wondered if my kids would actually eat it.

1. Slice up a couple of bananas.
2. Put the slices in a freezer bag.
3. Stick them in the freezer for a couple of hours.
4. Use the food processor or hand mixer to blend until they're the consistency of frozen yogurt.
5. Tell your kids it's ice cream.

That's it!
Sweet Pea ate two bowls and Baby D licked his bowl clean.

A sweet, yummy, frozen treat that's nothing but good ol' bananas.

So, does anyone have any natural snack recipes that your kids just love, that you would like to share?

Early Mommy's Day Gift

This post is about a questionnaire that Sweet Pea completed, with the help of Mrs. J and Mrs. L, of course, as part of her Mother's Day gift to me. I want to laminate this and keep it forever.
It reads as follows:

 

 

 

My Mommy

 

My mommy is 4  years old. (I'm 36.)

 

My mommy weighs 4  pounds. (Why is this question even on here???)

 

My mommy has brown  eyes. (They're blue.)

 

My mommy is bigger feet tall. (Bigger than she, yes.)

 

My mommy's favorite color is blue. (It's purple, but so is Madeline's and she thinks she's the only person who can like purple.)

 

My mommy's favorite person is Grandma and Daddy. (Throw Sweet Pea and Baby D in there, and that one is pretty accurate.)

 

My mommy's favorite food is macaroni and cheese. (Eh. It's OK. But, it is pasta so she ventured a good guess!)

 

My mommy is special because she loves me.  (I don't know if that makes me special, but my Sweet Pea sure is and yes, I love her to the moon and back. Forever.)

 

 



I'm Officially a Mom.

OK, yes. I've been a mom for almost 3.5 years now. 4 years if you count my mommyhood from Madeline's conception.

But, there's just something about driving a minivan that makes it all official.

You read that correctly. We are now the proud owners of a grocery getter. I say that as if I'm not proud. I am! I've been wanting one for a while and I finally convinced DWH that it was time to get rid of his beloved Explorer (bless her heart) and buy ourselves a minivan.
Well, actually, I think the Explorer (bless her heart) itself did most of the convincing. I just sort of stood by, smirking and nodding my head.

Don't worry. The minivan isn't going to turn me into one of those moms who always wears workout clothes that have never actually been worn to work out, along with a hat and every diamond she owns. (I don't really understand that ensemble, but I see it a lot.)
I'm not about to start dolling Sweet Pea up in those ruffle outfits that look like ugly curtains from the early 90's, accessorized with a bow the size of our house. I won't be having every article of clothing Baby D owns monogrammed.

It's just a minivan, folks. Not a lobotomy.

I've been initiated.

(Maybe the GPS knows how to get to Hogwarts?)