Story Time Favorites

Here are some of Man cub D's favorite books/ series as of late, most of which we've discovered by going to Story Time at our Library.

This is D's current obsession series. These books are quite long (40-50 pages) but they have simple illustrations and a few words on each page, so we actually make it through the whole book! I like how these books help illustrate how a child would feel in certain situations and plays it out through best friends Gerald the Elephant and Piggie.

D has the most random Dr. Seuss obsessions. He loves this book, along with "Ten Apples Up on Top," "The Shape of Me and Other Stuff," "Green Eggs and Ham," "The Tooth Book," and "The Eye Book."

These books have a fun beat to them and usually involve chanting/singing, which is always a favorite for D. They also teach about positive thinking.

I have mixed feelings about this book series. While they always aim to teach good principles (like using toilet paper correctly), usually something in each book will backfire for D and he'll get the wrong message. But he loves the illustrations and short phrases, so we've read almost every book by this author. 

This is another book series with good rhythm and sound effects.

A New Mexican version of 12 days of Christmas, which D had us sing daily for two weeks. But I didn't mind because the illustrations are gorgeous and detailed. I think I found something new every time we read the book.

What are some of your book recommendations for toddlers? 

Book Review: Parenting Beyond Pink and Blue

It may be a little strange that a blogger who's website focuses on one gender would be interested in a
book about parenting beyond gender stereotypes. One of the reasons I created this blog was because I worry about gender inequality for boys and well as girls. I love the website "A Mighty Girl" and wanted to create a little something for boys as well. (Incidentally, A Mighty Girl is where I learned about this book.) I realize that many will say that boys don't need any extra websites to help them with equality. But a quote in this book, Parenting Beyond Pink and Blue, perfectly summed up my reasoning.

"Boy World is a strict place: This research reflects a harsh reality for boys. Girls are more flexible than boys about what kinds of toys they can play with and how they can act. Girl-world is a much more open, accepting place than Boy-World. For example, girls play with boy toys much more often than boys play with girl toys...But boys can be brutally teased for doing anything girl-like. Girls are allowed to branch out, whereas peers in Boy-World strictly enforce gender rules." (p.127)

I loved that this book focused on the stereotypes for both boys and girls. I realize that girls have more inequalities that they must face, but I want to point out that so do boys. For example, I've been saving a childhood doll of mine for when we (hopefully) have a girl. After reading this book, I pulled out my doll Suzy for Man-cub D to play with. I realized there were many lessons that he could learn by taking care of a doll. Lessons that I wanted him to learn, like how to be gentle with babies, how to be aware of their needs, having empathy. Although he doesn't play with her as much now that the newness has worn off, it's fun to see him occasionally pull her out so she can sit at dinner with us or a read a book with him.

While I expected the author, Christia Spears Brown, to be extreme in her beliefs, she was actually quite balanced. She knows that she cannot singlehandedly change our culture of gender obsession. So she chooses her battles. Her daughters have girl names. They know their genders. The author doesn't ban pink from the house. What she does do is ban barbies. She also will confiscate any clothes gifted to her girls that have negative gender stereotype messages printed on them. She does her best to use gender neutral language with her daughters, basing her praise on their actions rather than mentioning their gender (ex: "What a big kid you are!" instead of, "What a big girl you are!")

This book argues that essentially before puberty, boys and girls are extremely similar and don't need to be treated differently because of their gender. To give you a taste of the practical advice you'll get in the book, chapter titles include "accidentally shaping who children become," "parenting a stereotype," "how children help create the differences we see," and "noticing gender."

This was a really interesting read for me, and I'd definitely recommend it! It motivated me to be more contentious of gender stereotypes I may be projecting onto my son. That said, I won't be changing the name of this blog (Man Cub Mamas) or my Etsy shop (Cute Girl Earrings).

DIY Holiday Crafts

A lot of these projects were inspired by pinterest pictures and posts, which I've linked to the name of each craft below.

Sock Snowman and Sock Santa- Santa was inspired by a snowman with a red hat - I used a red sock for Santa's body/ hat and a white one for his head/beard. The mustache for Santa and the nose for the Snowman were made out of felt. These tutorials recommend using beans or rice to fill your sock creations. I would suggest putting either beans or rice in the bottom, and then filling the rest with a cloth stuffing. Man-cub D through these around like crazy, and having these be all of rice made them more dangerous projectiles. So I ended up gutting them and adding the cloth filling.

Reindeer and Snowman Felt ornaments- I used cotton balls as extra stuffing for these cute ornaments! For the details of the snowmen, I used a black and an orange sharpie. Man-cub D learned the songs Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Once There Was a Snowman because of these ornaments.

Felt Nativity- I've been eyeing the little people nativity for months, but concluded it was just too expensive for this year. So I made my own finger puppet nativity! The outline for everyone except Baby Jesus was used from my Quiet Book posts. I chose not to be as detailed with their dress since I hot glued everything. I've learned that the more things you glue, the stiffer the puppets become, and the harder it is to fit your finger in. For Baby Jesus, I chose to cut out a brown arch and then a star shaped piece of yellow felt for the hay. I only glued down the outer sides of the hay so I could slide my finger between the brown and yellow pieces. 

DIY Mickey Mouse Stocking- My mom sent me this idea (thanks mom!) and I just had to try it. You'll see I altered it a bit since I used two pom poms that came with the stocking. I also didn't have enough black felt to do an entire head, so I just did the ears. 

Overall, these crafts have been quick and cheap to do! Man-cub D has gotten a kick out of all his new "gifts" this month, and has enjoyed playing with them all (minus the stocking). 

Wrapping Gifts with a Toddler

I wasn't even wrapping the actual gifts - I was wrapping
boxes for gifts to go inside. There was a roll of wrapping paper, scissors, and tape on the ground. Man-cub D had been barricaded out of the room, but he finally managed to get in.

"Okay, D, you can stay here, but don't touch anything."
"Don't. Touch."
"Exactly."
"Don't. Touch." *grabs the scissors and runs away giggling*

After retrieving the scissors, I sit on them until I need them. D digs underneath my butt, trying to reach them. I succeed in taping the wrapping paper onto a side of the box. Then D notices the tape.

"Cake?" he asks, referring to the tape.
"The tape is just for mommy."
"Mommy." *snatches tape from my hand and runs away*

After retrieving the tape, I put it on top of the bed until I need it. Unfortunately by this point D found the now unprotected scissors and has run off again. I retrieve the scissors and begin cutting wrapping paper for the next box.

"Sit?" D wants to sit in my lap.
"Sure," I sigh. At least then he'll stay put.

Just kidding. Now he wants a piggyback. And now he's walking all over the wrapping paper, getting dangerously close to grabbing the scissors again.

I lead him outside the room and shut the door. He weeps as if the only entertainment in the entire house is in the master bedroom--even though all of his toys are easily accessible in the front room, kitchen, or his bedroom.

I finish wrapping the box and look up to find that D has figured out how to open the door. Looks like I'll be buying child safety locks.

Last minute themed family costumes

Have the baby/ toddler be a lobster and everyone else wear "Red Lobster" bibs.

Have baby/toddler be a sack of money and everyone else wear all black as robbers.

Have a family member be a "crazy cat lady" and everyone else be cats

Winnie-the-pooh characters

What family themed costumes have you done?

Cooking with Man-cub D

Ever since I showed him how to cook eggs, Man-cub D has requested them every day for lunch. The following are 25 steps to a quick cooking session with a toddler.

Step 1: Pull out the eggs from the fridge.
Step 2: Pull a chair over to the counter so D can reach.
Step 3: Grab a small skillet and put on stove.
Step 4: Spray the skillet (unless D jumps right to step 5)
Step 5: D cracks the egg(s) into the skillet.
Step 6: Mama R digs out all the shell bits.
Step 7: Wash hands.
Step 8: Push eggs out of D's reach so he doesn't crack more.
Step 9: Hand D the pepper to season the eggs.
Step 10: D vigorously shakes pepper over eggs, possibly dropping it into the mix.
Step 11: Hand D the salt.
Step 12: Repeat step 10.
Step 13: Put salt and pepper out of D's reach.
Step 14: Open grated cheese for D.
Step 15: D sprinkles cheese on eggs, also spilling some on the chair.
Step 16: Clean the chair.
Step 17: Get wooden spoon for D to stir the eggs (thus scrambling them).
Step 18: Put skillet on stovetop.
Step 19: Turn on stovetop.
Step 20: Monitor D so he doesn't touch stove or skillet while eggs cook.
Step 21: Take wooden spoon from D momentarily to make sure the eggs get flipped so they are cooked all the way through.
Step 22: Apologize when returning the spoon.
Step 23: Declare eggs done.
Step 24: Get a plate while D gets a fork.
Step 25: Eat the eggs.

4 tips for buying a family car

1. Do your research- check out consumer reports, talk to friends and family about what their cars are like, compare and contrast different cars to see pros and cons.
2. Test drive with your carseats. Assuming your kids still are in carseats, bring them along and put them in the cars you are test driving. We quickly eliminated several models because we realized that the front passengers would have to give up too much legroom in order to accommodate a rear facing car seat. 
3. Imagine what you would actually have in your car. Are you going to be road-tripping in this car? How would suitcases fit in the back? Or that jogging stroller you have at home? 
4. Stick to your budget. Dealers are going to post prices higher than the fair market value (check Kelly Blue Book on all cars!!!) and they will try to get you to sign a contract by lowering your monthly payments and stretching everything out. Low monthly payments won't make up for the fact that you have an expensive car to pay off for years and years. 

Todder Narrations

One of the pros to having a talking toddler is that they inadvertently will narrate or comment on something that cues you in on potential messes or misbehavior. For example, when I was a child I would say "not nice" whenever I was doing something naughty.

Similarly, Man-cub D will say things like "BUG!" if he sees one in the house (which is useful for me because he's closer to the ground and will notice them more). He also will say "booger" if he happens to pick his nose and strike gold, thus alerting me to grab a tissue. He says "uh-oh" if he drops or throws something. All of these things are words he says not necessarily to alert me, but I get the added benefit anyway.

What does your toddler narrate?

10 Ways to Get Your Toddler to do Chores

Sometimes it's hard to get man-cubs to do chores. Here are some recommendations from other mamas on what they've done to encourage their toddlers:

Brushing teeth

1. "You brush my teeth, while I brush yours" method.
2. Let your child do it first, and then they can spit and get a drink. Then it's mom's turn to brush their teeth. This way they can do it themselves AND get a second spit and drink. 

Putting up clothes/ toys

1. Pretend the folded clothing piles are foods to be delivered to the drawers-- pizzas, cakes, pies and other "special deliveries." Pretend the toys are going on trips to other lands. Or pretend you are capturing criminals and putting them in toy box prisons.
2. Pay them a penny for every thing they picked up.
3. Pretend you are elves and use "magic" to pick things up. Then when the older kids or dad get home you tell them elves came and cleaned the house.

Cleaning

1. A reward sticker chart. When they do a chore a certain number of times & they get a reward: toy, treat, special time with mom or dad, etc.
2. Pretend you are a deep sea divers looking for treasure (cleaning out from under their beds).
3. Make a list and let your little mark off things when you finish and pick the next job. 
4. Set a timer and race to see how much you can clean in x amount of minutes.
5. Sing while you work! It helps the time go by quicker and makes everything feel more fun. It worked for Snow White...

What do you do to help your toddlers do chores?

When you make a promise to a toddler...

He expects it to be kept.

So Man-cub D is taking his nap in a dry swimsuit this afternoon, if you were wondering how my morning went.

As mentioned in previous posts, we recently moved and our new apartment complex has a pool! So after a long morning of running errands (literally- I don't have a car so I pushed Man-cub D in a stroller) I told him that we could go to the pool. Little did I know that they close it every Monday for maintenance. So I left with a very disappointed toddler who refused to let me take his swim suit and swim diaper off.

Isn't it interesting how kids will remember and hold you to a promise but they struggle to remember a simple request? Like how I asked Man-cub D to go get a certain toy this morning and he got distracted halfway through. But after going to the pool, he couldn't stop asking to go back to the "bath." When I offered to give him an actual bath at home (which he usually LOVES) he refused. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to fulfill my promise.

What we could have been doing...

Luckily most toddlers (Man-cub D included) are very forgiving. I plan on making it up to him tomorrow when the pool reopens. But until then, this was a good reminder to me to make sure I can fulfill my promises, whether it is to a toddler or an adult.

Toddler Conversations: Outside?

The scene: we are inside.

Me: Hey D, I have to make an un-interrupted lengthy phone call to set up our internet. What would it take to make that happen?
D: Outside? (Translated: Well mother, that would require us to go outside at the hottest part of the day so I can sweat profusely and grind sand into every visible part of my skin.)
Me: Deal.

D later received a bath (much to his delight), and I am back-posting this because we finally have internet. So I guess he got the better end of the deal.

What to look for in a future home

Every time we move, I learn more about my preferences for a future home, and hopefully gain more experience so that when we do get a house, I won't be in over my head.

So, based off of my current and last apartments, here is what I know to be aware of:

• where lights are placed (in both apartments, there were places in the home that had to be lit by lamps because there were no lights in those areas)
• how big drawers are (the ones in our new apartment are way smaller! they don't even fit our utensil organizer)
• whether the doors close (apparently the ones in our new apartment don't, although they should. we've put in a work order for that)
• how high the ceilings are (our last apartment had 6 foot ceilings in some places...)
• the color of the carpet (do NOT get blue carpet. it shows everything. our new place has a lovely cream colored carpet that I don't feel like I have to vacuum several times a day)
• towel hangers (apparently most apartments out here don't come with a bar or ring for hand towels? how is that a thing?) 
• windows- do they have blinds? do they need curtains? how hard will it be to install curtain rods? do you have a man-cub who requires blackout curtains? 
• what kind of storage is there? (built-ins, closets, cabinets, pantries, extra rooms, etc)

I'm sure I'll learn more with our next move...

Road Tripping with Toddlers

Man-cub J plus daddy and I just finished moving to the midwest. We spent 17 hours total stuck seat belted in a car. Let me tell you...it's no party. We decided to leave early in the morning (4:40 a.m. to be exact) to beat the morning traffic. I thought that man-cub J would sleep for a few hours but he didn't. He did really well just eating some cereal in the back seat for the first hour. After that I moved to sit in the back with him and that's when things went downhill. I had purchased some cheap but super cool toys from a local thrift store. Man-cub J was excited about them for about an hour and then lost interest. We still had 16 hours to go. Somehow we made it through.

Here are some tips I learned along the way.

1. Thrift store toys are the way to go

My mom is really sweet and bought some toys from the dollar store for man-cub J. They were simple things like a flash light and some animal books but man were they effective. Man-cub J had never held a flashlight before and he was in awe of it. He also loved me reading the books over and over again and still likes them today.

I also purchased some used toys at a local thrift store. His favorite was a toy cash register. It had a calculator and a money drawer that opened when you pushed a button. Super cool. I also found this toy steering wheel that had buttons to stop and go and turn and also turn on the radio. That toy was a little bit too big for him, but he still enjoyed it. 

2. Get them snacks that will stop them up

At first I wanted to bring snacks that would keep them from getting constipated like fruit cups, but on that particular week man-cub J had diarrhea. I didn't want to stop to change his diaper 8 times a day so I bought snacks that would stop him up a little like cheese sticks, apple sauce, and crackers. 

3. Get them out of the car-seat every time you stop

The saddest part of the trip was when man-cub J had just HAD it and he would put his little arms up for us to take him out. Of course we didn't because we were driving but I felt so bad for him. It would be hard not knowing whats going on or how long the trip is going to take. I would take him out of his car seat every time we stopped even just so he could have a little stretch break. 

4. Switch off

By the time we hit 14 hours I was so done trying to entertain man-cub J. It is draining. Daddy was sick of driving too, so we switched off. After about two hours he wanted to switch back. He said that driving was easier than trying to entertain man-cub J. He was right. The break was nice though and I was able to stay calm for the last couple hours. 

5. Fly...Just do it

If flying is faster then do it. Save yourself hours of pain.

Airplane Toddler Travel: How it actually went

Despite my hopes of a smooth trip, we had an extra 3 hours added to our layover in TX, which meant that an 8 hour travel day turned into 11. Thankfully we only had a few meltdowns (and by "we," I include myself in the tally- I definitely had a meltdown during our layover.)

But instead of re-living all the negatives, here are some tips for unexpected layovers:

1. Make friends with other passengers. As soon as we arrived at the next gate, Man-cub D began to run around and greet people. His friendliness helped me meet other passengers who later played ball with Man-cub D, let him look at their vacation photos, watched our luggage while we made a few trips to the bathroom, and most importantly, kept us updated on the "maintenance" they were doing to our plane. 
2. Let your little run around! They've been sitting on a plane and/or will be sitting on a plane for hours, so you may as well let them get all the energy out that they can.
3. Tell yourself that no matter how bad it is, at least you aren't driving.

Airplane Toddler Travel

Man-cub D greeting the airplane passengers behind us. 

We move across the country next week! Papa M will be driving all of our belongings, and then Man-cub D and I will fly out to join him three days later. We were able to get a "practice run" in because we flew to Oregon for a family reunion last week. Here's what I learned from that trip:

• Car seats are bulky. Yes, you can check them at the curb or at the normal check in instead of at the gate, but I'd much rather not worry about it. So we will be borrowing one until we can fly out.
• I will only have the diaper bag (as my small item) and a backpack as my carry on. I will also have an umbrella stroller to transport Man-cub D in. That's it.
• To make this happen, I have to pack light. Here's what I'm eliminating:
• My laptop. One of our planes actually had small touch screens for each seat, and I figure I can just use my phone and save myself a few extra pounds in luggage.
• Clothes. I'm staying with my mom during the three day period when we move out to when we fly out, and I'm planning on borrowing some of my sister's clothing during that time so I don't have to pack as much. 
• Toiletries. Borrow at my mom's house. All I'll have are man-cub D's things, like his liquid multi-vitamins. 
• Books. I only need to bring one for Man-cub D. (It's a large look-and-find one that he loves).

What would you eliminate on a airplane trip?

Man-Cub Mamas are Moving!

If you couldn't tell from some of the previous posts, us man-cub mamas (and our man-cubs) are moving! We'll be living it up in the midwest and east coast by next month. As such, you will be seeing a lot of posts related to moving and adjusting to new states/ homes. We are excited for this next chapter and hope you will enjoy the ride with us.

Toddler Obsessions

Toddlers go through phases of obsessions. Sometimes it's the usual things you'll hear about: cars, animals, tv show characters, etc. But sometimes, your toddler may become obsessed with something more unusual. Man-cub D is currently obsessed with identifying and touching eyebrows. He is also convinced that any sound that comes from the sky is a helicopter. Feeling that I needed some reassurance, I asked my friends to share stories of their toddler's weird or random obsessions. So here are my top 10 favorites:  

Toothpaste. He loves it! He carries it around. Brushes his teeth constantly! Chews on the tube. And even wasted an entire tube on brushing his dinosaurs' teeth.

My daughter was into singing on the toilet. Many times she wouldn't get off until she felt she was finished singing.

My kids liked to play in the dog kennel or the laundry basket.

Moles! I know it sounds so strange but my little boy searches for them.

My belly button. To this day, it is my four-year-old's comfort object. Any time he falls or is sad or is going to bed, he wants snuggles solely so he can have my "tummy button." It's been that way since he turned one. It's embarrassing when he's digging through my tucked in shirts to get to it in public. But he is soooooo obsessed with mommy' tummy button.

My son has been fixated on keys (everything becomes a key or a lock) and measuring tapes (he measures everything).

My daughter was and is obsessed with packing things into bags, containers etc. Still waiting for her to grow out of that.

Spoons. He used them for everything his imagination could come up with. We had to put the spoons up high in the cabinet and bought him his own plastic ones to lose around the house.

There was a time when my son would only eat hot dogs, canned mushrooms, and mandarine oranges.

Both of my girls have a thing about freckles. Whenever they find what they think might be a new one on their legs or arms they have to come running to show me and be reassured that its okay. They count the ones on my arms and get concerned that I have so many more on my left arm than my right arm.

What are your toddler's weird obsessions?

When Messes Drive Me Crazy

Sometimes I feel like Man-cub D and I have two different perspectives on the messes he makes.

My perspective: messy baby, messy counter

D's perspective: advanced artist and speller

So on days when D is making an absolute mess at the table or on the floor, I try to remember his creative perspective.  Photo credit: screenshots of Matilda.

Toddler Conversations: All Gone!

The scene: we are sitting at the table for breakfast and Man Cub D has just finished off the last of the blueberries.

D: More?

Me: There's no more left.

D *thinking I misunderstood*: Another?

Me: They're all gone.

D *why does she not understand?*: Another!

Me: We don't have anymore. All gone!

D *she's hiding them from me*: ANOTHER!

Me: You can't have another because they are all gone.

D: Another! Another! Another!

Me: Well this conversation is fruitless... *ba dum chhhhh*

Join us later today for a repeat of this conversation when D finishes off the last banana.