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.