JourneyLeaf: Life a Page at a Time

Fairy Godmother

Fairy godmothers are not supposed to exist, yet Eli is lucky enough to have one.  Eli's godmama, my friend Heidi, is a scholar of fairy tales who developed an extensive website devoted to annotating and exploring this genre of folklore.  Surlalune Fairy Tale website and blog began as a graduate school project but the site quickly became an online gathering place for an impressive group of like-minded academics and writers as well as just plain fairy-tale lovers.  Just this past week, part of an interview with Heidi appeared in an article on fairy tales related to the opening of Disney's new movie, Tangled, in USA Today.  I'm so proud!

But I especially wanted to mention Heidi on my blog because she also created the Surlalune Storytime webpage.  In a previous chapter of life, Heidi was the children's librarian for a library in Burbank, California where she developed an amazing program for preschoolers.  Rather than let her work and knowledge languish when she left the job to return permanently to her hometown hundreds of miles away, she created a website where the parents and caregivers of preschoolers can find books, songs, and activity ideas arranged in themes.  She makes it super-easy to make a list to carry to the library, gather worthwhile books with your child, and then support what they've learned with extra fun.  If you have a preschooler in your life, try it out!  (And if you liked the idea of doing fingerplays from yesterday's post, Surlalune Storytime is a great site to find more songs.)

Many thanks for all you do, Heidi!

 

Godmama Heidi with Eli at One Month
(When you are a new mom thousands of miles from most of your support system, there's nothing quite like the friend who will jump on a plane to come snuggle with your newborn!)

 

Godmama Heidi and Godpapa John Came for Eli's First Birthday Too!

 

Today Eli is Exploring:  Letter E and hard/soft.  I'm thinking the Surlalune Storytime section on hats would be a fun way to explore the latter...hard hats and soft hats!  Why is a firefighter's hat hard but Santa's is soft?  Hmmm.

Fingerplays

Several months ago Eli started getting the biggest kick out of the fingerplay "Itsy Bitsy Spider."  How many times can a mama sing it in a row?  A lot, I discovered!  It was time to search for more.  This book full of songs (with cartoon characters illustrating the corresponding motions) is now one of Eli's favorite pastimes....

 

(If you do a Web search for "fingerplays," "finger plays," or "action rhymes," there are lots of online sources available.)

 

Rain Song
Pitter pat.  (Pat/wiggle fingers against floor.)
Pitter pat. 
The rain goes on for hours.
Although it keeps us all inside, (Slowly turn palms up.)
It's very good for flowers!  (Lift fingers like sprouting flowers.)

 

Popcorn Song
You put the oil in the pot,  (Drum on table with palms.)
And you let it get hot. 
You put the popcorn in,
And you start to grin.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...  (Speed up drumming.)
Pop!  Pop!  Pop!  Pop!  Pop!  (Raise and shake hands.)
Mmmmmm!  (Rub tummy.)

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

 

 

 

 

For our Thanksgiving meal, we went up to Travis Air Force Base where Eli's grandparents live for several months out of the year in their RV.  Thanksgiving lunch at the mess hall was quite good and nobody had to do cooking or cleaning up.  Someday I’ll crave to cook a T-day meal again, but right now life with a toddler means easier is more enjoyable!

 

 

That night at suppertime, Eli got noisy.  I finally told him he had to use his inside voice at the table, but if he wanted to be noisy then I would take him outside after supper to hoot and holler and see the stars.  “See stars!  See stars!” Eli repeated.  “All done!  All done!”  So I cleaned him up and got him into coat, hat, and mittens.  While sweet Brian washed the dishes, Eli and I slipped out of the warm, bright house into the back yard.  It was like another world.

The sky was clear so we saw quite a few stars.  I pointed out constellations.  We also listened for night sounds – dogs barking, cars on the distant road, etc.  We looked at the shadowy hills and trees but also the lights of houses and streetlamps scattered across the valley.  After a while, I sat down at the patio table with Eli in my lap.  Those chairs rock, so it felt like being on an old-fashioned porch.  Eli got very still and quiet, put his head on my shoulder.  It was chilly, so he snuggled in.  I put my cheek on the top of his head, wrapped my arms around him, and sang him songs about stars from “Twinkle, Twinkle” to hymns about long-ago Bethlehem. 

I felt very thankful indeed.  A very nice holiday.

The Witchy Hour

The Witching Hour is a the time of night when, according to folklore, supernatural beings converge.  The Witchy Hour, on the other hand, is that time of day when family members converge.  When everybody in a house loves each other, you'd think coming together again after a long day would be bliss.  Sometimes it truly is.  But a lot of times everybody is just weary and hungry and tempted to act...well...witchy.

As our usual 6:00 supper hour approaches, play-worn Eli is often campaigning for snacks and attention.  I'm trying to safely get a healthy meal ready...with a toddler clinging to my knees or oozing his way between me and the sink while I'm trying to wash the lettuce.  When I hear Brian's car drive up, I always think, "Yay!  The cavalry has arrived!"  Somehow I always manage to forget that he runs for exercise on the way home plus needs to put away his work things.  He heads upstairs for a shower and I'm counting the minutes until he appears downstairs able to pitch in.

We always get through the Witchy Hour.  Supper finally gets to the table, moods lift, and the peaceful after-supper playtime comes.  But to make the Witchy Hour seem shorter, I'm always looking for tricks or independent tot activities to bring a few minutes of peace.  Here are some ideas that have helped us:

DVDs -- I know a lot of parents are dead set against television, but a twenty minute program often resets Eli's mood and keeps him safely out of the kitchen.  Our favorites?  All About Trains and Grandpa Worked on the Railroad.

Activity Boxes -- I keep some favorite toys up on a shelf so Eli is excited about them when they appear and will happily sit in his high chair to enjoy them.  Play-Doh is Eli's favorite, but he also loves to draw and use his "fishing" game where he lifts metallic fish from a puzzle using a magnet on a string.

Washing Carrots -- My friend Debbie told me that she'd get her daughter to help her wash carrots.  (Any produce will do, but carrots never bruise.)  Works like a charm!  Eli will wash carrots for a good twenty minutes!  Then I put the carrots in a plastic bag for him to wash again tomorrow.  (If I need the sink, I sit Eli on the floor with a dishpan.)

 

 

Toy Kitchen -- Eli often wants to cook with me, but sometimes what I'm doing is too dangerous to do with a little one nearby.  Since Eli has a birthday all too close to Christmas, he gets his big birthday present on his half-birthday.  This past year we got him a kiddie kitchen that we put within sight of the house kitchen, and it he plays with it constantly.

 

Tot Tasks -- When Eli is determined to help me cook, I can often find some small task that he can do that doesn't require great amounts of supervision.  I often sneak pureed cooked veggies into pasta sauce or soup, so I'll first put the veggies in a Zip-loc and let Eli gently mash them.  Once I had Eli move a pound of frozen peas into the soup pot one teaspoon at a time, which actually made him really happy.  I think Eli's favorite cooking task is adding spices for me.  I saved a plastic spice jar with a shaker top, so I measure all my herbs and spices into it.  Then Eli can shake, shake, shake to his heart's content.  Because of the small holes, it takes quite a while.

(Eli does well on his step-stool, but I really wish we had the One Step Ahead Safety Tower for the kitchen.  So many wonderful yet expensive tot gadgets out there!)

 

 

 

What works to keep your tot happy during the Witchy Hour?  It is a neverending search for new ideas, so please share!

--

Today Eli is Learning:  Letter D and Full/Empty.

 

Granddad's Birthday Cake

 

 

Spreading out the batter.  (Hmmm.  Not too sure it is actually getting smoother.)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today Eli is Learning:  Letter "C" and "neighborhood."  

The Blustery Walk

 

 

 

 

 

Ruddy cheeks!

 

 

The afternoon was so dark that I had to turn off my camera flash to avoid it popping up each shot, overexposing pale colors and adding harsh shadows.  The resulting photos turned soft and slightly blurred -- like overripe fruit in autumn falling from the tree.

Zoo Happiness

Ahh, a trip to the zoo this week.  

My favorite moment was watching a pig eat a pumpkin.  The zoo keeper broke it into pieces and the pig started chowing down.  I turned to Eli and commented, "Pigs are very smart."  Eli replied, "Taste good!"  I know it was coincidence, but it came out with such comedic timing.  I assume Eli was talking about the pumpkin not the pig, but every adult in earshot laughed and all I could do was sweep up my sweet, funny little guy for a mama smooch.

 

I told Eli we’d try to ride the train, so I kept a close eye on the time before impending naptime made us leave.  “Train!  Train!  Train!” Eli said.  We got in line and I read him one of his train books while we waited.  Finally, the train came back to the station and he was so excited that he was bouncing.  But then the conductor got out and announced the next ride wasn’t for another half hour.  Oh no!  I knew Eli was too tired to make it.  I carried him away from the train and his gaze never left it.  One finger flew out and pointed to it, then he looked over at me with concern.  Toddlers live so much in the present moment that I knew the train ride was huge to him.  I really hated to explain the situation to Eli.  For a moment his face fell, but then he repeated my words, “Try next time.”  That was all, much to my relief.

We rode the carousel instead, Eli perched atop a fierce tiger.  He pointed back at the train across the way, but then started looking all around him.  He watched the piston-like mechanism that makes the carousel animals rise and fall.  He pointed in front and behind us, naming the carousel animals.  He looked out at the kids watching the carousel and spontaneously gave a wave like a Sweet Potato Queen on a parade-float.  Then he looked up at me and broke into a huge sunny grin.

Oh, if I could only fold up this mild autumn day and tuck it into my pocket to keep always!

 

A Tiger at the Tiger Enclosure
(Eli deeply loves his Disney Tigger jacket.  He spotted it at a consignment shop and his eyes lit up.  If you ask him which jacket he wants to wear, he will gleefully shout "TIIIIIGER JACKET!"  Sometimes it is hard to get it off of him again even if he is getting too hot.) 

 

 

Brushing the Goats at the Petting Zoo

 

Picnic Lunch...Mmm Peanut Butter Sammich!

 

And then home for a three hour (!) nap.

--

Today Eli is Learning:  Letter "B" and "wet" (condensation, damp, standing water, etc.)

Pumpkin Bake

It's been unseasonably warm weather this week in the Bay Area.  Indian summer, I suppose.  It's been fun running around the backyard barefooted knowing that autumn will soon return.  

Eli and I have been baking a lot.  One of the first things we made this season was Pumpkin Bake, a healthy but yummy version of pumpkin pie that makes the house smell wonderful.  Now Eli wakes up in the morning saying "Punkin Bape?  Punkin Bape?" in a hopeful voice.  I've come to realize that any food that gets mixed and then put into the oven is now "Punkin Bape" to Eli.

 

 

 

This is a healthy adaptation of the Pumpkin Pie recipe on the side of the Libby’s can that cuts calories and turns pie into a spoon food.  I make batches of this all fall and winter, putting the extras in the freezer.  The extras thaw in just a few hours in the fridge.  Another nice thing about this recipe is how wonderful it smells when it is cooking, so it is a great side dish (or dessert) to serve to company.  Lots of vitamin A! 

 Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
        ½ cup sugar (or use ¾ if you’d like it sweeter)
        ½ teaspoon salt
        1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
        ½ teaspoon ground ginger
        ¼ teaspoon ground clover
        4 egg whites (or 2 whole eggs)
        1 ¾ cups (one 15-ounce can) canned pumpkin
        1 ½ cups (one 12 ounce can) evaporated skim milk

Beat egg whites lightly on a large mixing bowl.  Stir in pumpkin and sugar.  Stir in salt and spices.  Gradually stir in milk.  Spoon into 8 to 10 oven-safe custard cups or ramekins.  (You can also use a buttered glass pie dish.  The finished food is spooned-out rather than served in slices.)  Place cups in a heavy pan or cookie sheet and slide into the oven.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until tops look slightly crackled and a knife inserted into the cup comes out clean – 30 to 40 minutes.  Sprinkle with extra cinnamon if you’d like and serve warm, room temperature, or chilled.

 

Today Eli is Learning:  Letter "B" and "sparkle." 
Did anybody have fun with "A" and open/shut yesterday?  We did!  He already knew about opening and shutting doors, windows, etc.  We talked about opening things you can't close again like cans.  We sang the "Open Them, Shut Them" song and now he can do the corresponding hand motions.  (Thanks, Godmama Heidi for teaching us that one!)  We also talked about (and tried out) what we can open and shut -- mouths, eyes, hands/fists.  I think we'll have a good time tomorrow looking for things that sparkle.  Time to dig out a flashlight tomorrow night so we can test things out.  Hmmm.  Foil?  Sequins?

Brought to You By...

We’re not trying to raise the next Albert Einstein.  To tell you the truth, the smartest people I know – the ones who blew the lid off the SAT test and always got A+ grades – aren’t always the happiest or most well-adjusted.  I don’t plan on being the mama with the flash cards in her purse.  But toddlers love to learn and almost anything can become a fun game.  Maybe it is my art education background, but I get a kick out of trying to figure out the best way to explain something (usually more by showing and discovery than talking for wee ones).  It is a joy to see the light go on behind Eli’s eyes and know the world just started to make a little more sense.

 There are so many things out there I’d like to share with Eli, but if I’m trying to teach him everything all the time, it becomes overwhelming rather than fun.  It’s hard to remember to review things too – and looking back gives Eli a feeling of success.  So I’m trying an experiment.  Remember how Sesame Street was always “…brought to you by the letter ‘H’…”?  Instead of working on the whole alphabet, they would take a close look at one letter, approaching it in different ways throughout the episode.  Thus Eli and are starting to focus on one letter and one concept per day (some more complex than others, so I’m not going to worry if he doesn’t seem to grasp things yet).  We’ll still sing the alphabet song and read books about the whole alphabet, but I’ll have a good time trying to find ways all day to explore our letter and concept.  Mama and papa buddies, come play along with us!

Today Eli is learning about the letter A and “open/shut.”  

 

Eli's favorite "subject" at play group...snack!

 

Cool Tops

Eli was born with a good bit of hair and by six months was starting to look like the Wild Man of Borneo.  

 

Mama hated to do it so early, but here came the first haircut.

 

Eli had four haircuts during his first year and has gotten them about every six weeks thereafter.  He's always been so patient.  (Most little girl hair styles are simple trims, but boys often need layers that take a little time.)  Folks warned me that around two kids start hating hair cuts.  Sure enough, this past August we sat Eli down on Papa's lap in the chair and he started chanting, "All done!  All done!  All done!"  There was no yelling or tears, but I was showing him photos on my phone, singing every verse of "The Wheels on the Bus," and practically tap dancing to keep him amused.  Time to call in the pros.

Until Eli likes haircuts again (around age three, I've been told) we use a kids' haircutting place called Cool Tops in Oakland.  They are wonderful!  Kids can choose to sit in a car, on a motorcycle, on a horse, or in a parent's lap to get their hair cut.  There are also DVDs, toys to hold, and snacks.  Most important, the staff cut hair for tots all the time, so they know how to work fast and have a lot of kiddie tricks.  For instance, Eli started to hate the spray bottle used to wet down his hair.  The lady at Cool Tops sprays water on the comb and then runs it through Eli's hair to wet it down instead and he doesn't mind that a bit.

Cool Tops in September

 

There is also the promise of the train table when the haircut is done...

 

This month when we went in for a haircut, Eli started saying, "No.  No.  No."  And there was a little boy there about Eli's age one seat over who started screaming bloody murder the moment they sat him down.  Uh oh.  But Eli did great!  It may have had something to do with his very first lollypop.

Some haircutting tricks we found...

--I always take Eli as soon as they open so there is no waiting.  (But sometimes it is better to be the second haircut of the day.  See the next item below.)
--It sometimes helps if your child can watch you or another kid get their hair cut first (but only if the other kid is happy about it!) 
--Eli started hating the cape that protects his clothes.  Now I just skip it and bring a change of clothes for him.  
--One stylist told me that is it important what you say to tots.  She suggesting calling it a "trim" rather than a "cut" because the word is less scary.  She also told me never to try to get Eli to stop wiggling by telling him that he might get cut by the scissors if he moves too much.  That really scares kids and she said in reality, there's very little danger of that happening.
--If the stylist needs to use an electric trimmer, ask them to touch your hand with it so your child knows it won't hurt.  Then let your tot touch it.
--I really like that the Cool Tops folks are practiced with little people hair.  Eli had bad bed head until they told me the layers of his hair needed to be longer.  (And a friend also shared with me that children's spray-on hair detangler also helps with bed head.  Thanks, Anjahni!) 
--After a trim, a lot of salons use a blow dryer to get stray hair off clothes.  Some kids hate the noise, so bring a lint brush.  Masking tape (dabbing clothes with the sticky side) or a damp washcloth also helps.

If you have any tips, please share!  Thanks!