PractiGal

A belated happy mother's day!

Happy Mother's Day,  Moms!  Here's one of the e-mails I received for the occasion...  Hope you had a great day! Mine was nice - filled with yard work and a Thomas hangover (more on that another time...).

Idol thoughts

Anyone else following American Idol?

Please let this be the week they put Jason out of his oblivious misery. Yikes. Why is he in the top 4?

Am I the only one who wants to arrange for David A. to take her niece to the prom? How adorable and sweet is he?!

The best laid plans

I was proud of myself, doing some dinner prep work early. By the time 4:00 rolls around, I often feel like collapsing instead of cooking dinner. But today, we rode bikes after lunch, then came back for "quiet time" while I did some dinner prep. I was psyched to try this enchilada recipe I saw on Jody's food site.

So I grated cheese. I chopped onions. I prepared the enchilada sauce. I cut up chicken. In fact, I prepared & chopped twice the ingredients so I could put a big batch in the freezer. Yeah, I patted myself on the back big time, getting that all done by 3:00.

Then I started cleaning up my mess. Seems I grabbed the Ginger instead of the Cumin when I was making the sauce. Because, you know, the words Ginger and Cumin look so much alike. GAH. Holy culinary gaffe.

I tasted the sauce, and it's not half bad. Not your traditional enchilada sauce of course... We'll see how it tastes on the end product tonight.

Hopefully nothing a little sour cream can't fix!

A royal ball

The clock struck 6:30 as we began our preparation for the ball. I combed my hair and put on lip gloss. I helped him put his socks on and made sure his velcroed shoes were fastened securely.

We exited our chariot at 7pm sharp. The other queens, princes and princesses arrived then as well. Some more decked out than others. All the princesses more flouncy gowns and tiaras. The princes came in plain clothes.

The royal ball committee had outdone themselves. There were hand-made crowns for the queens, along with corsages and custom-painted clay pots with flowers. There were delightful little cakes and tea. There were stories about princesses and princes. And songs about Moms.

As the clock struck 8, the ball concluded with a dance. All the royals danced in a circle before collecting coats from their cubbies.

It was Moms' night at preschool, and my young prince and I had a grand time.

Catching my breath

I've heard it said that when you become a parent, you get to watch your heart run around outside your body forever. I've experienced this sensation again and again -- with the first steps, the first day of preschool, and lots of other firsts.

This weekend's "first" literally took my breath away. Repeatedly.

Books for kids

We're library junkies. Once or twice a week, we go and load up on books, movies, and music. I'm cool with perusing music and movies on my own, and books for myself. But when I get to the children's books, I am completely overwhelmed by the choices. Sometimes I'll pick the librarian's brain for author names. She knows me and knows my son, and she always has ideas. When she's not around or is busy, I'll poke around and pull books off the shelves to check them out. I like to have author names and then plow through their entire collection. Dav Pilkey is a current favorite. His books are so creative and original.

Anyway, when I'm poking through the shelves on my own, I think, "Suzanne! Where are you?" Suzanne writes Mimilou and always knows the names of lots of children's authors. Earlier this year she posted a list of house favorites on her site. When I'm pulling books off shelves, I wonder why I haven't printed that list out yet and put in my library bag!

So today, with a sick child on the couch, I had time to dig up Suzanne's list. I've sucked it into Excel, parsed it out, added her readers' faves and some of my family's favorites, then sorted it. Suzanne's kids are preschool (as is mine) and early elementary age, so that's the focus of the list.

Have others to add? Let me know!

And if you'd like the file in Excel format, send me an e-mail! Enjoy!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Some favorite children's authors & books
First name	Last name	Book(s)
Allan	Ahlberg	The Runaway Dinner, The Jolly Postman
Jez	Alborough	Duck in the Truck, Fix-it Duck
Frank	Asch
Rev. W	Awdry	Thomas the Tank Engine
Graeme	Base	The Waterhole, Jungle Drum
Paulette	Bourgeois	Franklin and the Thunderstorm,   Franklin's Secret Club
Jan	Brett	The Mitten
Raymond	Briggs	The Snowman
Mark	Brown	Arthur's Pet Business, Arthur's   Sleepover
Lisa	Campbell Ernst	Bubba and Trixie, Squirrel Park
Eric	Carle
Beverly	Cleary	Ramona the Pest
Joanna	Cole	Magic School Bus books
Donald	Crews
Doreen	Cronin	Diary of a Worm, Click Clack Moo
Kate	DiCamillo	Mercy Watson to the Rescue
PD	Eastman	Llama Llama Red Pyjama, Sam and the Firefly
Ian	Falconer	Olivia
Mem	Fox	Where Is the Green Sheep?
Kevin	Henkes	Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse,   Chrysanthemum
Amy	Hest
Syd	Hoff	Danny and the Dinosaur
Laura	Ingalls Wilder	Little House in the Big Woods
Holly	Keller	Pearl's New Skates
Steven	Kellogg
Kevin	Lewis	My Truck is Stuck
Arnold	Lobel
Kate	Lum
James	Marshall	George and Martha, The Cut-ups
Mercer	Mayer	Little Critters, others…
Susan	Meddaugh	Martha Speaks, Martha Calling
Lucy	Micklethwait	I Spy
AA	Milne
Robert	Munsch	Alligator Baby, Stephanie's Ponytail, Moira's Birthday Party
Larua	Numeroff	If You Give a Pig a Party, …
Peggy	Parish
Linda S.	Park	Bee Bim Bop
Todd	Parr
Bill	Peet	The Caboose Who Got Loose, Kermit   the Hermit
Audrey	Penn	The Kissing Hand
Dav	Pilkey	Dog Breath, The Night Before Thanksgiving,…
Watty	Piper	The Little Engine That Could
Lynn	Plourde	Book Fair Day, Pajama Day
Patricia	Polacco	When Lightning Came in a Jar,   Something about Hensley's
Mary	Pope Osborne	Magic Treehouse books
Peggy	Rathman
Barbara	Reid	The Party
Cynthia	Rylant	Henry and Mudge books, Mr. Putter   and Tabby books
Judy	Schachner	Skippyjon Jones
Maurice	Sendak
Dr	Seuss	The Lorax, The Sneetches
Shel	Silverstein
William	Steig	Sylvester and the Magic Pebble,   Brave Irene
Jean	Van Leeuwen
Chris	VanAllsburg	The Polar Express, Zathura
Bernard	Waber	Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, Ira Sleeps   Over
Martin	Waddell	Owl Babies
Nancy E.	Wallace	Apples, Apples, Apples; Trees, Trees, Trees
Monica	Wellington	Pizza at Sally's, Firefighter Frank
EB	White	Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little
Mo	Willems	Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the   Bus, Knuffle Bunny
Margaret	Wise Brown	Runaway Bunny, Goodnight Moon

 

The Great Escape

Overheard, Chez PractiGal....

Crissy: The time has come!

Velvet: The time for what has come?

C: The time for our escape. We've been trapped here for far too long. It's time we blow the lid off this toy box and see the world.

V: Well, now that you mention it, I have had enough of the shenanigans around here. I mean it's not like that little boy loves us or anything.

C: Exactly. All he wants are trains, trains, trains. In fact, I'm having a vivid flashback right now... remember that game he played with you?

V: I'll never forget it. But where will we go? What will we do?

C: Oh I don't know,... but our first step is to get out of this kid's bedroom and go downstairs.

V: Right! Let's go.

C: Arrgh! They really didn't think of us little people when they made these stairs!

V: Complain, complain. That's all you ever do.

C: Alright. We made it. Now for our next move. Here's something I saw on Gilligan's Island. Let's try it and see if we can get someone to rescue us.

V: Riiiiiiigggghhhtttt. That'll be happening. NOT!

C: Well, what brilliant ideas do you have?

V: Well, why not raid the kid's piggy bank? Surely he's got to have enough to get us out of here.

C: You're proposing that we steal from a child?

V: You have a better idea?

C: Oh alright. Let's see what he's got.

V: Hmmm. Not much. But hopefully enough to get us to a caring, loving home. I'd love to wind up with a compassionate, creative little girl. Someone who will cherish us and care for us when we're sick. And maybe take us out on the town if we're really good.

C: Now you're dreaming. Get in the box! Let's go...

Snapshot of a 4-year-old

To my dear son,

You are FOUR! How did we get to 4 already? I see why other Moms tell me that 4 was a favorite age. You're not a toddler anymore, and you're not quite a full-blown little boy. Oh, you're a little boy all right, but you're kind of in-between. And you are a blast!

You're becoming more and more independent, insisting that you do things "all by yourself." This is good. It can be time-consuming, but I stand back when you insist on dressing yourself.

Your imagination and creativity are running wild, and it's really fun to watch. Several times a day, you tell me that you're a cat. At the grocery store, you've told me that kitty cats don't sit in shopping carts, and I've asked you to pretend you're a little boy to get you into the cart.

Your favorite phrase is "Mommy, you pretend..."

"Mommy, you pretend a little girl goes to the kitty cat store..."  or the baby store... or the robot store. I am the little girl, and you are the cat, the baby, or the robot. You are the Director and Producer of Play, and I am your actor and assistant.

At Christmas, you chose all orange foods for Santa and his reindeer. Now, every time we have orange juice, goldfish crackers, or carrots, you remind me to buy more so that we'll have enough for Santa.

I think you have at least one of every toy under the sun at this point, but your favorites are the "things that go..."  Trains, cars, planes, and anything that can be made to "go." A piece of string, blanket fuzz. Anything really. Last week you played with a piece of Italian bread for a good hour -- with every bite, it became a new plaything.

Your obsession with Herbie the Love Bug continues. You call our car "Herbie," even though it's not a VW, and you and Herbie have daily conversations. Before we go anywhere, you go to the front of Herbie and have a quiet talk with him. I'm not allowed to listen in, but I think you tell him where we're going.

You're making friends at preschool and have been invited to some birthday parties. When I asked if you wanted me to stay or drop you off at one party, you chose the drop-off option. I walked around KMart while you were at that party, my stomach in knots. Not because I was worried about you -- but because I wondered how we got to this so fast!

You're starting to "get" some jokes. You like knock-knocks. Especially nonsense knock-knocks that you make up! And you're starting to get it when your Dad teases you.

You understand what "pooped" means, and you know that poop is bathroom talk. I think you enjoy saying pooped, knowing that there's another word in there. You've decided that "peeped" is the opposite of pooped. If you're not tired, you tell me you're peeped. Have I mentioned that you're a little nut?

Facial expressions fascinate you. On people, animals, and on drawings in books. "Why is he angry?" "Why is that man gasping?" "Why is the lady sad?" These are regular questions. One day I guess I looked kind of serious, so you asked me to lift my eyebrows. Mighty observant little guy, you are.

Your favorite foods are hot dogs and hot chocolate. You'll tell me you're cold, and that you "need" hot chocolate. Yes, I am on to you!

You devour books. We have tons of our own and always have a stack from the library too, because you like to read new books every day. You love Curious George and Clifford, and Mercer Mayer's Little Critters. You're really into your Thomas the Tank Engine magazine too. I love to watch you act out scenes from books and videos. My favorite is your reenactment of The Snowman.

So far, you're not interested in writing your letters, or even holding a pen or crayon the right way. I try with you every so often, but I'm not pushing it. You know your letters and are very interested in the sounds each one makes. I'm hoping you'll take to writing in your second year of preschool.

Of course you're a big boy, like your Dad. You always talk about what you'll do "when you're a big man." And yesterday you wanted to know when you'll be a big man. All I know is it will be too soon for me. You weigh 40 pounds and you're 42 inches tall. You're one of the bigger kids in your preschool class.

Even though you're a big kid, you're a teddy bear. A gentle giant. We're working on teaching you ways to stand up for yourself and be more assertive with other kids. We're glad you're not one of the aggressive kids, but we want you to be able to stand your ground. When you're old enough for karate, we're signing you up.

Funny that 4 years ago I thought I wouldn't know what to do with a little boy, coming from a family of girls myself. But of course you've shown me the way, and I cannot imagine life without you, my little boy.

I love you my sweet son,

Your lucky Mom

I like you too!

"Mommy! There's a boy on TV named Jack, and he's 4 years old!!" My boy bounded into the kitchen to share the news with me, sheer delight oozing from his pores.

"Really? Well, you're my favorite 4-year-old!" I told him... because how could he not be?

"And you're my favorite Mommy. I like you..."

And I like you too... lots and lots...

At least it was just #1

I was knee-deep sorting, piling, and tagging sale items yesterday, getting ready for a big consignment event. I had a pile of books I'd decided could go. Baby books. Loads of board books. Stories of kids learning to use the potty. Random books that are no longer popular here. With each book I pulled out the box, naturally my 4-year-old developed an instant fondness for the old friend. "Oh let's read this one!"

So, among other books, we re-read Once Upon a Potty. I breathed a sigh of relief that toilet training was a distant memory. (Incidentally, does that book grate on anyone else? Who really says "wee-wee" anyway? Whatever. Kids seem to like it.)

We were mid-reminiscing when our stroller customer arrived. My son went into show-off mode, running hither and yon, around in circles, grabbing every toy he could find to show to the baby girl who'd come with her Mom to buy the stroller.

I turned for a second to grab change for the woman and heard my son making an announcement, in his most patient teacher voice: "Now, this is a potty!"

He'd grabbed the potty chair we were selling and brought it in to the living room.

"When you have to go pee-pee...."

I turned a split second too late and caught him mid-moon.

"...you pull your pants down like this. See?"

The Mom looked away. Guess she's not used to 4-year-old boys! I apologized before my son switched out of teacher voice to make another announcement: he had to go.

So he did. One last time in that freshly sanitized plastic bowl.

In the living room. In front of strangers.