Reading between the lines
She’s still learning ABCs. In fact, she’s still learning the song that goes with them. Her LMNOPs are always a jumbled mess. Perhaps she’s transferring her responsibility when she sings, “Now, I know your ABCs. Next time won’t you sing with me.” They’re her ABCs too.
But, reading, she claims she can do that. Nearly every night, she grabs 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed or her The Jesus Storybook Bible
This night, God’s word won over the monkeys. And, she opened the book up randomly and started to read.
Then, Jesus was on the cross, [dramatic pause and slightly quieter voice for dramatic effect] and He died. Then, his friends put him in a cave and put a big, big ball in front of it.
Then, she leaned in real close and in all seriousness told us, in a raspy whisper:
Then, something mindblowing happened.
This Mother’s Day, whether or not I get my perfect cup of coffee, I’m going to celebrate my motherhood because I may not be the best mom, but somehow my kids—even the one who can’t read yet—are reading between the lines.
I don’t homeschool or feed them organic food. My boys have mouths full of cavities, and I still give them gummy fruit snacks. I text too much, check email too much, and read and write blog posts during family Wheel of Fortune time. But, despite me, they’re learning something mindblowing. And, because of that, this mama is putting her feet up for a bit this Sunday and celebrating not me but motherhood itself and that I get to watch that happen.
The Enchanted Cupboard for The Sparrow Fund {Giveaway}
“A doll is an image of a human being and is therefore the toy most suited to develop and enliven the self-image in the growing child.” Freya Jaffka (in Toymaking with Children)
There’s something really special about basic toys like wooden dolls our kids can use to role play life. Because that’s the thing; they are no longer a toy but a tool for them to use to process their lives. As our kids try to bring the big world into some sort of manageable size, doll play serves both boys and girls well. Especially for kids who have come from hard places, the tool of doll play can be empowering for them as well as for us as parents as we try to walk through hard stuff with them.
Beccijo is a local artist and natural toy maker at The Enchanted Cupboard, an award-winning and nationally recognized Etsy store. She reached out to us originally with encouragement and appreciation for what we do to support families. And, you know what, I’m appreciative of what she is doing to support families because I really think her items such as her custom doll family could be SO helpful for families like ours whose children may look a little different. They’d also be great to help prepare children for medical procedures if she made a nurse and/or doctor doll for you (wouldn’t a custom one that looks like your child’s surgeon be awesome?). I just love these. Can you tell?
The Enchanted Cupboard is one of our partners to Build the Nest this May, giving 10% of all her sales to support the work of The Sparrow Fund. And, she’s also offered to giveaway my favorite item of hers here–the custom family doll set worth $58. Wow.
Barefoot Books for The Sparrow Fund {Giveaway}
Have you discovered Barefoot Books yet? We’re big fans. Barefoot Books is a multicultural publisher of childrens’ books, offering timeless stories from around the world with stunning illustrations for kids of all ages. Their books give children the opportunity to explore other cultures, our planet, and themselves. These particular titles are ones we like, given our heart for China—Lin Yi’s Lantern, We’re Riding on a Caravan, Stories From the Silk Road, and Little Leap Forward. Check them out. I’ve heard great things about The Barefoot Books World Atlas too that actually has an app that goes along with it. Hoping to get our hands on that one—we have and like all the others. It would be a good little gift to us while Daddy’s in China this month, don’t you think?
My friend, Nicole Renee, just opened up shop to be a reseller for Barefoot Books and is partnering with us this month to Build the Nest, donating 10% of her May sales to The Sparrow Fund. AND, she’s giving away a $25 gift certificate here on the blog so that you can start your own Barefoot Books collection.
Head on over to her website to check out all of the great books there. And, as an added bonus, use the special code TWENTY13 for a one-time 20% off discount.
“Puberty…yeah, that’s it.”
I was minding my own business, sitting on his bed, saying goodnight, when he socked me with it.
“We’re supposed to have art class tomorrow. But, instead, they are splitting up the boys and girls to have some sort of meeting, something about growing up. I don’t know what they’re talking about it.”
Uh..eee..hmmm…here it goes.
“Oh, right. [never let 'em see you sweat] They’re probably talking to you about puberty.”
“Puberty…yeah, that’s it. That’s the word they used.”
“Right. Well, they’ll probably talk to you about how your body changes and stuff as you get older. I’m not really the expert on that since I’m a girl. But, Daddy can talk to you more about that so you know what they’re talking about.”
When in doubt, I call in the reinforcement who is not nearly as verbal as I am and wasn’t giving me nearly enough details when I grilled him about it 10 minutes later. It went well. He’s fine. It’s cool. I was told that he’s excited to “be a man” and that he reports that the only girl he’ll ever like is Mojo our cat.
Okay, I’m good. We’re good.
Whatever preparatory words Dad shared must have helped because he came home pretty proud of himself with his packet with fill in the blanks about body hair, voice changes, sweat, and pimples and—most importantly—his very own deodorant.
“Apparently middle school doesn’t like stinky things,” he informed me. “Smell it. It smells like the beach.”
I think every member of the family got to smell it too. When Drew asked him if he was going to use it tomorrow, Evan answered all cool-like, “Maybe,” just like a boy who’d be old enough to wear this stuff.
When I put him to bed tonight, I asked, “So…do you have any questions about what you talked about today? How do you feel about all that?”
“Fine. I have a question. What did the girls talk about?”
Between this and the impromptu mini-sex talk I had with Ashlyn in the car today after passing our veterinarian’s office, I’m ready for a stiff drink [ice water on the rocks, most likely, if I'm honest] and bed.
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