Moms Don't Get Sick Days...

This cartoon has been hanging on a bulletin in my parent’s house for as long as I can remember and I never really understood it until I became I mother myself (sorry mom!). Unless you are fortunate to have 24/7 help, chances are if you are a mother and you’ve ever gotten that terrible cold or flu, morning sickness when you also have to take care of other children, a migraine or just “coming down with something” then you KNOW that as sad as it is, the last thing you want to do is cook, bathe, change and worst of all - play with your children.

During the winter months when it is too cold to go to the playground after school, I try very hard to show my children attention during that time until I have to start preparing dinner and do whatever they want, which is usually painting, playing with play-doh, cutting with scissors,baking, or anything else they can think of that will make a huge mess and big clean up job for me and I am okay with this because otherwise they would sit in front of the tv or their iPads from the time they come home from school until they go to bed. However, when I get sick, (which thank Gd isn’t very often, but when it hits it is the WORST), I cannot bring myself to do any extra clean up, sometimes I do not even want to get off the couch. On those days I do turn on the tv and hand each child an iPad but it is always with extreme guilt and sometimes the worst happens – my kids still want to have an after school activity even though Blaze and The Monster Machines is on! This made me evaluate my children’s capabilities and toys to come up with a list of after-school fun that does not require mommy to be a participant (unless she is feeling better). I am sharing this list with you – maybe you have some go-to ideas that work for you, or maybe you have a basement or designated play area so this doesn’t even apply to you because the play table isn't also the dinner table or the mess just isn't as "in your face", but I have found that my kids would sometimes rather me be their audience anyway than fellow participant.

I hate reading to my children when I have a sore throat or am so tired that I can barely see straight, so if they request story time after school I tell them to save the books for bedtime when Daddy comes home or look at the book yourself (which often translates to: this is no longer book time) and that is okay. I often offer coloring books or blank paper and crayons and tell them to color pictures since they clean up the crayons when they are done and I am happy to display their artwork on the wall. If I am really lucky I can get a full fifteen minute coloring session. If it isn’t a headache I am suffering from, I encourage my children to take out their instruments and sing me songs. Band time is the best – they play (bang) their pianos, guitars, drums and recorder and I sit on the couch with my feet up enjoying the ridiculous verses my creative children come up with. I always suggest playing with Legos or puzzles but sometimes a full clean up job doesn’t happen on its own (especially when 1000 Legos are involved). There is nothing like having an apartment full of toys and your children telling you they have “nothing to play with”. I like to use my “sick days” to remind my children of their train sets, doll houses, pretend food and kitchen and when they are bored of all of these ideas, I simply tell them “Mommy is sick and needs a checkup”. Nothing heals you faster than a Fisher-Price Band-Aid from a two year old doctor.

Hang in there moms – spring is almost here and that lingering cough will disappear and our kids will stop bringing home ear infections. Until then, do what it takes to get through those hard weeknights, whether it is extra TV or iPad time, coloring, building or singing. (And if you are ever offered an extra set of hands – TAKE THE HELP!! You are already your child’s hero – take that nap if Grandma is offering babysitting time!) One more thing, if you do know a fellow mom suffering from a winter cold, you can surprise her and send her a free tissue box from Kleenex.com. 

 

And if you’ve never seen the amazing : "Moms don't take sick days" DayQuil commercial. 

TV TIME!!!!

The trick to getting the most early literacy out of television is to watch with your child. Yes, you could just plop your child down in front of the TV or iPad or computer with an "educational show", but sitting with your child and bringing up aspects of what they are watching or review after the viewing can be extremely valuable to your child. If you are not home during the day with your child, preview the shows yourself and tell your caregiver what you approve and do not approve of.

Some of my personal favorites:
Super Why (PBS Kids) - this may be one of the most underrated shows on TV but it has an incredible amount of value when it comes to early literacy. My son 100% learned all of the lower case letters from watching Princess Pea spell in every episode. There is singing, reading, letter recognition...anything you can ask for in a 24 minute period is pretty much in this program. It was definitely a great find.

Sid The Science Kid (PBS Kids) - you know your child really pays attention to the screen when he takes a cup of water and pours it into another cup and says "I playing Science". There is something really special about this show. Every episode has the same structure: Sid wakes up, eats breakfast, goes to school, learns, plays, gets picked up by his grandmother, reviews what he learns and then heads to bed. Repetition is so important, think of all the choruses in songs and nursery rhymes! You get an added bonus of learning something educational in the field of Science and let's be honest, a kid who can sing about an inclined plane is very impressive looking in the supermarket!

Little Einsteins (Disney): A show that incorporates famous pieces of art with famous pieces of classical music. Adventure, singing, problem solving...everything a two year old wants in a television program that can make a mother relax while her child watches back to back episodes.

Of course there are so many shows dedicated to the toddler set it is so easy to just let your child watch whatever is on at the moment. Someone recently asked me why I let my son watch Thomas the Tank Engine because it has "nothing of value to offer a child". I told her that my son learns all about emotion from Thomas and Friends. When an engine does something wrong they usually frown and my son would say "Percy looks so sad" or "Emily looks troubled". When an engine gets praised you can clearly see "Thomas is so happy" or "James is so excited!". Learning emotion and how to express feeling is a huge feat in the land of toddlerhood.

My advice is pick and choose programs you believe your child will learn the most from and ask them questions about what they are watching. Make them tell you about the episode so that they are storytelling and expanding their vocabularies. If your child is too young for that, ask questions about specific parts. I do that a lot with my son and ask "What were they looking for?" or "Where was the dog hiding?" He can then answer "A key" or "In the kitchen" and recalling what he saw makes watching television an early literacy moment.

"Hey Mommy, Pick A Book!"

This is the phrase I look forward to hearing everyday around 2 pm. That is the time I shut off all the technology devices (TV, IPad and my cell phone) and we have reading/play with your toys time. This lasts until 3:30 when Little Einsteins starts on the Disney channel. I know I haven't posted in a while, but I had a second child in June, and then I became a stay at home mom. The world forgot to tell me that everything I do for myself (including blogging), would have to take a back seat for a while and that's okay.

Being home with my 6 month old and my 28 month old has been quite a challenge for me. As one who loves to be in fancy clothes and high heels all day, that has all been traded in for comfy shirts and skirts due to so much time spent at the playground or at home (especially now with the cold weather upon us)! So followers, it's not that I haven't been reading, I just haven't been telling you about it lately.

I believe the time has come to remix this blog. Reviews are great, but as a children's librarian and as a mother the time has come for me to share with you the importance of Early Literacy. Not just because I took a continuing education class on it last month and not because I need to increase my numbers at "baby storytime", but because school is getting harder for our children, and we need to take back their childhood while preparing them for the real world. I am ready to help each and every one of you have your child knowing the ABCs and their Numbers by 2. (Sorry, my book is not yet published). The best part? You don't have to do much - except spend some time with your baby/toddler! You already do that? AWESOME! You are a hard working full time Mama? Excellent - here are some tips for your caregiver. Your caregiver doesn't speak English? Jackpot! She can sing and dance in whatever language she knows best - your baby will LOVE it!!!

I will try to post these helpful tips as often as possible, but I cannot promise daily due to my crazy work schedule. In any case here is an overview of how to get started:

We are parents in 2013. Our children need to be all kinds of literate. They need to know about reading in addition to technology and the world around them - trees, dirt, snow, food, clothing etc. I know there are many studies out there that say "no screens for anyone under 2 years old". I don't think anyone who wrote that had an 18 month old at home who also needed to cook dinner and get the laundry out of the washing machine and into the dryer. Spoiler alert: My 18 month watched television. However, I was the one in charge of the remote, which is why he spent a lot of nights watching "Wheel Of Fortune" which led to his knowledge of the letters in the alphabet. My advice (and I will definitely discuss this at length in another post) is to allow your child screen time if you need to, both a television and an IPad, within moderation, and make it a bonding time for you and your child. That way, there is still family time and the child learns these items are part of the world, not rewards.

As for those under two years of age, welcome to the world of giggles and bouncing and preparing your child for everything there is that needs to be learned! All babies need to be read and sung to, in any language. Board books are great (I will post my top picks for books at every age and stage). A lot of my personal favorites can be found at www.downtownbookworks.com, and singing to your baby is an absolute must, even if it is just your schedule of the day. Babies love rhyme time, so get that baby on your lap and sing "Open Shut Them". I promise you that if you sing that every day for a week, by day 8 your child will anticipate when to open up their little mouths (and that's a really big deal in the literacy world!)

The time has come to prepare our youngest children to live in a world that is filled with a lot of things that did not exist when we were young. We have to make sure they use their imaginations when they build with their blocks, and still want to dress up in tiaras and cowboy hats. But, there is no harm in having your two year old be able to recognize the letters in his name!