Considering My Daughter's Library

I've received a lot of feedback about my "village" post. I promise to come back to that topic soon. Today, I wanted to discuss books for children. My 17 month old daughter and I went to a bookstore today for a reading and listening to the books shared made me think about some of the books I loved as a child. Some of my favorites revolved around characters such as Babar, Frances the Badger, and Frog and Toad. I wonder what books my child will love in a few years. Hopefully, they're not the books that are making up my list of books I'd rather my child didn't read. Let's start with the positives, books she seems to enjoy. Remember, I am speaking from the "I" perspective.

1) Any book with Elmo. She loves Elmo. No, I mean seriously.

2) It's O.K. to be Different by Todd Parr -  A New Classic. Celebrates diversity in such a wonderful way. Love Todd Parr. Thankfully, my daughter enjoys the look and language of the book. She calls the book, O.K.

3) The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss- It's actually a really fun book. My daughter loves the language, as do I. I basically have memorized it.

4) My Peanut Butter Big Brother by Selina Alko - This is a book I expected her to read in a few years, but she found it and loves the imagery. I never get to finish it, but it does have a lead character who looks more like my daughter.

5) She also has a "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" book that I sing over and over again to her. The book contains great visible diversity. I especially love the fact that there is a girl at the game, who is seen throughout the book.

There are some others that will make her rotation, but this are the ones I have read the most with her to date.

On to the flip side . . .

1) The Fierce Bad Rabbit. Love the title, but the book is about a rabbit who is fierce and bad and has his tail ripped off at the end of the story to teach him a lesson. WHAT? I don't want to share that with my child at any age.

2) Goldilocks and the Three Bears-Oh yeah, I'm going after a classic. This books features some innocent bears, who leave their house. Then, a strange girl does a B & E, eats their food, and sleeps in their beds. If someone did that to you, you would be livid. I'm not explaining to my child that it's ok for Goldilocks to do it, but the rest of us need to obey laws.

3) Cookie's Week - I'm a cat person and this book stereotypes cats.

There are more, but you'll have to come back next week. :)

My first official day as a stay at home parent

What a wonderful first day! I must say that it was quite action-packed. Here's a rundown.

1) After waking up, my daughter and I headed to Target to pick up big girl cups and art projects.
2) Breakfast!
3) Art time on her high chair table. Found some great stuff at Target! Her first Crayola products. Art is now proudly displayed in Mama's office.

4) After some play time, we headed to Story Time at the local library. Got to see my little one sing and play very well with other children. Very unselfish! By the way, the free play after the books and songs reminded me of something. I have been noticing how most parents I've seen lately distance themselves from their children in playgrounds. I think I'll stay a little closer than them, just to be safe.
5) Nap.
6) Lunch!
7) After lunch, we went to a local bookstore and checked on some books. A great place for children.

8) We found some time to Skype with Camilla's Nana. Always fun.

9) Home for a nap. Beating the rain!

10) Late nap led to quick snack, dinner, and play time until Mama arrived.

I am already loving this. She has even learned a few new words. The adventure has begun and it looks to be rewarding!