Wordless Wednesday

The Runaway Pumpkin

One of my favorite things about autumn is pumpkins. Carve them, paint them, glue glitter and pom-poms on them. Make pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin bread. Roast pumpkin seeds. Or just set them out and bask in their rotund oranginess (or whiteness or greenness, depending on the type of pumpkin you may have). So when I found a children’s book about pumpkins, I was sold.

‘Round and ‘round

Across the ground

Makin’ a thumpin’

Bumpin’ sound

Came that

Thumpety,

Bumpety

Thumpin’

Bumpin’

Round and roll-y

Runaway pumpkin!

 ~Kevin Lewis

The Runaway Pumpkin is a delightful adventure that is fun to read, entertaining to listen to, and even educational. Join two mischievous brothers and their little sister as they chase a giant pumpkin through their farm, which in turn causes their family members to reminisce on their favorite edible pumpkin creations. The fantastical sequence of events keeps my kids glued to the story and asking me to read it to them again and again.

Needless to say, this cute little tale has become a must for our autumn literature collection.

Momma Confession #1

I love yoga pants. I own more yoga pants than jeans. And that may be well and good, but I have never actually done a yoga class other than a video I did a couple of times when I was pregnant with my third. I don't even work out, unless you consider constantly picking up after my kids a form of workout.  But I do love my yoga pants. I DO wear jeans if I have to go out, other than taking my daughter to and from school, but even then I prefer to just wear my favorite, oh-so-comfy, "lounging" around, "Most Loved Yoga Pant" from Victoria's Secrets. If you don't have a pair of yoga pants and are looking for some good ones, I highly suggest you get yourself online at Victoria's Secret and order yourself a pair... Or two or three.ツ

Wordless Wednesday

I Love You Just the Way You Are

That popular phrase “I love you” is abundantly thrown around in my home. Some of our favorite variations, particularly with my kids, consist of banters and one-uppers: I love you one, I love you two, I love you three, etc.; I love you more, I love you most; I love you one hundred; I love you to the moon and back. But I have found one love expression seems to make the biggest impact on my children: I love you just the way you are.  

The first time I told my oldest that I loved her just the way she was, her eyes lit up and a sizable smile spread across her face. When I told my son that I loved him just the way he was he sheepishly smiled and said, “Me? You love me to be me? Being Gavin is great?” It made me realize that my children know I love them, but maybe they don’t realize that I truly love them for who they are, even if who they are frustrate and irritate me at times. It became clear to me that my children needed to feel that they are loved simply by being, not because of what they do or say or achieve. And though I DO love them as they are, perhaps I have been remiss in showing them that.

The wonderful thing about recognizing where we might be going wrong is that there is always a chance for change. And when it comes to kids there seems to be an endless supply of forgiveness and acceptance of our positive changes, which just makes change that much easier and more valuable.

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves

Of all the four seasons, autumn is my absolute favorite. The air whispers through the trees with a bit more crispness and the vurduous leaves transform into brilliant shades of red, orange, yellow and brown. The season invokes feelings of change as the harvest is gathered after the blazing summer and the fields are prepared for the chilling winter.

In Indian mythology the chosen season for the goddess of learning, Saraswati, is said to be autumn. In fact, autumn presents many opportunities for learning, including historical and geographical. So what did I do when autumn was upon us? I stocked up on autumn books to read to my children to inspire their curiosity about this much-loved season.

The first book I read with my children was Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson. I absolutely love this book. The art is magnificent and the prose is beautifully written. When the leaves on Fletcher’s favorite tree begin to turn brown and fall from their boughs the little fox begins to worry that something must be wrong, and he makes a promise to the leaves and his tree that is as sweet as any promise an innocent child can make. While reading the book my son would question the changing of the tree just as little Fletcher did, and it was a delightful introduction to autumn and the transformations that it brings.

Stayed tuned for more autumnal literature that my children and I have enjoyed. ツ

Wordless Wednesday