Both of my kids love Tails by Matthew Van Fleet. Evan has been a fan of the book since he turned one and now Madelyn is following in his footsteps. She loves the hands-on textures and gets so excited when she gets the book all to herself. That, of course, only happens when Evan is at school. 

They both love it so much that I’m thinking of buying a second copy!  

Do you read the Nie Nie Dialogues—a blog by Stephanie Nielson? I’m a fan. In case you don’t follow Stephanie, she is a mom, a blogger and a burn survivor. I find her totally inspiring. It could be because my nephew is a burn survivor. I witnessed with lots of love and tears the ups and downs that take place in the burn unit. When I first started reading Nie Nie, all I could think about was my own family’s reaction to those first tragic days and months after my nephew’s accident. Nothing can prepare you for such a life-changing event.

I think the thing I like most about Nie Nie’s blog is that she reminds me of the simple joys we should savor in life. She literally fought for her life so she could hug her little ones and be there to make them lunch in the morning. It puts things in perspective for me. I take for granted how easy it is to give my kiddos a bath or cart them around for a piggyback ride. Check out Stephanie talking about caring for her kids on Oprah. 

Tomorrow night 20/20 is doing a story on Stephanie. Are you planning to watch? I will be. I’ll be thinking of my nephew and what it was like to sleep on a cot in the burn unit by his side. I’ll be thinking of my kids and how happy I am I get to mother them every day, and I’m sure I’ll be crying. 

We had so much fun munching and reading while we waited for our next job in the kitchen.

I was tempted to sneak away to my computer to catch up on e-mail with the little bit of "downtime" we had, but I’m so glad I didn’t.

I’ve been trying to live in the moment with my little ones a little more. They truly are so much fun to be with. These pictures don’t do our little book fest justice, but let me tell you, we had a blast. So much so that I think I’m going to start trying to plan every meal so we have 20-30 minutes of book time before we sit down to eat. It is optimistic, but it would be great if I could find a way to make it happen. 

You know those little things that make you smile—like twisting the lid off the jar when no one else could and getting buried under a pile of blankets on a cold night? Neil Pasricha is a genius and compiles them all in his book, The Book of Awesome, and on his blog, 1,000 Awesome Things. 

My sweet friend Sandy gave me the book last year and it instantly became one of my favorites (hence all of the fingerprint smudges on the cover). I smile every time I read it. I love paying attention to the little things in life and this book inspires me to notice the awesome things all around me.

While the book was gift enough, Sandy took it to the next level and slipped customized notes into the pages of the book. They recount memories of each other—talking on the phone late at night and road trips we’ve taken together. She also let me know she is hoping I can get some much needed sleep! 

A friend that gives you a perfect gift and then makes it even better with a personal touch? AWESOME! Thank you, Sandy, for adding this great book to my bookshelf. I love it! Thanks, too, for being such a great friend. 

Another kiddie favorite…Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! This was one of the first books Evan could "read" all by himself. Madelyn loves it, too, and I think it is my favorite Sandra Boynton book. If you’re looking for a new addition to your bookshelf or a good kiddie gift, you can’t go wrong.  

Shhh….don’t tell Evan, but I let Madelyn read his copies of Pat the Puppy, Pat the Cat and Pat the Bunny books last week. These are some of Evan’s favorites, so I know he’d reach over and rescue them from Madelyn’s grip if he knew she liked them. And definitely don’t mention that the corner of one the books ended up in Madelyn’s mouth. It will be our secret.

These have been some of Evan’s favorites for years. He knows every word in each of them and heaven help me if I can only find Pat the Puppy when he is in the mood for Pat the Bunny. Tears. Tears I tell you. I try to make sure all of our Pat books are together on the shelf to reduce the risk of a pre-bedtime meltdown. Have any of you read the Pat the Pony or Tickle the Pig books in this series (if you can call it a series)? I’ve seen them on Amazon but I haven’t read them yet. They might be good additions to our collection. 

When I decided to start featuring my kids’ favorite books on Mondays, I scanned the bookshelves and looked for the books that are the most worn. Ratty corners and finger-smudged pages are sure signs that a book is well loved. All of our Eric Carle books have been read time and time again, but I think one of our favorites is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? It is the perfect book at the end of a long day. I can read it without thinking, my kiddos both love the colorful pictures and Evan likes that he knows what is coming up next. Is it a favorite in your house, too? 

Here is another favorite from my kiddos’ bookshelf: The Pout-Pout Fish. My sister-in-law gave it to Evan quite some time ago and it became our go-to, must-read bedtime story for about five months straight. The main little line, "I’m a pout pout fish with a pout pout face so I spread the dreary wearies all over the place," is so catchy and Evan loved that he could "read" it with us. The line definitely will get stuck in your head, but not in a way that will make you crazy. The story line is really sweet and in the end the fish realizes that he isn’t a pout pout fish, he is a kiss kiss fish and starts spreading cheery cheeries all over the place. After I read the last line, I kiss Evan all over his face and head and he breaks into giggles…or wipes of my kisses, depending on his mood! 

My kitchen bookshelves are full of amazing cookbooks. I love reading my cookbooks as much as I like cooking from them. I know there are wonderful websites full of recipes, but I’m still old school when it comes to cookbooks. 

One of my favorites to flip through is Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make. The photography is amazing and the cupcakes are adorable.  

Last winter I whipped up the penguin cupcakes in the book for Evan’s preschool class to go along with the penguin-theme week they had. All in all I thought they turned out pretty well for my first time attempting such cupcake artistry. I layered the serving tray with coconut and threw in a few Swedish fish to top off the display.

Of course, as I was building the cupcakes I realized the teachers probably would not appreciate the aftermath of 12 toddlers hyped up on a cupcake, donut and donut hole. 

Let’s just say there were no afternoon naps in the class that day, but the teachers didn’t hold it against me too long. I’m definitely turning to the book again for some creative treats for my kiddos’ birthdays this year. 

If I Could Keep You Little… by Marianne Richmond is one of my favorite new books sitting on our bookshelves. A friend showed me her copy just before Christmas and I knew I had to buy it for my kiddos. If I Could Keep You Little reminds me that while I often mourn how quickly my little ones are growing, each new stage brings new excitement. The back cover sums it up with, “If I could keep you little, I’d keep you close to me. But then I’d miss you growing into who you’re meant to be.”

I love that the book is for boys and girls. One of my favorite lines in it is, “If I could keep you little, I’d tell you stories every night. But then I’d miss you reading the words you’ve learned by sight.” I also love, “If I could keep you little, I’d fly you with my feet. But then I’d miss you seeing sky and clouds from your seat.”

The book makes me want to create my own scrapbook version of the theme, which is going on my someday list of projects to tackle.

Some of my lines and photos for my scrapbook…

If I could keep you little, I’d snuggle you all day.

But then I’d miss seeing how much you love to play.

 
If I could keep you little, I’d carry you everywhere.

But then I’d miss seeing you roll from here to there.

I sometimes have to remind myself that while I miss who my kids were, I love who they have become. They are meant to grow and change and take on lives of their own. I’m lucky to get to share in their journey and I am trying to make it as wonderful for them as it is for me.