Archives for May 2015

Summer FUN in Atlanta

05/28/2015 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Summer 2015 is (un)officially under way, now that the kiddos are out of school. So here are some awesome ideas to add to your summer fun in Atlanta – to keep them entertained, and also to help keep them stimulated, and avoid parking their brains over the summer. Not all of these are strictly limited to the Atlanta area, so make sure to check them all out and see what YOU can cross off your summer bucket list. Click on the pictures for further details.

Summer Fun in Atlanta – Master List

: 5 Free (or Cheap) Hikes Around Atlanta

: 10 Red, White, and Blue Party Food Ideas

: Fun & Frugal Ways to Keep Your Kids Cool This Summer

: Tips for Making a Summer Bucket List

: Outdoor Toys for Little Ones

: Backyard Bug Repellents

: Free Summer Reading Programs

: Free and Frugal Ways to Beat the Heat Around Atlanta

: Going to the Fair (The Frugal Way)

: A Guide to a Successful Garage Sale

: FREE Things to do in Atlanta

: Good Report Card Freebies

: 5 Ways to Lower Summer Cooling Costs

: 5+ Other Ways to Use a Water Table

Got something to add? Please contact me and I’ll look in to it.

Keep on saving! :o)
--Barbara
**Remember, y'all, this post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Filed Under: around town, Summer

Saying Goodbye to Kindergarten

05/27/2015 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

It seems like it was just last week I walked my little girl in to Kindergarten. And yet now, in a blink of an eye, she was saying goodbye to Kindergarten. While I knew she was more than ready to start Kindergarten, I still knew this year would be filled with many “new”s: she started a new school, venturing away from the preschool where she was already well-known; which also means she made new friends, whom she embraced with her big heart and they she; new teachers, all of whom she seems to like, her classroom teacher the most!

In the last nine months, she’s become an even stronger reader, mastering even more sight words, gained more confidence as a reader, began to experiment with spelling, finished writing her own book, began formerly learning Spanish, learned how to skip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s, learned how to add numbers in her head, almost mastered shoe tying (gonna keep that on our summer checklist!), and grew by leaps and bounds in ways I never imagined!

I’m not sure what it is about Kindergarten in our present culture that invokes such sentimentality, but I will gladly testify to its strength. We weep when our babies start Kindergarten, whether they do so as the king of the hill in a preschool setting, or as the littlest guys in an elementary school setting. We weep because Kindergarten signifies that our little babies are no longer our little babies, and that, with each step they take towards their school, they take a further step away from our safe and comfortable arms, away from our safe world where we can control and protect them. They take a step further towards leaving the proverbial nest.

My little girl can now be considered what she calls a “grader”. Wow. How on earth do I have a first grader on my hands?! That I’m not sure, but I do know that, as I watch my little girl grow up -a girl with a heart bigger than any ocean- I’ll mourn the loss of each previous stage, watching small slivers of her childhood slip away, while also celebrating the little person she is becoming. And she is quite a cool little person.

So, here’s to a wonderful year in Kindergarten, to all the excitement this summer may hold, and to the wonders that await us next year in first grade.

You may also like:

A Message from My Daughter

Kindergarten Readiness

Starting Kindergarten

Filed Under: family, parenting, random ramblings, Summer

7+ Great Toddler Action Books

05/22/2015 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

In my continued effort to share good books to promote literacy, I have a list of cute little toddler action books that my kids have enjoyed over the years. By “action book”, I mean books that have flaps to lift, doors to open, pop-ups, etc – anything tactile to get a toddler engaged in the story at -ahem- hand. Do you have any favorite action books you’d add to this?

Toddler Action Books

Hop, Dance, Jump: Action Words and Fabulous Flaps by Maureen Roffey – This dandy little book is one of my son’s current favorites. It’s got flaps to lift up, and flaps to lift down, with action words and (near) opposites on every page. Each page depicts a character doing one action, you lift or lower a flap, and she’s doing the opposite, or near opposite: laugh/cry, sit/stand, walk/run, etc.
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle – One of my all-time favorite children’s authors is at it again. This adorable story, with repetitive phrases tells the tale of a very busy spider spinning his web. On each page, your child can feel the spider web, and watch in wonder as the busy spider’s web grows.
What Makes a Rainbow: A Magic Ribbon Book by Betty Ann Schwartz – Your toddler will enjoy watching the rainbow grow, as they turn the pages of this colorful book!
Ten Chirpy Chicks and Ten Little Ladybugs by Debbie Tarbett – These delightful books, just two out of a whole collection, help a child count backwards from ten, and allow for counting, touching each chick or ladybug as you go, and watch each one disappear as you turn the page.
Where is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz – Well, you’ve got to lift the flaps to help baby. That belly button won’t find itself, in this delightful playful book. You can also check out Karen Katz‘s other interactive books for tots.
Spot the Dot by David A. Carter – The toddler book based on the popular app. Yep, a book based on an app – but your kids will LOVE it, and stay engaged!
The entire Bizzy Bear series by Nosy Crow – With chunky sliders to push and pull, this robust little board book is perfect for active toddlers. Rich in visual detail and with touches of humor, it is sure to become a classic in the family library.