threelilprincesses.com

Category: Raising Girls

  • FEATURE: Our kids give us a sign

    FEATURE: Our kids give us a sign

    THIS post could easily turn into one of those brag sessions about your kids. God, don’t you hate those parents? The ones who go on about all the wonderful things their child can do, while yours is sitting there scratching their bum?

    However, this one has to be told because, if anything, it just proves how incredible these little sponges are and why we shouldn’t underestimate what they’re capable of learning.

    Princess Ella is three and, thanks to child care, has learnt skills she couldn’t learn at home – basically because her mum just ain’t that clever! Sure, I could have taught her to click her fingers and whistle, but it’s not something I imagined she could do at age three. But she can, because of her childcarer.

    However, what’s blown me away most is her learning a new language. Sign language. And I’m not talking about flipping the bird – that’s still a few years away.  It’s strange to have her teaching me how to do something and then responding with: “Good girl, Mum. That’s really wonderful. You’re doing a great job’’. Patronising, or what?

    Speaking to other mums about this via Facebook, it seems they all agree that if their child has a good grasp of the English language, why not allow them to learn another language. Ella picked up a little Spanish from, dare I say it, Dora the Explorer.  One mum admitted her daughter became so good at her “Dora-led’’ Spanish, she became extremely agitated when her mum tried to explain the colour was “blue’’, when clearly it was “azul’’.

    To end this post, here’s a video of Ella teaching me to sign. Bear in mind, she’s a three year old and, just as she keeps strangely pronouncing “hot poppin’ popcorn’’ as “hotta hotta popcorn’’, she may well be getting some of these slightly incorrect (`how are you?’ and `good, thank you’ look a little too similar). She also wasn’t in the most cooperative mood this morning, so it’s only a small taste of what she’s learnt. I’ll try and upload more of her signing later.

    If you want to learn to sign or teach your child, then visit the Auslan site.

    OK, you now have permission to brag. Has your child grasped a second language? Or do they have a skill you never imagined they could do at their age?

  • He Said She Said: It’s not a fashion parade. Or is it?

    He Said She Said: It’s not a fashion parade. Or is it?

    Mum's version of Ella

    SHE SAID:
    PRINCESS Ella walked out wearing purple sneakers, pink cow socks, red shorts, a paint-stained yellow t-shirt and a brown peaked cap. Dressed by Daddy. Of course.
    She was set for a day out with her dad. Well, not looking like that, you’re not! As expected, Julian throws back at me: “It’s not a fashion parade’’.
    It’s after such a statement that I’m compelled to want to steer the bloke in The Shed in the direction of our full-length bedroom mirrors. What would he see? Hair that’s cut every five weeks to the day, a pair of Oakleys resting atop a stylish black Nike cap, Quicksilver t-shirt, two-month-old shorts and another new pair of white sneakers (which look exactly like the other 12 pairs in his wardrobe).
    Sorry, but when Ella leaves the house I want her to look respectable, not like some scrubber from the Bronx. No offense, J-Lo. You just never know when the next European prince will fall in love with a Tasmanian.
    It must be noted that after a major tantrum (from Ella and the bloke in The Shed), Ella was promptly changed into more “appropriate’’ clothing. It was incredible to see an instant change in the way she presented herself – from sitting with her legs spread and belly hanging out to walking like a lady and giggling with hands clasped over her li’l mouth. Awww. Now tell me that’s not cute.
    Now, I’m not advocating dressing our kids like Suri Cruise. There’s something wrong about preschoolers in high heels and designer coats. However, I do want to see hair done (not scruffy mops of knots) and clothes co-ordinated (sorry, but the Punky Brewster look went out of style in the ‘80s). Mum has spoken. Enough said.

    Dad's version of Ella

    HE SAID:
    I ask you, what in the world is wrong with a brown hat, a yellow top, red shorts, hot pink socks and purple shoes?
    Exactly. Nothing.
    Yet when I was about to walk out the door having dressed Princess Ella in said attire, the look on my good wife’s face was as if I’d dumped Ella in a bucket of tar, ripped open a doona and dumped it on her head.
    “She is not going out with those clothes on,’’ was the scream from Kel. Stunned, Ella and I looked at Kel like she’d just slapped us across the face with a frozen fish.
    Ella and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. “Why not,’’ we thought (but did dare not utter).
    Ella was happy. She was comfy and her track record suggested she’d get the clothes so dirty we’d be changing them again in an hour anyway. I was happy. I grabbed the first clothes I could from the pile of washing within arm’s reach and managed to get Ella completely dressed without spilling a drop of my coffee. Ella and I were going to watch a pet parade, not a fashion show, what did we care how we looked?
    Well, obviously we’d missed a chapter in the “How to Keep Mum Happy” Handbook. As far as mum was concerned there was going to be other people we knew at the event and therefore Ella had to look “respectable” (even though Ella’s natural attire at home is a fairy dress, no undies – from not being bothered enough to put them back on after going to the toilet – and a Dora Explorer t-shirt).
    No, it was clear. Apparently I could “inadvertently” teach Ella how to pick her nose or show her the joys of the “pull my finger” game, but dare I dress her in red shorts for a day out in public then it is grounds for divorce. I didn’t even buy her the red shorts. Kellie did.

    So, is it important how your kids look when in public? Share your opinion on this  He Said She Said.

    Also, Julian said he’d pay you if you voted for him in the Top 25 Daddy Blogs at Circle of Moms. Mind you, he said the same thing if I’d agree to marry him.

  • SLEEP CHALLENGE: How do you get a baby to sleep unwrapped?

    SLEEP CHALLENGE: How do you get a baby to sleep unwrapped?

    Baby Holly playing with her pacifier

    MONTH FIVE:

    What’s been happening this month? More sleep deprivation. Not even a touring Keith Richards lives this hard.

    Baby Holly is now a full-on roller – front and back. This means the whole wrapping the arms thing has to go, in-line with the SIDS guidelines. The fact she only sleeps a maximum of three hours at a time has made me reluctant to start. But I bit the bullet and began this week.

    The outcome? I went straight back to wrapping. If I unwrapped just one arm, she’d spend the whole time pulling her dummy out, then grizzle because she couldn’t put it back in again. After standing by her cot and holding her hand for quite a while, I ended up feeling like someone was stabbing me in the back with a sharp knife and no, Julia Gillard was nowhere in sight. Then Holly looked up and laughed at me. Nice! Little rotter ….

    You may be wondering what we did with Princess Ella at the same time. Well, due to the fact she was such a small baby, we somehow got away with wrapping her until she was eight months old. By that time, putting the dummy in and out of her mouth was a cinch.

    SOLUTION: No idea. Keep her wrapped, maybe? How did you go about unwrapping your baby for sleep? Any tips or tricks for me?

    Next in the series is: Month Six: Guest Post A mother’s heartache. Read all posts from the Sleep Challenge.

  • FEATURE: Five super techniques for losing the pacifier … for good!

    FEATURE: Five super techniques for losing the pacifier … for good!

    Losing the pacifier can be tough

    A PHOTOGRAPH of famous preschooler Suri Cruise sporting a dummy at age four attracted much comment this week. It inspired this week’s poll and sparked a bit of a conversation on our Facebook page.

    One of my favourite contributors, Barb, joined in on the conversation and had me crying from laughter. So we had to share it. “I knew of a girl (school age) who had a dummy and would carry it in her pocket at school and go to the loo for a quick suck a few times a day.’’ Hmmm, I’ve heard of people hiding out in the toilets to feed some strange habits, but dummy sucking?!

    Feli from My Life In Mono also had a cute tale to tell. “Mum told me that I was on the dummy at age four. She weaned me by telling me the dog ate my dummy and that was that’’.

    Exactly when your child loses the binky is really a personal choice. For Princess Ella, who was only ever allowed her dummy at bedtime, it was two and a half years due to the seed of Baby Holly being sown. It happened pretty easily, thanks to flagging the idea with her weeks in advance and being positive about it. But every child is different.

    If you’re in the midst of losing the pacifier or about to, here’s some suggestions. We had success with a combination of the first two.

    1. Tell them how the Dummy Fairy will come and get it one night to take it to a li’l baby who needs it more than they do. This idea makes them feel like they’re helping someone else.
    2. Provide them with a gift (either from mum and dad or from the Dummy Fairy) in return for the pacifier. It’s always fun for them in the weeks leading up to it to guess what the gift might be.
    3. Just go cold turkey.  Yes, surprisingly this sometimes can work, especially when they’re really young.
    4. Cut the tip off the pacifier. The child is unable to suck and loses interest. Prepare for the fact they may carry it around with them for a while though.
    5. Tie it to a helium balloon and release it into the sky or pop it in the post (addressed to grandma, maybe) so it can be delivered to a baby who needs it more.

    Getting rid of the dummy can be tough. Share with us your story of losing the binky.

  • FEATURE: Activities for preschoolers

    FEATURE: Activities for preschoolers

    DURING the week, tweets kept popping into my @ThreeLil Twitter account by northern-based mums battling 30C-plus heat. Here we were rugged up like Eskimos as we toasted our toes by the heater.

    With summer momentarily disappearing, it enabled Princess Ella and I to rediscover our list of fun indoor activities. Today I thought I’d share some of our absolute favourites (even though the warm weather seems to have returned).

    Ella painting her toe nails

     Fingernail painting and pedicure:

    Ella constantly asks to have her nails painted. She also likes to take over and paint mine. Of course, there’s usually more colour on my feet than my nails. My three-year-old nephew loves this activity too, so don’t exclude the boys.

     

    Craft at the little table

    Craft table:

    The craft table, set up in the corner of the dining room, is constantly filled with pencils, crayons, paper, glue, sticky tape, pipe cleaners, pom poms and well, crafty items. Since Baby Holly came along, it’s been my saviour during breastfeeding. A fellow mum also set up a craft table, but had her house redecorated when the phone rang and her three-year-old ran, glitter in hand.

    Messy craft at the big table

    Sometimes Ella gets to play at the “big’’ table.

    Hair in a braid after playing hairdressers

     Hairdressing:

    Aided with hair brushes, combs, bands and clips, the conversations usually goes something like this: Ella: “How would you like your hair done today?’’. Mum: “Ah, a cut and colour, thanks Ella’’. Ella: “No, I’m not Ella, I’m a hairdresser. Would you like a pink and purple colour today?’’ Mum: “Yes please, hairdresser. That’s exactly what I was thinking’’.

     

    Cooking with Dad in her MasterChef outfit

    Cooking:

    Donning her MasterChef apron, Ella’s requests are usually M&M Biscuits (recipe to come soon), birthday cake (even when it’s not her birthday) and ABC muffins (Apple, Banana and … chocolate, of course).

     Knitting:

    This week Ella asked me to teach her to knit. Sound impossible? Quite the contary. She was thoroughly entertained with her needles and yarn, creating a beautiful big…

    …ending up in knots

    …knot! Our next step may be sewing (with glue, instead of needle and thread). She may just be the next international fashion designer.

    We also enjoy Play Doh, dancing to music, doing household duties (she loves finding the sock’ “mates’’ and using her vacuum), taking photos with her Dora camera (see some photos we took together for Sunday Selection), tea parties, babies (although Ella likes to be the baby more often than not), reading books (particularly from the library), singing songs (with pretend microphones), puzzles and playing cards (I taught her to play Fish, but accidentally called it Snap Now she refuses to let me teach her Snap “No mum, that’s not how you play Snap’’).

    Has this left you inspired? Please share some of your favourite activities with your preschoolers.

    Visit Be A Fun Mum’s Activity Ideas for Children 2-5 or check out her list for Activity Ideas for Children Under 2.

  • FEATURE: She said what? Part 2

    FEATURE: She said what? Part 2

    She said what?

    PRINCESS Ella was a little slower than most at learning to do the physical things – rolling, crawling and walking. However, when it came to communication, she was king (or is that, queen).

    Now, at three, logically she’s quickly becoming comfortable with one of our prime communication tools, the phone. Often we see her walking around the house, pretend mobile phone wedged between her chin and shoulder, jabbering away with lines like: “I know, it’s terrible isn’t it? She’ll just have to learn’’. Hmmm, where did she get that from?

    Her latest golden quote though came when she was asked to pick up her toys. Her response: “I can’t Mum. I’m busy texting Nan’’. It took all my effort not to laugh!

    So, what line has your little one delivered that’s caused you to bite your tongue this week?

    Read more golden quotes from the She Said What? series.