Now after viewing those pictures aren't you ready for summer? :)
P.S - Can you imagine how much sand the Lil Divas brought home?
Let's just say it was A LOT, but it was so worth it!
Wishing you a sunshiny day!
Bern
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Sun, Sea, Sand & Smiles = A Recipe for a Perfect Day!
Yesterday the Lil Divas and I enjoyed our first trip to the beach this year. It was am amazing day filled with sun, (lots of) sand, smiles and the sea!
Now after viewing those pictures aren't you ready for summer? :)
P.S - Can you imagine how much sand the Lil Divas brought home?
Let's just say it was A LOT, but it was so worth it!
Wishing you a sunshiny day!
Bern
Now after viewing those pictures aren't you ready for summer? :)
P.S - Can you imagine how much sand the Lil Divas brought home?
Let's just say it was A LOT, but it was so worth it!
Wishing you a sunshiny day!
Bern
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Two Daughter Familes are the Happiest!?
I recently came across an article via The Telegraph about a UK Survey that has been generating some buzz. Why? Basically the study stated that having two daughters makes for the most harmonious family life.
Researchers from http://www.bounty.com/ conducted a survey of 2,116 parents of children aged 16 and under.
The study looked at families with twelve different combinations of children including everything from a brother and sister to four of the same sex. The study did not include only children.
Parents were asked to rank their children's behaviour based categories like ease of care, compatibility and overall behaviour. The two girl combination scored high in every category. According to the results of the study families with 2 daughters found that they are unlikely to fight, will play nicely and are generally a pleasure to be around. They are also 'easy to reason' with, 'helped around the house' and generally 'liked each other'. A few other conclucions were that two girls rarely annoy their parents, make limited noise, often confide in their parents and are unlikely to wind each other up or ignore each other. All these things add up to a happy and harmonious family life.
I have only been a mom of two girls for a limited time but I honestly laughed out loud when I read some of the findings of this study! THAT IS NOT WHAT IT"S LIKE IN MY 2 GIRL HOUSHOLD! :) Granted the survey was given to a limited pool of people but I am wondering if the scenario they paint is typical? My girls are loud, love to wind each other up, fight all the time and they rarely play nicely with each other for more than 5 minutes at a time and let's be brutally honest - they annoy me numerous times a day - usuallly due to all the fighting, loudness and working each other up they like to take part in on a daily basis. Maybe it's because they are still young and so close in age (15 months apart) - I can only hope that as they get older the findings presented in this study will ring true in my household. :) I do have to admit though that behind all the fighting they do genuinely love and like each other and my husband and I both have an amazing bond with our girls.
A few more interesting results revealed by this study were that the second most satisfactory combination of children was one boy and one girl. Parents with a child of each gender reported that they rarely argued over toys, belongings and who can have what. These parents also reported that having one of each gender made it easier to reason with them, which made it easy for parents to sort out problems. The only downside reported of having a boy and a girl was a lack of shared interest as they grow up, which makes sense since they would most likely like different types of things.
The third easiest combination of children was two boys. Parents of two boys revealed they are often best friends throughout their childhood. The downside came as they grow up. The parents reported that the boys rarely confided in them as they grew up, which seems to be the oppostie of the two girl household.
One final thing I found interesting was that the study found that the more girls you have in a household, the more of a handful they become - even more than boys! This I can totally see. Parents with four girls turned out to be the least happy of all the parents surveyed. One in four of parents with 4 girls admitted they were not 100 per cent happy with their lot - and one in three found it hard to cope on a daily basis.
After reading this article, I don't know if we have the best scenario in our household but I do know that I personally wouldn't want it any other way! :)
What do you think of the results of the survey compared with your own family?
(Information provided from an article written in http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)
Researchers from http://www.bounty.com/ conducted a survey of 2,116 parents of children aged 16 and under.
The study looked at families with twelve different combinations of children including everything from a brother and sister to four of the same sex. The study did not include only children.
Parents were asked to rank their children's behaviour based categories like ease of care, compatibility and overall behaviour. The two girl combination scored high in every category. According to the results of the study families with 2 daughters found that they are unlikely to fight, will play nicely and are generally a pleasure to be around. They are also 'easy to reason' with, 'helped around the house' and generally 'liked each other'. A few other conclucions were that two girls rarely annoy their parents, make limited noise, often confide in their parents and are unlikely to wind each other up or ignore each other. All these things add up to a happy and harmonious family life.
I have only been a mom of two girls for a limited time but I honestly laughed out loud when I read some of the findings of this study! THAT IS NOT WHAT IT"S LIKE IN MY 2 GIRL HOUSHOLD! :) Granted the survey was given to a limited pool of people but I am wondering if the scenario they paint is typical? My girls are loud, love to wind each other up, fight all the time and they rarely play nicely with each other for more than 5 minutes at a time and let's be brutally honest - they annoy me numerous times a day - usuallly due to all the fighting, loudness and working each other up they like to take part in on a daily basis. Maybe it's because they are still young and so close in age (15 months apart) - I can only hope that as they get older the findings presented in this study will ring true in my household. :) I do have to admit though that behind all the fighting they do genuinely love and like each other and my husband and I both have an amazing bond with our girls.
A few more interesting results revealed by this study were that the second most satisfactory combination of children was one boy and one girl. Parents with a child of each gender reported that they rarely argued over toys, belongings and who can have what. These parents also reported that having one of each gender made it easier to reason with them, which made it easy for parents to sort out problems. The only downside reported of having a boy and a girl was a lack of shared interest as they grow up, which makes sense since they would most likely like different types of things.
The third easiest combination of children was two boys. Parents of two boys revealed they are often best friends throughout their childhood. The downside came as they grow up. The parents reported that the boys rarely confided in them as they grew up, which seems to be the oppostie of the two girl household.
One final thing I found interesting was that the study found that the more girls you have in a household, the more of a handful they become - even more than boys! This I can totally see. Parents with four girls turned out to be the least happy of all the parents surveyed. One in four of parents with 4 girls admitted they were not 100 per cent happy with their lot - and one in three found it hard to cope on a daily basis.
After reading this article, I don't know if we have the best scenario in our household but I do know that I personally wouldn't want it any other way! :)
What do you think of the results of the survey compared with your own family?
(Information provided from an article written in http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)
Friday, April 8, 2011
W is for Wind: Experiment - Can the Wind Move It?
The arrival of Spring brings lots of windy days. Today we explored the letter Ww and the different types of things that wind can move with an easy and fun at-home experiement.
Here is a recap of our activties:
Letter W Do-a-Dot Page (from Confessions of a Homeschooler)
Letter Ww Hunt (from Beginning Reading)
Letter Ww Word Hunt (by Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas)
Wikki Stix W's
Letter W Foam Puzzle
Experiment: Can the Wind Move It?
Wind Experiment Template (Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas)
rock
leaf
spoon
tissue paper
feather
cotton ball
block
lego
scissors
glue
straws
What To Do:
1. The Lil Divas cut out the pictures of the items were using in our experiement.
2. They hypothesized which objects would move with wind blowing and which ones would not move by putting the corresponding pictures in the correct column on their sheet (do not glue)
3. One at a time I presented them with the objects (place on the floor or table top) and they used their straws to blow wind at the objects.
4. After we went through all 8 items the Lil Divas went back to their sheets and checked if their hypothesis had been correct. They made corrections if necessary and glued the pictures onto the correct column.
We had a fun day exploring wind! Enjoy!
Bern
**I have linked this to Childhood 101 - We Play!, Sharing Time, Get Crafty, Read, Explore, Learn , For the Kids Friday, and Preschool Corner **
Thursday, April 7, 2011
To My Aunt, With Love!
My aunt has been visiting from NY the past week. It has been wonderful having her around. She is so much more than just my aunt - that name seems so inadequate. She is my second mom and one of my best friends. Our bond is a strong one. Throughout my life I have always known that I could turn to her for anything. During my pre-teen and teenage years, she was the one I often turned to with my problems, concerns, fears, etc. She has never let me down, steered me wrong or ratted me out - lol! To this day, she is one of the first people I would call if I needed to talk, wanted to share good news, needed an ally or just required a friendly voice.
Now that we are both adults, she sometimes turns to me to vent or to discuss being a mom to a young woman (my cousin is 21). It's nice that I can now return some of what she gave me as I was growing up. We will never be even - for there is no one like her. She is generous to a fault but I try to act as a sounding board and the voice of reason having endured those teenage/young adult years not too long ago myself. ;)
Whenever we are together, I love watching how my Lil Divas interact with her and vice versa. I can see how I feel about her shining through them and it makes my heart happy. They truly love her (and she them) and have so much fun together. I wish they could share these moments more often but I do not fret too much about it because I know that their bond is genuine and neither time nor distance can affect that. Our own relationship is a testament to that!
Bern
Whenever we are together, I love watching how my Lil Divas interact with her and vice versa. I can see how I feel about her shining through them and it makes my heart happy. They truly love her (and she them) and have so much fun together. I wish they could share these moments more often but I do not fret too much about it because I know that their bond is genuine and neither time nor distance can affect that. Our own relationship is a testament to that!
Spring Weather Theme - Cloud Fun with Spilt Milk
This week has been busy and we haven't devoted much time to our home "school". We are stll reading about spring weather though and the girls have been very curious about clouds. I checked out a few books from the library on clouds and I wanted to share a fun activity we did on one of my favorite children's books - It Looked Like Spilt Milk.
My girls loved It Looked Like Spilt Milk and as a teacher I have loved this book for years. It is a wonderful children's book with easy repetitive text that gets the kids chanting along. It helps them work on their prediction skills as they try to decipher what comes next and of course it is a wonderful tool for engaging their imagination!
Activity: Spilt Milk Art
The first time I did this activity was during my first year of teaching with 3 year olds. That was over 13 years ago and it never ceases to amaze me how such a simple activity can produce such different results every time!
What You Need:
Blue Construction Paper
White Paint
Paintbrushes or Sponges (optional - I have also done this via fingerpainting)
What To Do:
1. Fold the blue contruction paper in half and have the child(ren) use the white paint to blot a design on one half of the paper. This is also a good time to talk about symmetry!
2. Fold paper in half and press down
3. Open to reveal your "spilt milk" symmetrical design and have fun using your imagination to "see" what it is!
My Lil Divas each saw different things in these pictures.
In the 1st they saw - a butterfly/a heart
The 2nd was - an angel/bunch of grapes
The 3rd was a video game controller/sand castle
the 4th was a bird/bow
What do you see?
Bern
My girls loved It Looked Like Spilt Milk and as a teacher I have loved this book for years. It is a wonderful children's book with easy repetitive text that gets the kids chanting along. It helps them work on their prediction skills as they try to decipher what comes next and of course it is a wonderful tool for engaging their imagination!
Activity: Spilt Milk Art
The first time I did this activity was during my first year of teaching with 3 year olds. That was over 13 years ago and it never ceases to amaze me how such a simple activity can produce such different results every time!
What You Need:
White Paint
Paintbrushes or Sponges (optional - I have also done this via fingerpainting)
What To Do:
1. Fold the blue contruction paper in half and have the child(ren) use the white paint to blot a design on one half of the paper. This is also a good time to talk about symmetry!
2. Fold paper in half and press down
3. Open to reveal your "spilt milk" symmetrical design and have fun using your imagination to "see" what it is!
My Lil Divas each saw different things in these pictures.
In the 1st they saw - a butterfly/a heart
The 2nd was - an angel/bunch of grapes
the 4th was a bird/bow
What do you see?
Bern
**I have linked this to Childhood 101 - We Play!, Sharing Time, Get Crafty, Read, Explore, Learn , For the Kids Friday, and Preschool Corner **
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Barnes & Noble (Free) April Online Storytime Presents - Eric Carle
Barnes and Noble has a great Online Storytime where popular stories are read out loud with illustrations and it is free!
This month the story is The Very Hungry Caterpillar (<--- click!) featuring illustrations from the book and being read by author Eric Carle himself!
Don't you just LOVE Eric Carle books? We sure do and this a perfect book to share with your child in the spring.
** FYI- As an added bonus Eric Carle books are on sale at Barnes & Noble for 40% off! **
Would you like to know what else has been read in this fantastic program?
Online Storytime Archive <--- click here for access to the old story videos
There have been great reads available in previous months.
List of books currently available:(as of April 2011)
Strega Nona
The Polar Express
The Mitten
Where the Wild Things Are
Olivia
Alexandar and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very bad Day
Smash! Crash!
Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly
Green Eggs & Ham
Pinkalicious
Don't forget to check back with Barnes & Noble each month for the new story - it's free and fun! :)
Enjoy!
Bern
This month the story is The Very Hungry Caterpillar (<--- click!) featuring illustrations from the book and being read by author Eric Carle himself!
Don't you just LOVE Eric Carle books? We sure do and this a perfect book to share with your child in the spring.
** FYI- As an added bonus Eric Carle books are on sale at Barnes & Noble for 40% off! **
Would you like to know what else has been read in this fantastic program?
Online Storytime Archive <--- click here for access to the old story videos
There have been great reads available in previous months.
List of books currently available:(as of April 2011)
Strega Nona
The Polar Express
The Mitten
Where the Wild Things Are
Olivia
Alexandar and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very bad Day
Smash! Crash!
Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly
Green Eggs & Ham
Pinkalicious
Don't forget to check back with Barnes & Noble each month for the new story - it's free and fun! :)
Enjoy!
Bern
Wordless Wednesday - My Heart, My Love - My Husband
Today's Wordless Wednesday picture is of me & my hubby! We rarely take pictures together since I am often the one behind the camera so this picture was a rare treat for us! Since you always get to see our Lil Divas I thought it would be nice to show you the Mom & Dad behind the Posh Lil Divas today! :)
Guest Post w/My Boss is Teething!
Today I am thrilled to be guest posting with Jen over at My Boss is Teething!
If you've been around here for awhile you know that some of my favorite crafts involve my Lil Divas' handprints. Not only do I find handprint crafts absolutely adorable but they serve as wonderful mementos of a particular time in your child's life.
So, in honor of spring I shared 2 of my favorite handprint crafts with Jen and her readers.
Here's a sneak peek just for you - my friends:
Isn't the cuteness factor on these - seriously high? I LOVE how they turned out!
So be sure to go check out the fun over at My Boss is Teething after you have finished visiting with me today! :) Jen has a wonderful blog and she writes about many topics facing new moms and moms in general. I love how interactive her posts are. She is not afraid to ask for advice or offer her opinions - so stop by and take a minute to chat with her.
Bern
If you've been around here for awhile you know that some of my favorite crafts involve my Lil Divas' handprints. Not only do I find handprint crafts absolutely adorable but they serve as wonderful mementos of a particular time in your child's life.
So, in honor of spring I shared 2 of my favorite handprint crafts with Jen and her readers.
Here's a sneak peek just for you - my friends:
Isn't the cuteness factor on these - seriously high? I LOVE how they turned out!
So be sure to go check out the fun over at My Boss is Teething after you have finished visiting with me today! :) Jen has a wonderful blog and she writes about many topics facing new moms and moms in general. I love how interactive her posts are. She is not afraid to ask for advice or offer her opinions - so stop by and take a minute to chat with her.
Bern
Monday, April 4, 2011
Vote for me in the Best of Blogs Awards - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
I am thrilled to announce that Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas has been nominated for a BOB (Best of Blogs) Award via South Florida's Sun-Sentinel.com.
Winners are selected via the number of votes so I would really appreciate it if you took a moment out of your busy day to click on the link below and vote for us! :)
Best of Blogs - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
We are under 2 categories - Family & Personal - so please, please vote for us both times and I would love it if you could spread the word for us!
Thank You so much & I appreciate your time & your votes! :)
Bern
Winners are selected via the number of votes so I would really appreciate it if you took a moment out of your busy day to click on the link below and vote for us! :)
Best of Blogs - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
We are under 2 categories - Family & Personal - so please, please vote for us both times and I would love it if you could spread the word for us!
Thank You so much & I appreciate your time & your votes! :)
Bern
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Spring Weather - WINDY DAY FUN
The Lil Divas and I ahve had some fun exploring spring weather. This weekend was a little windy so it was the perfect time to take out our art supplies and make our own windsocks!
Book:
Craft: Windsock
What You Need:
Oak Tag/Poster Board/ Card Stock - You need heavy type paper or even an oatmeal carton would work well.
paint/markers - for decorating
crepe paper - choice colors
stapler
glue
scissors
hole puncher
yarn/string
What to Do:
1. Cut paper into size you want for windsock and have child decorate. Since we are talking about spring I had the Lil Divas do a spring picture.
Here are their completed designs/pictures
2. After allowing drying time we turned the paintings over and glued on the strips of crepe paper which I ahd cut into even strips - just cut to desired length
3. I stapled the paper together in a cylinder shape - I found this worked both better & faster than glue for this type of heavy paper. Then, I punched 2 holes into the top of the cylinder and attached yarn (see below)
4. Take your finished winsocks outside and let them fly in the wind!
Hope you get to enjoy your windy spring weather as much as we did!
Bern
Book:
Craft: Windsock
What You Need:
Oak Tag/Poster Board/ Card Stock - You need heavy type paper or even an oatmeal carton would work well.
paint/markers - for decorating
crepe paper - choice colors
stapler
glue
scissors
hole puncher
yarn/string
What to Do:
1. Cut paper into size you want for windsock and have child decorate. Since we are talking about spring I had the Lil Divas do a spring picture.
Here are their completed designs/pictures
2. After allowing drying time we turned the paintings over and glued on the strips of crepe paper which I ahd cut into even strips - just cut to desired length
3. I stapled the paper together in a cylinder shape - I found this worked both better & faster than glue for this type of heavy paper. Then, I punched 2 holes into the top of the cylinder and attached yarn (see below)
4. Take your finished winsocks outside and let them fly in the wind!
Hope you get to enjoy your windy spring weather as much as we did!
Bern
**I have linked this to Childhood 101 - We Play!, Sharing Time, Get Crafty, Read, Explore, Learn , For the Kids Friday, and Preschool Corner **
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Mom Confession: I Secretly LOVE Getting......
CARDED!
Yes, that horribly annoying task of having to produce ID everytime you order a drink in your 20's is suddenly a giggle inducing, ego boosting, brag worthy episode in your 30's (and beyond I'm sure!)
Last night I went out for impromptu dinner & drinks with family (all women) while my hubby and girls slept the night away! That in itself was exhilarating, then as we sat and laughed and decided on which drinks we would have - it happened!
I ordered a Hawaiian Volcano (yummy!) and the waiter said - "Can I see your ID please?"
We all laughed, as I blushed and fished out my ID, everyone proclaiming it was a wonderful compliment!
He took my ID and actually took a moment to inspect it - I had thought he was joking!
How lovely it felt that this young waiter thought I was apparently UNDER 21! Ha! :)
After the recent battles I have endured with UNWANTED gray hairs <--click for that lovely post!
it was nice to be mistaken for being that young again! :)
A Hawaiian Volcano has never tasted so sweet as it did last night! :)
Do you secretly love being carded or mistaken for younger than you are?
Does it sercetly give you a bit of a thrill, as it did me, as well?
Bern
Yes, that horribly annoying task of having to produce ID everytime you order a drink in your 20's is suddenly a giggle inducing, ego boosting, brag worthy episode in your 30's (and beyond I'm sure!)
Last night I went out for impromptu dinner & drinks with family (all women) while my hubby and girls slept the night away! That in itself was exhilarating, then as we sat and laughed and decided on which drinks we would have - it happened!
I ordered a Hawaiian Volcano (yummy!) and the waiter said - "Can I see your ID please?"
We all laughed, as I blushed and fished out my ID, everyone proclaiming it was a wonderful compliment!
He took my ID and actually took a moment to inspect it - I had thought he was joking!
How lovely it felt that this young waiter thought I was apparently UNDER 21! Ha! :)
After the recent battles I have endured with UNWANTED gray hairs <--click for that lovely post!
it was nice to be mistaken for being that young again! :)
A Hawaiian Volcano has never tasted so sweet as it did last night! :)
Do you secretly love being carded or mistaken for younger than you are?
Does it sercetly give you a bit of a thrill, as it did me, as well?
Bern
Friday, April 1, 2011
Lil Divas April Fools Breakfast
In honor of April Fool's Day I decided it was time to prank the Lil Divas! I knew they were old enough to get the joke once I explained so this morning for breakfast I served up:
A cereal bowl of BLUE milk and 1 lonely Cereal
and some GREEN orange juice!
The Oldest Diva was not HAPPY and immediately wanted to know who ate her cereal (LOL!)
while the youngest, though definitely confused sat right down and ate that 1 piece of cereal and promptly began slurping up the milk (gotta love her!)
A cereal bowl of BLUE milk and 1 lonely Cereal
The Oldest Diva was not HAPPY and immediately wanted to know who ate her cereal (LOL!)
Once I explained to them it was a joke because today is April Fools Day - they laughed and wanted in onthe fun so we have been playing jokes on loved ones all day!
Some of my faves:
~ The Oldest Diva calling grandma (and then grandpa) to tell them that a boy cut her hair at school.
~ The Oldest had her arm wrapped up so she could show up to her other grandparents house and fake she had been hurt at school today! :)
Looks like we have started a new tradition in the Lil Diva house! :)
Happy April Fool's Day,
Bern
SPRING WEATHER THEME - U IS FOR UMBRELLA
Book:
The Umbrella Day
We added some rain (using glitter glue pens) and a puddle near the bottom. Here's one of the finished projects
Craft - Umbrella Mobile
What You Need:
1 paper plate
yarn/string
markers, crayons or paint
hole puncher
umbrella handle cut-out
8 pictures of things that start with the letter u
4 rain drop cut-outs
glue scissors
What We Did:
Prep: I cut out 4 raindrops for each plate and found some clip art images online of things that start with the letter u - we used unicorn, ukulele, unhappy (a sad face), unicycle, universe, USA, underwear and utensils.
1. Each Lil Diva colored a paper plate (front & back) completely using crayons (their choice)
3. Cut one piece starting from the bottom (of the middle of the plate) halfway up. Cut the other piece starting from the top (again from the middle of the plate) halfway down. They can then be intertwined like below
The Umbrella Day
Craft - Letter U
I cut out an umbrella shape and a large U shape out of plain copy paper for each Lil Diva.
I let them decide how they wanted to decorate them - 1 used crayons and the other Do-a-Dot markers.
Then I helped them glu the U onto background paper and we positioned the umbrella near the top.
Craft - Umbrella Mobile
What You Need:
1 paper plate
yarn/string
markers, crayons or paint
hole puncher
umbrella handle cut-out
8 pictures of things that start with the letter u
4 rain drop cut-outs
glue scissors
What We Did:
Prep: I cut out 4 raindrops for each plate and found some clip art images online of things that start with the letter u - we used unicorn, ukulele, unhappy (a sad face), unicycle, universe, USA, underwear and utensils.
1. Each Lil Diva colored a paper plate (front & back) completely using crayons (their choice)
2. Cut the paper plate in half
4. Punch holes into the 4 corners of the paper plate and 2 more on the top of the 1 plate that is NOT cut at the top.
5. Have child cut out & glue pictures of things that begin with the letter u to the rain drop cut-outs. Punch a hole at the top of each raindrop and attach string/yarn.
6. Attach the strings with the raindrops to the paper plate (shown below) and add string to the top for displaying.
Finished Umbrella mobiles look like this -
Enjoy,
Bern
**I have linked this to Sharing Time, Get Crafty, Read, Explore, Learn , For the Kids Friday, and Preschool Corner **
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