Book Advent

We have a tradition of starting off the Christmas season with new Christmas pjs and a fun activity to enjoy during the Christmas season. This year I put together a book advent where the kids can pick out one book to unwrap each night leading up to Christmas. Last night they unwraped their first book which was a new book - “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” 

I wish I got a video of them opening it because of how excited they were. They love the movie! Haha. The last book will also be a new book but the other 22 books are ones I gathered from around the house and include Christmas, winter and Jesus themed books. The first and last books are labeled #1 and #24 while the others aren’t numbered and the kids can pick one at random. We have 3 children and each night they rotate whose turn it is to pick the book. 

I am excited to see their eyes light up each night as we read books about the magic of Christmas, winter fun and learning about Jesus, the reason for this season. 

There are many different ways to do a Christmas Book Advent, I decided to keep it simple by mostly using books we already have. Others might prefer to buy all new books or perhaps borrow some from the library to include. You could also use less books and have “12 days of Christmas Books”. I have also heard of people doing 10, 7 or 5 days of books too. 

If you have a variation you have done, let us know in the comments. 

Whatever way you choose to do a book advent, the best part is snuggling up with your babies and reading together. 

5th & 6th Anniversary Traditional Gifts

We recently celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary and I surprised my husband by continuing giving a traditional anniversary gift. I say surprised because every year he learns about traditional anniversary gifts for the first time (or so it seems).

 I also realized that I didn’t post about the traditional gift I did for our 5th anniversary (probably because I had a newborn) so I will include that in this post too. 

The traditional 5th wedding anniversary gift is wood. To celebrate I put together a breakfast board (on a wooden board) for dinner. To date, it’s probably the meal my kids have been most excited for. 

The traditional 6th wedding anniversary gift is iron. I purchased a cast iron grill to give my husband although I have enjoyed using it too. Pictured are the pumpkin french toast I made for breakfast the following weekend. 

Our wedding cake was a pumpkin spice cake so I feel like pumpkin flavoured items need to be part of our anniversary celebrations too. 

If you follow the tradition anniversary gift giving, let me know in the comments what gifts you have chosen or received. 

One Bowl Banana Oatmeal Baby Cereal Cookies

Earlier this year one of my children was diagnosed with low iron so I have been increasing the amount of iron in foods I make and serve to our family. With baby cereal being high in iron, I have also been incorporating it into recipes such as pancakes and muffins. I wish I thought of doing this when I had low iron during my pregnancies. 

 I then experimented with creating my own recipes and came up with these cookies that were enjoyed by the whole family. I also loved that I could make everything in one bowl which makes prep and clean up super easy!

One Bowl Banana Oatmeal Baby Cereal Cookies 

* 3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (approx 2 medium) 

* 3/4 cup almond butter 

* 1 egg 

* 1 cup oatmeal banana baby cereal 

* 1 tsp cinnamon 

* 1 tsp vanilla 

* 3 Tbsp real maple syrup

 INSTRUCTIONS

 1. Preheat oven to 350

 2. Combine all ingredients and mix until well combine.

 3. Scoop onto greased or lined baking sheet. Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.

4. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. 

5. Flatten with a spatula and let cool completely 

6. Store in the fridge.

View my reel for this recipe

DIY Christmas Cards for Toddlers to Make

A homemade Christmas card made by your toddler is sure to spread cheer and put smiles on the faces of Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Childcare Workers who recieve them.

Here is a simple and stress free activity I did with my toddler and preschooler (2 and 4 years old) that they were excited about, was stress free for me and makes a beautiful keepsake. Win-Win-win. 

I had them each draw a picture, without giving any instructions and encouraging them to use different colours. Once they were finished, I rubbed a green crayon  across the page to fill any white space. Then using a Christmas tree template, I traced Christmas trees on the back (I was able to fit 7 trees on a standard 8.5 x 11 piece of paper). You can also draw the trees freehand. I then helped my children cut the trees out and glued them on to  the front of a folded red card-stock. We topped each tree off with a star sticker. 

this is a great way to encourage creativity in your child and share their artwork with family, friends and care givers. Chances are you already have all of the materials you need at home! 

Materials Needed: 

8.5” x 11” paper (we used white printer paper)

Crayons, markers or other colouring tools

Christmas Tree Template (we used a 4- on a page one found here - I found this size worked well) 

Scissors 

Glue Stick

Card-stock (we folded a 5” x 7” piece in half to make our cards)

Star Stickers

I would love to know if you try this activity with your children and how it turned out. 

 

World Maternal Mental Health Day

 *note* I wrote this blog article for ICP Care with a focus on those who are or who have experienced Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP). I currently serve as volunteer board member for ICP Care. 

The first Wednesday of May is recognized as World Maternal Mental Health Day. This year join with others around the world on May 4th to spread awareness of Maternal Mental Health. Likewise, Maternal Mental Health week will be recognized from May 2nd to 8th this year.

Maternal Mental Health Day is a day to spread awareness about mental illness that occur during pregnancy and within the first 12 months after birth, called perinatal Mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD).

PMADs include postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder, postpartum bipolar, and postpartum psychosis.

Anyone can be at risk of developing a PMAD, whether or not you have experienced mental health issues in the past. Worldwide statistics show that 1 in 5 new moms and 1 in 10 new dads report having a PMAD. However, this number is probably higher as many cases go unreported. Experiencing a miscarriage, stillbirth, babies in the NICU and high risk pregnancy conditions increases the risk of developing a PMAD.

Some signs to look out for are:

• Feelings of sadness/depression that last for more than a few weeks
• Loss of interest in your baby and being a mother
• Excessive worrying about your baby
• Strong anxiety, tension, and/or fear either about your child or other things
• Difficulty sleeping when tired or sleeping more than usual and still feeling tired
• Suicidal thoughts and/or thoughts of harming your baby
• Loss of or increase in appetite or weight
• Trouble focusing, remembering things, or making decisions
• Feeling restless or irritable
• Having headaches, chest pains, heart palpitations, numbness, or hyperventilation

If you are experiencing any of these signs, it is important to seek help as soon as possible. This can include: reaching out to family and friends, Let them know how you are feeling and ask for help; talk to your Doctor and/or midwife; call your local crisis line.

Experiencing Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) is a high risk pregnancy condition that can put you at a higher risk of developing a PMAD or struggle with your mental health short term or long term.

The most common symptom of ICP is itching which at times can be unbearable, this can make it difficult to sleep and focus during the day which can affect your mental health.

Those experiencing ICP sometimes report feeling dismissed by their health care providers which can also affect your mental health. However, you can also use this experience to feel confident in advocating for yourself and your baby and feel more empowered. You can also join in advocating for ICP symptoms to become part of routine screening questions during pregnancy to normalize patient concerns.

ICP patients commonly have labour induced to deliver their babies at a safe time. When sharing this news, you may experience judgemental comments around being induced. While this may cause some negative feelings, you can use this concern as an opportunity to educate people by sharing that sometimes babies don’t come when they are ready, sometimes they are safer out than in.

ICP pregnancies that result in the loss of a baby will require special attention, resources and support as the risk of developing a PMAD will be substantially higher.

There are several things you can do to either decrease your risk of developing a PMAD or improve outcomes if you do develop a PMAD. These include: eating a healthy diet, regular exercise, getting enough sleep (if sleeping at night is challenging because of itching, try getting a nap in during the day), and have a support network. Reach out and let people know how you are feeling (your partner, family and friends, healthcare providers) and let them know specific things you might need help with. The sooner you get help, the better the outcomes will be for you and your baby.

Use Maternal Mental Health Day as an opportunity to reflect on your own mental health, even if you haven’t or are not currently experiencing a PMAD. Everyone has hard days and can feel overwhelmed by the demands of pregnancy and parenthood. However, it is important to consistently evaluate your own mental health and reach out for support when needed. Recognizing where you are at and support for new parents can be a preventative measure for more serious mental health concerns.

4th Anniversary Traditional Gift

If you have been following this blog for the past few years you might know that the Anniversary gifts I give my husband each year follows the Traditional Anniversary Gift guide.  

In October we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. The gift for this year was fruit and flowers. I bought a little plant with red flowers (Kyle's favourite colour) and some peaches and strawberries that I stuck into the plant with skewers.  Bananas are a fruit we almost always have in our home so I added a banana to the fruit and flower arrangement. I even delivered the arrangement to Kyle's office, which also happens to be in our house.

Kyle also participated in the theme this year and bought me a beautiful bouquet of roses in the prettiest colour. 

Want to see what gifts I have done for previous years? Click here. 

What anniversary gifts have you given that follow the fruit and flowers theme? 

Perogies Around the World: 8 Cultural Fusion Dishes

Happy National Perogi Day! Let's start by recognizing that there are many ways to spell perogy or pierogi or phyrogy and many others. How do you spell it? I usually spell it perogy or perogies and feel like that is how it is most commonly spelled in Canada. Although, it seems that pierogi is the traditional spelling from Poland.

Growing up, perogies was a common meal in our home. Perhaps it was in our blood to enjoy them with both of my parents being half German (one with ties from Silesia in the former Prussia region, now Poland and the other with German Russian roots from Volhynia, now Ukraine). We primarily had them the traditional way with sour cream and cheddar cheese. 

My husband is from the USA and tried perogies for the first time when he came to Canada (actually at my sister's house on New Years Eve 2018, where her husband was shocked that I hadn't introduced him to perogies yet. Although we had been married less than 3 months at this time). Now, we almost always have a Costco box of perogies in our freezer. This box also spells it "perogies" too which is why I choose to spell it this way on the recipes. 

The homemade variety from the Farmers Market are the best (I need to take a trip to the Farmers Market and get some along with their delicious dill dip) but the Costco ones are great to have on hand because they are cheap but also taste good. I typically made perogies mixed with bell peppers, all beef hot dogs and onions. Topped with cheese and sour cream. However, earlier this year (while eating perogies), I said to Kyle, "You know what would be fun, is to combine recipes from different cultures with perogies and try some new dishes. He agreed and I have enjoyed thinking up new recipes this year.

We enjoyed 8 cultural fusion perogy dishes in 2021. I have included recipes for each below. Let me know in the comments if you tried any of these dishes or if you thought of a new dish to make. Chances are you have all of the ingredients on hand for at least one of these recipes. I would love to know what you tried, came up with or your thoughts on cultural fusion perogy dishes.  

I made each of these dishes with the Naleway brand perogies from Costco except for the Sweet & Sour perogies, I used the Cheemo brand mini perogies found at Superstore. 

The first cultural fusion perogy dish we tried was Italian Perogies. It tasted similar to a baked pasta dish. Disclaimer: This was my idea but Kyle made it. He is Italian though so I'll let him claim this recipe. 

 

Our Mexican Perogies were also topped with sour cream which I failed to list in the recipe. However, there are also many other toppings that can be added the these perogies such as: lettuce, salsa and/or jalapenos. I would love to hear if you added any variations to this or any of the other recipes. 

The Greek Perogies were my childrens favourite. They love everything that was included in this recipe so it is definitely on the list to make again. I love Greek Salads which is what inspired this recipe. Some people may also wish to add olives but I don't like olives which is why they weren't included in the recipe. 

I based the Indian Curried Perogies on a Potato curry recipe and it did not disappoint. I added the perogies to the sauce mixture frozen and allowed them to soak up the curry flavour. I also added a side of basmati rice and naan bread to complete the feel of an authentic Indian meal. 

My Mom is from Scotland and my favourite meal that she makes is mince and potatoes so I set out to create a similar dish, using perogies instead of potatoes. Baking the perogies in butter and milk gives them a really creamy rich taste similar to mashed potatoes. This is a hearty meal, perfect for those chilly fall and winter evenings. 

After already making several of these new fusion recipes, I asked my husband what I should try next. He responded, "can we just have regular perogies tonight?" So I put together this recipe and called them American Perogies (because hot dogs and Kyle is from the USA). 

This is also a super simple recipe and easy to throw together last minute. 

As I mentioned previously we like to buy the box of frozen perogies from Costco. We also like to buy the box of frozen veggie Spring rolls but only end up using half the sweet and sour sauce and the other half gets stored in the freezer. We had a ziplock bag full of packages of this sauce and I figured I should make something with it. I wasn't sure about pairing it with perogies at first but then decided if Jollibee's can make sweet and sour spaghetti, I can make sweet and sour perogies. I used mini perogies though so that they were closer in size to the meatballs. Guess what? This dish actually tasted really good! 

The Lebanese Spicy Perogies is based on a recipe for Batata Harra, also known as Lebanese Spicy Potatoes. This recipe is easy and quick to make and Kyle & I both agreed that it was a favourite for us (I took out a few plain perogies before adding the spices to give to my children). Although, I would make all of these recipes again, this one is at the top of the list. 

I paired the spicy perogies with Fattoush, a traditional Lebanese salad. This was a favourite of mine at work potlucks but I had never tried making it before. It does take some time to make and put together but is so good!

                                                   
                                        

                                                                                        

                                                                                      

                                                                                            

                                                                                        

                         

        

I am 1 in 4

At the beginning of November 2020 I found out that I was pregnant with our 3rd child. It was a surprise but we were excited and had started talking about names. 

I took the photo above, a few days after finding out I was pregnant. I saw a collage that was trending on Instagram with 4 photos: holding a pregnancy test, holding an ultrasound photo, holding your pregnant belly and then holding your baby. I thought it was a cute idea. I am glad that I did take the photo though to document the pregnancy. 

After eating our American Thanksgiving dinner Kyle went to attend a Zoom meeting and I got our children ready for bed. while giving them a bath I started feeling some cramping so I got them out of the bath and told Dominic to get some books and lie down in bed with me. When I went to the washroom, I noticed some spotting and that is when I started to worry. I told Kyle and said that I didn't know what I should do. I have a negative blood type so my first thought was that at 9 weeks pregnant I probably needed to get the WinRho/rhogram shot. We called Healthlink and the nurse did say, yes, to go to the ER and get the shot. 

We were 2 days in to new restrictions on gathering with people outside of your household, and not knowing if we could ask someone to come watch our children or take them to someone's house, we took them with us. Kyle stayed in the car with them and I went in to the hospital alone. The first thing the Dr. did was a bedside ultrasound. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw my tiny baby with its heart beating. I had always read that once you see a heartbeat the chance of miscarriage goes down significantly. I then had bloodwork done and once they confirmed my blood type I was given the WinRho shot. 

Before I left, the Dr told me that my HCG levels were in what he considered the intermediate range. Not as high as he would like to see but not at a concerning level. He said that he would book me in for an ultrasound at a clinic later that morning (it was about 1am by this time). I got some sleep and woke up to a phone call confirming my ultrasound. 

Before leaving, I was optimistic. I hadn't had any more bleeding and I saw my baby's heart beating. I went in to the ultrasound and my heart sunk when I saw that the baby's heartbeat measured 65. I knew that was low but the tech told me that everything would probably be okay and to try to not worry. I was so confused and not sure what to feel that I didn't even ask for a photo.

While at the clinic, I started bleeding again. I had Kyle give me a blessing when we got home and then went to lay down with Ellie. In a moment of quiet reflection, I knew that I would not be carrying this baby much longer. I prayed, not for a miracle at this point, but that if I was to have a miscarriage that it would happen quickly and naturally. I did not want to have to go back into a hospital or clinic alone. This was Friday and early Sunday morning on November 29, I held a tiny 9-week gestation baby in my hand. I told this baby, "I love you" and looked forward to meeting them in the next life. 

When I got back to sleep I had a dream  where I was holding this tiny baby that was swaddled. As I unswaddled the baby it got bigger and bigger until it was the size of a full term baby. I interpreted this dream to mean that my baby continues to live and grow or progress. 

While this does bring me some peace, I still have an empty place in my heart knowing that I would be preparing for this baby to arrive soon (due date was July 6). 

I had another ultrasound booked for 2 weeks after the first one I had. I got the text reminder and figured that if I ignored the message, the appointment would be automatically canceled. Then came another reminder with an option to respond with a number to confirm or reschedule so I entered the number to reschedule and got a message to call the clinic or risk paying a no-show penalty. "Great, now I have to actually talk to someone" I thought. Once I ended the call to cancel the appointment, the doorbell rang and there was a beautiful vase of flowers on the front step. 

It was from a Ministering Sister (in my church, women are assigned others to minister to and offer support to) who did not know what I was going through. When I thanked her for the flowers, she just said that she felt prompted to send them not knowing why. It was a reminder to me that God is aware of me and my trials. I am grateful also for this act of caring from someone who was ready to listen to and act on a prompting recieved. 

Before having my miscarriage, I often heard or read about miscarriage being a taboo subject. I never thought of it being taboo because it was a common occurrence; until I experienced it for myself. I feel like it is a taboo subject because it is extremely hard to talk about. "I never told people I was pregnant, I shouldn't talk about having a loss" was and is a common thought. When people ask how many kids I have, It's easier to say two but then you feel guilty because you know that angel baby is yours and is important to you. Then for certain medical things, you will be asked how many pregnancies you have had and how many live births and then there's kind of this awkward silence. 

Then add the pandemic in where you don't really see or talk to people anyways and it becomes an incredibly lonely and isolating experience to go through ... and go through again. 

My husband and I decided that we were both in a place to start trying for another baby again. Then, last week at 6 weeks pregnant, I experienced a second miscarriage … and all the grief and pain came flooding back.

Then there are the things you always hear, "not to say" and you think to yourself, no one would actually say that, but then they do. 

"At least you already have children", "At least it was early", "At least you had a natural miscarriage" ... 

What I (and I am sure everyone else experiencing the same thing) hears is "your loss isn't really that much of a loss." ... but it is. It is a loss. It requires grieving and healing and remembering. 

Then there is my Nurse Practitioner. I had a non related medical appointment and was asked if there was anything new in terms of my health history. I mentioned that I had had a miscarriage. Her response was, "I am sorry to hear that, if that is what happened, but sometimes it is hard to know." IF THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED? I thought, (to myself, although I really should have said it out loud) did you even look at my medical records? You would have seen that I went to the ER, had an ultrasound and rhogram shot. I might need to find a new Nurse Practitioner. 

Reading and listening to other people's experiences really helped me in just knowing that other people understand. It took me a few months to get to this point but I have felt it therapeutic to write my experience and hope it can also bring comfort to others.

I don't know how it feels like to loose a baby while not already having children of your own. I don't know how it feels to have a second or third trimester loss. There is a lot I don't know but I do know how it feels to loose a baby that was loved and anticipated. I do know how it feels to think getting pregnant and being pregnant comes easy to you and now it doesn't. Everyone's experience is different but with a common theme of loss that we can all understand in someway. 

Reading to your Baby

** I wrote this post orginally for another blog that was posted Feb. 26, 2021 and now posting to my personal blog **

In celebration of "Read Across America" Day next week (March 2), let's talk about the importance of reading! It is also National "tell a fairytale day" today - a good day to pick up a favourite fairytale to read. 

It is never too early or too late to start reading to your child. Although, did you know that the benefits of reading to your children can start before they are even born!

Around 18 weeks of pregnancy your baby will be able to start hearing their first sounds and their hearing will rapidly develop during the next few weeks to be able to recognize voices. When you talk and read to your unborn baby, you are already starting a bonding experience with them. How exciting to know that they will recognize your voice right when they are born! Reading to your baby early in your pregnancy also allows you time to relax and de-stress which benefits both you and your baby.

If you feel strange reading out loud on your own, have a sibling, grandparent or your partner join in for a story time and take turns reading. This will also allow for other people who will be important in your child’s life to connect with the baby, and baby will also start to recognize their voices, too.

During pregnancy, your baby’s brain is developing rapidly and storing information for future use. This is one reason why it is important to eat healthy during your pregnancy. Reading to your baby in the womb promotes brain activity and can promote early literacy skills and language development.

Literacy skills continue to develop while reading to your baby after they are born. Even though a baby is not able to talk, they are learning about the world around them. When you read to them, you are helping them understand concepts such as numbers, letters, colours and shapes; they are learning how to communicate and building their vocabulary. 

Reading also facilitates bonding between parent and child and continues to build attachment and trust. Once your little one is about four months old, they will start grabbing for objects including books, and it won’t be long until they will start to want to turn pages on their own. Board and cloth books are great for babies and toddlers to explore on their own and with a caregiver. By about 12 months, children may start showing a preference for certain books and enjoy choosing a book to read. They often love repetition at this age so don’t be surprised if you find yourself reading the same book over and over. This is typical for toddlers and will support language development and story & word recognition.

At a time when our world is becoming more digital and e-books are gaining in popularity, print books still seem to be the preference for young children. While any form of reading will be beneficial for your child, young children are often more engaged while reading print books versus e-books. There also tends to be more interaction between parent and child while reading a print book. In reading an e-book, babies and young children may become distracted by buttons and screens on a digital device that will limit their engagement with the story being read.

 I love snuggling up with my children and reading a print book to them. It allows an opportunity for us to interact and talk about pictures as well as reading and pointing to words. Having them hold books and turn pages also helps in developing fine motor skills and learn about different textures. Educators have also found that children who have print books in their home are more interested in reading and learning than those who do not.

Here are some things to look for in books for babies and toddlers: 

• Follows a rythem/rhyming pattern - This is an important part of early literacy as it helps young children in developing listening skills. It also helps children to recall and retell the story and eventually to recognize words.
• Uses simple words -  This helps with building comprehension skills. Once the child's vocabulary grows, they also build confidence by "reading" the book themselves. 
• Point and label books - These types of books are great at helping children increase their vocabulary and develop word and picture association. 

If you have a child and reading is something that you haven’t engaged in much, it’s never too late. Grab a book and plan to sit down and read together today. Reading words and talking about pictures in books will go a long way to help build your child’s brain.

What are some benefits you have recognized from reading to your child? 

Women Inspiring Women: In Celebration of International Women's month

A quote we often hear or see for International Women's month/day is: 

Here's to strong women. 

May we know them. 

May we be them. 

May we raise them.

As women (and men too), I hope that we can seek to inspire each other, lift each other up and support each other. 

In recognition of International Women's Day coming up on March 8, I thought a fun way to strive to inspire women would be through a "blog chain". I will start by writing about a blogger who inspires me and then that person will write about a blogger that inspires them and so on. Each of us will put a link to the next person's post so if someone desires to, they can go through each post. 

The blogger I would like to start with is Katie Burgess who writes the blog allthingscheerfully.com 

Katie and I met soon after we both moved to Edmonton from British Columbia. We knew a lot of the same people and enjoyed talking about our hometowns in BC.

I had always seen her as someone who was happy and excited about life. Always willing and ready to serve to others. She was also athletic and I would often see her on the bus while she was on her way to work as a lifeguard. 

On her birthday in April 2010, Katie was in a quading accident and became paralyzed from the chest down. She has been in a wheelchair since. 

In our community of Young Single Adults (YSA) in our church there were many months where we collectively fasted and prayed for Katie. 

When Katie was able to get back to church and social activities, I was inspired by her positivity and cheerfulness. Although, I know that it hasn't been easy for her and she has had many challenges to overcome; she has chosen to find joy and bring joy to others.

Her blog is a great example of this. In her blog she shares about her experiences of becoming paralyzed, the impact it has had on her life and challenges she has overcome. In her writings, she also shares the genuine joy and gratitude she has for her life. 

I encourage anyone to take the time to read through Katie's blog and find inspiration in her writings. 

*I will post a link here to Katie's writeup about a blogger who inspires her* 

2nd Annual Family Christmas Box

 Last year we started a new family tradition with a Family Christmas Box. A box that we open up at the beginning of the Christmas season. This year we opened our box before decorating the Christmas Tree and found Christmas Pajamas for everyone and finger puppets with characters from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. 

The pajamas were purchased from a Canadian company, Petit Lem and the finger puppets were purchased from Buy Buy Baby. 

Petit Lem really does have the cutest prints for family Christmas pajamas and I love Nico & Ellie's matching pjs. Also, the sleepers are two-way zip which really are the best. 

We also had lots of fun with the finger puppets. Using them to make up stories or sing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". They have also been taken into the bath a few times. 

I am already excited to plan for next year! What suggestions do you have for activities? We will have an almost 2 year old and a 3 year old! Also, where do you like to buy your family Christmas pajamas? 

 

Book of the Month: Christmas Books

Due to unexpected circumstances there was no Book of  the Month for November so here is a combined post for November and December. This also concludes my one year "Book of the Month" series. Instead of a specific book, it is a genre of books: Christmas books, specifically Nativity Books.

Dominic's favourite Christmas books are Nativity books, he loves reading about baby Jesus being born and I love that he is so excited about it. 

Reading books about the story of Jesus birth is such a great way to teach about the birth of Christ and the true meaning of Christmas. 

I would love to know: what are your favourite Christmas books? Do you have a favourite Nativity book? What do you do to bring the true meaning of Christmas into your home? 

Book of the Month: Goodnight Moon

"Good Night Moon" written by Margaret Wise Brown is a classic that has been loved by children since 1947. 

Who else has memorized this book? It comes in handy when your child covers up the words but still knows what words you are supposed to say. 

Good Night Moon is a comforting book that promotes recognition of objects in the room and a feeling of stability as the bunny says goodnight, knowing that they will see those same items the next day. 

Like most children's book, this one also follows a rhyming pattern, which supports word recognition and memory. The simple words and pictures are also great for reading comprehension. 

A fun activity to try after reading this book is to point out objects in your Childs room that they can say goodnight to. 

This picture also shows our Thursday night tradition. Earlier this year Kyle went back to school and on Thursday nights he has zoom meeting for the classes e is taking. Dominic was so sad that Daddy wasn't putting him to bed so I decided to make Thursday nights special for him. He gets to come into Mommy and Daddy's bed and read books, sing songs and watch "Gee-Gee" videos (Jesus Videos on the Gospel Library app). Most of the time he is asleep before Daddy is finished. I also love it when he falls asleep snuggled next to me.