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Mariam and I love pasta! You could throw in some spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce, or whatever you have on hand and we will enjoy it. Mariam actually walks around requesting “pasta” on a regular basis. When Banza sent us their delicious chickpea pasta, we were excited (and curious) about the taste. I mean, come on, don’t mess with our favorite flavors and food groups. Needless to say, I was impressed, my daughter had her fill of pasta, and we actually ate healthy! Guilt-free delicious pasta. I definitely think we are hooked. Have you tried Banza pasta? Would you like to come enjoy some with me? I’ll cook. @eatbanza #gifted #bloggermail

DIY Toddler Car Magazine (activity from “The Toddler’s Busy Book” by Trish Kuffner) I truly didn’t expect this to be as successful as it turned out to be. Mariam ADORES cars. She has almost 20 of the little ones, and and a larger pullback one that resembles one of those fancy-shmansy cars guys like (lol, I don’t know what they’re called). I wanted her to have her own “car magazine”, so I bought an actual car magazine (yes, I know how silly that sounds), got a few supplies together, and made one suitable for toddlers. I do plan on adding more images and pages to hers, but I made it simple to begin with. No joke, she LOVES it. Here are the materials you need to make it the way that we did (also SWIPE ➡️ to see): -Cutout pictures of cars -Glue stick -Markers for writing the text -Plain paper -Sheet protectors (the fill nice to turn for toddlers-and they make a sort of crinkly sound) -A binder or folder with prongs If your toddler is older, definitely get them to help you make this. For us, Mariam wasn’t sure how to help (she’s not yet ready for cutting and pasting), so her job was just to enjoy the product! Let me know in the comments if you plan on trying this out! 🚗 🚙

If you’ve seen this book in my stories before, then you know that this is one of my favorite books for infants and younger toddlers! Here are 3 reasons why: 1- This book supports the joy children find in learning about emotions and the expressions others make (particularly younger individuals like themselves). 2- The vocabulary in this book is familiar and rich for infants. Emotions such as happy, sad, and surprised are described using images of babies. 3- Culture is also supported within this book, showing babies from different backgrounds, exposing children to diversity. My daughter held on to this book for month and would mimic the emotions shown by the babies. One of the teachings Montessori stresses is the exposure to concrete and realistic perspectives for children between the ages of 0-6. Children in this age range crave the knowledge of their world and are better off avoiding fantasy and abstract stories until they are older. One of the goals I am currently working on as a parent is to try and expose Mariam to realistic and concrete concepts as she learns about the world around her. This means going through our little library and sorting through what is closely related to her world and self while slowly working to put the stories filled with fantasy away until she is older. By no means am I rigid on this point, as we do enjoy fantasy-based stuffed animals and stories (we have a Baby Shark book that she adores), but I am working on supporting her development the best way I can. What is your favorite book for infants and/or toddlers? Do you have any recommendations for me?

“I’m going to face whatever discomfort I need to face, learn whatever it is I need to learn, do whatever it takes to feel more confident, powerful, and capable.” -Dr. Aziz Gazipura Do you ever wonder how capable you are? The thoughts and feelings where you consider whether or not you’ll “get there”? To think that maybe you’re not cut out for the job, or you aren’t the most qualified, or you just don’t have the knowledge or resources. Have you ever, against all odds, “made it”? Where you sit back and say, “I did okay”. When, despite the lack of resources, you figured it out. You worked hard to fit the position, to apply what you learned, and persevered despite the naysayers, specifically your negative mind. Did you take a leap? Did you trust yourself enough to grab hold of those fears of failure and gladly face those trials and bittersweet opportunities? Every day I almost give up on my goals because of setbacks and what I perceive as failure, but I have to stop and remind myself that no one ever got anywhere without a struggle, without uncertainty, and without fear. We don’t have to do it perfectly, but we sure as heck have to learn to believe in ourselves enough to keep moving forward. This is a message to myself and to you. Be the best darn you YOU can possibly be. And stop apologizing for who you are.

Since Mariam started showing an interest in drawing (18 month old-style), I’ve been experimenting with giving her different tools to translate what her heart desires on to paper. This morning we got our @applebarrelcrafts paints out (certified non-toxic and easy to clean) and went to town. She really enjoyed the textures that she hasn’t had the chance to experience (much creamier than a crayon, that’s for sure!). I have some fingerprints and finger painting paper put away (from her Nana) that I think I’ll be bringing out this next week! Jumaah Mubarak, everyone! Hoping that you are all having a wonderful day.🌞

📚 These two books have been our go-to reads for bedtime and they are also helpful in relaxing Mariam in time for sleep. Here are three reasons why we love these books for bedtime 1- The language is familiar and the author utilizes rhyming (which is comforting and makes it easier for Mariam to follow along) 2- The illustrations are realistic, warm, and beautiful 3- The content is relatable and positive. “Goodnight, I Love You” talks about all the different things we do in getting ready for bed and “I Love You Through and Through” talks about being loved unconditionally, even when we aren’t the best versions of ourselves. What are your go-to bedtime stories/books? I’d love to see your suggestions! 🛏 📖 🧸

There’s no need to make extravagant plans for my child or myself every day of the week. I don’t always have to walk away from my day feeling like I’ve created something unique or have achieved the impossible. My child is happy with a simple life, so the guilt behind creating this dream world of mine isn’t necessary or helpful. I have been attempting to NOT try and do everything, to overwhelm myself with housework and setting myself up for failure by expecting too much of myself in terms of being this unrealistic ‘amazing’ parent that I think I need to be. I keep reminding myself that I am going to enjoy living life more slowly, I am going to let things be, to let life take us wherever and to not over plan our days. This focus of letting things be simple and come natural always lead me to have a clear mind and a happier outlook. When I take things slow, my frustrations melt away and Im not left feeling resentful over silly issues and angry about easy-to-clean messes. Usually I’d try to do as much as I could in any given time I had. The unrealistic expectations I set up for myself were hindering me from being my best self, and I didn’t even know it. I’m hoping that I can carry on with moving about life slowly in the following weeks and reflect from there. The fruit of just being present, being human, and taking things slow is too good not to experience.

My daughter has been fascinated with stickers and the whole process involved with peeling them and sticking them on to paper (or our faces). We try to find stickers wherever we go now, but I have yet to venture to specialty stores. Leave a comment below if you have recommendations for stores or sites with fun stickers that we can check out. ⬇️

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