Favorite Books for Three Year Olds (As Picked by a Three-Year-Old)

In the past, I have written about some of B’s favorite books and I figured it was time for an update now that he is three (and very happy to tell you that he is three – three fingers up and all!). I love that he is such a reader and it was tough to narrow it down to five (maybe I should write these types of posts more often to include more books, huh!??!). Without further ado, here are the B-Man’s top five books (in no particular order) of the moment:

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn & Ruth E. Harper- Okay, this may be more my favorite than B’s, but we both love it. B has had some trouble leaving mama and we found this book to be really helpful. It even begins with the little raccoon, Chester, saying to his mother “But I don’t want to go to school. I want to stay here and play with you.” Mama raccoon teaches Chester about a “kissing hand” so that he can always get to mama’s love and she can get to his.

 

Two Eggs, Please by Sarah Weeks & Betsy Lewin – Our librarian recommended this one and we are so glad that she did. It’s a simple read but B loves that he can “read” it to me. In a diner, customers come in and order “two eggs, please” in different ways. The eggs and the animals are “different but the same.”

 

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney – Why I haven’t broken down and purchased this book, I have no idea. I’m pretty sure we have checked this out of the library more than any other family. This book only has pictures (so I had to look up the fable so that I could “tell” the story) and that may be why B loves it. The watercolor pictures are beautiful and the lesson of nobody is too big for help and nobody is too small to help, is lovely.

 

The Cow Who Fell Into the Canal by Phyllis Krasilovsky & Peter Spier – B received this book from his godmother who had it as a little girl. He thinks it is hysterical that the cow falls into the canal and then roams the streets of Amsterdam looking for a straw hat to eat. And we both agree that the name Hendrika is super fun to say!

 

Chicken Joy on Readbean Road by Jacqueline Briggs Martin – For some reason, B loves any and all books with chickens. We have read quite a few but seem to come back to this one quite often. In this book, the rooster has lost his ability to sing so his friend the chicken searches for Joe Beebee whose music makes people forget their troubles to see if Joe Beebee’s music can help the rooster.

 

Like I said, this is just a select few of B’s favorites. This could be one of my longest posts if I included all of them. I’ll try for a spring edition of his favorite books (maybe outside themed?), too!

Please share your favorite books for three-year-olds in the comments section.

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow.

The Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Attachment: Frozen Treat Fun at Our House

Boy, have I been slacking in the blogging department! February? Really? In my defense (justification), I did finally make my freelancing a legitimate business (J Peterson Marketing) and while B is now more independent, he is also more likely to get himself into a jam!

 

Speaking of B, he’s sort of what got me back on the blogging bandwagon. For Father’s Day (yes, I know it was a few months ago), we gave Jeff a Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment and we are totally addicted. While we haven’t made actual ice cream yet, we have made sorbet all summer long. Strawberry – check. Blueberry – check. Watermelon (my personal favorite) – check. We tried frozen yogurt and it was tasty but while fresh fruit is bountiful in the Midwest, we’re sticking with sorbet.

 

The Kitchen Aid ice cream maker is super easy to use. Just puree some fruit, add some simple syrup or honey, put it in the frozen bowl (this is what takes the longest – the bowl has to be completely frozen to work), let it go for 7-10 minutes, and – voila! – sorbet (or frozen yogurt or ice cream)! B loves that he can make “sorvet” as he calls it and I love that it’s not chock full of chemicals.

 

If you’re a frozen treat fan and you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, then I highly recommend this attachment.

 

Hope you’re having a wonderful summer. Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow.

Goodbye to 1154 Lill and Goodbye to My Younger Self

When I first moved to Chicago in my 20’s, my friend, Chrissie, introduced me to 1154 Lill Studio. I instantly fell in love and over the last (gulp!) fifteen years, I have amassed quite a collection of “Lill bags”. Even though the economy and my life changes have made buying a new Lill bag a rare occurrence in the last couple of years, I remained on their email list and managed to hit their sample sale and score a new bag or two. So, I was shocked when I received an email from them this week announcing that they are closing their doors in March.

I started thinking about my Lill bags and how each of them bring back memories. From weddings (LOTS of weddings!) to job promotions, to gifts, each holds a place in my heart as well as on my shoulder (or wrist). My last self designed bag is actually one that is meant to be a diaper bag but one that I used as a work bag since I was not having any luck getting pregnant when I created it. Once my son was finally born, I still never used it as a diaper bag, but deep down, I always knew that’s what it was originally intended to be.

I supposed if someone like me, a fifteen year fan of the company, isn’t buying 1154 Lill bags at the same rate that I once was, then the doors were bound to close. The current crop of twenty-something women seem much more label conscious than I remember being at that age and my forty-something compadres are too busy putting money into mortgages, kids, repairs, etc. to one, take the time to design a bag and two, pay close to two hundred dollars for it.

The closing of 1154 Lill is like officially saying good-bye to the younger, more carefree me. I am sad to see the store (and my footloose and fancy free days) go, but I’m sure there is a new and exciting chapter of life ahead for us.

If you want to purchase one last “Lill bag”, head to one of the stores or visit their website HERE where you can also read about the closing in the founder’s words. And the photo is of the Amelia which I am considering for my final “Lill bag” – thoughts?

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow.

A Travel Bag For Kids & Adults – Itzy Ritzy

As we are all approaching a big travel week/weekend, I thought I’d share one of my favorite travel bags – the Itzy Ritzy Snack Happens Everything Bag. Yes, they are created for kids, but I use them just as much as B does and we both love them. We have two of the “snack and everything” sized bags (7″x7″), both of which I got at different mom/mom-to-be events. Itzy Ritzy has a wide variety of material choices so you’re not stuck with a “baby” or gender specific look.  And yes, I use them for snacks for B (he actually calls them the snack bags) but I also use them for:

• Carrying pacifiers when we travel (hoping to not use them for this anymore since I’m breaking B of the nightly pacifier habit soon)
• Crayons
• Toys with multiple pieces (Legos, small cars, blocks, etc.)
• Puzzle pieces when we travel
• Make up
• Jewelry when traveling
• Coupons when running multiple errands (I have a coupon organizer but this is more for the Macy’s/BB&B/Target coupons that I need for special trips)
• Wet wipes from the big container when I am out of the travel size
• Cell phone holder in the beach bag to keep sand and water away from my phone

And I’m sure I use them other ways, too, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind. The bags are great because they are lined with a PVC free waterproof material and they just go in the washing machine (or in a sink with soapy water) to clean. I have seen them at various baby stores but you can find even cooler material choices by going to the website HERE.

Itzy Ritzy makes a lot of other kid tote products, too. And, they are from the Chicago area (Naperville) so I like that I’m supporting a (sort of) local business.

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow.

I’d love to hear if you have tried the Itzy Ritzy bags or have other travel pouch suggestions – leave a comment or two!

Theater for the Under Four Set

My first “real” job was at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. The job was a dream come true (even if I did earn less than I did as a retail store manager!) and I loved it. Now that Baby B is Toddler B, we thought it was time to introduce him to one of my loves – theater (or theatre for those of you who are the “re” type).

Through my job as a writer for Red Tricycle Chicago, I discovered Chicago’s Emerald City Theatre (and many others since I wrote the Fall Theatre Preview article which you can read HERE) and their brand new Little Theatre production of “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic”. Most kids theater is for ages three and up but Emerald City Theatre’s Little Theater is for the 0-4 set and doesn’t require little bottoms to sit in seats. Instead, after following the tweeting bird into the theater, families sit together on blankets with picnic baskets and watch the story unfold. Throughout the production, kids are encouraged to explore their basket and participate in the story. For example, at one point, Mama Bear asks everyone to pull out their napkins and put them on their laps. B’s favorite, of course, was the part where everyone got up and danced!

“The Teddy Bears’ Picnic” runs through January 5. For more information and tickets, please click HERE.  If you want to check it out between now and December 15, use promo code BEARFRIEND to purchase $7 tickets.

We want to do this again, so do you have any other theater suggestions for the under four set? Please share in the comments section (even if they aren’t in Chicago).

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow.

Trip Down Memory Lane Part 1

Earlier this week, I attended a Red Tricycle event (I do some freelance writing for their Chicago edition) where I met a woman who was thinking about starting a blog. I told her that I’d send her links to Bright-Yellow and answer any questions that she has (not that I’m an expert, but she might as well avoid the mistakes I have made). So, I sent her a link to this blog and the original Bright-Yellow which was on Blogspot (now Blogger). I guess I didn’t last long on Blogspot because there are not many posts but I really enjoyed re-reading them. So, I decided I’d share them here, too, in case you missed the info the first time around!

In July of 2009, I wrote about Go City Kids, a site my friend Kerry recommended to me. At the time, I didn’t have baby (or toddler) B but I loved how the site made it easy to find kid-interesting places when traveling to a new city. It looks like in the last four years, Nickelodeon purchased Go City Kids, but you can still find some good information. That said, also in the last four years, a number of sites with kid recommendations in different cities have popped up – clearly, I’m a fan of Red Tricycle!

Apparently I wanted to go hiking in July of 2009, too, since I wrote about sites with good information (REI Family Adventures and American Trails). I forgot about these sites and am so happy to rediscover them! Plus, B is now old enough to go on short hikes so maybe we can get a short one in before it gets cold (she types on a 90+ degree day!).

Another happy re-discovery – Unclutterer. I knew kids caused a lot of plastic to suddenly appear in one’s home, but I don’t think I was really fully prepared. And, a certain husband has difficulty parting with items, adding to our clutter. I think this site will inspire me to try to tackle the problems in our house!

One more trip down memory lane to come.

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow.

Biscoff Spread – My Taste Buds are SO HAPPY!

Have you heard of Biscoff spread or am I the last person to discover this delicious treat? Earlier this summer, our neighbor’s ten-year old daughter, Sofie, told me about Biscoff spread and was shocked that I had never heard of it (or maybe it was because I was asking her the name about ten times since it was such an odd name). A few days later, Sofie’s mom brought up Biscoff spread and was equally shocked that I had not made Biscoff spread a regular tenant in our pantry high-rise.

Fast forward to a Target trip last week and what do I see? Biscoff spread. So, of course, I bought it.

Do you know what this stuff is? GROUND UP WINDMILL COOKIES! Holy smokes thanks to Biscoff spread, you can put cookies on everything! By the way, my first word was cookie – clearly, I love them.

According to the Web site, Belgians have been eating a homemade version of this for years (those Belgians – first it was mussels, then it was beer, and now it is Biscoff – I think I need to move there!). The packaged version that we have in the US came as a result of a Belgian game show called “The Inventors”. You can read the whole story HERE.

The Web site suggests putting the spread on bread. Personally, I have had no problem eating it straight from the jar but I have really loved it over ice cream. Some people use it in place of peanut butter, too, for baking (check out a recipe HERE from one of my favorite blogs).

If you have had Biscoff spread, how do you like to eat it? If you haven’t had it, buy some, thank me, and tell me how you like to eat it!

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow.

Steigl-Radler Grapefruit: You Can Drink Summer V2

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post about Summer Shandy titled “You Can Actually Drink Summer” (check it out HERE). Well, 2009, Ms. Bright-Yellow 2013 has something to share with you!

 

Thanks to my beer loving husband, I now know that the German version of a Shandy is called a Radler. He also introduced me to my new favorite beer – Steigl-Radler Grapefruit. YUM, YUM, YUM! Steigl-Radler Grapefruit is fizzy, slightly sweet, slightly sour, and a whole lot of delicious. Plus, it is much lower in alcohol (2.5%) and calories (175 per .5ml can) than many other beers out there. Did I mention how tasty it is?!?!?

 

Steigl also makes a lemon Radler. I tried that one last summer and while I liked it, for me, it was not the home-run that the Grapefruit flavor. But, that’s just me and my taste buds.

 

So, while I’m enjoying my Steigl Radler Grapefruit, I’d love to hear about some of your favorite summer drinks. Personally, I’m too lazy to make drinks for just the two but if you have an easy-peasy cocktail recipe that we simply must try, well, then share it in the comments section!
Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow.

Meet Andrea Dekker – One of My Favorite Bloggers

A few weeks ago, I was all set to write about one of my favorite blogs when that day’s post was all about how the blog was re-branding itself. My first thought was “NOOOO!” but then I read the post and realized that all would be okay. So, now the re-branding is complete so I can introduce you to Andrea Dekker.com!

I found Andrea through another blog I love, Money Saving Mom, when Andrea wrote a guest piece. I don’t remember what the top of her post was, but I know I liked it to check out her blog and sign up for her daily email and I am so glad that I did. Andrea’s blog (and life) is all about simplifying. She’s sort of like the blog form of The Container Store – full of great ideas to make things easy, time-saving, and cute. Plus, she has a daughter who is two weeks younger than B so I love seeing what her cute little baby is doing.

Some of my favorite posts of Andrea’s are her one about organizing digital photos (we ALL need that, right!??), organizing your important papers and passwords for the unexpected (I haven’t completed this yet but I’m working on it), and yesterday’s post about how to make a personalized ABC book (I’m working on this – GREAT idea since B LOVES to look at pictures (and video) of himself!).

Andrea really has some wonderfully simple yet clever ideas. Check out her site (click HERE) and be sure to sign up for her email list – you’ll be glad that you did!

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow!

Baby B’s Top 5 Books for Babies and Toddlers

I love to read and when I was pregnant with Baby B, I used to worry what if I gave birth to a kid who does not like to read? I had visions of us curled up reading book after book and I would be so disappointed if that never came to be.

Baby B must have picked up on this in utero and came out loving books from day one! Now, at 17 months, we start our day and end our day curled up and reading book after book (with a few books throughout the day, too, on some days) and I love it. My wonderful friends threw me a book themed baby shower (and friends have been generous with hand-me-downs) so Baby B has quite the library.

Without further ado, here are B’s Top 5 Books (as of this week!):

My Truck is Stuck. We read this book multiple times in one sitting. The title pretty much sums up the plot but what also makes it a home run is that dogs drive the truck (and car and van, etc.). B LOVES both dogs and trucks so it doesn’t get much better than this! I have taken to reading an abridged version of it which B seems to love (there are a few phrases that repeat over and over again) and it is a great way to introduce counting (how many vehicles try to get the truck unstuck).

I Love You More. This is one of my favorites, too. A mother and son walk through the words comparing their love of each other to what they see around them (“I love you taller than the tallest tree, I love you brighter than the brightest star in the sky” etc.) and culminates with “I love you more than anything in the whole, wide world!”

Where is the Green Sheep. My parents gave this one to Baby B at Christmas and he as read it constantly every day since then. He loves the different type of sheep (“Here is the bed sheep and here is the bath sheep” etc.) and he always gets so excited when the green sheep finally appears!

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. B is actually interactive with this book which is so much fun. When the bus driver says “goodbye”, B waves at him and says “bye bye” and when the pigeon is upset because he can’t drive the bus (illustrated by a squiggly line over the pigeon’s head), B blows a raspberry. It’s a great book about not necessarily getting what you want and that temper tantrums are kind of silly and don’t work.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear. B’s cousin, Elliott, gave this to him which may have something to do with his love of the book. B LOVES Elliott! Anyhoo, this book is great because the sentences are short and the illustrations are beautiful.

We are always on the lookout for new books so please share your favorites with us (and everyone else) in the comments section!

Thanks for reading bright-yellow.