Cooking With Chef Seth

I have recently started letting Seth help me when I am cooking and he loves it! So far we have made breakfast (bacon, eggs and biscuits), cinnamon crumb cake and pineapple casserole. He can lay out biscuits in a row, pour in ingredients, stir it around and around and, with help, crack an egg. (The other day Mark said in conversation that something would crack like an egg and Seth went running to the fridge saying, "Me do it." We caught up to him just in time to stop him from getting to the eggs!)

Seth is so proud of himself when he helps me and after every step he runs over to Mark and exclaims, "I did it Dad!" I love seeing the look on his face when he has a feeling of accomplishment. Although it will take some practice and planning to make it work, I think it is going to be a lot of fun and a great way for him to learn new skills and patience. Plus, I would much rather say, "Here, stir this." than "No, don't touch."

Play-Doh

Seth loves his play-doh. He has gotten really good at flattening it out and rolling it in his hands. We love to cut out "cookies" and have picked up a bunch of cookie cutters here and there for our play-doh bin. He also likes making animal tracks in it with his toys. He was more than happy to show off his Curious George tracks for a photo. The other day, Seth was playing with the green and said, "Loot (look) Mom. A frog. " It really did look like one!

An Attitude of Gratitude

Today and everyday I have so many things to be thankful for. This is the short list.

My wonderful family - far and near.
A beautiful son who lights up my world.
My sweet, sweet husband.
Step-kids that I love as if they were my own.
Friendship.
The palmetto sky.
Nieces. Nephews.
Nap time.
Happy childhood memories.
Sunny days spent outdoors.
Chilly, snugly days.
Having everything I really need.
That 30 is the new 20.
Lady and the Tramp.
Trips to the beach.
Parents who are also friends.
God.
Puddles to splash in.
Seth's contagious laugh.
The DVR.
Sisterhood.
Spell check.
Tradition.
Radical new ideas.
Coffee. Very strong coffee.
Puppy dogs of the short and elongated variety.
Mammograms.
Celebrations great and small.
Bubble baths - giving them and taking them.
My camera.
A new nephew on the way.
Birds, trees, flowers - all that stuff.
Nooks and crannies.
Being able to spend most of my time at home.
Getting to leave from time to time.
Beach wheelchairs.
Bubbles.
Crayons.
Play-Doh.
Little People.
Books.
Teaching Seth.
Learning from him.
The unknown.
Little brothers - even if they aren't little anymore.
Days at the zoo.
The promise of the future.
Technology.
Cranberry Jello Surprise.
Family game night.
Good music.
Reality TV.
Living in a free society.
Getting older - and wiser.
My health.
Thanksgiving.

Oh Happy Day!

You always wonder as a parent if your child is truly happy or not. Today I have no doubt. I saw Seth wake up today. He opened his eyes, got a huge grin on his face, clapped his hands eagerly and said, "Yay!" Too cute!

Fun New Ways to Learn

I have been reading up on Montessori and am planning to start a bunch of Montessori based activities. I was quite pleasantly surprised to find out many of the things we already are doing are rooted in Montessori. The other day I pulled out these nesting boxes that Mark had picked up a while back. Each box is a layer to a house and on the inside of each is a different room. Seth had a great time stacking them up (and knocking them down.) He quickly figured out how to center them so they didn't fall over. How funny to find a very similar activity in my Montessori book, How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way, when I was reading it just a few days later.

Monkey Business

What is it about monkeys that children love so much? I think it must be that they can see so much of themselves in the way they play and interact. I don't think I have ever seen a child that is not fascinated by monkeys. Seth is certainly no exception. He is currently trying to amass the premier North American toy monkey collection. One of his favorite activities right now is to take his long armed plush monkeys and hang them about the house or - even better- in the bushes.

We have a zoo membership and use it on a regular basis. Although Seth loves all of the animals, "au-pa-tants" and "lineys" alike, the "munteys" are far and away his favorite. He could watch the Siamangs doing their acrobats on ape island all day - especially if they hooping and hollering about. At the end of each trip to the zoo, I ask Seth which animal he wants to see again before we leave. I already know his answer and off to ape island we go for one last glimpse. I think he even dreams about the monkeys at the zoo. One morning when Seth had climbed into our bed, both of us were barely awake and Seth, with little slits for eyes, looked up at me and sleepily said, "Want to see baboon the 'udder' (other) way."
Each day for story time, Seth gets to pick out which books he wants to read. More often then not "muntey boot" (monkey book) is among his selections. (I Am A Little Monkey by Francois Crozat - a birthday gift from Papa Roper.) He often pretends like he is a monkey. He swings fromany surface he can get a hold of and oohas and aahs around the house . Once, while sitting on Daddy's lap, he even pretended to clean bugs off Daddy and eat them - just like the monkeys in the book do! He gobbles up bananas and sometimes refers to himself as "Seth Monkey".
One day, we stumbled upon Curious George on PBS and Seth was instantly mesmarized. He often says "Want to watch muntey show" and likes to pile his monkeys and monkey pillows about him when he gets to watch.
Whatever it is about these funny creatures that fascinates Seth, I fully embrace it. Even though it seems at times to border on obsession, it represents the wonder and magic of childhood that lasts for such a short time.

My Sweet Seth

Seth is growing so quickly and time is flying by. I cannot believe he is already two! I decided to start a blog for a couple of reasons, so that when I am old and he has gone I will always remember these precious times and so that when he is old and I have gone he will always know how very much I loved him. If anybody else takes something from it, then even better!