Is This a Big One Mommy?
berries were indeed ready. When I told Edmund we would have to wait until Saturday to pick blueberries, the question became "is it Saturday yet?" This question, although constant, was also a great way to introduce the days of the week. This morning when Edmund said "is it Saturday yet?" we had to let him know that "yes it was, but it was not 7:30 yet." I'm sure you can guess what the next question was, and so began our lesson in telling time. After all that waiting, the big moment arrived. Fortunately, Edmund's second blueberry experience exceeded expectations.
It is still early in the season, but there were a fair number of ripe blueberries. Edmund got a special, kid-sized pail. We explained that we only pick the "blue" berries and set Edmund free. He immediately started dropping blueberries into his pail. As he did so he said, "kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk," and informed us he was Sal from Blueberries for Sal. However, he was quick to assure Steven and I that we wouldn't meet any bears on our excursion, just some chickens.
The picking continued famously. Surprisingly Edmund only put one unripe blueberry in the basket, and even asked me when he wasn't sure if he had a "blue" berry. I commented on the humor in this, as even I at times find it hard to distinguish a
n unripe blueberry from a ripe one. If you'll recall we came home with a lot of green strawberries, and the ripe ones are pretty distinct. Perhaps Edmund is older and wiser now, after his experience with those bitter strawberries.
We picked blueberries for about thirty minutes before calling it quits. Other families had bucket loads of berries, but as a family we don't consume much. We decided it best to eat some, make a few recipes, and use them all up. We had such a great time, we plan to return next week, and may even come home with a pile of blackberries too.
Edmund Shakes His Vegetable
Every 1st and 3rd Sunday from October through March The Broad Street Cafe offers kid's shows. Some of the acts are more appropriate for older elementary and teens, but this past week's act was for the young preschool set. We went to see an interactive performance by Mother Goose herself. And at 163 years old can you believe she was up dancing and shaking with the best of them?
Mother Goose performed with her guest Sir Anthony (a guitar playing pageboy) and was accompanie
d by her dear pet goose, Gwennyblossom. I won't spoil the fun for the children, but I'll let the adults in on a little secret. Mother Goose is actually a woman named Dr. Laura Royster who developed a preschool curriculum entitled "I Feel Better with Music" for children with cancer. The night's show was based on the curriculum. It takes a lot to impress me when it comes to curriculums for young children, but this one certainly did.
Mother Goose started out the evening by asking if any children would like to help her strum her guitar. As the children strummed we welcomed them in a "hello" song. As you may well know, Edmund loves his guitar, but he wasn't quite sure about Mother Goose yet. Fortunately, right before she closed the "hello" song Edmund mustered up the courage to strum. Can you believe he got to strum his first full-size guitar?
The Broad Street Cafe is like any cafe and had limited seating. However, Mother Goose came prepared with her very own "fairy blanket." This gave the children a nice, soft (and clean) place to sit, as well as gave the show a more intimate feel. The songs were perfect for preschoolers, short and catchy. Often children's musicians will write long songs that will lose a two year old's interest in the blink of an eye. These songs were a little longer than a blink, but were interactive enough to keep the children engaged. The children helped Mother Goose correctly complete the rhyme "Humpty Dumpty," as after 163 years one can get a bit forgetful. The children also used vegetable shaped shakers while singing and dancing to a song called "Vegetables Dancing on the Table." Edmund had a blast with this one.
Between songs Mother Goose would return to the stage to read bits from her book. During one reading she asked Edmund to care for Gwennyblossom. I wanted to warn her that perhaps another child would be better suited for the job. Edmund quickly fell in love with Gwennyblossom and kissed and hugged her repeatedly. He got a little too excited about Gwennyblossom's beak and needed a few reminders to simply pat her on the head, but all in all he did his job well.
For her final act, Mother Goose passed out Bubble Bears for the parents to blow bubbles. Edmund squealed uncontrollably as the bubbles bounced around him. In case you didn't know, when Edmund gets excited, he really gets excited. He danced and laughed while Mother Goose finished her song. When Mother Goose co
ncluded her "set list," Sir Anthony passed around a tip jar. We gave Edmund a few dollars to contribute because we all had such a great time. Edmund took the money, looked into the bucket, clutched his three dollars in his right hand, and went to grab the money in the bucket with his left. Sir Anthony cracked up at my son's antics. It appears we have a little way to go on the "we don't take money from other people front." But hey, he's only two.
The evening was a success. At a little under an hour, Mother Goose lasted the perfect amount of time to hold a two year old's attention. It didn't hurt that we were able to order some delicious wood-fired pizza. It really is a testament to what a great time Edmund was having, that he didn't ask for pizza until 10 minutes before the show finished. For a boy who would eat pizza for every meal, that really is saying something.
The Broad Street Cafe
1116 Broad Street Durham, NC 27705Kid's Events:
1st and 3rd Sundays of October-March
4:30 unless otherwise noted
*see website for acts
This Friday until the end of the day today has been Tax Free Weekend here in NC. I got so incredibly excited about this event that I went window shopping early to get my plan of attack ready for Friday. I really don't know what it is that had me so excited about this event. I probably saved at most ten dollars, while the state of NC lost millions in tax revenue. Our family is also traveling to PA on Monday, a tax free clothing state, so again I really don't know what got me so revved up.
On Thursday I took Edmund with me to the mall to scout out the clothing options. Anyone who knows me knows that I get more excited about Edmund's clothes than I do my own. He gets to wear cute animals on his shirt and no one thinks twice. If I did so, I'm sure I'd get a few stares. So that I wouldn't feel guilty about taking him on this excursion I first took him to the mall playground. Edmund absolutely loves the mall playground. It's a lifesaver in the hundred degree weather we're having. Everything is soft and padded, so I worry little about him getting hurt, that is unless someone lets a big kid loose when they shouldn't. Edmund has his play routines. He turns the steering wheel in the helicopter, slides down the lighthouse a few times, and does a look-out on the sailboat. Most days I don't have to give warning that it's time to leave. He generally tells me he wants to put his shoes on after about 20 minutes and we're on our way.
After Edmund announced he was done with the playground I lured him into several stores with the promise of playing with trucks at the other end of the mall. Southpoint, the local mall near our house now has a toy store called Toyland. I know some parents think the location of Toyland is awful because they have to drag their children the entire length of the mall if they want to go from playground to toy store. I, however think this is pure genius because I can sandwich "mommy stores" in between two "Edmund places." Toyland is a small independent chain based out of New York that for whatever reason decided to expand to North Carolina. Toyland definitely isn't as big as some of the other "educational" toy stores in the area, but it has several pluses. It carries a lot of the wooden and educational toy brands I like and has very few electronic or licensed character toys. My philosophy at least for now is that toys should be open ended. I'm certain Edmund will be "wired" soon enough, so I'll let him use some creativity for now. I've bent a little on my no "characters" rule recently. Edmund loves Curious George, Thomas, and Elmo, and who can blame him. They're cute! He's not relying on tv for his play schemes and that's really the only issue I've ever had with characters anyway. I'll save the discussion of branding for another day.
Another plus this store has to offer is its openness. Five play stations are set up around the store and because the store isn't cluttered I can see Edmund at any play station from wherever I might be within the store. As I don't let Edmund wander I often can't browse, but I can do so here. Let me stop here. I realize this post is making me sound like a shopaholic. This is not the case. I'm a "browseaholic" if such a word exists, as I seldom buy. But I digress. The five play stations are right up Edmund's alley. The first is a table filled with rubber mulch, diggers, and bulldozers. The next station is a roadway system complete with a garage. This is followed by a train table. Next we come to a Calico Critters station. For those of you not familiar, Calico Critters are woodland creature families that live in elaborate houses. Edmund currently loves Calico Critters and their miniature furniture, but I'm sure it won't be long before society dictates to him they are a "girl's" toy. I'm having fun joining Edmund in his Calico Critters play for the time being. Finally there is a station with a large wooden fire station and rocket ship. Edmund is especially in awe of the rocket ship. He recently developed a love affair with the spaceship outside the Museum of Life and Science, and I don't have the heart to tell him the final space shuttle launch is quickly approaching. Edmund loves what he refers to as the "truck store". The only disadvantage I find with Toyland is my own personal guilt when we walk in, play, and leave. As I mentioned, I rarely buy. We probably won't go too often in order to appease my guilty conscience. However,on days when I'm stir crazy because Steven is on-call, I may just have to put those guilty feelings to rest and hop on over to Toyland.
Peek-A-Boo
After a semi-disastrous venture to Forest Hills Park last weekend, I didn't know what to expect from Piney Wood. Forest Hills gets rave reviews from parents in the area for its "sprayground." However, I'm still trying to figure out what bothered me most about this park. Was it the disrepair of the equipment, the litter covering every inch of the playground, the fact that Edmund has been to much nicer "spraygrounds" in other places, or simply that Edmund can mix sand and water at school any day of the week? I'm glad that Durham has such a playground, but I'm not sure I'm willing to make the drive when there seem to be better, closer options out there for our family. I'm willing to give Forest Hills another chance for perhaps we caught it on a bad day. There was a family reunion going on and we all know how those can get. So Edmund and I may make our way back, but I can guarantee Steven will be a no show.
Piney Wood was a blast. It's fairly close to our house which is a huge bonus for me. I'm finding I like nearby options on weekdays after work. As I mentioned before, the playground isn't immediately visible from the parking lot. Once I located the playground this turned out to be another selling point. Our go-to playground in Chapel Hill at the Community Center is located away from the parking lot, but not far enough I feel I can let my guard down for a second. This wasn't the case here. The playground is also shaded which will keep Edmund and me cool on hot days. Fortunately today wasn't a scorcher, but it's nice to know this is a place where we can attempt to beat the NC heat. I also love the fact that none of the play equipment has major drop-offs. Edmund seems to have some issues with depth perception and I worry about him at most other playgrounds. I hover, not because I want to, but because Edmund is very likely to walk off a tall ledge without a second thought. In most instances I take the philosophy "live and learn", but when it comes to 10 feet drops I err on the side of caution.
Edmund actually didn't play very long on the play equipment. He went up and down the steps a few times, turned the large maracas 
around, and did a couple rounds of sliding, when he saw "IT". A huge dog park full of...you guessed it...dogs! Edmund climbed up onto a wooden slab and pressed his nose against the fence. He summoned the dogs at the top of his lungs with a cry of "goggies." Don't ask me why it's "goggies" as he seems to pronounce other "G" word just fine. Edmund was a crazy ball of excitement until one dog answered his call and pressed its nose up to the fence. Edmund flailed his arms and ran to daddy who at this point had joined our park excursion. His words of wisdom..."don't call the "goggies" if you don't want them to visit." Very well put. Edmund eventually went back to the fence. He retained his excitement, but ceased the "goggy" calling. It's funny how his fears come and go, though I suppose a healthy fear of dogs can't hurt. Our child who today appeared horrified to be approached by a dog, yesterday marched up to our neighbors and informed them that he was going to pat their dog, Kiki, on the butt. It seems mommy and daddy need to start watching what they say.
The dogs eventually moved to the other end of the dog park and Edmund lost interest. He played on the playground a few more minutes, then informed us "I go home, drink milk." Thus ended our playtime at Piney Wood Park. This is one park we'll be sure to visit again. Who knows? Perhaps Edmund and I will hit the trails the next time. If you see a kid pushing his own stroller you'll know it's us.
Location:
5999 Woodlake Dr.
Durham, NC 27713
To our devoted family members out there, I am going to try something a little different. I am going to try to write more frequently. I know I say this almost every post. This time I truly do hope I mean it. I'd love to share ideas about activities with my working mom friends in the area, as well as post my thoughts on what it means to be a parent and teacher during this time of my life. And boy do I have a lot of thoughts. I hope you'll continue reading as I hope to continue writing.
Sincerely,
Tabitha
If I Can't Stand On It, I'll Sit
For the past several months Edmund, Steven, and I have been attending Gymboree Play and Music of Durham. Gymboree is such a stereo-typical middle class parent thing to do, but I have to say we absolutely love it. This summer ou
r location offered a special allowing us to try a variety of classes within the month for the price of one. Generally this wouldn't have thrilled me because places like this seem to cater to stay-at-home moms, which would mean I wouldn't be able to take advantage. However, our Gymboree recently started offering Sunday afternoon classes in addition to Saturday classes, so we more than got our money's worth. Not to mention having free-gym options on scorching afternoons when Steven is on-call has been nothing short of a life saver. Normally we attend a Gym Play and Learn Class, but today we decided to try the new Family Music offering.
The music class didn't take place in the large gym room, so I thought Edmund would freak out. "You mean you brought me to Gymboree and I'm not playing in the gym." To my surprise he went with the flow, which is not how he usually rolls these days. When we entered the class, our teacher Ms. Julie, had two large drums set up. It wasn't long before Edmund was banging away and trying to stand on the drums (which we quickly tried to discourage). Edmund was definitely the most active child in this particular group, but the teacher had enough planned to keep him engaged. 
This month's theme is tropical islands, so we learned a song called Hawaiian Rainbow. On a side note, for me tropical islands takes my mind to the television show "Lost." I don't watch TV often, but got Netflix and watched the entire series in a month. Now my brain is on Lost overload, so I will do my best to remember this theme was in no way intended as a tribute to the castaways. Back to reality. I forgot the words to Hawaiian Rainbow promptly, but Edmund remembered and filled me in on the car ride home. He is quite the singer these days. After a few rounds of the tropical song and island themed dancing complete with bubble blowing, Ms. Julie brought out a "magic box" of instruments. Some of the instruments were "kiddie" in nature. Others were instruments more akin to something you'd find in the percussion section of an orchestra and a ton of fun. I think I had more fun with the instruments than Edmund. As the other kids made haphazard choices as they pulled from the box, Edmund was very deliberate in his decision to grab a handled drum and mallet. Then the banging ensued. At the end of the class one woman told her husband who had come to pick her and her son up from class "you should have seen Edmund, Larry. He is quite the drummer." I'm glad she saw it that way, as I was too busy trying to shield Edmund's classmates from flying mallets. OK it wasn't that bad, but Edmund can get a bit carried away in his drumming.
I must admit the music class is not very different from what I do with the 2 year olds in my preschool class on a day-to-day basis. "Why cough up all that money for an experience we can have for free daily?" At the music class I was actually able to enjoy sharing music with Edmund sans interruptions. There were no squabbles to break up, poopy diapers to c
hange, or noses to wipe mid-song. The parents took full responsibility for their children, so we could be in the moment. We probably won't sign up for an official music class once the special runs out, but we'll take advantage while we can. When the music class concluded we let Edmund loose for free-play in the gym, which is now offered on Sundays. Edmund loves exploring the ramps and slides, and for a child with a minor gross motor delay, Gymboree is just the ticket. Maybe later we'll take advantage of the more structured, gymnastics based "Little Gym" down the road, but until the simple Gymbo the Clown stamp loses its allure, we'll be heading to Gymboree.
Location/Contact Information:
Gymboree of Durham / Chapel Hill 3515 Witherspoon Blvd Suite 101
Durham,North Carolina 27707
(919) 419-3150
durhamnc@gymboreeclasses.com
Elmo Loves Edmund
Steven and I also began house hunting around that time, so our time has been sucked up driving around neighborhoods and touring houses. Surprisingly, Edmund enjoys house hunting. He loves bathtubs and steps. If his current new saying "steps, steps, I love steps" is any indication, as long as the house we purchase has steps, he will be sold.
I hadn't felt there was anything too out of the ordinary on the Edmund front to blog about recently , but Edmund did something today that had Steven saying "if you blog about that, I'll give you the time." So here goes. I hope you find it blogworthy.
*Words in parentheses are Edmund to English translations.
If you know me well, you know I am directionally challenged. Give me directions that say go 1.2 miles and turn left and I'm set, but give me a map to the grocery store and I might just wind up in Nebraska. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that my 21 month old son knows where we are going before we even get there. Steven, Edmund, and I go to a local pizza place called Tomato Jake's every Friday night. About a month ago he started crying "pizza" whenever we passed the building. It's rather non-descript except for a small picture of a tomato on the side. We thought the fact Edmund could recognize the building was rather impressive, until recently. In the last few weeks Edmund now starts saying "pizza" when we reach the sign for the exit. This Friday night we decided to throw him off a bit and take a completely alternative route. Edmund wasn't fooled. His happy squeals of "pizza" could be heard before we turned onto the road for Tomato Jake's.
You're thinking to yourself, "maybe he just wants pizza." We too thought Edmund might think a car ride signaled pizza, but we've found that isn't so. Today we turned onto a street we use to get to The Community Center Park, Edmund's favorite playground. We've been a few times in the couple of months, but not a lot since the summer as it has been too cold. What do you know? Edmund inquisitively asked "geegound (playground)?," as we drove on. His inquisitiveness turned to whines when he realized that wasn't where we were headed. Don't worry, we don't deprive our child of outdoor time. He'd already visited the church playground earlier that day. Fortunately for him we had other child friendly plans. We pulled into University Mall, a place we visit maybe once every 2 months. Immediately Edmund asked "Thomees (Thomas)?." There is a great locally owned toy store in the mall that has a Thomas train table set up for children to play with. Somehow Edmund knew we were at one of Thomas the Tank Engine's hang-outs. When we got inside the mall, Steven set Edmund down. Edmund knew exactly how to get to the toy store. When Edmund finally located Thomas, squeals of excitement echoed throughout the store. There's nothing like a little "Thomees" to brighten a toddler's day.
Edmund's New "Do"
Edmund got his first professional haircut last Saturday. Edmund had a daddy cut a few months ago. Daddy did a great job with the hair around the ears, but then got overenthusiastic. He decided to cut straight across the front of Edmund's forehead. Of course what did Mommy ask he not do?-- cut the hair straight across the forehead. So I have waited patiently for Edmund's hair to grow out enough for him to get a "big boy" haircut. We took him to Peek-A-Do, a salon for kids. The salon has little airplanes and boats the kids can sit in while getting their hair cut. While they row their boats and fly their planes the children can watch episodes of "Dora the Explorer." Not knowing how Edmund would respond to having his hair cut, I figured the fact the salon had TV might be good. I reasoned Edmund would be so intrigued by the shiny black box he has rarely seen, that he would forget a person he didn't know was coming at him with a sharp object.
The hair stylist led Edmund to an airplane. As soon as we put him in it he started to reach for me. He could care less that Dora was asking Backpack for assistance on her quest. I asked if I could hold Edmund, and the stylist said that would be just fine. From then on Edmund was the perfect gentleman. Of course he occasionally decided to turn his head at the exact moment the stylist tried to make a snip, but all in all he sat still. Edmund's hair didn't look much different when we were done--much cleaner in the back and shorter in the front, but for now he still has a baby "do." Maybe next time we'll decide to go all out, but this trip to the salon was more about getting Edmund comfortable with the whole process. As always, he charmed all the stylists with his gappy grin and cooperative nature. They can't wait to see him back
And now for the lice...
Yesterday after school I put Edmund on the floor in our bedroom while I busied about the room putting things away. When I finally caught my breath, I noticed Edmund was scratching his head like a mad man. I looked at him and in an exasperated tone said, "I sure hope you don't have lice." Immediately Edmund stopped scratching, gazed up in the direction of our ceiling light, and pointed. I started cracking up. I had no idea Edmund knew what the word "light meant". It took "lice" to make me aware that Edmund understands so much more than I give him credit for. You can breathe a sigh of relief. I checked Edmund over, and he most certainly does not have lice.
Is This a Big One Mommy?
berries were indeed ready. When I told Edmund we would have to wait until Saturday to pick blueberries, the question became "is it Saturday yet?" This question, although constant, was also a great way to introduce the days of the week. This morning when Edmund said "is it Saturday yet?" we had to let him know that "yes it was, but it was not 7:30 yet." I'm sure you can guess what the next question was, and so began our lesson in telling time. After all that waiting, the big moment arrived. Fortunately, Edmund's second blueberry experience exceeded expectations.
n unripe blueberry from a ripe one. If you'll recall we came home with a lot of green strawberries, and the ripe ones are pretty distinct. Perhaps Edmund is older and wiser now, after his experience with those bitter strawberries.
