Those Who Seek Beauty Will Find It

 

See those hanging flower pots baskets on Chocolate Avenue? They’re the things that inspired me to try to reframe Isabelle’s noticing of the not-so-beautiful into a search for beautiful things we can notice and share with each other.

Isabelle has been thinking aloud a lot., which is great.  I want to hear what she has to say.  I really do. But I am trying to reframe what she’s talking about.  Why?  Well, that’s because she has a keen eye for spotting and pointing out portable toilets (That’s what she remembers from the concert we took her to on the West Lawn of the Capitol in May. Not the incredible music or the tributes to those who have served our country. Nope, she remembers the portable toilets she saw.) and trash on the ground (Ever since Earth Day she’s been agahast whenever she sees litter.)!  I bet you’d be a little frustrated if your child was constantly pointing these things out, wouldn’t you?

This afternoon I decided enough was enough.  I embarked upon a new motto, “seek beauty,” when we’re out and about.  It’s very simple. Look for things that are beautiful in the world. Notice those. Share it with the other person.
Here’s a listen to our first conversation about seeking beauty. (NOTE: I hit record when we were in dead-stop traffic. I pulled over to the side of the road to end the recording.)

American Flags. Flowers. Houses. Now those are things worth noticing.  I still heard about one more portable toilet (which I ignored) on the way home. And she did point out some rubbish on the ground, which appalled her.  But she also noticed more pretty flowers and a neighbor’s American flag on the ride home.  So maybe, just maybe, I’ll talk her into this seek beauty thing after all.

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A Toddler Song of Thanksgiving

About two and a half weeks ago, Isabelle’s speech and music therapists worked with us to create a Thanksgiving song to the tune of “Hot Cross Buns.”  During that time, I’ve worked with Isabelle to brainstorm a list of things and people she was thankful for this year.  Since thankfulness is a pretty tough concept for a toddler to grasp, we started out by talking about things she loved.  The list ranged from her family to our neighbors’ dogs to her friends to her teacher to Chocolate World.

In an effort to keep the song manageable and reverent for today’s festivities, I whittled the list down to family members, the neighbors’ dogs, and to Chocolate World.  (Especially because the neighbors’ dogs, Tiny, Rudy, and Lexie, as well as Chocolate World, were in her version of the song every time she practiced singing it.) Also, I created a chart with pictures to help guide her through the song.  Here she is, singing her song (with my assistance), earlier this evening:

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that tonight was also the second night of Chanukah, aka: Thanksgivukkah. We lit the menorah and sang a few Chanukah songs. Other than that, the day belong to Thanksgiving. (Thankfully, there are six more nights of Chanukah left for us to celebrate!)

My Daughter Meets a Cabbage Patch Kid.

There’s a new mommy in town for Ike Phil!

The Kitchen Within the Kitchen

My daughter often pretends to cook in her little kitchen while I make meals our family kitchen. Here’s a glimpse into one of our meal preparations.

Stirring the pumpkin carrot soup (one sock on and one sock off). BTW: Check out what’s left in the oven. Interesting!

Making Medical Appointments a Little Sweeter

Living by Hershey, PA provides lots of opportunities for sweet fun. Today was one of those days.

Isabelle used to hate having her ears and throat checked by a physician after a bad experience when she was 11 months old. Fortunately, she does much better with it now. AND, the promise of a trip to Chocolate World after the appointment helped make our visit to the ENT go smoothly.

Persuading Her to Wear the Black Shoes

Just a small peek into our getting-ready-for-school routine.

And look… she put them on (without a fight)!

Toddler antics are a way of getting me ready for the teen years, right?

Some “scary” things have been happening around here with my little daredevil.  Somehow I think this is all supposed to toughen me up for when she starts driving in 14 years!

Toddler Locks

G-d help me! I have a feeling I’m going to be getting locked out of my daughter’s bedroom any day now.  Here’s why:

Special Visitors

I sound a little breathless in this recording, don’t I?  I think I was still giddy from seeing those fluffy animals this morning.

The things we do to amuse kids when they’re home sick…

Isabelle was coughing through the night.  She woke up with a cough and congestion, so we’re home together today.  Here’s a listen into one of the many things we have been doing together.