#paintedrhinoadventures

[paintedrhino]

Summer Reading List For Young Kids!

Here’s just a few of our favorite books! We do a lot of reading over here and while we try to mix it up a bit, Momo has her favorites and it’s quite fun to watch her sit and “read” making up dialogue as she remembers it..

We’ve started to read and leave words out at the end of simple sentences and she LOVES to fill in the blanks. Yes, she has totally memorized the books, but it makes her feel like she is reading!

All of these books are beautifully illustrated and are truly works of art.

“Everything & Everywhere” and “Atlas of Adventures” are great books for playing Eye Spy.. They are also filled with fun educational facts for kids and adults!

“Little Owl Lost” has always been a favorite of mine. JR has sound effects that he adds into the mix while reading, which makes him Momo’s preferred reader of this one. Cute story about a little owl looking for his Mama.

“Pokko And The Drum” I am in love with the illustrations in this story. It’s about a little frog who was gifted a drum by her parents who at first immediately regret the decision. Once they see how she is able to bring others together through her music her parents become accepting of her music!

“A Big Mooncake For Little Star” This one is at the top of the list for us right now. I think we have read it every night.. Gifted to us from two of Momo’s besties it is about a little girl who sneaks up every night to take a bite out of the Mooncake that she made with her Mama.. a beautiful story that incorporates mischief into the moon phases.

“Note Quite Narwhal” A fun story about a little unicorn who lives among the sea unicorns, more commonly known as Narwals. This whimsical tale is about his journey to find where he fits in.

“Flora and the Flamingo” We LOVE this book. It has no words, just beautiful illustrations. We tell a different story every time we read it and Momo has now started to “read” us her version of what is happening when Flora dances the day away with a friendly Flamingo.

“Chirri & Chirra” This is MY favorite! A story of two little girls who embark on an adventurous bike ride under the sea. Not only is it beautifully illustrated it is also a reminder to all of us that with your imagination - anything is possible!

“Mixed” We’ve had this book for some time, and it has been my go to gift for birthdays.. It’s a simple story about colors mixing and how it is frowned upon by some. All the colors eventually realize that life is much more enjoyable and diverse when mixing is allowed. New colors are created and their world is much brighter! Wouldn’t it be something if everyone actually believed this to be true in our world today?

Then there’s this.. Me, of course trying to curate a photo of all her “Little People Big Dreams” Books (which are great little biographies for young kids) and she brings out “Frozen” and throws it on top. I’ve hidden this book MANY times.. yet somehow she always seems to find it.

Just a reminder to all, books make the greatest gifts!

[paintedrhino]

Tennessee Valley with Tots!

I know what you’re thinking.. not possible! I promise you it’s totally doable and you should probably do it tomorrow! We’ve hiked it a few times now with both kids and while it’s 1.8 miles to the ocean it is worth the 1.8 miles you’ll have to schlep back out.

Since SIP came into effect Tennessee Valley Road was closed down to through traffic. It still remains closed but you can park on Enterprise Concourse and walk the a little over a mile to the trail head. There is a cute little farm on your left as you head up towards the trail. They have alpacas and honey bee hive boxes. We embarked on this mile long journey to start the hike not knowing that the option to drive past the “road closed” sign existed. I’m here to tell you that I highly suggest driving up a bit (even though your instinct will tell your not to) get dropped off with the kids closer to trailhead and have another person drive back down to park the car on Enterprise. By this point your kids will ask you for a snack or two so sit down, take a small break and wait for your partner to meet you. Maybe having a short drive solo and a brisk jog up the road while your partner waits with the kids will sound like the better end of the deal for you!

There are many options once you enter the trail. You can actually hike up and over the hills to take in the ocean views.. but given we had a toddler and infant in tow we opted to take the 1.8 mile path. Bikes are allowed here too! We’ve hiked it with Momo’s balance bike and without.

Slather the kids in sunscreen, bring lots of snacks and water and tie a hoodie around everyone’s waist just in case it is breezy.

The trail is wide which makes for the perfect socially distanced hike. It is partly paved but mostly gravel. Makes for easy hiking or biking. There is a split about 1/4 into the hike. Heading towards the ocean you can either take the more narrow path (on your left) which is flat and through gorgeous tall grass fields. Beware that this path is single track and if you come across other people you’ll need to turn your back, face the other direction and make sure you have your mask on. Alternatively you can stay on the wide path (on your right) which has more ups and downs but Momo didn’t have any trouble with it.

It’s all worth it when you arrive at the beach! We talked a lot about how after working so hard to reach the end of the trail we would be rewarded with the ocean waves! Besides having to check Grizzy’s mouth every 2 seconds for little rocks this not so perfect mini photo shoot was worth it.

This was 1 of 1000 timed family selfies. Truthfully Grizzy is definitely sucking on a rock and Momo is thinking “I wonder if they actually have the treat they promised me if I smile?”

If you find they are a bit sluggish on the way back try playing simple games like “Red light, Green Light” We like to throw in a “Purple Light” and Dance every now and again!

We also picked Momo a piece of tall grass that was 10xs her size and had her pretend it was a fishing pole. This little game lasted a good 30 minutes! We kept asking her what she was catching and we quickly moved from sea animals to jungle cats.. but she was talking and WALKING! Key word walking.

Races forward,backward, sideways, hopping, skipping and jumping are always a hit too. You can create your own version of freeze dance by singing songs while they are moving and once you stop they freeze!

All in all it was a full day event but an incredible work out for everyone and the fresh air that we all needed to feel rejuvenated from months of SIP.

Bonus: It’s an hour long drive to the trail from our house so we planned our drive time during both kids nap time and “VOILA” it worked!

Tag us if you tackle this adventure!

[paintedrhino]

Rose, Bud & Thorn

Those are JR’s beautifully home manicured nails.. not mine.

Normally I would throw a dress on her and clean her face.. but keepin’ it real!

It’s the end of the day, you are emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted from your day. Why wouldn’t you be? Working from home with kids is a breeze! 😳 Anyone else feel like they could totally crash out at 7:30 pm when your trying to get the kids down?

We’ve always incorporated songs and books into our night time routine but recently we decided to add “rose, thorn & bud” into the mix. We learned this easy conversation starter from friends with school aged kids who pre covid we would have dinner with regularly. Momo was a bit young to partake in the past but now that she is 3 and full of things to share it has been thr highlight of our day.

It’s pretty simple. Everyone has an opportunity to share what their Rose, bud & thorn were from the day. We always start with thorn to get it out of the way.. move our way to Rose and end with bud!

Thorn: something that was challenging for you, or that you found you needed a little help with. Maybe it was something that you didn’t like at all.

Rose: this one is generally easy for a 3 year old! It’s a highlight, success or simply put a “happy moment” you experienced during the day. I am always SO excited to hear what she has to share with us, most of the time she takes us by surprise or makes of burst out in laughter. It truly is the most magical part of the day to hear your child reflect on what made them happy.

Bud: this is something that you are looking forward to either experiencing or learning more about. Sometimes this take a bit of prompting from us, but it’s a great way to introduce new ideas or activities for the coming days.

I know bedtime can be exhausting, especially when you are already so drained from the day, but give this a go tonight! There is nothing more rewarding than hearing from your little one when there is nothing around to distract them from sharing or pondering about their day.

[paintedrhino]

Living and letting go..

If there is one thing I’ve learned during this time at home it’s that sometimes you’ve got to just roll with the punches.

I’m not sure what promoted this but I woke up a few days ago and decided to ask Momo if she wanted to play with some makeup? “Makeup, what’s makeup Mama? I had a good laugh because I realized that besides watching me slather a bit of aquaphor on my lips before bed she has probably never seen me apply makeup before.

I opened up the bag of hardly touched Nars goodies and just let her go! She was timid at first, not knowing where to even start but I encouraged her to just have fun! I know, I know.. It’s hard to believe that I let my 3 year old go crazy with my expensive products but surprisingly she used them sparingly (As you can tell!)

I try my best to let our kids explore freely setting appropriate boundaries of course.. but I’ve found that when given the ability to try something new without  initially being told how they should do it, it inevitably creates the perfect platform for learning. They are more receptive to hearing and want to be guided in the process.

I challenge you to choose an activity that you normally wouldn’t be inclined to let your kids explore as freely because it is messy. Let go of trying to keep them perfectly clean. Hold off on telling them how you would do it and just let them figure it out. Just by giving them the smallest bit of freedom you are fostering character building traits such as confidence, inquisitiveness and creativity! Trust that this is all worth the clean up..