Please let me tell you about one of my favorite networks:  DailyBuzz Moms.

There’s this great network out there for moms and dads (bloggers or not) called DailyBuzz Moms (DBM).

Every day they feature a Top 9 around a chosen theme and they choose from bloggers in their network.  They also publish top posts from the network in the main categories of Nurture, Nest, Play, Eat, Style And Balance.…

Those are central to all of us parents, right?

To give you an idea of each day’s changing and wonderful Top 9 Themes featuring bloggers in the DBM network, here are a couple of recent ones!

• Raising Sons
• Moms And The Internet
• What To Wear When You’re Expecting
• Raising Daughters
• Embarrassing Moments

If you are looking for sponsored opportunities and a chance to try new products or make a little money, you can even join their Publisher Community!

And every month, the DBM network offers bloggers a chance to participate in something called the 9×9 Challenge!  Bloggers are given the theme and we submit our ideas for how we would translate that theme in a post!  Here’s an example of pretty one from last Thanksgiving on Table Decor!

When bloggers compete in the monthly 9×9 Challenge, DBM selects 9 bloggers to participate and all the posts are presented.  The winner receives some great benefits:

• $100 Prize
• An opportunity to serve as a DBM Guest Editor, AND
• A feature on “Feature Author Friday” (where all 9 slots featured belong to your blog!)

Critters And Crayons submitted in April to participate in the April 9×9 Challenge:  Party On!   We had already been planning to host an “Origami Party” for our young daughter and the theme sounded like a lot of creative fun!

There were some beautiful posts featured in that 9×9!  We ended up winning this particular challenge, but we’ve also competed in others that were crazy fun and inspirational-

like the February 9×9:  Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

In that one, it was fun to watch a post go viral.

No.

Not mine.

Itsy Bitsy Foodies made a Rainbow Cake With Natural Dyes.  

She won, of course- and deservedly so!  Look at that pretty thing!

You’ve probably seen it by now, right?

I know I’m not the only one receiving e-mails about having to try this ASAP!

Well, it got its start on the DailyBuzz Moms 9×9 Challenge!  That cake was just BRILLIANT and BEAUTIFUL.  :)

And, today- I am over the moon to be featured in its “Feature Author Friday” today for having won the April 9×9 Challenge:  Party On!

Seriously, how lucky are we?  

And it was a huge amount of fun to have a chance to work with the editors at DailyBuzz Moms on a theme of my choice as a Guest Editor for yesterday’s Top 9 on Funny Parenting!

The point I’m trying to make here is that Daily Buzz Moms is a fab site to bookmark or subscribe to for us, parents and bloggers….There is so much inspiration and so many ideas to help us do what we all do.

It’s a happy, positive place to visit every morning!  Just look at the pics up there!

Thanks so much to DailyBuzz Moms for the great network and opportunities-

This has been tremendous fun.

And I know there is more to come.

Have you signed up yet?  

P.S. This is NOT a Sponsored Post.  This is just a post from a little blogger about a network I like.  I’m not getting anything in return and wasn’t asked to write this post.  Like anything I blog about, I do it because it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside and I just figure you guys wake up every morning caring about that.  No?  Well, you should still join up.

Sometimes, when I do something that is, perhaps, on the lower end of the advice scale for parents (like forgetting to make sure my little girl has underwear on for Kids Yoga day), my husband has taken to  singing a funny phrase…with vigor.  It goes like this:

“MOM OF THE YEAR!!!!!!”

It starts in a low octave and builds to a loud crescendo at the end.

As a result, my kids have started to sing it whenever an appropriate situation comes up.  The good thing is that it is not all directed at me.  Dad sometimes gets his own chorus, too.

Just such an incident happened at Cracker Barrel recently.

We were having brunch.  The kids were picking out their choices from the kid menus.

We opened them up after we ordered to see what there was to color.  There was a “Syllable Game”.   The objective of the game was to look at the photos of Cracker Barrel breakfast items and to identify which ones had one syllable and which ones had two.

Our 5 year old daughter correctly identified several of them using the clapping technique we were using.

“Pancakes!”  Clap Clap.  2 Syllables!

“Eggs!”  Clap.  1 Syllable!

“Milk”  Clap.  1 Syllable!

And she made it through the whole sheet with just one left.

And so I asked her, “Okay.  Last one.  How many syllables are in that word?” 

With confidence, she yelled, “ONE!”

“Really?” I said.  ”Clap it out.”

And she did.

“BEER!!!!!”

Ah, yes.  We raise children in a home where maple syrup looks like beer to a young child thanks to

“DAD OF THE YEAR!”  

But, that wasn’t all that had us cracking up on this vacation over the last two days.

The best came today after our children decided to interrogate my youngest sister, who is expecting her first son (who will be named Knox) in a couple of months.

Standing in the pasta aisle of the local Safeway, our 3-year old son seriously asked her,

“Why did you eat Knox?”

He really wanted to know.

My sister laughed and said she hadn’t eaten Knox.

She just looked like she had eaten Knox.

So, our daughter then asked,

“Well, how did Knox get into your belly?”

And my sister and her husband both looked at me (who pretended to be reading generic pasta labels).

This was excellent practice for the new parents-to-be.

They said,

“You need to ask your daddy that question.” 

And both of my kids shook their heads and said, almost in unison and definitely immediately:

“Oh, no.  

Daddy doesn’t know anything about that.  

He doesn’t know THAT.”

Both kids were adamant.  Both shook their heads and walked away.

We made it home to prepare dinner pretty uneventfully.

As my sister made the Strawberry Field Green Salad and I chopped the kale for the Zuppa Toscana, our kids struck again.

“Aunt Jenny?  

“Yes?”

“Are you MARRIED?”

And Aunt Jenny started to explain,

“Well?  We are.  On PAPER.  I mean, technically, we ARE married.  So, technically Knox is coming and we haven’t had a FORMAL wedding, per se, but ….well, it’s complicated.”

And do you know what our daughter said to her?

“MOM OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!!”

Well, actually, she kind of sang it to her.

And, my husband would like me to clear up, for the record, that he DOES actually know exactly how Knox got into my sister’s belly.

OH, KIDS.  THEY ARE FUNNY.

WHAT FUNNY THINGS HAVE YOUR KIDS SAID LATELY? 

Pin It]]> http://crittersandcrayons.com/2012/05/22/mom-of-the-ear/feed/ 24 http://crittersandcrayons.com/2012/05/22/mom-of-the-ear/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CrittersAndCrayons/~3/XDLD3uAT7no/ http://crittersandcrayons.com/2012/05/17/dress-up-embracing-the-cape-cowboy-boots/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 12:52:23 +0000 critters and crayons http://crittersandcrayons.com/?p=12096 I imagine some folks might call our parenting methods a little indulgent when it comes to our high tolerance for pretend play and public appearances. We let our kids dress-up, fantasize, and imagine at will.  This might mean that we eat dinner with a Star Wars Clone Trooper for a month. Which we did. It [...]]]>

I imagine some folks might call our parenting methods a little indulgent when it comes to our high tolerance for pretend play and public appearances.

We let our kids dress-up, fantasize, and imagine at will.  This might mean that we eat dinner with a Star Wars Clone Trooper for a month.

Which we did.

It might also mean that we take long family walks around the park with Spider Man.

Or that we help Batman in and out of his costume every hour on the hour for six months until he can figure out which holes are for the legs and which ones are for the arms….

It means being seen in public with a scuba-diving-on-dry-land Spidey-swim-goggle-wearing Super Man wearing flippers on more than one occasion.

 And, it can also mean other forms of Super Hero identity crisis- depending on which characters are being selectively marketed at the moment.

There will be a time when our son no longer wants to wear “Super Man Pajamas With the Red Cape With Cowboy Boots!” for the 13th day in a row.

It will mean that this sweet imaginative phase has passed.

…And, when that growing-up time comes,  I will remember my son standing on the sidewalk, looking over his shoulder at the wisp of  his Super-Cape waving in the Spring Breeze- and I will remember how he wildly laughed because he was flying with his feet on the ground….

Childhood Dress-up is a magical thing, full of imagination.

These are the times to celebrate.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review Echelon Vineyards Wine!

I received a wonderful greeting letter from Echelon Vineyards and it said,

“We think you’re entitled to some recognition, too.  We believe wine is a simple reward and makes every day a celebration.  Whether you’ve completed a 5K run, successfully put the kids to bed for the night, survived a challenging work day, or finished making a killer roast chicken, pour yourself a glass of Echelon and celebrate life’s small blessings!”

So, having done at least SOME of those things, I poured myself a glass of 2007 Central Coast Merlot-  a red wine with a deep, smooth and fruity flavor.

Echelon Vineyards sources its grapes from an array of winegrowing regions throughout California and offers several varieties among its California Series and Collection Series.

I am really looking forward to trying some of the new wines on the market by Echelon Vineyards-  like the Echelon Vineyards Collection Series Napa Valley Chardonnay, Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir!

This is definitely one of my favorite sponsored posts ever.  :)

For more information about Echelon Vineyards Wines, please check out and/or follow these links! 

Echelon Vineyards Official Website

Echelon Vineyards Facebook Page

Echelon Vineyards Twitter 

So…..After a long day of mothering, nurturing, tantrum-managing, bo0-boo kissing, transporting, sorting, de-conflicting, mess avoidance and damage control…..

Feel free to settle down with a nice glass of wine.

BECAUSE YOU DESERVE IT.

**********************

This is a sponsored post.  I was selected as a member of Clever Girls Collective to sample Echelon Vineyards Wine.  I was not required to write a review but I chose to because the product was fantastic.  All thoughts and content contained in this post are my own.  I was compensated in product from Echelon Vineyards. 

Pin It]]> http://crittersandcrayons.com/2012/05/16/echelon-vineyards-wine/feed/ 6 http://crittersandcrayons.com/2012/05/16/echelon-vineyards-wine/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CrittersAndCrayons/~3/JqS2OnKrz2M/ http://crittersandcrayons.com/2012/05/15/happy-road-tripping-with-kids/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 15:24:45 +0000 critters and crayons http://crittersandcrayons.com/?p=12072 Well, it’s been three days and nearly 2,000 miles on the road in our glorious mini-van. Road tripping with kids can be tough.  But, it’s been a great trip-  I set out from Laredo with the expectation that I’d have all kinds of blog material from our lengthy  journey, but I’m coming up short. Here [...]]]>

Well, it’s been three days and nearly 2,000 miles on the road in our glorious mini-van.

Road tripping with kids can be tough.  But, it’s been a great trip-  I set out from Laredo with the expectation that I’d have all kinds of blog material from our lengthy  journey, but I’m coming up short.

Here are a few things that I think made our trip a little easier….

1)  The Leapster Explorer.

Each kid has his or her own Leapster Explorer with educational games featuring Scooby Doo, Dora, Disney Princesses, Woody and Buzz Lightyear and Lightning McQueen.

My tip to you-  It’s worth it to buy the case and battery recharging station for each one.  The 30 bucks it costs to buy the recharge station will be paid back quickly compared to what you’ll spend on keeping each one in 4 double A batteries.  Of course, you could always just use rechargeable double-A batteries!  :)

2)  A Hygienic Portable Potty System

We have the Potette Plus in our van, but you can use any small training potty.  When the kids need to go, just pull over in a safe place and let them do their business.  No long detours to worry about when the time hits.  We carry a box of small garbage bags.  The garbage bags are placed into the receptacle and the waste is contained.  Knot it up and throw it away.  You’re not transporting open waste in your vehicle.  It’s quick and convenient.  Sanity-saver.

3)  Accessible Healthy Snacks and Drinks

We didn’t want to stop at fast food restaurants and dives the entire road trip.  We packed a cooler full of water, juice, milk, deli meat, cheeses, jam, nut butters and fruit. We kept a bag with whole wheat bread, matzoh crackers, nuts and dried fruit, and even some chocolate for when the sweet-tooth hit.  It saved us some money and we ate a whole lot better than we would have.

4)  Scratch-Art

My sister-in-law gave the kids an awesome travel gift!  The Scratch-Art Scratchin’ Hot Deluxe Set.  It was a no-mess scratch-off kit with vibrant colors underneath the black layer-  it came with stencils and scratch picks.  The kids also used coins.  This kept them occupied on the trip for hours.

5)   Listening To The Kids.

And the last thing that made our trip pretty great?  We learned to listen closely to the kids.   Sometimes, they wanted to just babble or look at cloud shapes, or count cows and horses.  They wanted to count cars, tractors or fields of corn that we passed.

It was a really nice transaction.  We made it a point to limit the drop-down television as much as possible.  We did turn on shows periodically, of course.

But, our son really forced us to listen to him once on the trip.

It was pouring rain and not in a place we wanted to pull over when he started to hyper-ventilate from needing to relieve himself so badly.  We were about half an hour down the road from the lengthy rest stop we left where he refused to go to the bathroom.

My husband said,

“Son.  I’m sorry- You’re gonna have to hold it for a bit.  There’s nowhere to pull over.”

Our son protested.  My husband protested.  Our son protested.

My exasperated husband finally told him,

“Tough, Son.  You should have gone when we stopped.”

And, what did our three year old son say?

“OK.  I’m going to poop in the carseat.”

We pulled over.

Yes-  Perhaps, the best tip I can give you about happy road-tripping is to:

Listen To Your Kids.

HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH LONG ROAD TRIPS WITH KIDS?

**********************

For Laredoans:  We’ll be away from Laredo for nearly three months but plan to keep the Laredo Community Round-Up and Laredo 2012 Summer Camp Pages updated as information comes in from Media, PR, businesses and readers!

This past week, our almost 5-year old daughter wrote her first unassisted poem.

So, we knew she was ready to start building more simple words!

We made the wooden sensory alphabet discs a few months ago but wanted to expand on that concept a little further.

I saw this version of word building blocks on Playdough to Plato “Word Rocket” which used stickers and markers.  We still had a bunch of fabric paint left over from the wooden sensory alphabet disc project.  I wanted to use the rest of the puffy fabric paint which would also allow the kids to trace the raised letters for an additional sensory learning experience.

We made one set of blocks in upper-case letters and one set in lower-case letters.

The letter endings were color-coded to enable early readers to match the colors to form initial word-endings.  

For instance, all first letters are RED and all word endings correspond:  ”in” endings are white, “en” word endings are green, etc…

(See the end of this post for the tutorial and some printables so you can make your own!)

Our daughter started off with “pat”….

And cube turns made “pit”…

Even our three year old son, who is not reading yet, loves to touch the letters and play with the blocks….

We created two printables that show color-coded three-letter word variations that your children can use as a guide or as an error-identification tool.

Once your kids have mastered simple word-building, they can use these blocks for more advanced reading activities!

For more challenging word-building:

• Mix upper and lower-case letters to form words in Title Case (Dog, Cat, Pig, etc…)
• Make word endings without color-coded matches.
• Form shorter or longer words

You can use this chart as a guide to forming your own sensory color-coded word-building blocks!

To make an upper and lower-case set, you will need:

• 14 Wooden Blocks (Hobby Lobby  sells packs of 6 x 1.5 inch cubes for $2.99.  Buy 3.)
• 7 Fabric Paint colors (Blue, Green, White, Orange, Black, Red, Yellow)
• 1 multi-compartmented jewelry case ( Hobby Lobby sells one for $2.99

This is a pic of completed Side 1.  I allowed it to dry for 8 hours.

Helpful Tip:  For uniformity, turn all blocks in the same direction to draw letters of the next side of the chart.

And here is Side 2 completed.  

Do this until all 6 sides are done and dry!

2)  Print the two charts below and place in a sheet protector or clear folder to include with the blocks for your child’s reference.

And that’s it!

Let us know if you try them!

WHAT OTHER READING ACTIVITIES HAVE YOU FOUND HELPFUL AS YOUR CHILDREN BEGIN THEIR EXCITING JOURNEY TOWARD LITERACY?

This bright Sunday morning, I wanted to enjoy my coffee.  So, I encouraged my son to please pull out the tiny toy bin we keep in the living room to play until I finished….

He resisted.   He wanted me to turn on a Super Hero Show. He wanted to play dress up.  Besides, the cats were all over his tiny little wooden toy box.

I noticed that the two cats were acting like there was something very interesting in our son’s little toy box ( A Melissa And Doug Tray with some train items in it).  So, I went to check it out.

I saw what looked like a 1 inch pincher jut in and out of the grates.  I was pretty sure it was probably a scorpion.

I asked the kids to get back and to sit on the couch.

I ran to the kitchen and dumped out all of my stacked tupperware until I got to the biggest one on the bottom.

(I also might have grabbed my camera on the way back to the living room.  Hey, I blog.  And it was on the way.)

The cats were still poking at something under the mini-trains.  I didn’t want it to get away to possibly sting us later.

So, I ran back and grabbed two oven mitts so I wouldn’t get stung.

I picked up the crate with the oven mitts and carried it to the door.

I dumped out the tray and scoured the toys while ripping off those mitts to see what I thought would be a scorpion.

It wasn’t.

It was a red-headed centipede, about 5 inches long and like a thief who had reconnoitered my home, he darted (like a bullet-  those things can MOVE) for the wall and tried to hide behind a bookshelf.

But, I managed to  throw that tupperware bowl over him before he could get away.

I was able to scoot him out the door with the tupperware, and I can’t say that I mercifully let him live.  I used to be much more forgiving, even releasing scorpions, centipedes and tarantulas we found in our home back outdoors into undeveloped lots-

But, I also found that they seemed to keep coming back our way.

The purpose of this post is not to extol any particularly maternal valor in the face of a fearsome arthropod.

It is more to relay that there may be some indicators to be on the lookout for as parents, and ways to handle situations like this if they happen to you.  I’m not a bug expert, pest expert nor do I have any other expert-y qualifications-  But, I’ll tell you about our circumstances and maybe you’ll find that helpful.

YOUR HOME  IS MORE AT RISK FOR PESTS LIKE THESE IF:

1. You live in a less populated or less developed area.  I’m sure there are some, but I haven’t seen many of these red-headed guys in the Starbucks parking lot.
2. There is construction going on near you that is overturning earth and displacing pests from their homes.
3. There is land near you that is poorly maintained.  (Not that we have land like that- but it’s something to look out for).  If someone should be cutting the grass, then do what you can to make sure they cut it.  Not cutting it makes it a menace for you.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND OR ARE AT RISK OF FINDING PESTS IN YOUR HOME:

1. Don’t Panic.  If it’s just  you and your kids, and you’ve got a scorpion, centipede or tarantula in your home-  you could call someone, but the odds are good the thing will be gone before they get a chance to help you out.
2. Contain It.   If you can, find a way to contain the thing without touching it.  You can figure out if you’re gonna let it go or kill the thing, later.  I know it’s not comforting, but centipede, tarantula, and scorpion bites are supposed to hurt like the dickens but are not likely to be fatal (unless, of course, you’re wildly allergic to the thing- or it’s one of the 25 scorpion species of a thousand that actually IS quite dangerous to humans.)
3. Consult a pest control technician.  We’re not into using lots of chemicals and we try to keep a natural lifestyle as much as possible, but we live in a developing area ripe with pests bearing a painful bite.  We use a trusted company who also provides information about what pest control measures they are taking.  They spray the perimeter of our home- and when we need some help inside the home, we use sparing service measures as needed.
4. Employ Glue Traps Throughout the House.  Use LOTS of glue traps at entrances and along walls and in dark, enclosed areas.  We put them behind recliners, under armoires, behind the toilets, in corners, under beds, by major entrances and on the pantry floor.  (If there is any question about whether glue traps work, check out this one from last year that we pulled from the garage door entrance into our home- after we found a centipede in the bathroom going after the scorpion in the glue trap behind the toilet.)
5. Button Up Your House.  This is something we’re constantly trying to improve.  We have a suspicion those pesky “breathing” holes that “let the house breathe” are some of the wonderful ways these critters are coming into the house when new homes go up around us.  We can’t do too much about that.  But, we noticed some small gaps by the bottom of the front door that probably let some pests in- and we’ve sealed those up with caulking.
6. Check Clothes And Shoes Before Putting Them On You Or Your Kids.  Since the pests love dark cubbies and corners, we’ve started checking  our own and the kids’ shoes before putting them on.  I inspect and touch their clothes before they put them on as well.
7. You can always call your local Animal Control Services!   A friend of mine had them on speed dial.  She found a coiled baby rattlesnake in her backyard in the bed of her son’s toy dumptruck.  She threw a bucket over it and sat there and waited until the city’s animal control specialist came to take care of it.  For Laredoans, go here to get contact info for the Animal Control.
8. Get Informed About The Pests In Your Area.  One of my fave sites to help ID pests we come across in our area is on the Orkin Learning Center Pest Library:  Common Household Pests Page.  (This is NOT a sponsored post, by the way).
9. AND….LAST TIP:  Browse The Toy Bin On Occasion, especially if you have animals that appear to have a spritely, newfound and vigorous interest in Batman, Thomas the Train and his pal, Percy.

I say, Again,-  I’m not a bug or pest-control expert so please take from this post what you will.   I’m just a red-oven-mitt-wearing mom doing Indiana Jones Tupperware Ju Jitsu moves on an ugly arthropod in way- too-close-for-comfort-proximity of my beloved progeny.  

 Good luck to you!

May The Glue Traps Be With You!

WHAT OTHER TIPS OR INDICATORS CAN YOU THINK OF?  

HAVE YOU HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES?

PLEASE SHARE!

This Mother’s Day, I’m working with Clever Girls in support of Macy’s Heart of Haiti to shine a light on the “trade, not aid” program, which provides sustainable income to Haitian artisans struggling to rebuild their lives and support their families after the 2010 earthquake.

To read more about how purchases of Heart of Haiti products through Macys.com is helping to rebuild Haiti through the empowerment of local artisans, you can read more here.    Artisans receive one half the wholesale price for each item in the collection.

I received a beautifully wrapped package in the mail from Heart of Haiti.

And, within the package was a gorgeous hand-written card of thanks for supporting the campaign!  We don’t see too many hand-written cards these days!  The ec0-friendly necklaces, made of recycled materials, were gorgeously hammered hearts.

I’ve decided that these hammered heart necklaces would be the perfect gift for my mother and sisters this Mother’s Day.

And, as Mother’s Day approaches, I think about how I’ve gained a new perspective of my mom and how she “followed her heart”.

I understand now that it took hours, even days, to complete those work-of-art birthday cakes she decorated like a pro- just to see her kids smile.  I remember that my mother cooked us three meals a day, every single day growing up- and she did it without a lot of the time-saving amenities we have with modern advancements.

I remember her boiling bottles for my baby sisters because she didn’t have microwaveable sterilizers, and I remember her staying up until 3 AM folding laundry and cleaning our home because we had no housekeeper to help.

I don’t know that I realized how productive or efficient she was- or how hard it was for my mother to care for us- until I had my own, in the day of technology where cool gadgets abound to make household duties a little easier.  (Uh, hello- toilet bowl drop-ins, one-step washing machine cleaner, spacious dishwashers and programmable robot vacuums?)

She did it all without griping, without lament, without self-pity or wishing for a different life.  We were her life and she was okay with that.  We were enough for her to be fulfilled- and that takes a selfless, loving spirit.

I appreciate my mother more now than ever before- and that is because I’m a mother now, too.

I’m very grateful that my mother followed her heart.

And, I’m very grateful that I can follow mine now.

 I do believe motherhood is the best job in the world.

But, of course, my mother could have told me that years ago.

********************************

What is Macy’s Heart of Haiti? Heart of Haiti is a “Trade, Not Aid” initiative launched by artist and social entrepreneur, Willa Shalit, The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and Macy’s. Already, Heart of Haiti has led to employment of 750 artists in Haiti, providing financial benefits for an estimated 8,500 people in the country.

Each item is a one-of-a-kind design and handmade by a Haitian master artisan from raw materials such as recycled oil drums, wrought iron, papier-mâché and stone. The collection features more than 40 home decor items including quilts, metalwork, ceramics, jewelry and paintings and is made almost entirely from recycled and sustainable items such as old cement bags, cardboard, oil drums and local gommier wood.

Heart of Haiti products are available online at Macy’s.com.

Thank you to Macy’s Heart of Haiti for sponsoring my participation in this “Share Your Heart” promotion. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Recently, our pre-school daughter kept coming home and telling us that a girl at school was mean to her.

She wouldn’t talk to her.

She was rude to her.

She didn’t play with her.

Using my general life approach and philosophy that people who don’t want to play with me should very happily continue to play with others while I play with people I like to play with (who like to play with me), I told her to think about the friends she has and to play with them, instead.

Still, she came home every day for about a week with the same complaint about this mean girl.

So, I talked to her teacher about it one day.

I told her what my daughter was repeatedly reporting to me and I asked if the staff could watch the interaction between the two girls.

Our daughter’s teacher looked confused when I told her the girl’s name.

She said that the girl was the most gentle, sweet and quiet girl in the entire class.

In my mind, I thought of all those mean girls in school that seemed so nice to the adults they switched their behavior off for.  I was skeptical.

At the end of the day, the teachers spoke with me.

They told me that they watched the interaction between the two girls and they figured out what the problem was.

It is a bi-lingual curriculum (Spanish and English).

Our daughter is primarily an English Speaker who is learning Spanish.

The other girl is primarily a Spanish Speaker who is learning English.

The girl my daughter was having “problems” with didn’t speak English.

She wasn’t ignoring our daughter, or being rude, or mean.

Neither kid was communicating with the other particularly well.

So, I took this information and I sat down with our daughter and I explained that the little girl didn’t speak much English yet but that she was learning and she wasn’t trying to be mean when she didn’t respond.

Our daughter’s eyes widened and she sighed, “OOOOHHHHHHH!”

With some mommy-pride at having solved the dilemma of the unrequited friendship, I decided to ask my daughter one last question.

“Just curious, Sweetie….”

“Yes, Mommy?”

“When you talked to the little girl, what did she say to you, anyway?”

Our daughter twisted her face up, scrunched her eyes and cocked her head to the side.

And then she squealed, with a high-pitched interrogative inflection…

“QUE?????!!!!!!!!“

Y’know.

Sometimes, parents just need to ask the right question up front.

We could really save ourselves, and everyone else, a lot of time.

I’m excited about the upcoming star-studded movie based on the excellent “What To Expect” book series:  What To Expect When You’re Expecting-The Movie!

Seriously, Cameron Diaz?  Jennifer Lopez? Dennis Quaid?  Matthew Morrison? Chris Rock?  And more big-name characters will be bringing the story of five fictional couples with intertwining conception and birth tales to life.

To see a comical trailer, you can go here!

And for some hilarious posters that give us a glimpse of the characters we’ll be meeting in the movie, check these out!

I think I was a cross between Anna Kendrick’s, Elizabeth Banks’ and J-Lo’s characters.

HOW ABOUT YOU???!!!

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This is a sponsored post.  In exchange for this blog’s promotion of the upcoming movie, “What To Expect When You’re Expecting”, I was compensated with a book of my choice from the What To Expect line of books.  Even though I receive compensation, the thoughts and content of this post are entirely my own.