Cherished Childhood Memories.


One of my favorite childhood memories is whenever a large rainstorm would hit, my brothers and I would race down to the pond to catch the tiny fish caught in the overflow. My mom’s favorite story to tell is how we snuck one of those tiny bass into my dad’s tropical fish tank. Well the poor little guy ate every one of the guppies for breakfast. To say my dad wasn’t amused would be an understatement.
Well, the last two weeks in Texas have been experiencing the little bitty stingin rain. Big ol fat rain. Rain that flew sideways and even rain that seemed to come from underneath. We were under numerous flash flood warnings.
Well today, the sun finally made an appearance. Hallelujah!!


With the kids dying to go outside, I decided to let them explore. On our walk about, it didn’t take long for them to notice the water overflowing out of the pond. Within minutes they were scooping the fish up and running to put them back in the pond.

I’m typically not an overly sentimental or emotional person, but I just had the best time watching my children make the same memories that I cherish.

Bedtime Bliss!

What are your nonnegotiable bedtime routines? My 7 year old son has become quite independent with his nightly routine. While it made me a bit sad at first, my 4 year old daughter has definitely taken up the slack by demanding my attention every step of the way. I wish I was kidding when I say I have to hold her hand for the bathroom break.

 

My goal is lights off by 8:00, so we usually start the process around 7:15. Brush teeth, bath, pick out tomorrow ‘s outfit, and a bedtime story.  As an exhausted parent, I see how easy it is to skip the book and get that light off as quickly as possible. But, the statistics are so powerful. As a teacher, I see the results firsthand. 

 

So while I would have loved to just pass out the mandatory stuffed animal good night kisses and retreat to my own bed, we read a book.

 

Tonight’s choice was Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson.

 

Some of our top picks are the How Do Dinosaurs series by Jane Yolen, the Pigeon Series by Mo Willems, the Gruffalo books by Julia Donaldson, and Goodnight, Little Monster by Helen Ketteman.

What are your littles favorite bedtime stories?