Anita VP

I really like the photo above because I feel like it shows a different side to my child.  I see this serious side in her, regularly and consistently.  Observant.  Determined.  Focused.  In the ever-growing, ever-present world of social media, especially for those of us who “mom,” the photos loitering about seem to be nothing but picture-perfect smiles.   Cheese. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like those too.   I perhaps like smiling, ideal children more than anything.   I work SO hard to get that perfect shot, where their eyes gleam and their cheeks beam.   “Look here, look at mommy, yes, look at the camera, [indistinguishable attention-getting sounds].” What I also like is capturing her complete persona.   She, like a multifoliate rose, is beautifully complex and deep.   Beyond only seeing the gloriously happy, Disneyland-day, bubbliness, I appreciate that she has sides of her that are focused and determined. ...

Human #1, during playing pretend: “No, sister! I want to go to St. Basil’s Cathedral!” It’s safe to say that I rarely get excited about children’s TV programming, but this new show on PBS seems to check all the boxes for me.  Let’s Go Luna! follows three friends, whose parents are in the circus, and their travels with their trusty pal, Luna the Moon.  The above quotation is clearly inspired by a recent episode of Let’s Go Luna! on PBS. It has the qualities of being cute (without being cutesy), gender neutral, and entertaining.  I feel that the characters do a good job of speaking respectfully, while still expressing their thoughts and emotions.  The show also nicely incorporates celebrating cultural diversity.  (And it’s moon-related – we love moon-related anything.) Perhaps even better yet, the focus of the show is on education and travel – two decides passions of mine.  The circus visits various famous places throughout the world and the ...

As a follow-up to my previous post on reading to baby , I wanted to provide some solid examples of the types of board books that may be best for baby.   In the article referenced , they discussed that babies were most stimulated when there were six or more named characters. The English major in me immediately jumps to some complex Shakespearian-style plot where your vast cast of characters is all intertwined (and modern day me jumps to Game of Thrones).   Alas, it’s much more simple than that for baby’s board books.   We luckily may just be looking at the full series of farm animals.   Nonetheless, many board books do not meet this criteria.   Because so many just involve a singular baby or other main character or even just have a series of “words to be learned” with matching pictures, it honestly it took me a while to think of a handful matching this descriptor. As such, consider reading the following six classic books, with a full cast of cha...

What a whirlwind week in the world!   I feel that today many of us could use a little levity. Perhaps this is not a new joke (nor my own), but I think it merits sharing.   So, credited to Sidney Morgenbesser , I bring you this: *hehehe*   Humor is good for the soul. #AnitaVP #linguistics #funny

As I find myself trailing deeper down the picture book rabbit hole (pun intended), I realized I should brush up on the history of picture books.   Many of us are familiar with Beatrix Potter’s books as being some of the first widely popular children’s picture books (and the source of many cute Easter decorations); however, what the first children’s picture book is may be less common knowledge. Today, I bring to you this factoid: Orbis Pictus .   Credited with being the first children’s textbook with pictures, Orbis Pictus was printed in German and Latin in 1658.   It covers more academic topics, like zoology and religion, than many of the cheeky stories we read today.   But *gasp* it’s like someone finally figured out that children are very visual! You can check out a complete version here: archive.org/details/johamoscommeniio00come/page/n1 Thank you, Gutenberg, and thank you, John Amos Comenius ! #AnitaVP #first #picturebook ...

Once preschool ends in about a month, I’ll foray into teaching Human #1 how to read.   We’ve been working on lots of pre-reading activities and letter/sound identification.   I plan on primarily using a book my sister-in-law (former teacher) recommended called Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons .   May it be so – may it be easy and may she read at the end of this!   I’ll update soon on our progress and what we both have learned.   (I think I may learn what new types of wine I like.) As I ponder my own experience learning to read, I remember specifically reading a book to myself in kindergarten.   It was during the school day; the book was in Spanish and it had very simple illustrations with lots of red, yellow, and white.   I honestly wish I knew which book it was.   As I grasp at this wisp of a memory, I can’t help but wonder what Human #1 will recall one day from her experience learning to read.   What will stand out to he...

I have days where I feel like I’m a boring mom.   Not because I think I may be the most “#basic” mom in my mom circles, but rather because I am comfortable letting my tiny humans get bored. As I began working on this post, Human #1 was outside scraping with my kitchen spatula at a trickle of a stream she had poured.   Boring, right?   In my opinion though, the self-directed play, e.g. being outside using just a few kitchen utensils and her boundless creativity, is good for her brain.   It’s good for the development of her patience.   It’s good for her to soak in some sun and listen to the birds. I stumbled across an article a couple months ago and I think it merits sharing.   Let Children Get Bored Again in the NYT calls out key differences in parenting today vs. parenting in the generations prior. When not being uberparented, kids today are left to their own devices — their own digital devices, that is. -Pamela Paul My husband an...

Some of my writing as of late as looked a tad different than my usual.   In addition to working on my picture book manuscript about moving, I’ve been writing my house description for the MLS, a note to leave for the house showings, etc. I know that for a lot of home buyers, emotional appeal is a thing.   Yet perhaps moreover, this all is emotional for me to sell this house!   Much of my writing in my career has been dry, dry, dry.   Like, let me tell you about mutual fund share prices and the reason why your complaint doesn’t hold water.   But man alive, you start writing about your first house, where you brought home babies, and queue the internal water works! #AnitaVP #moving #selling #openhouse #waterworks

Human #2 is becoming increasingly fun.   He tries to kiss me.   He makes adorable hissing sounds, like the cutest little blue-eyed snake you’ve ever seen.   He also is really visibly enjoying evening story time.   We’re trying up the ante in terms of reading specifically targeting him and it’s so sweet to see him smiling as we read to him. Need any justification as to why you should read to your baby?   Check out this pretty neat article :  For baby’s brain to benefit, read the right books at the right time .   It uses scholarly research, but lays it out in a "regular person" friendly manner.   It also talks about which books specifically are more beneficial for the baby crowd.   For me, this article is good encouragement to keep at those healthy, daily habits that further my kids’ brain development. Read, Baby, read! #AnitaVP #parents #readmore #picturebooks #boardbooks #baby #storytime