Learning to Love Bob Bob

Bob Bob or Spongebob as he is known to most of the world somehow has gotten a hold of my two year old's heart. I am not even sure how this happened. It may have been the kids meal toys I collected for her cousin. I ate all the trans fat, he ended up with a full collection of the Spongebob crew. Truthfully, I bought most of them without having to eat the miniature hamburger and fries and of course my little one got some of the toys too. The toys are cute, but I never thought they would lead her into a life of "Bob Bob".

It's not that I don't like Spongebob. I think it is a creative show, however certainly not the educational program of any two year old's parents dreams. Granted she still loves Dora and Elmo (whose name she pronounces "Mono!") Yes, her pronunciation includes the exclamation mark. I think that is a good sign. The fact that she asks, no demands, I draw "Bob Bob" for her may not be. She loves Dora but has never asked me to draw her. What is it about "Bob Bob"?

This new stage may just be remembered as the "Bob Bob Phase". It's symptoms include:
Bossiness
Whining instead of asking
Demanding attention
Hating it when mommy pays attention to anything other than me
Grabbing things out of mommy's hands
Pulling mommy towards what I want
Frustration and mini temper tantrums when things don't go in just the right order
And new favorite phrases "I try, I try" and "I try, I can't, I try."

Luckily it also includes a lot of good stuff like:
Dancing
Sitting and reading books all by myself
Trying to count (Favorite number - two)
Helping mommy with chores.

As frustrating as the terrible twos are, being a parent still just keeps getting better. It breaks my heart when she helps me empty the dishwasher or tries to set the table. Today I was down scrubbing the floor and she got wipes from under the sink and started to help me. That's when I realize her nine year old cousin is probably right when she says "I think B is going to grow up to be a very sweet little girl". She already is. The baby is not a baby anymore, she's a little girl. All sugar and spice and everything nice with a couple of puppy dog tails thrown in.

The Toddler Sensibility: Christmas Tree Decorating

I was a little lazy when it came to decoraring the Christmas tree this year. In part because I knew from experience that nothing I was going to put together would survive my two year old. Last year at only a year she managed to completely undo the lower branches. I am happy to say this year she did not disappoint. Between piling up pillows from the couch to steal candy canes she managed to get in a little rearranging and even made a few additions. Yes those are plastic french fries tucked in among the branches. I have to say I admire her creativity.

For the Love of Lists

I have a love hate relationship with lists. I love it when I cross things off my list and hate when it seems things just won't budge. But not all lists have to be "To Do Lists". I gave each of my nieces a copy of "My Listography, My Amazing Life in Lists" by Lisa Nola and Nathaniel Russell for their birthdays. The journal style book provides a series of topics for personalized lists such as "List Your Favorite Things You Own" or "List All The Places You'd Like To Go Someday". Space is provide below each topic and fun illustrations encourage creativity and spark the imagination.

I hope my nieces enjoy the book and take the time to fill the pages. Someday they can look back and peek in on a tiny snap shot of who they were and what they liked, hated, feared, loved and wanted as young girls.

The Corporate Alphabet

I hate to admit it but my two year old would love this version of the ABCs by Jason Dean. She has yet to learn her alphabet but she is very fluent when it comes to logos. McDonald's is a no brainer. More bizarre is her love of the Optimum logo. She becomes ecstatic every time she sees it. I blame that on the Reggaeton commercials that played incessantly after she was born. But it goes beyond that, the other day she saw my AT&T phone bill and lovingly said "TT!" Should I be upset that she is so fond of our wireless phone carrier or says "car" when she sees a Ford logo? I wonder sometimes if my working in advertising effected her in utero. Was she branded in brands? I'm not going to worry, I'm just hoping her enthusiasm for symbols extends to the alphabet.

The poster is available in two colorways at the The Best Part.

New Year and the Rebirth of Joy Bucket

It's been more than a little while since I took time to muse here on all good things for and related to children, childhood and the spirit of being young. Now after a nice long healthy break and lots of time spent with my own little one, I'm ready to dive in again and explore through Joy Bucket.

The lovely image Hank above is by the very talented artist Carson Ellis. I think the image would be lovely on a birth announcement or make a wonderful memento of a birth. Checkout her fantastic site where you can browse her portfolio or visit her shop for a selection of cards, tees and cute onesies.