Posts Tagged ‘Parenting’
Chalkboard Wall
Friday, December 3rd, 2010
The other night our eight-year-old asked if Santa was real.
I was expecting this moment to arrive for a while. I wasn’t shocked. She is able to distinguish between fact and fantasy and she knew something wasn’t right. Still, it was a difficult conversation to have. We tried to side-step it. We tried to get her to draw her own conclusions. We even discussed the history of Santa and why legends survive long past the person they’re based on. Yet, through it all she continued to ask, “So, is he real?” We could side-step the answer no more. It was time to tell her.
There were some tears. My husband took our daughter aside and comforted her. She knew the truth and wanted us to confirm her suspicions, and yet, we watched as something seemed to slip away from her.
We told her, “But magic is real in a way. Our minds are able to create anything. You can create anything you want. That’s the real magic we’re all given—the gift of imagination. We make magic real through our stories, our song, and our art.”
Yesterday, when our kids came home from school, I told them there was a surprise. I had spent the day painting one of the walls in their room. Through the magic of a couple quarts of chalkboard paint, a brush and an afternoon spent watching paint dry, the wall had been transformed into one giant chalkboard.
I walked the kids into their room for the unveiling. They took a moment to gasp, offer their enthusiastic thanks and then they went straight to work. My son drew a picture of his sister and himself on a large magical racetrack that stretched from one wall to the other. And my daughter? Well, she chose to create a little magic of her own.
Tags: childhood, Parenting
Posted in Ideas and Inspiration | 7 Comments »
25 Days of Christmas
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
As a kid, I knew Christmas was coming when my parents broke out the advent calendar. Each night before bed, my brothers, sister and I would rock, paper, scissors our way to find out which of us was the lucky one to open that night’s little window. We’d peel pack the cardboard to reveal some hidden picture: a fox, Santa’s boot, an angel. (more…)
Tags: childhood, holidays, Parenting
Posted in Parties & Celebrations | 13 Comments »
Gift Giving & Receiving with the Brothers Trimm
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
Happy December Everyone! All month long we’re inviting guests to stop by to share some of their childhood holiday stories and what tops their gift list this year.
Today, we’re thrilled to have the very lovely Jennifer Murnaghan from the Brothers Trimm here for a little Q & A.
Tags: childhood, holidays, Parenting
Posted in Guest Posts, Ideas and Inspiration | No Comments »
Hit The Road
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
All week long, we’re inviting our friends to stop by and share their Thanksgiving stories as part of our series: a Thanksgiving with Friends.
Today, I’m excited to introduce you to my good friend Tania, who makes the most beautiful family inspired jewelry. Her work has been featured in countless magazine and online sites such as Design Mom and Cool Mom Picks. She is, quite honestly, one of the loveliest and most supportive people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.
(more…)
Tags: friends, Parenting, thanksgiving, travel issue
Posted in Guest Posts, Ideas and Inspiration | 2 Comments »
Flashback Week: Halloween (pt 2)
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
This week on Classic Play! we’ve invite our friends to share their childhood memories of Halloweens past through stories, pictures, laughs and good-natured fun. It also might shed some light on why this dressing up and trick-or-treating thing is such a beloved American tradition. Hint: It’s not just the costumes. Although, they sure are fun!
A Homemade Halloween
The moment, late in October, the moment when my brothers and I ran up against hard cold reality, when we realized that the dress up bin did not contain anything that would even come close to a 50s sock hop outfit, or a Jedi knight? This was my mother’s hour of glory. The cry of but we don’t HAVE anything like that!! became merely the starting point for her brainstorming, and the week before Halloween was often filled with frenzied taping, glueing, and yarn-winding. Sticks were fashioned into bows & arrows, bathrobes became a king’s finery, and one memorable Halloween night FOUR boxes of aluminum foil became a really complicated robot. (more…)
Tags: childhood, halloween, Parenting
Posted in Guest Posts, Ideas and Inspiration | 15 Comments »
Storytellers Week: Me’ Story
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Yesterday I threw down the gauntlet. And it broke. Which means I had to get the broom and clean it up. Ugh. Such a mess.
But now that everything’s cleaned up, I’m ready to get on with my story. The story was created using the storyboard I talked about yesterday. So without further ado, I give you:
The Case of the Missing Beach Ball (more…)
Tags: Parenting, storytelling
Posted in Ideas and Inspiration | 1 Comment »
Storytellers Week: Storyboard Mix Up Challenge
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
My husband is a gifted storyteller.
About a year ago, he created a fictional character. That character went on to become the hero in a series of bedtime stories for our children. The children loved the stories from the beginning and now, there isn’t a night that goes by without a request for one of them. I’ll sit in the room as he spins one of these tales, finding myself just as amused and entertained as the kids. It amazes me how he makes it all seem so effortless. Oh, how I envy that.
(more…)
Tags: contest, Parenting, silly, storytelling
Posted in Ideas and Inspiration | 6 Comments »
Storytellers Week: History 101
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
History.
I loved history. It was one of my favorite subjects. Now I couldn’t memorize dates for anything mind you, but I did scrape by in AP history with a pretty decent grade. I think I did okay because I could imagine the excitement of the 1920s, the despair of the 30s, the fear of the 40s and the energy of the 60s. Plus it was all essay. And I was great at heaping on the BS in essay form. (more…)
Tags: childhood, Parenting, storytelling
Posted in Ideas and Inspiration | 2 Comments »
