Book Review: Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Suess

Dr. Suess Geisel was an American author who usually write books for child under the pen name Dr.Suess.

Story

Ten Apple Up On Top is the story of three animal friends, a lion, a dog, and a tiger who are trying to balance apples on their heads.They can balance on their heads as they skip, walk the tightrope and roller skate their way through the book. They start with a healthy and fun competition and trying to see who can balance most on their head.They get into trouble when some visitors bang into the room and try to end their fun.

At first they compete and show some jealousy, but at the end they become friends and bond together to get out of the trouble.

I love how this book ends with all of the friends are being happy.

What my daughter learn from "Ten Apple Up On Top"

Young children need to learn at an early age that competition is good, but can be bad if your attitude is bad. 

What I like about "Ten Apple Up On Top"

• Easy enough for my 5 year old to read by herself with some help.
• This book makes counting fun, it counts forward and backward
• The book contains easy words, mostly are phonetic and sight words
• With all the rhyming and repetition it gets children engaged and able to interact with the story.
• Great story that shows friendly competition
• The story moves fast so it really keeps the children interested and engaged.

Do you recommend "Ten Apple Up On Top" to others:

Yes

The Princess Drama

When someone asks my 5 year old daughter, "What she want to be when she grow up?" to which she replied that she wants to be a princess.

The reason behind this is, she is so fascinated by princess crown, gowns and the castle as shown in the TV show "Sofia, the princess".

During a reading session with my DD, she gets me a book of fairy tales and ask me to read a story of Cinderella. That time I read the story to her. But something got stuck in my mind.

And that something was:

• What if she starts to believe in Godmother?
• What if she starts to believe in love at first sight?
• What if she starts to believe that after marriage to a prince the life will be happy ever after?
• What if she starts to believe that the girl should be pretty and beautiful enough to woo a boy?

In almost every fairy tale, the princess or a girl at the center of a difficult obstacle, and only prince does come to rescue her. Be it Cinderella, Snow White or Rapunzel.

These above questions make me to stop reading the fairy tales to her. As these stories are too prince charming oriented.

However, there are still some stories in which kids learn the real meaning of love, to be independent, to fight back, and to be brave in difficult times. Some good examples are Frozen, Red Riding Hood, Ursula, the little mermaid and my DD favorite Sofia.

I want her to get a reality check on some facts of fairy tales:

• There will be no Godmother that could transform her into Princess
• She has to fight back by herself only to get out from difficult phases of life
• She has to be independent and bold enough to take the responsibilities of her life.

Also, She doesn't need any prince charming to be happy and live happily ever after.

Menu Planning

After 2 months of fun filled summer vacations, now we are back to our normal routine. Also with this, I am stuck on what to cook for my daughter's school lunch? I really get upset when she brings back her box full of leftovers.

Finding good and interesting menu which also has good nutritional value is really an enormous task. And on the top of it, my daughter is fussy and slow eater. She loves color and varieties in her tiffin box.

I often feel stuck when it comes to my daughter's school lunch. To make this task easier, I plan a whole month menu which is quick to prepare and healthy to eat.

Below is the sample of the menu which I am following this month.

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 5	Day 6
Week 1	Mixed Veg Cutlet	Aloo Paratha	Veg. Pulao	Rava Halwa	Poha
Week 2	Noodles	Paneer Sandwich	Sweet Corn Pulao	Idli	Methi Thepla
Week 3	Poori Dahi	Pasta	Potato Sandwich	Moong Dal Cheela	Cheese Paratha
Week 4	Tawa Bread Pizza	Gobhi Paratha	Sprouts Chaat	Upma	Uttapam

Hope this will help you too.
Please share more tiffin ideas which I can also include in my next month menu plan.

momandkidsclub: Book Review: The Cat in the Hat By Dr. Seuss

momandkidsclub: Book Review: The Cat in the Hat By Dr. Seuss: Dr. Suess Geisel was an American author who usually write books for child under the pen name Dr. Seuss. "The Cat in the Hat" was...

Book Review: The Cat in the Hat By Dr. Seuss

Dr. Suess Geisel was an American author who usually write books for child under the pen name Dr. Seuss.
"The Cat in the Hat" is one of Dr. Suess's most popular children book ever created.

                

Story
The story starts with the two kids Sally and Sam. The kids are getting bore out of their wits on a rainy day when a stranger troublemaker cat makes a surprise entry in the house, who creates mess in the house.
The book strongly emphasize the consequences of letting a stranger in the house while adults are away. At the end kids realize that what t"he Cat in the Hat" is doing is wrong and they stop him from making more damage to the house.

What my daughter learn from "The Cat in the Hat"

• do not trust the strangers
• teaches good lesson on how to be responsible when the parents are not around.

What I like about "The Cat in the Hat"

• love the style, love Dr. Suess's Rhyming. The rhyming text is as creative as it is funny.
• illustration are adorable which are mainly in red, white, blue and black. Pictures make story very enjoyable and easy to understand.
• the story ends with: 
• Should we tell her about it?
  Now, what SHOULD we do?
  Well...
  What would YOU do
  If your mother asked YOU? 
• my daughter always looks up at me and says: Yes, I would tell you

Do you recommend "The Cat in the Hat" to others:

Yes

Toddler Visit: Fun Part

Its summer vacation time, being alone all time at home its really boring. So found a good idea, ask little one to invite her friends at home, so that they can have gala time together.

Thought, it would be fun to see little one playing together and having fun.

The day came, mothers left there kids to my place and went to their respective destination to have their own gala fun time. (yes, not having kids around is mother's fun time).

Here are my observations, type or kind of kids who visit my place all alone that day:

1) Play my game kid:
This is totally my little one type. If things doesn't happens her way, she starts throwing tantrums. What other kids are playing, it doesn't matter for her, her only motto, my home- my toys- my ways.

2) Hungry Kid:

Once they observe, his mother has gone, he came to me asking something to eat. I gave him some biscuits, when it got finish, he wants more. I thought, might be he is so hungry so I made sandwich for all kids. But again after finishing it up, he came to me again he want something to eat... so the list goes on from biscuits to sandwich to chocolates to french fries to popcorn ... etc etc.. woooshhh. I am tired now.

3) Gossip Queen:

She is favorite of gossip aunties. If you have the habit of peeping into the house of your neighbors and  due to their reluctant nature you could not able to get the news, here she come to rescue you from the frustration of not getting much information of the neighbour. She start the stories from her own house to her relatives to her neighbors and these stories are go on and on. Totally chatter box.

4) Potty and  Pee Pee Kid:

Once the mother gone and the kid observe that, I don't know how there bowel waterfall starts falling. In every 5 minutes, the need to go and on the top of it some are not potty trained, so think of it what would be situation of me at that moment. Some of them are so reluctant that they want to do in their own potty seat. 

5) Scatter Kid:

These kids do not want to play with one toy, or might be they are in search of better one. And the search never ends. These kids put or scatter each and every toy, games on floor, I do not know why, either they want to swim in the waves of toys or they want to play treasure hunt game. The after effects of the same is really painful for the host mother.

6) The Hitter Kid:

 Kids hits (pushes or kicks) another to get a toys result in tantrums and crying of other kids. You need to keep an eye on them very often. Additional work and after effects are too bad.

7) The leader kid:

I do not know from where this kid get the skill to make other kids follow him . Sometimes I do think to ask her if he can teach me this skill. if he say wind up the things, clean the room or finish uo your food, kids will do willingly. But, same thing a mother say.. then I see only "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT YOU SAY" type of expressions on my little one face.

phewww... here I get to go now, to clean up the mess which these kids done in the toy room.

Review: Lotus Herbals Safe Sun Kids Sunblock Cream

During summer vacations, my 3 years old became a big fan of swimming. In a week or so, I saw that her exposed skin become tan. So to do not make things worst, I started looking for some good sun screen which I can use in water too.

There are not many options for sunscreen in India. I have got this website where I found top 10 sunscreens for kids.

So I end up buying "Lotus Herbals Safe Sun kids Sunblock Cream". Its being now a year, I am using it on her skin. It works fine under the sun as well as in pool. It is non greasy, sweat proof and it has spf 25. It comes in orange tube with a press cap which makes it travel easy.

What it claims:
1) Sweat proof - Yes
2) Waterproof - Hmm can say, because it work fine in pool but not too good
3) Non Greasy - Yes

Texture: 
The cream is of white colour, which is very light and get absorbed by the skin easily.

Usage:
Mostly, I use it whenever we go out in sun. And it works fine on her skin. As the cream is light it get absorbed immediately. It also moisturise the skin and there is no greasiness. It has light pleasant fragrance.

Ingredients:
Water, Isopropyl Myristate, Light Liquid Paraffin, Hydrogenated Polyisobutylene, Aluminium Starch Octanylsuccinate, Glycerin, PEG 30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Titanium Dioxide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Magnesium Sulphate, 2-Phenoxyethanol, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Fragrance

MRP:
Rs.285/- for 100gm

What I like it about this product:
1) Waterproof
2) Works good in sun
3) Non greasy
4) Works fine in pool
5) Easily available in stores as well as online
6) Get absorbed immediately into the skin
7) Protects against UVA and UVB rays
8) Moisturise the skin

What I do not like about this product:
1) Not Parabens free

Do I buy it again:

Yes. It is my third tube thou.