How to: Ensure You're Prepared For Birthday Parties

Everyone I know with a toddler or older child talks about the endless stream of birthday party invites that come home in book bags from daycare and school. Personally, I love birthdays and all celebrations of life, so encouraging and enjoying Thomas' participating in the parties of his little friends is important to me. What's less desirable is thinking of spending hours at a big box toy store buying gifts (not because I don't believe in gifts or am not generous, but rather because I dislike big box toy stores). Enter my solution - a major book purchase once (or twice) annually to prepare for these parties. With a stack of books tucked away and a spreadsheet to keep track of which books we've given to which kids, making it out to all those parties should be painless.

I love children's literature, and think books make great gifts. I always aim to find a unique book (maybe something newly released or perhaps re-released) for my recipients. Here are some of my favourites:

• I Know A Lot of Things
• Little Blue and Little Yellow
  
• Bruno Munari's ABC
  
• Little 1
  
• Along A Long Road
• The Coloring Book
  
• Cat at Night
  
• Sparkle and Spin
  
• Little Owl Lost
  
• Where's Walrus?
• A Long Piece of String
• Henri's Walk to Paris
• The Other Side
• One Red Dot
• People
• Not a Box
• Who Will Comfort Toffle?
• Iggy Peck, Architect
  
• Push Here
• The Conductor

What are your favourite children's books? Images via 36 pages.

I've Got Your Number

Reading with a baby feels like a luxury, so I've been ever so grateful to have a few moments this week to delve into one of my guilty pleasures - Sophie Kinsella's new I've Got Your Number. I'm only on chapter three, but its already got me completely enthralled.

What We're Reading: Fox in Socks

I can't say that I brought a love of Mr. Seuss into parenthood, but when Greg was given a box set of Dr. Seuss books for his last birthday (a kind, soon-you're-going-to-be-a-parent type gift from my brother and his girlfriend) I discovered how fun these books are! Now I love the fun rhymes and illustrations. It's hard not to get tongue-twisted though!

What We're Reading: Hug Time

Thomas' first word was hug. Well, technically he babbled hug, but we're choosing to remember it as his first word. Before T was born, I wondered what his first word might be and assumed one of the usual suspects - mama or dada. When hug popped out one day while out little family was relaxing in our living room, Greg and I looked at each other gobsmacked -- Did Tom just say hug?? Sure enough, a few minutes later he said it again. These days hug is part one his vocal repertoire alongside kiss and hi. I like to think we have a very affectionate and friendly boy on our hands. Given that I'd emailed our entire family exclaiming that T had proclaimed his first word, when my brother saw this book -- Hug Time -- he told me he knew he had to give it to Tom as a present. We love it. It is a perfect reflection of the kind and loving boy we're striving to raise.

If you have children, what was their first word? What was your first word? I'm so curious! xo

What We're Reading: Colors

Thomas received this board book -- Colors -- from Santa. I love that Charley Harper's illustrations were turned into this childrens' book, which gives it a quirky feel.

What We're Reading: Along A Long Road

In continuing my support for Canadian literature, I've been reading Thomas the beautiful Along A Long Road. These strikingly beautiful illustrations - comprised of only 5 colours - are the work of author, design guru and often cover illustrator of The New Yorker, Frank Viva. This book is an early introduction to the fun we'll have as a family teaching Tom to ride a bike in the coming years. I can imagine Thomas running his pointer finger along the long continuous yellow road in the book when we're reading this when he's older.

What We're Reading: A Child's Garden of Verses

There's something special to me about sharing poetry with a little one. Presently, we're enjoying my childhood copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. It's so nice to think that little ones have been enjoying this volume since 1885! Do you have any suggestions for other poetry anthologies?

What We're Reading: Alligator Pie

In grade three, my teacher set up a bulletin board to post poetry written by the students. Each week she'd ask if anyone had a poem that they wanted to share, and more often than not I'd offer to display my musings (others seemed less keen to compose or promote, it seemed). I've long loved poetry (including many painful adolescent attempts). As Tom's attention span decreases (increasing physical curiosity and teething being the reason), poetry is just the solution to inject a little literary time into our days. I want to support Canadian poetry and prose, so reaching for Alligator Pie as a jumping off point was a natural inclination.

What We're Reading: The Night Before Christmas

Tonight, before tucking Thomas in for a deep winter's nap, I'll be reading him The Night Before Christmas.

What We're Reading: Grumpy Bird

What we're reading is what everyone is reading -- Grumpy Bird. This book cracks our whole family up. I'm just walking, ok? This is the book that we couldn't wait to read before Thomas was born. This just might be the most popular kids book right now, so sharing it with Tom is like preparing him for future chats with his friends where they recount common books, characters and shows of their youth.

Planeta Tangerina

These books make adding 'learn to speak Portuguese' to my 'to do' list, a must do!

What We're Reading: The Story of Holly and Ivy

As a child, The Story of Holly and Ivy seemed too long to read in one sitting, and I can attest that Tom's far too active today to get through this book in one sitting. However, this book makes the perfect selection to read while nursing or to enjoy in increments over a day or series of days. It's a beautiful story about wishing for family and a Christmas doll.