Happy book birthday, Laura and Jennie! What an adorable picture book! I know I can’t wait to get my hands on it and read about Porcupine and friends. And I hear there is a great pie recipe at the end, so let me at it!
Congratulations!
Note to writers: This interview is chock full of information about the Laura’s publishing journey. I loved learning more about the process.
Fingerhut, the mail order catalog, lured us into purchasing the complete set. Travel was at the top of my list, and we needed luggage. My family enjoyed many happy vacations and travel adventures using these beauties.
But this set was not my first foray into luggage acquisition. Years earlier, for graduation, I had requested luggage. You can tell something about a person by the choices she makes. Travel and adventure is high on my list, as evidenced by repeated attempts to procure baggage (of the traveling sort). Though I’ve got suitcases full of the other baggage, for free.
The original set of luggage, oh my. Ugly as dog poo. Make that baby poo, because it was the same awful orange-yellow-mustardy color. Naugahyde and built to last. Only it didn’t last as long as our many years of trips and is now lost in dump land. Or perhaps it is making the rounds through different thrift stores, living in the garages of other bright-eyed wanderlust humans.
What gifts or purchases have you made in the past that reflect who you are?
A dear friend (college buddy and fellow Jello Molder) recently shared her lovely home and serene garden with several of our solidly middle-aged Jigglers. I could sit for hours beside this potted fountain, just resting. Listening. Dreaming.
Or wondering. Who lives beneath the leaves? Besides the dog drinking with noisy laps, who else visits for refreshment? Birds, squirrels, cats, frogs? Do bees bumble along the edges and butterflies dance above the leaves? Do raccoons dare to stop for a wash of dinner? Maybe spiders consider nearby locations to capture insects who venture in for damp moisture. I could imagine larger wildlife guests if the high fence disappeared. Do children press against the fence, hoping to spy the source of splashing? Are passing adults desperately wishing to sit and ease their minds beside the talking water?
A drink of serenity goes far to refresh a heart heavy with life.
This post is NOT about wrapping preschoolers in bubble wrap. But it is about how much fun tots have popping bubbles.
Today during a sorting marathon, I discovered two small boxes filled with hand-sized rectangles of bubble wrap. Bubble wrap became the seed of creativity for my two young charges.
First, the fine motor skills used in attempting to pop the plastic bubbles brought intense concentration. Next came sound effects-boisterous shouts for each successful popping noise. And after introducing the ‘stomp-til-you-pop’ game while standing on the kitchen floor, squeals of joy and excitement filled the house.
30 minutes. That’s the minimum time they spent focused on small squares of bubble wrap. Moms, I was able to complete several tasks while supervising the giggly kiddos.
Mom tip: Get (save) bubble wrap!
Other activities to do with bubble wrap:
– use bubble wrap taped to a cardboard tube to make a paint roller
– add bubble wrap to cardboard strips to make bumpy roads for toy vehicles
– experiment with the protective properties of bubble wrap (drop an egg?)
– press bubble wrap in play dough or damp sand to make prints
– add bubble wrap to doll beds for mattresses (tape securely with duct tape)
– cut bubble wrap to fit inside a freezer gallon ziplock bag; seal with duct tape; let younger tots pop bubbles through the bag
– make bubble wrap shoes and walk around outside to see how well they work
CAUTION: Always supervise any play with plastic. Keep plastics and bubble wrap away from faces and mouths.
It might be noisy, but bubble wrap fun will be music to your ears.
Love, Laughter, and Life 