Found: A Dinosaur Sticker Activity Book—and a Fun-for-Free Activity to Go with It

Child-led learning has brought us to dinosaur town, which seems to be an essential phase of childhood. What is it about these reptilian giants that kids find so alluring and irresistible? The funny-sounding names? Their strange and varied forms? This is the kind of conversations we're having at home these days:

"Mom, this is a monto-saurus"
"A brontosaurus?"
"No, a monto-saurus. It's a dinosaur mixed with a cat and a leaf."

It is often challenging not to laugh, but let's just go with it, okay?

I, too, was a bit of a dinosaur nut as a kid because of Land Before Time and those collectible sticker books that were all the rage when I was growing up (showing my age here; raise your hand if you remember these). Now I happily get to pass on my limited knowledge to E. It's not in-depth, but I can tell a stegosaurus from a triceratops. So when I spotted the two (super) sticker activity books, pictured above, at National Bookstore, I was happy to feed her interest.

Five Kinds of Books I Love to Read Aloud

Happy World Read-Aloud Day! Isn't it funny the celebrations you become aware of when you become a mom? This is one day I'm glad to celebrate because reading aloud to kids is one of my favorite things to do. I wish I'd learned about it sooner because this wonderful initiative has a lot of empowering and engaging suggestions for activities for young readers (do check out the official website and learn more about the advocacy).

Here are some of the books I especially love to read aloud:

(This post contains affiliate links for Amazon and The Learning Basket, however, all book recommendations are my own and are for books we personally own and love. Thanks for your support!)

1) Books with repeating, sing-song verses
The rhythmic quality of these books engage kids who love anything associated with movement. Bob and shake your head or clap along while reading to further highlight the rhythm and beat. Silverstein and Seuss are masters of this art, and the silliness of their verses make their books especially entertaining for toddlers and preschoolers. Don't be surprised if you find these rhymes stuck in your head for a few days.

A Giraffe and a Half by Shel Silverstein

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

A Letter-Whenever Alphabet Sticker Activity Book for (Sort of) Tot Schooling Moms

If you're familiar with tot schooling and homeschooling, you've heard of letter-a-day curriculum. Now, me, I love order and planning and so a letter-a-day tot schooling plan really appeals to me. My daughter? Not so much. I'm not actively trying to teach her to read (we'll wait a few years for that), but I recognize that she will be routinely quizzed by well-meaning adults so I felt I needed to equip her with the basics. (She once won a pink tumbler at a pizza place this way.) I'd tried printable letter-themed activities, but E ignores them, although she does them when she is at play school twice a week. Perhaps she is past the age when coloring a picture of an A and an apple fill her with glee and satisfaction.

Stickers are another story. She loves them! We do a lot of sticker-based activities using whatever stickers I happen to have handy at the time. So when I saw this B is for Breakdancing Bear Alphabet Sticker Activity Book at NBS (also available through Amazon.com—disclaimer: this is an affiliate link), I took a chance—and hit a jackpot.

Starting Out with Cloth Diapers (Again!)

Our tiny baby has grown! He's more than doubled his birth weight and is quite the chubster (Sorry, J. I promise we will never call you that when you're older.). While we're sad that he's outgrowing his newborn and 0-3 month clothes much faster than we'd thought he would, we're glad to be able to use our cloth diaper stash again for our second baby. With the cost of disposable diapers—and the number of times in a day that this little milk monster needs a change—I think Papa is especially looking forward to having a lower grocery bill. Me, can't lie, I'm mostly looking forward to the cloth diaper cuteness!

We're Loving: The City Gym Play Mat

The search for the best play mat/play gym is over. I can close all the tabs and mark this project done. And the chosen one is: The City Gym from Oops!

I'd been looking at a few of the usual brands and had almost gotten a play mat by Tiny Love (another brand we like) when we found this one at The SM Store (It's also available at SM's Baby Company—Oops is exclusively distributed by SM). I've been eyeing this Swiss brand since I first featured some of their products in a New Mom Must-Haves feature for Smart Parenting magazine in 2013. I love how their designs are modern and design-y, while still being fun. The colors are bright but not neon and not limited to the primaries or the rainbow.  Call me selfish, but I like my baby gear to be pleasing to my eyes, too. Not that the other play mats weren't also adorable (Skip Hop and Infantino also have great designs). Every mom has her own preference. But the City Gym had the features that were in my must-have list. 

Tiny Baby Month One Must-Haves

Day 4: My shorts are pants!

Where did that tiny baby go?

Little J just reached the one-month mark! He's now got the chubbiest cheeks and his neck has disappeared. If I didn't have photos to prove it, it'd be hard to believe that he used to be a tiny baby. Despite my doctor warning me that I should be induced before the baby got too big, J came out at 5.64 pounds (2.64 kg) and 20.47 inches (52 cm). My cousin's preemie even weighed more at birth than J did!

A lot of shopping guides I found online were really helpful for coming up with a preliminary must-buy list before J was born, but what I couldn't find was help finding things that fit or worked for our tiny baby. I can't be the only mom who has adorably petite babies, right? If you're expecting a tiny baby, I hope this list helps you. Pass it on!