Little T has started to give impromptu talent show performances. This particular show was called “the sticky hands show”. The inspiration behind this performance were his….sticky hands, of course! Watch for the dramatic finish. 😉

I’ve had a few people who are close to me ask how Big T and I feel about Trayvon Martin, so I thought I’d over-share and write about it here. I want to preface this post by saying I’m not writing to start a debate or an argument. If you are looking for a debate, this isn’t a good place for it because I’m about to partake in a game of hide and go seek with Little T, and will be too busy to respond. I’m simply sharing my perspective as a mother who worries about her little boy. Her little boy who adores Snow White, singing, dancing, laughing, and who happens to have a different skin color than mine. I wish I could say that it doesn’t matter what the color of his skin is, but that wouldn’t be true.

The thing is, one day our baby boy is going to grow up into a teenager, and we’re going to need to have a conversation with him that we never needed to have when we were growing up. When he’s walking around without us- like teenagers and kids often do, our sweet, funny, and polite little boy may not seem sweet to others who haven’t met him. Even at this age, we’ve had friends comment about how tough he looks when he isn’t smiling. They don’t mean it in a rude way, but the thing is that Little T isn’t trying to look tough. He just isn’t smiling. He’s probably thinking deeply about the difference between play dough and mashed potatoes. The last thing on his mind is “toughness”.

One day we are going to need to teach Little T to go out of his way to not “look intimidating”. We’re going to tell him not to walk with his hands in his pockets, and not to wear a hoodie (even though mommie and daddy wear one when they walk and it’s cold). He’s going to have to learn ways that he can keep himself safe.

The same way that I don’t have the freedom to feel safe when I walk to my car alone at night, Little T won’t have the freedom to feel safe when he walks down the street alone. It’s a sad truth, that I hope will change someday.

Here’s where I need a little help. What do I tell Little T to do if an adult in plain clothes starts chasing him down the street in his own neighborhood at night? Pre-Trayvon Martin, I would have told him to defend himself. I would have told him to do everything he could to survive because the idea of anything happening to Little T is unbearable. What should I tell him to do? To stop and let a strange-grown man tackle him onto the ground? Trayvon didn’t do anything that I wouldn’t have done in the same situation.

That’s why the whole thing makes me worried for my little boy. One day, I’m going to need to look up street strategies for him, and hope that some crazed vigilante doesn’t decide he’s too intimidating to be walking through his neighborhood. In the meantime, I’m hoping that the tragedy for Trayvon and his family, will make it safer for all the Little T’s out there. Hopefully someday, there wont be a need for that conversation.

Thanks for listening, friends.

~Jenna

It seems like road trips are a part of little T’s destiny. Its a challenge to keep a toddler strapped into a seat for five minutes, let alone five hours. We’ve had to come up with games and activities that will keep his busy toddler mind occupied. Here’s a tutorial for one of our favorites.

Little T’s Car Drive Bingo

Supplies needed:

1 bingo card with different colored cars. There are lots online for free, but I purchased mine from Etsy for two dollars here. I also laminated it at Lakeshore Learning for extra protection, but you can also just print out a bunch of sheets and cross the cards off as you go.

1 package Sticky Back Velcro
1 sheet card stock
1 pack of favorite stickers

First, cut the Velcro to the correct size, and then attach one side to the bingo cards.

Next, put the stickers on the card stock, then cut them into little squares.

Put the other half of the Velcro onto the backs of the stickers/card stock.

Find a cute little envelope to put the stickers in, and voila! Road Trip Bingo!

With the extra Velcro, you can make yourself a mustache.

To play, give your toddler the card while they are sitting in the car. Ask him/her to find all of the cars that match. We keep it simple and just have him find a red car, blur car, green car, etc. When they find the car, give them a round of applause and hand them their favorite velcro’d sticker to attach to the bingo sheet. Happy driving for all!

I love our little home. I wish I could describe it, but I don’t know what I would say? I can tell you that Trevor and I are pretty simple, in that we don’t feel like we need a lot of things to be happy. Most of the decor in our home has some sort of special meaning or connection to us. They’re things that make us smile.

Living room, with a piano for playing. When I moved away from home for the first time, I used to rent a piano for my apartment. I finally was able to purchase one from a piano shop that was going out of business. I used to play Mozart, but now it’s mostly the theme song from the Pirates of the Carribbean. 😉

A friend who is an artist and knows me well, created this painting as a gift for me. This painting is bright and cheerful and happy, but doesn’t let anyone take advantage of their kindness and happiness.

J gave this framed Beatles quote to me, and I love it so much. It was also the last song they played at my wedding. It’s sitting in front of The Hungry Caterpillar~because of Little T and my love for children’s literature.

Above our old t.v., we keep cards from friends and family.

The kitty card holders were a gift from my Mom. One for each cat that lived in our house.

And on the other side of the living room, are the dishes for entertaining. Next to them are Big T’s wedding vows in a frame.

This poor succulent had started to wilt, but is doing much better now. We love succulents and have a garden of them. You can’t see it in this picture, but on the other side of the wall is another plant that my teacher/friend, Der, gave to me when my Grandmother passed away.  I can’t tell you how comforting that plant is, and I think of my Grandma from Oklahoma every time I walk by it. 

That’s the living room. Next home tour, I’ll show you my gnome collection. It is amazinggggg. 😉