summer reading programs

The Longmont Public Library has a summer reading program for kids 0-2 years, 2 years - 5th grade, and 6th grade - 12th grade.  Their theme is Around the World, and your child can win "fun and delicious prizes" through completing their reading logs, participating in library programs, and sending postcards to the librarians.  We are participating in this one, and Spencer is enjoying coloring in his progress on the tracking sheet. 

The Boulder Public Library is also offering a summer reading program.  They are teaming up with the Rio to offer free kids' nachos as a reward for completed reading logs.  The food at the Rio is nice, but their margaritas are legendary...

Thomas and Friends Live

We took Spencer to the Budweiser Events Center to see Thomas and Friends Live.  It was a huge hit.  We don't watch the tv show; I think the characters are too grouchy and not very nice to one another, and Spence emulates everything he sees onscreen.  But he has a train table that he plays with daily, and has plenty of Thomas paraphernalia, and knows the names of the engines, so it seemed like it would be a hit.
He chose his favorite Thomas t-shirt and carried an engine out to the car and we drove off to Loveland.  Parking was free and pretty easy, and getting into the event was also a breeze.  They took a quick peek inside our backpack (not sure what for), but didn't really look much - just said, "stuff for the kid?  OK!"  Spencer informed them that we had water with us, and they said, "shhh!"  So we had no trouble bringing in our drinks and snacks and whatnot.  In our experience so far at many, many children's shows, this is generally true - they don't deprive you of the snacks and assorted drinks that will keep your child quiet and happy for the next 90 minutes.  I don't think this is the general venue policy, so I wouldn't rely on it, but I have yet to go to a kid event (two Elmo shows, the circus several times, Thomas, etc.) and have them take away our supplies.  Whereas when attending adult shows, I have been routinely deprived of my water bottle or granola bar. 

The show started right on time, and was extremely high energy.  Even sitting way up where we were, Spencer was extremely engaged, and all of the characters did a great job of getting the kids wound up - singing, clapping, dancing, making train noises, etc.  Spencer's eyes were like saucers.  They brought out Thomas right away, and Percy not too long after.  Diesel also made an ongoing (grouchy) appearance.  Sir Topham Hat and his grandson and some woman (?) did a lot of singing and dancing.  There was a mine accident, a lot of opportunities for Thomas to save the day for the Lantern Festival, and a lot of joyful train noises.  Spencer was really in heaven.  If you're trying to decide if this show is worth it, and your child likes Thomas even a little - I'd say go for it.  The tickets aren't cheap, but they really put on a fantastic show.

Also, in direct contrast to every other kids' show we've been to, there was no hawker during the intermission.  No $20 Thomas balloons or $15 commemorative snow cone cups or $10 bags of cotton candy or popcorn.  They had concessions and Thomas stuff for sale in the lobby, but no one wandered the aisles tempting my toddler, and that was fantastic.

As for those ticket prices - do a little searching around.  The Events Center gave the Luna Moms a discount code (GSTICKETS) that took off a little.  We bought our tickets before we had the code, and I think we managed to find a code online that also helped.  Worth searching around, anyway.

Kanemoto Alligator classes

I read somewhere that it isn't safe to expect a child younger than 4 to really, truly be able to swim unaccompanied.  I have personally seen children younger than Spencer who are true swimmers - but their moms and grandmas were swim instructors, so maybe they were a special case.  There are various (extremely expensive) places around here where they do immersion classes and teach babies as young as 6 months to swim.  I have heard from moms who loved these classes, but said it was hard to watch their children crying and sobbing through the early sessions, and I have heard from moms who think these classes are the next thing to irresponsible parenting, if not child abuse.  Personally, we don't have a pool or live near a body of water, and Spencer will not be in a position where he could be in the water without me for quite some time, so I am not really concerned with whether or not he can actually swim.  I am concerned with teaching him to have fun in the water and not be afraid, and to push his comfort zone while still being safe.  So for me, the Longmont swim classes are great.  The instructors are always kind.  Some of them have more skill with young kids than others, but they are all kind, and since lesson periods are not extremely long, he has generally gotten a new instructor every session - which means he is exposed to many teaching methods for the same things.  I think that is healthy.  Each time, he moves further along.  He will put almost all of his head underwater voluntarily now and will do whatever the teacher asks during class; he plays any game, tries anything he is asked to do.  He isn't spending any time thinking about whether or not that activity might make water go up his nose, for example.  In his last Alligators class, he went underwater all the way and stayed down there for several seconds, and wasn't upset or scared, but he won't do that on his own yet.  This is his third time in Alligators, and I feel good about that.  We'll just plan to stay at this level for awhile.

This round of classes is at Kanemoto pool.  The lessons are in the early evening, which is nice - no need to slather the sunscreen, it isn't so blazing hot, etc.  It is nice to get in a little more exercise for him before dinner, bath and bed (although he always comes home completely wired).  On the other hand, last summer, we had our Water Explorer classes before the pool opened, and could then stay and play for awhile after class.  This time, unless we wanted to sit around in a wet swimsuit for half an hour, we couldn't even go swim before class.  Last year, there was no charge for a child to play at Kanemoto, Sunset or the Longmont Rec Center after their swim class.  This year, it is full price.  I feel that that detracts from the value of the lessons, honestly.  It wouldn't hurt the pool or rec center to allow admission to be included with lessons, and it would make the lessons more affordable to me.  It would also mean a lot more pool time, since I know I'd be saying, "well, why not," and coordinating our days to go swimming a lot more often.  As it is, we have not yet been to the pool for a swim day this summer, but we have been to the free splash pads in Boulder and Longmont several times.  We do like his instructors and feel like he is progressing in the class, and he seems to love the classes,so maybe that's enough.

Deli Cioso

I spent most of the afternoon purging unneeded items - specifically, my giant and mostly unread stacks of magazines.  I have found that most of my clutter comes from good intentions.  Someday, I will read that magazine, implement its wonderful suggestions, and have a happier life.  I can't get rid of the magazine, because I have not yet read it or used its great tips, and so it must sit, waiting, until I get around to using it.  I haven't brought myself to let go of some magazines, mostly food related, that are unread, but I am letting go of anything fashion or fitness related, since it will be quite awhile before I will be paying a ton of attention to either of those items.  I haven't counted up the magazines that I am donating to the library (many sadly never opened), but the stack is easily 3 feet high.  

After all that work, and hoisting around of big packs of paper, and the 90+ degree day, I was not in the mood to cook.  I really wanted a good burrito, so we went out to Deli Cioso on South Main Street (by Big O Tires).  I had been to another location previously, and while my husband swears that I wasn't impressed with them, I remember liking them.  More importantly, their kids' meal #1 includes both a crispy taco and a burrito, and Spencer absolutely loves getting both options.  I hadn't been to the South Main location, and I was very pleasantly surprised.  I liked the location; it had a laid back Southwestern feel to it, with maybe a touch of diner.  It was nice and cool but not overly air conditioned.  They brought Spencer's food quickly, and his burrito and taco and immense cup of milk were all $3.  One thing about Deli Cioso's burritos is that everything is a la carte.  You order basically the style of tortilla (regular, fried, etc.) and the meat, and then decide what toppings you want.  Each topping varies in price (generally about 60 cents or so).  The menu didn't specify this, but my burrito came with beans and rice and green chile over the top.  Everything was delicious.  John had the carne asada steak tacos with potatoes and posole, and it was all really yummy.  We'll definitely go back. 

Oskar Blues Liquids and Solids

We met a friend and his baby at Oskar Blues today for lunch.  We have been here several times, and while we generally have a good experience, they are very, very slow.  Slow as in we got there at 12:20 and immediately ordered a kids' pizza (with mushrooms and asparagus) for Spencer, and finally received his pizza at 1 p.m.  Later, we ordered a kids' ice cream ($2.29).  While immense and impressive, covered in whipped cream and two nilla wafers, it also took 20+ minutes from when I ordered it for it to arrive.  20 minutes is a long time with a toddler who has already used up most of the toys in my bag and who has finished eating his food.  Kids' meals include grilled cheese, hamburgers, corn dogs, rib baskets, pizza with two toppings, and mac and cheese.  (They may have another few choices too - I can't recall.)  The menu says that all the meals except the pizza come with a side of veggies (usually carrots, I think), fruit or fries, and juice or soda.  Our waitress brought us a cup of strawberries with our pizza and milk for our drink at no extra charge.  I did have to ask her to correct the bill, as they had charged us 75 cents per topping for our pizza, but when I pointed out the "2 toppings included" on the menu, they corrected the bill. 

The restaurant can be fairly noisy.  At lunch, they are not quite noisy enough to cover up a rowdy small child, but at dinner, there is often a band in the loft area, so the inside dining room can become very, very loud.  This might bother a child with sensitive ears, but will also drown out any whining.

We love to eat outside here.  They have a boccie ball area full of sand, and there is rarely anyone playing ball there, so your kids can feel free to dig away.  However, if there are no patio tables available, they won't put a high chair in the gravel, so if that's a concern, don't plan on being outside.  There is also a very tempting and fun water feature outside that they would like your children to leave alone.  They do have a fold-down changing table in the handicapped stall in the ladies room. 

One issue this time around was that they put five of us plus a high chair at a 4 top table, and that was awkward and crowded.  I didn't speak up, though, so that's my fault.  They also placed us right in front of the tv and then left it on soap operas during lunch, which means that I looked up to see what was so engrossing to my son to find that he was watching a violent shootout, with a bleeding woman, followed by a sex scene on the kitchen counter.  When we asked them to turn it off or change the channel, they did, but a few minutes later, someone turned it back on again.  We asked again (since no one was watching it) for them to either change the channel or turn it off until we left, and they did.  I still think Spence got quite an eyeful, and they could have been a little more thoughtful (and quick about it - they were sloooow to help).  But I'd still say it was a good experience, and I am sure we will be back.

Sushi Leo, BW3

My 3-year-old and I have had a tough day.  He's testing limits and boundaries, enjoying the thrill of being deliberately naughty, and definitely not listening well.  It's beyond frustrating.  Days like today make me grateful that I didn't have children when I was younger.  (Not that I'm ancient; I'm 32.)  I cannot claim that I am the most patient person ever, but I am more patient than I would have been at 25, and that still small voice that says, "take a breath, lower your voice, he's only a little boy," is a lot louder now too.  Thank god for that.  3 is so much better than 2, but at the same time, when he is naughty now, it is completely intentional, and that is hard to handle.

We had a wonderful interlude at the park.  We have worked very, very hard on learning to be a good friend.  We have practiced how to play with other people; role played about what to do when frustrated (such as things to do instead of hitting or kicking or biting).  We have left playdates and parks when he couldn't control his choices.  And today, he did great - he played well with the other kids, didn't throw sand, didn't throw fits, didn't take anyone's toys or cry, came to me when I called him, enjoyed playing with whatever group was near him, and even managed to follow the big kids around without getting in their way too much.  It was a really nice time.  I'm glad for both of us that we had it.

Once we got home, we had very rough battle over staying in his room for naptime, and then an ok trip to the store, and then another difficult time before my husband came home.  By the time John came in the house, I was completely drained.  When we decided to go out for dinner, Spence didn't want to go, and began to throw an actual tantrum in the car on the way there.  I don't remember him ever doing that before, so that was frustrating.  When we got to the parking lot, I was dreading the meal to come so much that I was ready to just hide out in the car.  (Of course I wouldn't have really done that.)  My husband walked to my side of the car, handed me the book I am currently reading, and told me to go try out Sushi Leo while he and the little guy went to BW3.  I was astonished and thrilled.  And I had a lovely, delightful, relaxing meal, just me and my book, no stress, no kids, and when I went to meet my family at their restaurant, Spence was thrilled to be eating chicken and drinking his second cup of milk while watching basketball on an enormous screen.  I was so grateful. 

Sushi Leo's owner and chef used to be at Sushi Tora in Boulder.  The restaurant was nicely filled, but not crowded, and most of the tables were speaking Japanese.  The waitress was quick and friendly and responsive.  She brought a hot towel to clean my hands, took my order, nicely managed the pace of my dinner, and was quick to wrap up my leftovers and bring the check.  It was completely delightful and relaxing.  The salmon roll was really tasty.  The other food was not absolutely the best thing I'd ever had, but was really nice, and the atmosphere was relaxing.  The portions were generous.  The tempura was a little on the greasy side, but not inedibly so, and the options included with the veggie and shrimp tempura were nice.  (I think it was eggplant, kabocha squash, white yam, asparagus, and two giant shrimp.)  There were lots of kids, and while I didn't see a kids' menu, there were plenty of high chairs and a tolerant and laid back staff, so it would be worth going back with the family (once Spencer was in a friendlier mood).

At BW3, the kids' meals were $4.29, which included milk or drink and fries/carrots/fruit cup.  The giant tv screens are everywhere and are noisy, and the commercials are of course not screened for kid friendliness, but if your kiddo is feeling noisy, he won't disturb anyone here, and the portions seemed decent for the price.

decluttering challenge

I was inspired by this mom's blog and have been trying to follow her path, although I have not been photographing my outflow, and sometimes I have forgotten to count it, too.  Mostly I have been counting things in terms of bags, as in "threw away 8 bags of suspicious bulk bin items that I could not remember purchasing and suspected might have gone rancid."  Yesterday, I got fed up with my packed-to-the-gills car and cleaned it out.  I had finally made my home the happy, clean place that it deserves to be, and therefore there was a place to put a minivan worth of stuff.  I have enjoyed sorting and cleaning that out; my husband swept out the car; I bought and labeled two crates for things that are going back in (like water toys, sand toys, blankets to sit on - things like that).  It feels so much nicer in there, and now when someone helps me carry heavy bags of groceries and such, I won't cringe when I open the car door.  I am proud to note that there was only one grocery bag worth of miscellaneous trash, and none of it was of the gross fast food variety - mostly the free paper that my son likes to pick up from our driveway, or half-done art projects from Discovery Days - things like that.  Clean trash. 

After the big cleanout, I had a big Hefty Jumbo Bag full of donations (shoes, clothes, tablecloths, etc.), and on our way to a park playdate today, we put it in the charity drop bin.  It was such a good feeling to get all that stuff out of my house and onto its next stage.  All of it was in good shape - just unneeded.  I also didn't realize, until I was trying to put things in bins, how many sand toys we had.  I made an initial pass to try to clear things out and realized that we had 12 shovels and 4 rakes in that bin.  Who needs 12 shovels?  How did I acquire all that without noticing?  I didn't donate those, since I didn't see someone else passionately desire a scratched and used plastic shovel.  I left one in the sand toy bucket and moved the others to our outdoor toys here.  I won't be buying shovels for years and years...  I have stopped being able to take sand toys to the park since Spencer has such a hard time sharing them, and we are pretty much always at the park with friends or with the Luna Moms, so sharing is a required activity.  I am debating about putting them in the car at all; maybe that is just wasted space?  And the water toys could just go in when we know we are going to the pool...  I am debating.  There is not endless space back there, in spite of what I might think. 

We have set our c-section date - our new baby will be here on August 4 at 7:15 a.m., barring complications.  That's not very far away; I am 30 weeks pregnant today; and I have a lot of things to get rid of and work to do before the baby gets here or there won't be room in the house for him.  It will be an adjustment, but of course it will be fantastic.  And we could clearly stand to have a lot less stuff anyway. 

Fusion Restaurant

We had a gift certificate from Best of Longmont to use up, so we went to Fusion restaurant last night.   It was a gorgeous night, so we asked to sit on the patio.  Our waitress took us through the restaurant and let us sit anywhere we liked.  We discovered was that most of the patio was the smoking section, and that it was also where most of the happy hour was happening.  We sat at a table that seemed to be in a non-smoking section (just a handful of tables for that) and ordered.  My husband chose the buffalo meatloaf, I had the club sandwich, sweet potato fries and tomato soup, and my son chose the chicken tenders kids' meal. 

The portions were enormous - really, really huge.  Vast.  I could have fed three people on that club sandwich and fries, and when we took home my son's leftovers, they overfilled the container provided.  Also, the tomato soup was really, really delicious.  Much tastier than I was anticipating.  The kids' meals are $4 and include a drink and an ice cream sundae.  Since the kids' menu is not listed on their website, I'll note that the choices include grilled cheese, buttered or cheesy noodles, steak, hamburger or chicken tenders.  The sundae was of course a huge hit with my son, and was pretty tasty.  (And enormous.)  The ice cream might have been just a touch freezer burnt, but not so that my son wouldn't eat it.  All of the food was tasty, but the sandwiches might be the best value.

The one down side was that we ended up having to ask the other tables to watch their language - lots of shouting and screaming of f-bombs.  Spencer almost got a whole new vocabulary.  ("Mommy, what's an asshole?  What's a fucking bitch?")  Fortunately, he was distracted by a new toy, and it seemed to go over his head.  (Nothing else seems to, these days, so I am thankful for that.)  That isn't the fault of the restaurant, of course, and next time, we will sit inside and let the happy hour crowd enjoy their child-free time on the patio.  We don't make a habit of asking anything of other diners, but there is a time and a place to scream obscenities at your friends, and 6 p.m. when sitting next to a toddler is not that time.

We will definitely go back, but probably on Thursday for their burrito special. (Apparently they have enormous, very tasty burritos with green chile and a beer for $3.)

Blue Skies Park

Blue Skies Park is located next to my #1 desired school (Blue Mountain, for which we are languishing on the waitlist).  They feature a flight theme throughout the park, and the sidewalk has sandblasted images of a pterodactyl, a meadowlark, dragonfly and monarch butterfly, a Chinese dragon, Leonardo DiVinci's flying machines and unique signature, the Wright Brothers bi-plane, Amelia Earhart's plane and a Sci-Fi rocket.  This is a fantastic option for those who are learning to ride a bike - in fact, this is where I first learned to ride a bike, just last year.  Spencer is learning there too.  For adults, it is nice that it connects to the Greenway and has long, wide friendly spaces to wobble all over.  For kids, the same likely applies, plus when you get tired of trying to manage your bike, you can hit the playground.  There is a skate park, a roller hockey court, basketball courts, and a lot more.  There is a sand volleyball area, but it is not close to the playground, and the playground is coated in wood chips, so it is not really sand toy friendly.  (Wood chip toys are great, though.)  There is a lot of nice grassy area around the playgrounds, which is welcoming for sudden soccer games or tag. 

The playgrounds are modern, and there are two, separated by a nice big shelter.  One is more friendly for toddlers and one is definitely for older kids, but neither is extremely baby friendly.  If your toddler is under 2, they may not be able to manage the climbing and unconventional structures without a lot of help from you, and there are lots of gaps for them to fall through if they are unsteady on their feet.  There are also no swings (although there is a modern mini hammock swing that is pretty fun).  If your toddler is old enough to handle big stairs and an incline climbing wall to get to the slides, or has started their very imaginative stage, they will be in heaven.  There is an additional structure on the playground for younger kids that can very easily stand in for a pirate ship, airplane, rocket ship, etc.  We really enjoy this park, but it might be a challenge for those with very young kids.

I will try to start taking pictures of the parks when we are there, as there are sometimes not great playground photos, and the kind of playground that I am calling "modern" might not actually bear that name. 

Affolter Park

Last year, we had a goal of visiting all of Longmont's 34+ parks, and completely didn't make it.  I am giving it another go this year, and we started with Affolter Park.  This one was a hit - we really liked it.  It was very baby/toddler friendly - lots of slides and ramps for various skill levels.  The stairs are metal, so if your little one is unsteady on stairs, you'll want to spot them.  There are fantastic long ramps that encourage older toddlers to run around and then up them, and the ramps have vertical bars at close intervals to keep kids from falling.  There are two baby swings, and lots of sand.  Across the park, there are quite a few big kid swings and climbing bars/monkey bars, which helps to separate the area for little kids from the big kid area.  There is a lot of grass around the playground - in fact, youth soccer plays here sometimes.  The parking is street only, and it is next to two schools, so I'd try to avoid the park during drop-off or pick-up times, but this is not the official school playground.  We'll definitely come back to this one.

we're in the paper!

Here's the article: http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=27077

LONGMONT — Angel Faull registered her 3-year-old son, Spencer, in the Longmont Public Library’s new storytelling program to tickle the toddler’s imagination without relying on books. “Learning to hear a story without looking at picture books is a new skill for him. It’s a whole new way of looking at the world,” she said.
Of course, Faull hopes storytelling also will lay the foundation for a lifelong reader.
The Faulls are one of 15 families registered for Souptelling, a free six-month pilot program at the library. Each month, they will meet at the library to sample soup, catered by Stone Table Catering, from a different region and listen to a speaker from Spellbinders, a group of volunteer storytellers.
During Thursday’s first event, families sampled spicy Mexican tortilla soup and listened to Denver author Angel Vigil’s Hispanic folk stories.
A $6,000 grant from the Association for Library Service to Children is funding the pilot program.
The Longmont library was one of 15 in the country that received grants from the organization to implement programming that celebrates the 15th anniversary of El día de los niños/ El día de los libros, or Children’s Day/Book Day, which was April 30. The day, often simply called Día, focuses on literacy for children from all backgrounds and languages.
“Día is all about multi-cultural literacy and introducing families to stories from all around the world,” said Elektra Greer, head of children’s and teen services at the Longmont library.
To kick off the program on April 30, families painted their own ceramic bowls at Longmont’s Crackpots and heard a couple of folk stories, including “Stone Soup.”
In the next week, Angel Faull said, Spencer asked four times to hear the “Stone Soup” story. To her, that means he gets it.
Response to the program has been so strong that the library plans to offer another session of Souptelling this fall, Greer said.
To sign up, contact Greer at 303-651-8781 or Elektra.Greer@ci.longmont.co.us.
Magdalena Wegrzyn can be reached at 303-684-5274 or mwegrzyn@times-call.com.

gardening with kids

I don't like to grow things in my garden that I can buy at the grocery store.  I have a few exceptions (spinach, lettuces, green onions), but even with those, there are interesting varieties and I tend to gravitate towards the novelty options.  We use the square foot gardening method and have had fantastic results.  With all of that said, though, I have many failings as a gardener.  I forget to water, and we don't have an irrigation system set up.  I am neglectful.  I forget about things.  The plants that do well in my garden tend to thrive on drought-or-flood and neglect, and I appreciate them all the more for that.

I find it helpful, when trying to garden, to try to keep an eye out for my strengths, since my weaknesses are obvious.  I have had more than one person tell me that after watching my garden for a season, they felt inspired to try their own - that even with a pathetic amount of effort, I could still glean something, and they could surely do better than that.  That's sort of a nice compliment.  I am good at cold season veggies and greens, and I do well with an over-wintered garden.  This year I will try to remember to plant for fall/winter in late August, and maybe get two cold season crops out of the garden before sowing for winter.  Right now, my two little raised beds are in full production mode, and I am harvesting as much baby spinach, lettuce, cilantro, arugula, baby yellow and chiogga beets, pea shoots/tendrils, red mustard, chard, and Aztec spinach as we want to eat.  Spencer and I planted most of it together, and while he previously said he hated salad and refused to eat it, he will now scarf it down when I point out that this is food that he planted and helped harvest.  Something about having made it himself makes it tastier, and even though I have always heard that this was the case, it is still surprising to see it in action.  We've also planted sunflowers and baby corn, which is supposed to be ready to harvest 31 days after planting.  We are enjoying how very, very quickly it is sprouting and growing.

One thing that I have had good success with is over-sowing my seeds - that is, I plant much, much more seed than is ok for the actual growing space.  As the seeds sprout, I thin them, but I don't pull the excess plants.  I use kitchen scissors and trim the young plants at the base, leaving all the roots behind.  I think that this is good for the soil, and it doesn't disturb the roots of the seedlings that I am leaving to grow.  The thinnings make fantastic and very nutritious salad greens, and the plants left behind are eventually thinned to the recommended spacing.  (That is, the spacing for a square foot garden, which is sometimes closer than the package directions might indicate.)  This also lets me thin the smallest sprouts, leaving the stronger and taller seedlings to continue to flourish.  Pea shoots make especially fantastic salad greens or braising options - to the point where any peas I may get are just a side bonus.  I mostly grow them for the greens.  (I do like to grow the purple and yellow podded peas, though, for the novelty.)  If I do get any pods, I can then use the pods to enrich stock for an intensely flavored and delicious soup, and that means I have gotten as much out of the lowly pea seed as possible.  This feels oddly satisfying.  (Here's one recipe - there are a lot of others out there!  I like mine with a touch of cream.)

Spence likes to help in the garden - spreading mulch, pulling dandelions, planting seeds, adding compost - and while his "help" is often not that helpful, it keeps him happy and busy and makes him feel useful.  Also, since he loves to water, my plants are enjoying a more consistent watering schedule.  I like the idea of letting him enjoy puttering around outside.  I plan to do a bean teepee a little later in the year, which I am sure will be a hit.  (I'll use royal burgundy beans to make it easy to see where the harvest is.)  I am hoping the bees won't like it too much.  We picked up garden gear last year, and a few new things this year, to make it more fun for him - a froggie kneeling pad, rubber gardening gloves in his size, tiny shovels and rakes and trowels and so on.  We've found great inexpensive gear at Target, and it actually lasts pretty well.  He gets almost as into the gear as the actual work.  (I think he takes after me in that.)

Three Little Pigs

We've been reading retellings of the Three Little Pigs over the past few weeks.  I wouldn't have thought Spencer was old enough to enjoy that, but I read this article and felt inspired.  The Longmont library had a number of these books, and we requested others through the Interlibrary Loan service.  Since Spence is only 3, some of the stories were too advanced or too scary for this time through, and others were fantastic with minor editing.  The first few times we read an alternate story, he said, "this isn't how the story goes!"  But soon he was really into the concept that the wolf could be a hero or a villain, and the pigs could be innocent or naughty, and that the pigs could be javalinas, tamales or fish without losing the spirit of the story.  I think the idea of enjoying a story through several different viewpoint was very new to him, and I'm glad that we've done it.  It was also nice to be able to introduce the more involved elements of the story (wolf going down the chimney or not, pigs being eaten or not, the wolf taking the pig to the orchard, fair, etc. after the 3 house stands strong, etc.).  I'm not sure what story we'll tackle next - maybe the Three Bears, since he is familiar with that story and likes it?  Or maybe Cinderella, although a lot of Cinderella stories are too advanced for his age.  We'll see.

Books we've tried include:

• Alaska's Three Pigs - (Interlibrary Loan)  The three little pigs are homesteading in Alaska and frolicking in the snow, but their fun awakens a bear who is very hungry and irritable at being awakened.  One of the houses involves an igloo, which is fun, and the bear is neutralized in an interesting way.  None of the pictures should give you away if you change some of the details.  This was a fun one.
• Clancy and Millie and the Very Fine House - (Longmont Public Library collection) Clancy moves into a new home and meets a little girl named Millie.  They build amazing houses with moving boxes and play Three Little Pigs together.  This is a sweet book, and Spence really liked it.  They do build a train with boxes that runs all the way out into the street - that is, far into the street, past the sidewalk and well out onto the asphalt.  Spence wasn't sure why the kids were playing in the street, but it wasn't an upsetting detail.  (I told him that the movers had left the boxes there, not the kids.)
• The Three Horrid Little Pigs - (LPL) We edited this one just a little - deemphasizing the mother kicking the naughty pigs out of her house, emphasizing how wrong it is of the horrid pigs to steal straw and sticks and houses without asking permission, praising the wolf for wanting to help, etc.  Worth trying.
• Three Little Cajun Pigs - (IL) The dialect is too thick in this one.  We'll pass it up.  It is written in rhyme, and not one line is straight English, and that's too irritating to read and confusing to listen to.
• The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark - (IL) This was another hit.  The shark does not munch on the actual fish.  He does lose his teeth after trying to eat his way through a sunken ship.  This was initially upsetting (Spence loves sharks), but my husband told him that shark teeth grow back, and I stressed how yummy the seaweed salad is that the shark is shown eating, and I also explained that he was trying to eat things that are not food.  (This is a frequent topic of discussion in our house right now.)  
• Three Little Gators - (IL) This one seems fine until the end, when the boar (stand in for the wolf) manages to get his rear barbequed.  The pictures of that are graphic and impossible to gloss over if that kind of imagery would be upsetting for your child, so I don't know that we will read this one together. 
• Three Little Hawaiian Pigs and the Magic Shark - (IL) The story is fun, the details are entertaining, and I think Spence liked it - but the pigs tie up the shark and toss him in the dump and then celebrate their triumph, and the pictures of the dump tossing are too specific for me to really be able to gloss over the details.  I ended up sticking the pages together and turning quickly, but Spence was still upset at why the shark "deflated."  I can't say that this was the hugest hit, but might be worth a reread, since the fishing and lifestyle described were so fun. 
• The Three Little Javalinas - (LPL) This one was a big hit.  It's a southwestern version of the 3 Pigs, with javalinas standing in for the standard pig, and the houses of tumbleweeds and cactus ribs and adobe are entertainingly different but still familiar.  This was the first version we read in which the coyote (standing in for the wolf) goes down the chimney and meets up with an unhappily singed tail/backside.  Everyone comes out of this one alive, though. 
• The Three Little Pigs - (LPL) We liked this one.  The first two pigs do get eaten, but the pictures aren't explicit, and you can skip that part if you want to.  At the end, the wolf tries to entice the third pig by inviting him to three locations (after his house stands up to being huffed and puffed).  This last part is a classic bit of the story, often left out, and the pig still outwits the wolf and ends up with a happily full pantry and a frustrated wolf.
• The Three Little Pigs - (LPL) We love David Weisner's work, but this one was too complicated to try to read with Spencer at his age.  Maybe when he is older.
• The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale - (LPL) We love this one.  The modern and interesting houses and furniture are fun, the story is satisfying without being scary, and it includes the attempt to entice the pigs to the orchard, the fair, etc.
• The Three Little Pigs and the Fox - This might be a little too old for us right now.  The fox imprisons the older two pigs, and the baby sister (Hamlet) has to save them by trickery.  But the older pigs are shown being locked into a basement/shed, and the sister is shown being frightened and trying to physically hold the fox out of her house.  All goes well in the end, so maybe when Spence is older. 
• Three Little Tamales - (LPL) We have read this one again, and again, and again, and eaten tamales in its honor.  It's a definite hit.  The houses of sage and cactus and cornstalks are interesting, the tamales have a fun character, and the wolf tries to come down the chimney.  In this one, the tamales threaten to make the wolf into wolf tamales and eat him, and he runs away.  We edit that part a bit.
• The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig - (LPL) Interesting story, and fun to see the three sweet little wolves frolicking and the mean pig who destroys their houses.  He really does destroy the houses, though, starting with a jackhammer and ending with dynamite.  It has a change-of-heart happy ending that we enjoyed.  The picture of the dynamited bunker of a house was initially upsetting. 
• Three Pigs, One Wolf and Seven Magic Shapes - (IL) This is an interesting book that introduces some math concepts.  It also includes the wolf eating the first two pig siblings, so we may wait to read this one.  I did like it enough to buy it on Amazon, though (where it is very cheap).
• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs - (LPL)  Funny and entertaining.  The BBW blows down houses due to his bad head cold, and loses his temper with the third little pig when the third pig insults his sweet old granny.  (You will recognize her picture as the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood.)  He does eat the first two pigs.  I didn't edit this one - I wanted to see how that would go over - and it was fine.  It might be a little over the head of a 3-year-old, but it is still fun.
• Three Swingin' Pigs - (IL)  This was interesting, but apparently it is the uncles of Ella, Satch and Mo who originally had a run in with the wolf, so Spencer was confused about why there were no houses to be built or blown down.  The three pigs in this case are popular musicians, and they team up with the wolf (and cure his halitosis).  Rather than get eaten or blown away, they make music (and records).  Spence seemed unsure but also kept singing Ella's scat ditty, so I guess it is a hit.  It tries a little too hard to be hip.
• Where's the Big Bag Wolf - (IL) Another hit.  An intrepid dog detective tries to find out why that suspicious sheep is hanging out around the three little pigs all the time, and why the Big Bad Wolf is trying so hard to pretend to be sick and unable to hunt pigs.  Spence loved feeling smarter than the dog detective and caught the visual cues as to what was really going on before the story revealed it.  There is a nice side theme about listening to your wiser elders (in this case, elderly cows) and a fun implication that the wolf will continue trying to trick the pigs, but the cows and dog will continue to protect them from their naivete.

If there are other Little Pig options, I'd love to know about them!  I think the downloadable options here are interesting to supplement, but I haven't printed any of them out or used them yet.  Any other suggestions are also welcome.