Looking at nature

| June 22, 2013

Today we decided it was too nice a day to stay in and stare at the walls so we went back to Heinz Wildlife Refuge for a nice walk. It is really quite nice there, quiet, and you can sometimes see some cool birds. We did see a deer once, but I think that was pretty lucky. Sam likes to walk the long bridge and look at the fish, hunt for turtles, and see which birds are hanging about. Herons are there often and she likes those.

Mark bought me some walking sticks for Mother’s Day since we do like to go out and about a lot and my knees give me trouble.  Sam quickly absconded with them for herself.  Taken down to their almost closed position, they actually work quite nicely for her!

That morning, she insisted on my putting her fancy barrette in her hair.  Oh, McDonald’s, thank you so much for your lovely Happy Meal toys…

It is really a nice place to walk, and perfect for Sam. Flat and with enough stuff to look at to hold her attention.

We stopped by the water to see if we saw anything interesting. And also for a hug. 🙂

Mark and Sam were investigating all the things that grow by the water.

She had a good day, that is for sure. Look at that happy face!

There are some really nice flowers growing at Heinz, including Milk Thistle, which Sam had never seen before.

Another successful trip into the great outdoors!

Cinderella

| June 22, 2013

Well, it finally happened. Sam discovered princesses. It took a while since Mark and I were never happy with the whole Disney Princess obsession that most little girls have these days. We tried to steer her away from it and never allowed her to have any clothes that said anything about being a princess or anything like that. It was something we were very conscious of. I read a book called, Cinderella Ate My Daughter about the psychological damage it can do letting little girls buy into that whole princess culture at too young an age and it really made me think. That being said, let’s face it, I am a girl and I love my princess stories as much as the next girl. I knew at some point Sam would know who the princesses are and I would be ok with it, provided that she knew she was not a princess, that it was only for pretending. I am not even sure how it happened to be honest, but recently, we sat down and watched my DVD of Disney’s Cinderella together.  And it was awesome. Just like I remember it. Cinderella is the penultimate princess, as far as I am concerned. The story is enchanting and Sam was certainly enchanted. Ever since then she has watched it a bunch of times and now has a Cinderella nightgown and a few figurines to play with. And I am ok with that. Her latest discovery is a new Disney cartoon called Sophia the First about a little girl who becomes a princess when her mom marries the king. It is cute, and has messages about how being a princess means being kind, and generous, and thoughtful. I guess there are worse things she could be learning. Mark and I did our job. Sam knows that being a princess is a game. And she knows she is so much more than that, and that being a princess is not something you aspire to be. It’s not a job. It’s a story. So…on with the princesses, I guess!