Winter Snuggles and Stories

Happy New Year! I have taken a break from posting from the past two weeks to spend time with family, nurse some winter time sniffles and enjoy a little stay-cation in the city. It was the first time we were in New York during the winter holiday season and I must say, it was quite enjoyable to take advantage of all the holiday festivities, from the extra late dinners around the city, wine, steakhouse lunches after the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, vodka, museums and movies (with lots of popcorn)- so basically all we really did was eat and drink 🙂

It was an exhausting but wonderful week together as a family.

Included in these activities was also a lot of down time. I invested in many new books, particularly to mix up the endless stream of Hanukkah toys pouring into our apartment recently. Included in this was a selection of Disney’s 5 Minute Snuggle Stories, anthologies of short stories, centered around many of my children’s favorite characters – and including some that they are not yet familiar with. The series ranges from solely princess focused, to a compilation of Disney Jr friends, and Brody’s beloved Pixar animations.

Almost at age three, we are in a difficult and transitional time for reading material. They are not yet ready for some of the lengthier books in our library, particularly ones with deeper emotional content, chapters and multiple plot lines. Yet they have also moved past some of our beloved toddler classics – animal sounds, numbers and colors no longer maintain their interest.  These selections of stories have begun to introduce more children to more complex emotions, like jealousy, love, disappointment and to a lesser sense, fear. Buzz Lightyear’s interest in Jessie the Cowgirl has sparked initial conversations about relationships, and Dumbo’s ability to help his mother caught in a physically dangerous situation invited a conversation about courage, even at a young age.

While our bedtimes have been a little bit longer, no thanks to our new beds (more on that to come), they have been a bit more thoughtful, and the English major relishes this literature discussion a little bit, even if it’s a book club of preschoolers.