UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. But the book is still just as fabulous, so buy it for yourself here.
There’s something lovely about asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up. With no regard to how realistic their ambition is, they answer enthusiastically. A ballerina! A baseball player! A superhero!
Heck, forget about when they grow up, asking Pink what she is at any given moment is pretty entertaining these days. Often it’s an elephant — which, given her still-developing grace — kind of fits. Other times she’s a chef, making all kinds of glorious pizzas for everyone to enjoy. Since starting yoga, she’s added “rocket” to her list. But, the most predictable by far is when she’s a mommy, and, as she tells her babies, “Mommies have to say no sometimes.”
It’s true, mommies do have to say no sometimes, but after reading the wonderfully imaginative and engaging On My Way to Bedby Sarah Maizes, I’m kind of wishing we didn’t. While there’s no doubt this playful children’s book is meant to inspire little ones’ wildest imaginations — and it certainly does — I’m using it to inspire mine.
How can I — a very busy and distracted mama, with far less patience than the mom in the book, I might add — make some of the day’s oh-so predictable tasks a bit more exciting? Maybe I’ll try a getting-ready-for-school obstacle course. Or write a clearing-the-table song. Who knows, maybe I’ll even choreograph a grocery-shopping dance.
And if I don’t succeed with any of those, well, hopefully I’ll at least have a bit more patience and indulge my children’s playful imaginations — whether they lead us to bed, or some other fascinating place.
*Giveaway*- For a chance to win a copy of On My Way to Bed, enter a comment on this post by Monday, October 21, 2013 at 11:59pm PT. One winner will be chosen at random and must live in the continental U.S.
While my post was inspired by the book, Big did a more traditional review:
“This book is really good. I can’t believe that it’s a personal narrative with speech bubbles *and* onomatopoeia. The character has a great imagination!” – Big, age 7
(See why I’m loving 2nd grade?!)
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own. This post includes an Amazon affiliate link.
I love that my oldest (5 yrs) says she wants to be a mommy, then she will second guess herself and say, well it’s a lot of work, so maybe I’ll just have like one kid. My 3 year old wants to be in Hawaii when she grows up. Not a bad idea…. 🙂
love it when a room full of preschoolers are asked what they want to be when they grow up. there are the doctors, teachers, and athletes, but it’s the kid that wants to be an ice cream truck driver that takes the cake. spending my days driving around in a truck full of delicious sweets, spreading happiness to others…think i need to reevaluate what i want to be as a grown up, hahaha.
I love it…. you have me intrigued! I have never heard of this book before, but would pay millions for something that will help me become a more patient, fun, and creative mom! Thanks for sharing. Love learning all these great pointers from you! XO
Congratulations, Kelly! You’re the winner of this giveaway. I’ll be in touch via email with details. Enjoy!
We have her other book – on the way to the bath. Very cute. This would be a fun addition.
my kids have the wildest imagination!! they’re something different every day. They love me reading to them before bed. This would make a great addition to our book collection 🙂