The Kavanaugh Report

This week we return to the topic of screen time and answer some listener questions about how we approach certain screen time scenarios. Questions included how we approach sports, restaurants and traveling. Again, we stress that every family will make decisions that feel right for their own individual families and children. 
This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.  Show Notes...Shelf Help Ep. 8 - From the ABCs to SwearingShelf Help Ep. 46 - How We Approach Screen TimeA practical life opportunity for all ages: grocery shoppingHenry and Mudge Series Thanks for joining me for today's podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share and leave a review in your favorite podcast app.
If you are interested in finding Shelf Help in a podcast app, it is available on Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google. 

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Sewing is having a moment in our house right now! All of a sudden, everywhere I look is little hand sewn projects. We have a few new pillows around here, lots of fabric with people's names sewn onto them, and even some doll clothes. It's so interesting watching all of this as a person that really can't sew. I can hand stitch a tiny bit, but beyond that I'm completely clueless. 

And while Nora has always loved sewing projects, it's really Gus that is driving the new interest in sewing these days! At 4-years-old, he is patient and dedicated to his work. He can plan a project and see it through, even over the course of a couple days. It's been really fun to watch this blossom in him and I can't help what great work it is for his hands as he starts to explode into writing. 

This work definitely hasn't come out of nowhere! He has been working with sewing type activities for many years. Starting with bead lacing, and move through a variety of activities as he g…

I feel like Ive had a very complicated relationship to weather my entire life. I feel like I've been told either directly or indirectly that unless it's sunny and warm, you don't go play outside. Rainy days are for inside play.  We sung "rain, rain go away!" Cold weather is a no. 
It's taken a long time to try and unlearn these views and to see all weather as valuable and fun. I've been working hard at instilling those same values with my kids from the start. We don't have bad weather, we have different weather. And each of those weathers have different ways to prepare for being outside. 
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Who Likes Rain?  | Come On, Rain! | Worm Weather | Rain Feet | Red Rubber Boot Day | In the Rain
As we move into Spring and our rainy seasons here in Minnesota, I wanted to share some Montessori friendly books that celebrate rain in all its beautiful forms. These books are not limited to Spring rains, but rain in all …

At 16 to 17 months, Teddy was still not super into using the materials on his shelves. He would spend a few minutes, a few times a day choosing a few things off of his shelves. While absolutely every toddler is different, I do think it is interesting to see what they enjoy. Heres a quick look at the toys that were on Teddy's play shelves from 16-months to 17-ish months. 

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From left to right, top to bottom:  Silicone Rainbow* - a huge hit, this has been on the shelves for many months Haba Pegging Toy - Gus liked this a lot more, but it will make another appearance soon Lakeshore Learning Tower* (similar) - this exact toy is retired, but it's been a good challenge for TeddyHorizontal Ring Slide - too challenging for Teddy and always ends in a screaming fit Balls on Pegs* - Teddy's favorite toyPlanToys Stacking Tree* - a fun challenge, he stacks randomly at this point Monti Kids Peg Drop* (similar) - Teddy's second favorit…

Tiny babies can interact with their environment in so many interesting ways. The Montessori mobiles offer a variety of interesting experiences for babies to explore in developmentally appropriate ways. In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy talk about their experiences with Montessori mobiles. We address a variety of mobiles, when to introduce them, and how we use them. 
This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. Show Notes...
The Fourth TrimesterMontessori Infant Mobiles - Visual SeriesMontessori Baby Week 6 - First Mobiles (Nicole's DIY)The Munari Mobile (Amy's DIY)Montessori Baby Week 8 - The Octahedron MobileThe Gobbi Mobile -- Montessori Baby Week 11Montessori Baby Week 13 -- The Dancers MobileMontessori-inspired butterflies mobileDIY Whales MobilesMontessori Baby Tactile MobilesBell on Ribbon MobilePuzzle BallOballHABA Clutching ToysSkwish ToyDIY Rainbow Ribbon Tactile MobileWooden Chimes MobileBatting -- Montessori Baby Week 14 (Teddy with Primary Disks)Prim…

I was just thinking the other day about how incredibly lucky I am to have been able to witness four little humans walk through this world. At one point, a doctor told me I might never have another child and just the amazing people who have been born since then really just blow me away. But, having a few kids has really opened my eyes to how different they all are from each other, even with the exact same parents, the exact same parenting approach, environment and more. 
I thought it would be fun to do a little comparison between Gus and Teddy at 18-months just to illustrate this point. Nearly everything has been the same for these two, and yet, they are completely different little people.  Play Going through pictures, I noticed some of the same things on their shelves, but not a ton. The things Gus loved, are not the same as the things Teddy is frequently using right now. But, even looking a bit deeper, how they play is very different. Gus was often sitting still and working at the table…