In January I enrolled Sam in a “Music Together” class and in February she started a gymnastics class for 2.5-4 year-olds. Both classes require parent participation, so I have been able to follow Sam’s progress and see what she does and doesn’t like. Despite the fact that the gymnastics class is often a swarm of kids …

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“We’re travelers,” said Sam to her grandparents just the other day. This morning, the last day of 2008, she announced that one of her plush kitty cats was traveling to California. She packed up a suitcase full of toys, then wheeled it bumpity thump down the stairs to the living room where she parked it in the doorway. …

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Doctor: Do you like to watch the telly? Sam: (hiding her face because she really didn’t want to come back to the doctor’s surgery) Doctor: Is there a program you like on the telly? Me: Sam, what do we watch on CBeebies on the computer? Sam: (whispering) Charlie and Lola Doctor: Oh I LOVE Charlie and Lola. They’re my …

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Sam had a very restless night, after a fairly tumultuous day. I figured that she was picking up on the tension in the house due to the debit fraud incident. But now I think that yesterday she was starting to come down with something because today she is definitely sick. Her nighttime sleep was fragmented and short. …

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Oh My! We’ve had three great theatrical experiences during our European sojourn. And these do include two lions, one tiger and one bear. Tiger In October I took Sam to see the Brighton Royale Theatre‘s production of The Tiger Who Came to Tea. This was a special production for children, adapted from a British children’s …

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This popped up in my inbox last week, from ParentCenter.com: Your 3-year-old now Preschoolers often work out complicated emotions in their play with animals, dolls, blocks, cars, or other playthings. After a traumatic doctor visit, for example, your child might line up all her teddy bears for shots. If she witnesses a …

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With much to be thankful for— in particular the chance to live on the other side of the pond for nearly three months in a comfortable flat with views of said pond on two sides. We’re also thankful for Sam’s Grand-mère, who arrived here just a few days before Thanksgiving. Sammy now has an additional playmate, and the …

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While we consider whether or not it’s financially and logistically feasible for us to travel up to Scotland next week when AC has holiday time for American Thanksgiving, a few words about little traveler Sam. For the most part, she’s a really good traveler. But, as the old nursery rhyme goes: “When she was good she was …

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Coucou! We’re back after a lovely long weekend in Paris. Mon mari has already written his version of the travelogue here, so I thought I’d tell my version with pictures: Here is Sam getting settled in her window seat for the train ride from Brighton to London St. Pancras. Imagine our surprise when our usually reserved …

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When we ask Sam what she likes about living in Brighton, she unfailingly replies: “The Stairs” and “My stripey bed!” <img src="http://gallery.accapehart.com/d/9458-2/DSCF9672.JPG" alt="Sam asleep during "quiet time" in Brighton" /> Here she is in said stripey bed, having dozed off …

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