Tots sure are cute, aren't they? Be sure to click on the photos to visit the mom bloggers of these cute tots!
Is one of these tots your tot (or has your tot been featured as a Cute Tot in the past)? Grab this button for your blog to share with your readers...
If your tot was sent in and not featured this time, stay tuned! We got MANY submissions and decided to split them up!
Here are the books that we are planning to use during the months of December 2010 and January 2011.
Little Books for Little Cooks
Once Upon a Book
Are you having fun teaching numbers, letters and shapes to your little tots? Me too. It's fun to watch them learn.
I like to learn new things too.
For my own crazy fun, I decided to research the origins and history of shapes. There are three beliefs about how the heart shape came to be. Because I know how valuable a mommy’s time can be, and because I think there is a message in it for Moms, I am deciding to forget the first two possible origins and focus on the third.
In 7 B.C. there was a little seed called the Silphium. It was a spice belonging to the parsley family and it was used for cooking and medicinally. Silphium is extinct today. However, in its day, it was a hot ticket item among Egyptians who traded the seed and even printed its shape onto their money. The seed looked exactly like our traditional heart shape.
Today, we see the heart and we automatically associate this shape with love. Imagine if we could time travel. Picture yourself in a marketplace in 7 B.C. watching heart stamped coins being exchanged. To us, it would seem they were trading love. We would marvel at the thought. Trading love? As if it was something that could be earned, bought, or sold. What a silly thought.
Silphium no longer exists, but we still trade love today. We trade love by giving and withholding affection when we feel it has or hasn’t been earned. Moms do this often, and it is very dangerous.
When my little ones fail to obey or they embarrass me through their actions or behavior, I can feel my love get cold. I don’t feel like hugging my little ones when I see that they’ve drawn on the wall again or stolen candy from the not so secret stash in the kitchen.
But when I’m getting something positive from them I feel differently. When they pick me a flower from the yard while they are out playing, or they draw me a picture in all my favorite colors, I can feel their love and I give it back to them in abundance.
My favor and affection is too often tied to what I’m getting out of the relationship.
Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t think this way?
His love isn’t traded for His benefit and it doesn’t waver when we fail to meet His expectations. He loves us even when we frustrate Him. He laid down His life when we didn’t deserve His sacrifice. He loves us when we are rotten and un-loveable. It’s constant and it isn’t for sale. It’s freely given to all who would accept it. Wow.
Time and time again David called on God to show his unfailing love. He knew that God’s love couldn’t be shaken. It could always be counted on.
Psalm 86:15 says:
“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
In case you still have any doubts, check out this scripture:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 KJV
While we were scribbling on creation and mocking all things holy, Christ DIED to show his love. Yeah, I’d call that unfailing.
His favor was undeserved, unmerited and most often unappreciated but he didn’t hold back.
Silphium is extinct. We moms really need to stop trading our love, making our children work to earn our favor. I’m going to strive to give my family a God- inspired unfailing love that doesn’t seek its own gain. Let's hug them really tight.
Here are some more cool giveaways for tots/moms of tots, check them out below and let us know if you win something we told you about!!!!
Bolded are items we personally own and love! If you are hosting a TOT friendly giveaway you are free to leave a link in the comments section!
If you are looking for gift recommendations for tots, I have a list on my blog here…
Do Not Fear {Isaiah 40:10} is #12 from Seeds of Courage.
Full Page Verse Printable…
Verse Mini Book {which could also be cut into mini flash cards to have kids put the verse in order}…
Copy Work Tracers {print & cursive} 
Copy Work Sheets…
Full Verse Coloring Pages…
Seeds Family Worship printables here!
Visit the main Seeds Family Worship Printables page here.
Visit Seeds Family Worship to learn more about their ministry here!
It's time for some fun alphabet crafts!! We hope you enjoy these! If you are new, you can visit our ABC webpage to find links to any other letters we have done, letters (with books listed) coming up, as well as all the fun crafty letters we have been working on. Be sure to check it out!
I am the Music Man by Debra Potter
Summary: Fun book for little ones that has holes in the pages so you can ‘see through’ and see what instruments are being played. Book is set to a fun rhyme so you and your little one can join along.
What You’ll Need:
How to Make the ‘x’ for xylophone:
This month our Play With Me toy is a pattern and sorting puzzle ~ the Animal Train Sort and Match from Guidecraft.
This sorting and matching toy is great because all of the pieces ~ animals, pattern cards and building board fit inside one compact box that has a sliding lid. Your child can work right out of the box! Magnets embedded inside the pieces help them stay on the board while your little one imitates the patterns on the cards.
If you want to add some fun activities to the Animal Train Sort and Match, here are a few more learning ideas to keep your little one busy:
Sorting ~ Have fun sorting all of the pieces by colors, size, or animal kind.
What’s Missing? Put the puzzle together as the card shows and then remove one of the pieces when your child closes their eyes. Can you guess which piece is missing?
Simple and Complex Patterns ~ The set offers a variety of animals and colors. You can work on color patterns {brown, green, brown, green}, size patterns {big, small, big, small}, or animals patterns {turtle, alligator, turtle, alligator}.
Play Zookeeper ~ Roll a dice and count out the same number of animals to add to your zoo.
Lacing ~ Use a lacing string or a shoelace to lace through the nose and eye holes on the pieces.
Jump Over the Animal ~ Get in a little gross motor activity by playing jump over the animal. You can also try jumping over a specific color or size.
Color Matching ~ Take the animals on a little trip around the house and match them with other items that are the same color. We used our Rainbow Blocks and fit them inside the colored windows to make silhouettes.
The Animal Train Sort and Match is available through the Guidecraft website and also available from Amazon. Guidecraft also offers a Construction Truck Sort and Match as well as a Flower Match Garden Patch.
Much thanks to Guidecraft who provided this toy for our writers to use and review as a part of the Guidecraft Mom Bloggers team.
What Snails Eat..
A little switch this month…instead of making something that looks like a snail, have fun eating a few things that snails eat!
The Book Before You Cook…
It’s Hard to Hurry When You’re a Snail by Pal Giganti, Jr.
Summary: Little Snail is very slow…and everyone else is rushing by so fast. Just when he thinks he won’t make it, Noah picks him up and helps him get to the ark.
When It’s Time to Cook…
You’ll Need:
To Make:
While this may not be a snack time that looks just like a snail, it’s a great opportunity to talk about the things that snails like to eat. Have fun washing the fruit and veggies together and letting your little one help with some hands-on work.
Little Books for Little Cooks is a bi-monthly feature that focuses on creating some edible fun with your little one. We will share a fun book to read with your little one along with a cooking activity to do that ties in with the featured book. Sometimes there may be actual cooking involved…and sometimes just fun!
We are sharing Cute Tots on November 30!!! If you’d like your tot to be included please get your email to me by November 26!
Looking forward to seeing your Cute Tots and visiting your blogs!
Here are some more cool giveaways for tots/moms of tots, check them out below and let us know if you win something we told you about!!!!
Bolded are items we personally own and love! If you are hosting a TOT friendly giveaway you are free to leave a link in the comments section!
If you are looking for gift recommendations for tots, I have a list on my blog here…
