Lately, our family has become rather infatuated with "Tell Me a Story" cards (we started with this set - Tell Me A Story - Mystery in the Forest
and later tried this set - Tell Me A Story - Circus Animal's Adventure
, we like both but we prefer the forest cards). The boxes (which costs about $10) include 36 cards, each of which contains a beautiful drawing and no words. When the girls play they usually pick five or so cards and create a story (F's stories often have a plot, whereas P's stories tend to meander somewhat). When the time comes for my turn I ask the girls to randomly pick cards for me and I make up the story while they surprise me with new cards. I love this game, as it forces me to be both creative and spontaneous (spontaneity is not one of my strong suits). Though he can't tell stories yet, T just loves to sort and look at the cards. So we can all "play" together. I love hearing all the different tales the girls create, especially when they're trying to work out how they feel about something (lots of death stories since my dad died). If you don't want to buy a set, you could probably make your own using magazines or old books and pictures (or, for the artistic mom, draw/paint a set yourself). MONDAY LINKS:
*A real-life "Up" house. This made me smile.
*I love Babble's list of ways to entertain toddlers while lying down.
*I have no idea where this is, but I want to go here. And here too.
*These dolls are just beautiful (and cuddly).
*This on-line toy store, has the best toys ever.
*I'm in love with these pictures (link via Folkloric, which I'm also in love with, especially the pictures in this post)
*A pop-up paper dollhouse (with furniture)? A paper ferris wheel? A midnight circus? How beautiful (along with everything else in this store). Link via Anthology.
*I love the idea of throwing your own Mad Men party, but I'm too lazy. I wish I could just have snagged an invite to this one.
*Haunting satellite images documenting the destruction caused by the tsunami in Japan. And more pictures here. Also, a great article on Japan's phenomenal response systems, especially for trains.
*Wow, this looks fun. Got to love the National Building Museum, you never know what you'll find there.
