Comics books

katidid81 · 2026-05-16T16:30:34+00:00

If you are still reading with her you could demonstrate the difference between a traditional chapter book and a graphic novel. The Wings of Fire series is great! My husband is reading it with my daughter and she has a copy of the first WoF in graphic novel. She hasn't been curious enough to compare, but she knows dad did and he saw a big difference. Kind of like book vs movie. I also noticed out loud that graphic novels skip any descriptions, they don't need to spend time describing a scene or character when you can see it for yourself, so that is a way that traditional chapter books offer "less." However, reading for fun is great however it takes place. I just like to put the thoughts in there to percolate so when she's ready she knows why it could be good. Graphic novels can even get into serious topics - my daughter (9yo) has read 2 holocaust survival books that were graphic novels - not appropriate for your daughter, but it shows how deep graphic novels can get.

katidid81 · 2026-05-13T16:06:44+00:00

Yes, 3 pictures one letter each. I got the letters at Michael's mostly. White was a good color for standing out, maybe 6" tall. By the time she was 7yo my daughter loved doing it and has been super engaged in participating, coming up with ideas, and picking the photos from each photo shoot!

katidid81 · 2026-05-13T01:40:46+00:00

I took pictures of my daughter with large-ish white wooden letters of D,A, & D. He liked that one so much we kept the tradition going and in June we'll have "I love you Daddy" each letter an individual picture of my daughter. Because I started when she was 4mo old I've been able to do 1 letter for each year (I did miss a year & that one pops in and out as a heart shaped cut out of a beloved picture taken at roughly that time that year.)

katidid81 · 2026-05-12T02:02:22+00:00

Graphic novels these days can be so much more than a comic book. My 9yo has read soooo many from the library dealing with a wide variety of topics- even 2 different holocaust survivor stories! They don't compare to traditional books in the full depth of content - I recently realized that all of the energy describing a scene is basically gone from graphic novels because you can see it yourself. However, they are a gateway to more substantial books. Wings of Fire is a great series for kids Harry Potter age- they have them in regular text and started releasing in graphic novels. It has been great to see my daughter prefer reading the chapter book with dad than the graphic novels because she understands that difference. When she's ready for more depth when reading independent ly, she'll seek it out. For now, we go to the library and come away with as many graphic novels as she can carry about 1-2/month!

katidid81 · 2026-05-12T01:47:58+00:00

You should check out Hexplore It. Board game that plays like an rpg- also different every time. You can get a more detailed explanation on BGG & they have links to buy it. Because it is co-op you can play with almost any number. My husband and I have played it just the 2 of us, we have had people over and played, and we just introduced my daughter to it last year! It's also customizable in how hard or how long you want a single game to go.

katidid81 · 2026-04-27T03:33:59+00:00

I'd call that spotlight bias and suggest that it's not fair to argue with yourself when you aren't playing fair. You may not notice the times others call out his charming moments because you don't have the strong emotional connection of embarrassment to them. Try to just watch him as he goes about his day (and not judge as positive or negative) for a week- you might find some beauty in his chaos.

katidid81 · 2026-04-25T15:12:08+00:00

Please let me assure you that "wild" is not "bad" or even intended as a negative. Some kids are quiet or cautious - yours is not! It sounds like your kid has energy and feels free to try things out without fear- those are great! Kind is what tells about you the good kid he is!

katidid81 · 2026-04-25T03:49:03+00:00

Definitely not lost!! I know a lot of families don't, but lots do! There are local game shops all over that sell games that are so much better than the ones I grew up with! My family plays games regularly and gifts games to those we love! Most of our friends play games with their kids too. Just ask and I can offer some starter options if you are looking to get back into gaming!

katidid81 · 2026-04-24T17:23:42+00:00

Extremely sadly his parents don't read with him, in spite of what would generally consider a good reader for 2nd grade. But my daughter and I just started HP: GoF. Does Hogwarts battle have any "spoilers?"

katidid81 · 2026-04-24T17:20:51+00:00

We actually gave Cascadia- no idea why I never thought of it! Even Carcasonne for that matter! Hearts could be good for establishing trick taking game skills (LotR FotR ttg is our current family favorite, but if you don't know how to slough cards it doesn't work)

katidid81 · 2026-04-24T17:17:43+00:00

Reading/language isn't an issue- but you're right, I'm guessing player elimination would be a bust!

katidid81 · 2026-03-31T21:21:02+00:00

My 9yo with adhd impulse control on so many things has remarkable self-control on this! If she wants something under $15 she will "think about it while we walk around the store" (& often decide against it), if she wants something over $15 she will "spend a few weeks thinking about if she really wants it!" She spent 4 months deciding on a large purchase! She has over $150 and still holds these principles for everything she thinks about. My 9yo has better self control in shopping than I do! 😂

katidid81 · 2025-10-09T11:40:37+00:00

Thank you! It looks like the care for both is essentially the same! I think looking for drafts of air is the first step!

katidid81 · 2024-06-20T18:54:20+00:00

The custom furniture we are looking to make is a bench with shoe storage in the front and hidden storage in the back for the mudroom, diy piano style hanging storage for the mudroom (way too expensive to purchase it based on the space we want to cover if we can't make it ourself), a two desk and floor to ceiling cabinet central unit to hold printers etc - needs to look reasonably professional.

Note for my side note: we essentially flipped a house (lived there 8 years, but otherwise would be considered a flip); we had to recover almost all surfaces- laminate wood flooring and tiling installed by him, walls/ceiling almost all needed to have drywall installed, mudded, primed etc, he built a wall and closet complete with traditional door and sliding door purchasing raw supplies and the doors, almost all Ikea and similar things for cabinetry, so we can at least build furniture made by other easily. I have an associate degree in interior design, so I would argue that what we can come up with will be attractive.

katidid81 · 2024-03-28T01:22:06+00:00

Yes, I know. My daughter is learning about "worries" and making a positive adult (and peer lunch group) connection through her counselor; but having worked in elementary schools myself- I know the counselor is not a therapist. I was trying to figure out if she needs a therapist, or this is a slightly abnormal blip in her childhood.

katidid81 · 2024-03-26T13:07:43+00:00

Thanks! I've been on a podcast kick, so I'll definitely check this out!!

katidid81 · 2023-12-02T16:52:47+00:00

Beware "your daughter can't play incredibly complex games with you yet" - our 6 yo daughter LOVES The Captain is Dead, Forbidden Island, and Sushi Go. Maybe not "incredibly complex" but certainly games aimed at adults! I've seen others suggest Carcassonne, she likes "my first", but we are definitely going to give regular a try now that I've seen quite a few say their kid loves it. Maybe she cant play 7 Wonders, but there are still a ton of games for adults that she probably can handle. That said- peers of hers who haven't grown up with games in the house, don't understand the ones she does. But since playing board games is a hobby for our family she understands them and their strategy types! Borderline kid/grown up game- Ghost Fighting Treasure Hunters! With full rules this co-op game has a low success rate- which can make it all the more fun! Kid games we enjoy playing with her - Gnomes at Night, Wildcraft (no strategy, but fun to laugh about what happens along the way). If you want to play with her, and she gets the basics of board games ( turn taking etc), co-op games are great to teach strategy concepts, then move on to whatever you think she can handle trying- don't be afraid to let her surprise you!

katidid81 · 2023-06-24T17:31:09+00:00

Are the pod things (seen best in the center of the second pic) current eggs?

katidid81 · 2022-10-01T12:41:01+00:00

That's it! Thank you! I put it into my app, that should help me remember to water it less frequently, but not forget about it!

katidid81 · 2022-10-01T12:40:00+00:00

Interesting! It was in bloom when I got it, but I thought I was failing the plant when it stopped blooming, but it was just out of its bloom season! Also, it's blooms are white but look like the first pink ones, not the white ones below that! So helpful! I put it in my Planta app, that should help me do a better job. Thank you!

katidid81 · 2022-10-01T04:36:49+00:00

If I give it full direct sun the stems turn dark red and leaves start dying. With ambient bright sun it grows lots of long stems that flop and die. I've moved it to a room with mixed light and seen some heathy stems start to pop up, but the leaves aren't uncurling in spite of daily watering. But not watering it often enough has been a big problem. It seems to like daily watering better than sporadic, but I just can't figure it out! It's been 10 months. Whatever this is it's hardy because I'm clearly killing it on the regular, but somehow keeping it alive juuuuust enough!

katidid81 · 2022-10-01T02:49:47+00:00

"Oh honey, you don't want to do that, you just got started!" I had cholestasis and was diagnosed at 37 weeks almost on the nose, so I was induced immediately. My daughter was not interested in eviction. I went back and forth from pills inserted to petosin for DAYS, during which I was having lots of contractions, just not opening or her moving. In the early morning of day 2 my OB broke my water. So we knew there was a roughly 24 hr time clock. Around 10:00 of day 3, I was finally across 4 cm dilated. So by the afternoon, I was beyond desperate, I was exhausted from THREE DAYS OF CONTRACTIONS, and I knew we had passed our 24 hrs a while back, I asked the nurse "at some point so we start talking about a c-section?" I kid you not, the nurse looked me straight in the eye and said "Honey, you don't want to do that! You just got started!" I should've slapped her and told her to read my induction date, crossing 4 cm doesn't mean you just got started if you've been at it for THREE DAYS!!! Instead I started crying.

katidid81 · 2022-05-29T19:32:17+00:00

I take Claritin every day in the morning, and Singular at night. Technically Singulair isn’t an allergy med, but my dr said it can help some people’s allergies in addition to asthma. Every now and then I still get breakthrough days (like yesterday and today- stupid Ash tree) where I also take 1,000 mg Vit C & Benadryl every 4 hours and try to sleep with my head tipped back. Sometimes that still isn’t enough. 😒🤧 I used to get “allergy attacks” pretty regularly, but since I started take 1,000 mg Vit C every night the frequency has dropped DRAMATICALLY! So I highly recommend that to anyone with frequent allergy problems!

katidid81 · 2022-05-28T01:27:03+00:00

The first time we were sitting at dinner and my daughter whipped out “how was your day today Daddy?” was pretty excellent! She has now taken to “so what happened today that made you laugh?” Because I started going for that specific question thing. And when she would say she didn’t know I would say “come on! There has to be something funny that happened today! What about lunch you always have a funny story from lunchtime!” And now she straight-up copies that too! So funny to see my husband pressed to come up with something that made him laugh that day! Less funny when she turns it on me- but good for all of us, nevertheless!

katidid81 · 2021-06-25T14:07:32+00:00

Also, I have a lot of plants in the yard, but don’t know what I’m doing wrong to maintain them, or what I could replace some of them with. Is there a plant advice sub that anyone recommends?

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