For those of you who don't know my daughter, you may not be familiar with her obsession for grooming animals, stuffed or otherwise. It is by far her favorite past time. When playing groomer, it is imperative that she gets into character. She dresses herself in her "groomers coat", and from that point on she must be referred to by her groomer name: Ashley. This hobby has become so labor intensive that we have had to divide it into 2 categories: wet grooming and dry grooming. Dry Grooming consists of brushing, fluffing and "trimming" fur...

(If you look closely you can see her next client, Sparkle the horse, waiting patiently for her appointment.)

And then there's wet grooming, which consists of wetting, lathering and rinsing the fur (with real water and soap). And if Ashley is feeling a little creative, the hairspray emerges.
Can you guess which grooming session mommy prefers?

AND sometimes.....Ashley, the groomer, does a little self grooming....

a little hairspray....

and a little more hairspray

Yes, it is crystallizing nicely...

one more spritz...



tease it a bit...

And the finished product....

Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley

Dramatic Play aka Pretend

My dolly has the Flu

Say "Ahhh"

OK... deep breath

One can never be too germ conscience when playing Doctor

Her Best Sick Patient Face

I am passionate about my belief that childhood should be a magical experience, driven by imagination, exploration and wonder. I believe that TV, computer games and blinky toys that purport to "teach" your child their ABC's are highly overrated. Whatever happened to the simple joys of making mudpies, jumping into a perfectly raked pile of crunchy fall leaves or star gazing on a clear night? I am determined to create a wholesome and magical childhood for my lil munchkins. When they are all grown up, I want them to be able to look back on these days and feel they were not only allowed to be kids but encouraged to be so. I am a big advocate of play! I love dirt! Exploration and discovery are so important to a child. What could be better than rock hunting, nature walking, and fort building with your little ones? It is in these moments that we become kids again. Do you remember the carefree days of childhood? The lazy summer days spent running through the sprinkler and slurping popsicles? How about the crisp afternoons of fall when darkness came too soon? What about those rainy Saturdays spent building and camping out in sheet tents in the living room? Those memories, for me, are so thick I can still feel, smell and taste them. I want that for my children...I want them to relish these simple sorts of things...I want them to be blissfully unaware of the latest trends in pop culture.