#3before3, a Parenting Hack!
Of all the things I thought I would do as a parent, reading to my kids was for sure top of the list. But can I confess something? I definitely thought I would be a “bedtime stories” type of mom and so far… I’m kind of not?
At this very moment, my kids are newly-6, 3, and 1.5. And for basically all of my parenting career until now, the only book I wanted to be reading after 7 pm was MINE! With a baby, then toddler and baby, then preschooler, toddler and baby… by the time bedtime rolled around I just needed everyone to be in bed as fast as possible. You know, for my sanity.
But because reading with the girls was still very important to me, I came up with a little strategy (and then made it a hashtag, as one does): #3before3! Every day, I do my best to read 3 picture books with the kids before 3 pm. This only takes 10-15 minutes and it’s such a welcome little break for all of us!
Here are the pros:
- We get to connect in a meaningful (but easy and chill) way during the day
- It’s doable because we’re all home anyway (hello, entire year of COVID pandemic) and I can pick a time when my kids are excited to sit down and read with me—not always the case when they’re tired
- When bedtime comes around I can get those children IN BED just a little quicker, hallelujah amen!
I can’t recommend this highly enough! We’re now halfway through March, AKA National Reading Month, and I want to challenge you to try reading #3before3 for the rest of the month and see how it works for your family!
P.S. Now that the kids are getting a little older, we do sometimes read together before bedtime and I’m finally like OH, I can see why people like this! (Some of our favorite Spanish bedtime stories here, in case you’d like to see.) But it’s still nice to know that we did our reading early in the day, and that way if I’m fried at bedtime or the kids are up late for whatever reason, I don’t feel bad about skipping the bedtime story. #3before3, it just might change your life!
Little Julián and his Abuela are on their way home from the pool one day when they see some spectacularly dressed women on the subway. They look just like mermaids! Julián is enchanted. “Yo también soy una sirena,” he tells Abuela. While Abuela goes to take a shower, Julián has a flash of inspiration! With the fronds of a potted fern in his hair and a curtain wrapped around his waist for a tail, he’s living his best life until Abuela sees him (and the mess). Is Julián in trouble? This book is such a powerful affirmation of individuality, creative expression and unconditional acceptance!
Lola and her beloved cat, Bola, have an important event to attend: a costume party! The party is just getting good (there’s a dessert table!) when all of a sudden, a terrible dragon flies over and scoops up little Bola. Lola, a true heroine for our times, immediately recruits her friends to help with the rescue. But eventually Lola finds herself alone, with nothing but her courage and her creativity to help her rescue her beloved cat. Alone, that is, until she bumps into an unexpected little someone…
Omu has made a delicious red stew for her lunch. And not only does it taste fabulous, it also smells AMAZING! So when the smell wafts out of her apartment and into the neighborhood, her neighbors can’t help but follow their noses to see where that delectable scent is coming from. One by one, Omu offers each person that knocks at her door a taste of her wonderful stew. But when dinner time finally comes around and it’s her turn to eat, the pot is empty! Has Omu been so generous that there’s nothing left for her?
The Spanish translation of “The Day You Begin” is just as lovely as the original English version! In this book, we start the school year along with Angelina, who (along with a few of her classmates) feels like an outsider. Whether because of home language, food diversity, skin color, or even the way they talk, the message here is that these differences make each child unique and, at the same time, a beautiful part of the community they now share.
: This is probably the gift my husband is most excited about, haha. As the kids get a little older it’s been so fun to play games together. We still don’t have a lot of the classics like checkers and chess, so we’re starting with this.
: One of the gifts I’M most excited about! I can see our future of sala dance parties, karaoke nights, and general family-fun-having extravaganzas lit up by this thing. It’s only $13 so I won’t be crushed if it doesn’t live up to my lofty expectations (but I’m really hoping it does!). 
: All of the girls are getting scooters this year! Our awesome neighbor gave us a hand-me-down scooter that Hija #1 has worn pretty much to the ground (one of the wheels keeps coming off). So, we’re giving the scooter situation a glow-up (literally! … I’ll see myself out). 
: A few weeks ago, completely out of the blue, she mentioned that she wanted “unas botas que tienen luces y se prenden cuando pisas” for Christmas. She described them pretty specifically, but I have no idea where she saw them (maybe she just invented them?) and this is the closest I could find. They’re not boots but I do think they’re very cool– hopefully she approves. 
: Melissa and Doug is one of my very favorite brands for kids toys because most of their stuff is low-tech and made of wood (vs plastic). We’ve had good luck with their toys lasting ages, too! I’m hoping that this latches toy will keep Hija #3 busy for a good… 5 minutes. At least!
: My baby always wants to do art things like her sisters, but sometimes I’m just really not excited about cleaning up a giant mess. We love Water Wow books, especially for travel, because it’s the same effect as painting but without the mess! All of our previous copies have gotten plenty of use and I’m sure this one will, too. 
: All credit to my husband Josh for this one, since he found and purchased! I’m splitting the 6 sheets between all the stockings and they’ll be thrilled. 
: Markers are 100% the preferred way to draw and color in our house. Some of us are still learning to put the top back ON the marker though… *le sighhhh*. I’m splitting these between my two older girls, and crossing my fingers that the novelty of these stamp markers will inspire them to take great care of them. 
: Crayons for the behbeh’s stocking. One box for now and another for when these inevitably get used up/lost. 
: Have you ever really lived if you haven’t had your child paint your nails a lurid shade of blue? My girls looooove painting their nails (and mine) (and their dad’s), so I like that this polish is non-toxic. I’m dividing this set up between stockings, too!
: My kids like stirring their hot chocolate or chocolate milk and then drinking with the spoon still in there, so I think they’ll get a kick out of these little cat spoons that hang off the edge of the cup. These aren’t the exact ones I got (because they’re now out of stock), but they’re basically the same except mine came in a set of three and were all silver. 
