He's A Very Useful Engine*
September was a blur. My older boys went back to school, business picked up with the onset of Autumn weather, craft shows and Christmas prep for my roastery sucked up a lot of time and, suddenly, September was gone in a flurry of papers, pencils, garden mulch, and coffee beans. It was as though I blinked and it was gone. Every year, it seems to fly by faster -- a reminder that my three boys are getting older, one grade at a time. Next year, my youngest will start school.
I have a bad habit of letting busyness wind me up into a big ball of stress, so I've been working hard at trying to carve out moments of pause -- breathers where I can chill and reconnect with my kids. With my older boys, this is more of a challenge -- they need me less -- sometimes we catch up over meal preparations in the kitchen, or sitting out on the front porch while the weather is still nice. My youngest is still at home with me during the days, chomping at the bit to go to school like "his boys", and I'm trying to soak up as much of this special time as I can before he, too, flies the nest for Kindergarten.
One of my favourite moments of the day is when we curl up on the couch or his bed with a pile of books and read without the distraction of his big brothers. Reading has always been my favourite way to unwind, and it is a gift I want to pass along to my children.
Thomas & Friends stories feature strongly, as with his brothers at this age, and revisiting the familiar stories brings back memories of all the other times I've read them with a little boy on my lap. He may be leaping towards the future, but he's happy to slow down a bit with the promise of a story and a cuddle. If I can't tempt him with anything else, I know I can grab his interest with the promise of Thomas -- Thomas is, indeed, a very useful engine.
While his biggest brother is a bit like Gordon, and his middle brother is the embodiment of Thomas, my youngest is much more Percy-like, with cheek and silliness, personality to spare, and a love of pulling (or trying to pull) pranks on everyone. When all the other books are outgrown and given away, our Thomas & Friends treasury will be one of the few that remain on the shelf.
In today’s fast-paced world, Thomas & Friends give children and families a time and place to slow down, share, imagine stories, and make new friends. They deliver messages about important values through imaginative, relatable storytelling and characters… and always in the friendliest, most engaging ways!
*Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Thomas & Friends Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.