Yesterday was my sweet Sofia’s 4th birthday! She needs to stop growing up so fast! Can I please slow down time??? There are so many things I want to teach my children, but thinking about my baby girl, there are a couple of things that I want her to learn and remember forever. Though I’m listing my top 3 things, know that there are many many more that I want to teach her, and Gabriel, to be fantastic adults and global citizens. Scroll down for some fun photos from her birthday yesterday, and to read my top 3 things that I think every little girl should know. Enjoy! xo
- Girls are brave. Too often girls (truthfully – women of all ages) underestimate themselves when it comes to how brave. I believe every little girl should be taught that they don’t need to be the “princess in distress.” Being brave is important in everyday life – no matter how big or small. My sweet Sofia does think she is a princess, but she also knows that she is very brave when it comes to a variety of things. One example is from our last trip to lake Tahoe. Sofia was 3 at the time and wanted to try a bungee trampoline ride where kids are in a harness and go really high into the air. She watched as older kids did it and asked if she could as well. She is tall and weighed enough to do it, so we said yes. They put her into the harness and started slow to see how she would react. She loved it! She jumped up high, did flips (with the help of the guy who worked there), and asked to go again the next day. I’m so impressed by how brave she was then and is every time she tries something new. Every little girl (and every child) should know they are brave and can do so much more than they think possible. I know that each time she is brave (no matter how small), will help her to be a brave adult someday and accomplish amazing things!
- Girls are strong. It is very important to me that Sofia knows that she is strong and can stand up for herself. Sometimes she gets upset about things her brother does and cries. We make it point to tell her to be strong, use her words, and stand up for herself (we tell Gabe to do the same thing). I want her to grow up knowing that she is a strong girl (and eventually a strong woman) who can and should stand up for herself. We also talk to her about strength in other ways. That she is strong enough to do things on her own and not depend on us to always do things for her. She is little, but she is very capable. She is strong enough to carry certain things on her own, to help move things around, etc. Strength can be shown in many ways, and it is not just boys who are strong. Every little girl should know she is strong inside and out!
- Girls are smart! Again – Sofia thinks she is a princess. She loves all things pink and sparkly. She loves dresses and unicorns. All of those things are fine by me, as long as she also remembers that princesses (and girls in general) are smart too! She absolutely loves books, coloring, legos, science experiments and crafts. I’ve made it a point to find activity books with unicorns and princesses that practice writing and numbers. She loves them! She is a smart girl who likes what she likes – so we’re connecting it all to keep the learning fun! Does she want to be a beautiful princess? Yes! But she also wants to be smart and grow and learn. She wants to make a volcano in the kitchen, make dinosaur fossils out of homemade clay-dough, and learn how to build huge towers with her brother. She wants to jump in puddles, ask lots of questions about how things are made, and wants to try new things each day. She knows that she needs to go to school to learn, and she loves it. She knows she is smart – which makes me very happy! Fostering her love for learning and reminding her how smart she is is key. I want her to know she is smart from now, and help her to grow and learn and continue to have that love for learning into adulthood.
If you are a rosé fan – you are going to love frosé! I’m a little late to the game with this trend – but I’m on board now and planning to make this recipe a lot this Summer! We were recently in Vegas with some of our best friends and discovered frosé at the pool! It’s cool, refreshing, and delicious! I wanted to make these at home and this is what we came up with! Scroll down for this super simple recipe and enjoy! xo
Ingredients
- 1 bottle rosé wine (doesn’t need to be expensive. Get one with a good rich pink color)
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 6 Tablespoons strawberry infused simple syrup
- To make the strawberry infused simple syrup:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 8oz diced strawberries
Instructions
- Pour rosé wine into a freezer proof dish or pan. We used a loaf pan which was the perfect size and easy to fit into the freezer. Freeze for 6-8 hours (or overnight).
- For the strawberry infused simple syrup, combine water and sugar in a small sauce pan. Stir consistently until the sugar dissolves. Add the strawberries to the pot, turn off the heat, and let sit for 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a mason jar and chill for another 30 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and put back into your mason jar so you can save the leftovers in the fridge for later. You can toss the strawberries or use them in any way you see fit (on top of ice cream, blended with your frozé, etc.).
- Put the frozen wine, vodka, and strawberry infused simple syrup to a blender. Quickly then blend until smooth – start slow. You want to do a couple of seconds at a time – you don’t want to over blend or it won’t stay nice and slushy. Serve immediately and enjoy!
- NOTE: I plan on keeping a loaf pan of frozen rosé in my freezer just in case we have company or want to make this recipe on a hot day (without the wait). Truthfully, I would also make a double batch of the strawberry infused simple syrup if you plan to entertain or make this over a weekend. It goes fast and is worth making extra.
