Some days, you just have to put the TV to sleep. Have you caught yourself allowing a little too much screen time after the holidays? We did. That awkward window of time between Christmas and New Year’s where you don’t even know what day it is snuck right up on us… I finally just had to put the TV to sleep for a few days. Instead, we’re building a Book Nest.
I think that the chaos of the holidays, the excitement of traveling up and down I-5 for family visits and all the new things coming into the house knocked Cash for a tiny loop. He would be barely awake, stumbling out of his room, already asking, “Watch TV?” I had plenty to do… clean up Christmas, organize taxes, put away and sort in new presents…. so I fell for it. I let him watch WAY too much and fell myself into a comfy little hole of production in other areas.

The I noticed Cash didn’t want to do ANYTHING else! He literally laid there, silent for hours as I bustled around the house and I didn’t even realize he hadn’t moved. #momfail
Then he would argue and tantrum when I went to turn it off or for nap times. He felt safe there, consistent, everything was predictable and a sure thing: When an episode of Super Wy ends… another will start automatically.
This had to end. We were SO off routine and schedule. Cash was irritable as soon as we turned the TV off. New plan!
We were in this complete black hole zone of being in-between units. I wasn’t prepared to teach them anything. I had fallen behind after the Holiday Crafting Unit took over {which was super fun!} and had not yet transitioned back into full on Toddler School.
I didn’t even know where they had landed, educationally after the Dinosaur Lessons.
Time to assess.
The Book Nest

Wyatt had just taken his first fumble steps early this week so he needed a Crash Zone too. If anything, they could just wrestle around and crawl among the pillows. Check out this super cute video of Wyatt crashing over the pillows HERE
All you need is a bunch of pillows and blankets. Build them into a circle and then cover everything up with the largest blanket. I used our king sized down comforter.



Then, armed with my phoneme recognition assessment chart, our favorite Usbornes and Baby Einsteins, we dove in for 4 solid hours of wrestling and reading. We read every single book cover to cover, asked questions, made predictions and found all the little white mice.
![]() |
Joyce Wan: You are my Cupcake is one of our favorites! |
Welcome to Mom School! This post is one of many Homeschool Preschool Lessons with #MySweetandSticky {Cash & Wyatt} As a former educator, I wanted to give them their best start before heading into public schools. (Which we LOVE!) On occasion, and throughout the summer, we continue our At-Home Learning. Cash is my Science Guy and Wyatt can’t get enough Sensory Play. Join us for every Sweet & Sticky moment.



Snag My Newest EBook- How to Build your Mom School Block Schedule
Find it in the Blog Shop for only $7.00
Read all about:
- Mom School & Building your At-Home Classroom
- The Literacy Corner
- The Mess Mat Follow our Hashtag #TheMessMat
- Sensory Play
Affiliate Disclaimer: My blog is heavily monetized with numerous affiliate links throughout. If you click on these links and make a purchase I earn a small commission. THANK YOU for helping me build the boys’ college savings accounts! Please feel free to visit all of our affiliates and read the entire disclosure/disclaimer HERE
