Mini-Chunks
Let's start things off with something from Peter. This morning he was chatting away on his pretend phone (with headset) and said:
"We should get together with the girls on Friday night."
Yes, we should. He refers to tacos of course.
Yesterday was super hard, so having today start off well gave new meaning to Anne Shirley's "tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it". Good thing.
I've decided that it's hopeless trying to live in a cluttered house and be happy. Or have any semblance of sanity. Really -- it's a personality thing. I'm sorry. Some of you are great at this. I'm just not. I can't think. I get really anxious and frazzled. I have to make things orderly. Clean. Neat.
Buzz is being SUCH a helper. He loves to push dirty clothes up into the washing machine, he's great at putting toys away {really!}, and always puts his milk bottle/water cup back up on the counter when he's done with them. YAY. That might make two of us.
Another important realization {that's been percolating in my brainio} is that things go much more smoothly when we divide the day into mini-chunks. We'll call it "chunking".
A fifteen minute session of free play, then a structured activity {here we are making an octopus}, then back to free time while mommy gets something else done {making rice casserole}. And best to have in the back of my head what the next structured activity will be {in case of spontaneous meltdown}. Today we beat it to the park at first signs of such melting.
I have really been on a hunt to find crafts that take more time for the child to perform than for the adult. Crafts with tons of cutting, gluing, precision painting, etc. really defeat the purpose, folks. We're trying to give the KIDS something to do. This cheerio craft did a fairly decent job of this.
I put the dots of glue, he applied the "suction cups".
The weather took a sun break {just in time for my "son" break} and we jetted outside. It was beautiful.
"We should get together with the girls on Friday night."
Yes, we should. He refers to tacos of course.
Yesterday was super hard, so having today start off well gave new meaning to Anne Shirley's "tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it". Good thing.
I've decided that it's hopeless trying to live in a cluttered house and be happy. Or have any semblance of sanity. Really -- it's a personality thing. I'm sorry. Some of you are great at this. I'm just not. I can't think. I get really anxious and frazzled. I have to make things orderly. Clean. Neat.
like these all-in-a-row beauties -- aren't they doing well?
Buzz is being SUCH a helper. He loves to push dirty clothes up into the washing machine, he's great at putting toys away {really!}, and always puts his milk bottle/water cup back up on the counter when he's done with them. YAY. That might make two of us.
Another important realization {that's been percolating in my brainio} is that things go much more smoothly when we divide the day into mini-chunks. We'll call it "chunking".
A fifteen minute session of free play, then a structured activity {here we are making an octopus}, then back to free time while mommy gets something else done {making rice casserole}. And best to have in the back of my head what the next structured activity will be {in case of spontaneous meltdown}. Today we beat it to the park at first signs of such melting.
I have really been on a hunt to find crafts that take more time for the child to perform than for the adult. Crafts with tons of cutting, gluing, precision painting, etc. really defeat the purpose, folks. We're trying to give the KIDS something to do. This cheerio craft did a fairly decent job of this.
I put the dots of glue, he applied the "suction cups".
The weather took a sun break {just in time for my "son" break} and we jetted outside. It was beautiful.
don't you just love looking at his cute bottom? ;p
he liked me! {Peter said for sure it was a "he"}
always going in opposite directions, with speedy looks on their faces
avoiding the puddle, actually really well