Wormy Wednesday Wash-up



"Um, are you mad, Mom?"



After School Activities

...should be quiet

....calm

...cooperative

and... well, you know...good clean fun





Oh, here's one more for good measure:

When the going gets tough,

                                                  mommies watch home videos. 

Everything and everyone seems "off" this week.  In spite of normal bed times, the boys aren't sleeping enough.  Combined with naps only 50% of the time, this means tired, cranky kids.  To my horror, I was contacted by Henry's teacher about his behavior in class today.  It was quite a blow since I am the one who usually makes those phone calls to other parents.  It was troubling to hear that my own son could not be easily redirected and behaved inappropriately all morning.  I'm trying not to overreact--he's allowed to have a bad day here and there.  He's almost five and I'm attributing his new, poor attitude to growing pains. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly worried about his behavior. 

Also on my mind is the big, combined birthday party this weekend.  How will I ever fit so many people in my home?  How will I feed them all?  How will I ever get the house picked up, the floors swept and vacuumed and the bathrooms cleaned?  When will I have time to decorate the cakes?

So, you see, I want to bury my head in the sand.  Instead, I'll just watch this and remember to take the moments as they come...

Plus, it absorbed all those pesky cooking odors



If you think the boys look happy in this photo, you should have heard them squealing with delight.  Who can get upset about that?     A few other photos of the experiential learning happening around here:

Who turned out the lights?

My brother did it.



It takes a lot of work to find the right bedtime story



Water play:  What sinks?  What floats?  What clogs the drain?



If home is a child's first school, why don't we have a custodian who comes in late and cleans up at night?  Oh, wait that's me...





Doesn't this look cute?  Doesn't it look doable even for a working mom of two?  Wouldn't it be fun to display and talk about during the month of December?  Here's the link to Family Fun magazine that will guide you through step-by-step directions.  But first, let me warn you--you need lots of paper. Expensive, only-on -sale-when-you-don't-need-it, scrapbooking paper.  You'll also need a steady hand and lots of patience.  I know it looks simple and it is,  but remember, you have to make 24 of these conifers.  Or as Henry called them,  party hats.  Still if you are crafty, have at it.  Liam certainly did.  He crushed half the cones and threw the rest on the floor.

I decided to try a another advent project from the same site.  Their sample was adorable; so one evening after the boys were in bed, I set to constructing this candy calendar.  I made a few minor changes to the easy-to-follow directions.  I laid 48 treats on the tape and used a thin paper bag for the top layer. 

Instead of numbering each section, I created a simple pattern for Henry to notice.  Crayola glitter glue pens worked wonderfully to add sparkly decorations to the front of the calendar.  It was getting close to 10 pm by the time I was finishing the details;  I don't think I would have done well with anything more complicated than those colorful squeeze tubes.

Henry loves the calendar.  He is very good about cutting just one section each day.  (His brother, on the other hand, is not so easily restrained.)  Henry can lift the strip from the wall and see what tomorrow's candy will be.  When we reach the top it will be time for Santa's visit!

Crafting Our Afternoons

Working full time means I have less than three hours to spend with my boys on any given weekday.  I find it's best not to dwell on this calculation but I do need to find a way to maximize this quality time.*  The clock is ticking as soon as I pick up the boys.  We stumble in the door with jackets waving, shoes flying and bags dropping.  The tote bags are filled with remnants of our day:  empty cups, Liam's blanket, daycare journal, Henry's coloring pages, lunch containers, student papers to grade, to do lists and the junk mail I collected at the curb.  Usually the answering machine is blinking, one or both of the boys are literally screaming  for attention while the dogs scratch furiously at the door and/or try their darndest to trip the rest of us with their frantic pacing. 

It is amidst this chaos that I need to reconnect with my family.

If I work backward from Liam's 7:15 bedtime, dinner needs to be on the table by 6:15 at the latest or 6 pm if it's a bath night.  That means I must decide on and start preparing our simple dinner no later than 5:45.  So, if I'm lucky, there's one hour of free time for us to share. I need to engage the family in an activity that transitions us from our separate days and gives us a sense of belonging to one another again.

My boys love their GeoTrax.  Some afternoons we simply take off our jackets and shoes and play trains for an hour.  Henry and I disagree about track design, Liam can't understand that the white diesel train does not work no matter how many times he places it in my lap and I am constantly noticing the stains on the carpet,  but all in all, it's a pleasant way to spend the time.

Henry loves to do puzzles but, no pun intended, this is not a connecting activity.  Liam cannot do Henry's jigsaws and he absolutely refuses to work age-appropriate, chunky wooden puzzles alongside his brother and me.  Tantrums abound. 

Last week I stumbled upon a simple craft.  Both boys had great fun creating a big mess.  Liam used his fingers, Henry used paintbrushes and safety scissors.  I used a sponge and some 409.

As a result everyone was engaged, working side by side for a few minutes while we debriefed our busy days.  We talked about colors and nature.  We talked about the head-to-toe mess that Liam had become.  It was fabulous family time and the finished product, while less important than the process, is a visual reminder of this shared activity.

I'm currently looking for a few more open-ended projects with a tactile components for Liam and a series of steps for Henry to follow.  I purchased a used copy of Rosie O'Donnell's Crafty U book.  I also discovered toddlercraft.net and of course, there's my favorite go-to for ideas, Family Fun. 

I've brainstormed a few other ideas for this family time.  I'm going to fashion some color and number dice and teach the boys a game with Duplo blocks.  Roll a color and a number, then add those bricks to your builidng.  Again the key is to find something that will equally engage an almost 21 month old and his 3 1/2 year old brother.  Since my boys love to eat, I'm also looking for more "make-your-own" recipes; tiny pizzas and pilgrim hat cookies are the menu for this month.  Now where did I put that sponge and 409?

* Full disclosure:  Some days I'm just too tired to do anything except retrieve cartoons from the dvr.

Confession from a reluctant potty trainer...

It's not him, it's me.  Ok, really, at almost three years old H is more than a little reluctant to give up diapers.  But I'm dragging my feet along with him.  And I'm the MOMMY.  I should be leading the way, championing the use of the big boy underpants and trips to his froggy potty chair.  Instead I half-heartedly ask each day if he wants to go sit in the bathroom, wear (insert character of the day) cotton briefs and be a big boy.  I secretly sigh in relief when he responds with a great big "NO WAY, Mom, No Way!"

What is wrong with me?  This is a rite of passage; other parents wear it like a badge of honor.  There certainly are volumes of how-to information out there.  I have eagerly awaited and then cheered for  the other developmental milesones as they appeared.  I've watched with pride as H has changed from baby to toddler to soon-to-be preschooler.  In so many areas he is above average.  (I get to say that, it's my blog.)  So why do neither one of us want to move forward when it comes to toilet training?

I dread the mess.  I dread the inconvenience.  I dread being tied down to the house even more than we are now. When nature calls and we are in public, how on earth will I get him into a bathroom stall while holding on to the baby?  Yes, Liam's stroller will fit in the handicapped stall.  I guess we'll make it work.  I just can't get excited about it. 

I do not want to hold him back from the opportunities he would have if he were in big boy pants.  I've already chosen not to sign him up for t-ball this spring.  He would be the only one on the team in diapers and they discourage this.  I guess it's bad for team morale when the short-stop is laying on a changing pad in rightfield.

When Henry wants to wear underwear and use the toilet, I will encourage him in every way.  I will be his biggest cheerleader and record his achievement with pride.  I promise.  We're  just not there yet.

Kitchen Help

As you can see, Henry used to be very helpful in the kitchen.  Now he would rather do a jigsaw puzzle or draw pictures at the counter while I prepare our dinners.  That's why I'm excited to have found this site.  I'm happy to share it with you.  Hopefully it will make our busy lives a little easier during the holidays!

http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/

The Great Milk Flood of ’09 has forced Thomas and friends to relocate to Old MacDonald’s Farm. Property damage is in the tens of dollars but thankfully there were no casualties. Authorities are questioning several Fisher Price Little People in connection with the loosening of the sippy cup lid.