Back to school, back to school...

Yesterday marked the start of “Mommy Preschool” for Lily and Tristan. I came across a few blogs of moms (mostly former teachers) who make and follow lesson and unit plans for their kiddos. I have tried to do at least a themed project a month or so with the kids, and we do flashcards every day, but both kids have been soaking things up like sponges so I figure there is no better time to start a more structured day.

The theme I chose to start with is shapes. I used my handy dandy notebook to brainstorm a few ideas for easy projects that would take up a little bit of time each day and act as a change of pace from our daily routine. I racked my brain for simple projects I used as time fillers or sub plans in my classroom. I decided to start with the easiest---pasting circles on a circle.

After breakfast and some free play time, we followed the leader back to the dining room to start project time. I taped a coloring book sheet to each high chair to entertain whichever kid was not gluing. I find that taping the pages down prevents some agitation and frustration for them since their papers are not slipping all around the tray. It took about six minutes total for both kids to glue the pre-glue filled circles to the paper. I did not really let them put the glue on themselves nor did I let them manipulate the colored circles too much because we were using my Modge Podge and not Elmer’s. (Non-toxic glue is on my next shopping list). It didn’t take a ton of time up, but we talked about circles and sang about circles during those minutes.

We went on a circle hunt after lunch and looked in each room for things shaped as circles. We knew what things were circle because “it goes round and round!” They loved marching around and pointing things out to me, even if they weren’t always circles. It was fun to march around on a mission.

The more structure day made it go by faster and kept the fighting to a minimum. I am no fool. I know that this won’t work every day. My projects won’t always go as planned. We didn’t do any projects or circle walks today, but we did our flashcards and read our books and had a play date with Aunt Alyssa.

Ashley did tell me that last night while Tristan was taking a bath he started to point at something and say a two syllable word that she thought was ‘turtle’ but there wasn’t a turtle in the tub. Turns out he was pointing to the drain saying CIRCLE! I am so very proud of my baby geniuses! 

Just a few thoughts...

I am two days and six months away from being the mother of a two year old. YIKES! Where did the time go?! I find myself now googling things like “when should I start potty training?” and “how do I get my 18  month old to stop sucking her thumb?” and of course “why the heck is my precious little baby girl munching the crap out of her (sometimes) innocent cousin?” The answers to some of these questions are quite amusing.

My goal was to start potty training after Christmas. We got a potty, and prior to Christmas Lily sat on the ‘big potty’ twice. Once I caught her mid-poop so even though I had to hug her to keep her on, we successfully pooped on the potty. And when Jordan was watching her the other day and he came in her room to find her reading while sitting on her little potty. That’s progress right? HA. Ultimately I would like to have her using at least her potty by her second birthday/our road trip to Tennessee. My only fear of starting this now is that there is a 99.9% chance I am going to be doing double duty with both kids. Pun intended.

As for the thumb sucking. It really doesn’t bother me that she does it. She’s adorable and it’s always been her quick fix to calm her down. I do feel bad that her poor little thumb is chapped because of this cold weather. When she’s 15 and still sucking her thumb then I’ll be concerned.

The biting is the hardest to deal with. When I first started working at the daycare, I was in a classroom where the kids were about the same age as Lily and Tristan are now. The one little boy bit the other two kids in the class at least once a day. I could be on top of him, and he would still find a way to munch on his classmates. I even got bit a few times in the crossfire. I remember thinking “why is he doing this?” and I remember talking to his mom every day as she was signing the incident reports. She was just as frustrated and lost about it as I was. It all boils down to not being able to communicate their needs, wants, and emotions. Lily will hug Tristan or try to kiss him, and once he’s had enough, he’ll just open his mouth and lunge towards her. And if he takes a toy that she wants to play with, she comes running, mouth open.

These are three topics I need to further research. They’re on my naptime to-do list but so far this week my naptime ‘free time’ has been just long enough to take a shower and throw on a tank top. Sigh. I started to read some mommy blogs and threads tonight, but I am beat and we're watching our addiction..The Wire. 

"I hate writing. I love having written." -Dorothy Parker

I read an article on how to write an effective blog this afternoon and one suggestion that stuck with me was to just write. I usually do have to start each blog in a Word doc and then edit after I have gotten everything down that I wanted to say. Usually my thoughts jump all over the place and what I originally started out writing about gets lost in the sauce.

The holidays are over and yet I am still pooped! I feel like the month of December was just a big blur of running around and wrapping paper. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed (almost) every minute of it, but man…I think I still need a day to recoup! We did have a snowstorm last week so I did not have Tristan Friday which gave me a chance to finish opening Lily’s new toys, organizing her room, and cleaning out her closet. I am trying to keep our room clean and somewhat organized. I started a new craft (more on that soon) which involves rolling up magazine pages, modge podge, cardboard, and a hot glue gun. My work space is the 4 x 6 space in between our bed and the closet, and it tends to get a little over run. I did get a label maker for Christmas and that has done wonders. I feel like if a plastic drawer/box has a name on it, I will be more likely to put the items away. We will see how long this lasts!

I also have been making myself weekly to-do lists. Sometimes during nap I get sidetracked or I don’t know which project to start. It never fails, though, that if I have a set plan, or a big idea, one kid wakes up waaay too early. I make sure most lists have simple things on them like “wipe down the bathroom” just so I can cross something off!They balance out the ones that have been on the list every week, like "sew buttons on your coat". 

Oh and I am very excited to announce that I am blogging from the comfort of my bed while watching The Wire on HBO Go. This is the life. 

Hello 2014...

This year, instead of the usual half-assed resolutions and promises I usually make, I decided to keep it real and true to myself. So here are my resolutions for the upcoming year!

1.  Blog More! Putting my thoughts and concerns onto paper (word document?) does help to relieve some stress. Plus Jordan got me this awesome new laptop for Christmas so I can blog from anywhere! He’s the best! And I guess I can start spreading the news that I started this bad boy. Maybe if I know there's a chance people are reading it, I'll keep up with it. Maybe. 
2. Read More! One year, I averaged one book per week. I did not have a steady boyfriend, a child, and I was still just hosting at Iron Hill. This past year, I barely got through six books. So in order to challenge myself, but also be realistic, I am aiming for one book per month, and I would like them to be ‘good’ books. The year of the 52, I threw in some YA books and finished the year with Chuy Bravo’s autobiography. I would like to maybe read one or two ‘classics’. I did get the Game of Thrones series that I am very excited to start, but I have a feeling I am going to have to take breaks in between each of those six books. I also might have to ask Alyssa for some suggestions.
3. Smile More! Enough of sweating the little things. I have a beautiful baby girl who is growing up so quickly before my eyes. I get to stay at home and watch not only her, but also my nephew Tristan grow and learn and play. I am truly blessed to have an amazing support group in not only my family, but in Jordan’s family, and my friends. I also have Jordan, my partner in crime, my best friend, who I couldn’t do all this without.
4.  Learn a new trick or two! I want to learn things this year! I want Jordan to teach me how to use his tools and maybe even throw in a cooking lesson. I am creative and crafty, but I would like to expand my horizons and learn new things!
5.    Appreciate Family Time! We spend a lot of time with both sides of our families and sometimes it can be overwhelming and tiring. I love days or nights when it’s just the three of us, but I also love seeing all the kids interacting and how Lily plays with my parents. Family is there to make you nuts but love you uncondidtionally and we are so lucky to have so much love.

Well, there ya go. Let’s do this 2014. And if I happen to lose a few pounds or get ahead of the game financially or learn to cook a few more meals, then so be it!