Laundry Day

I turned the dryer on this morning only to have Jeremy ask, "Are you drying gravel?!"  No, that would be a load of baby clothes resplendent with snaps.  I did five loads of baby stuff today!!  And that doesn't include the four bags of pass-me-downs that didn't get washed.  I washed two loads of tiny clothes, then three loads of burp rags, washcloths, towels, blankets, sheets, etc.  I've only bought one outfit, but we are set.

I hoarded baby girl clothes for so many years, "just in case."  Having boy clothes rain down in spades has only confirmed for me that there is no need to hold on to things "just in case."  God will provide what we need, when we need it.  And in the meantime, I can funnel His provision on to someone else instead of carting it up and down the attic stairs (or asking my husband to).

Remarkable Phenomenon

Ah, quiet time.  It's really not meant for a 2-year-old, I don't think.  She is still just scary enough that I'm afraid to leave her unsupervised, but I need that break.  She got close to climbing out of her crib one too many times, so she's on the floor now with the whole room at her fingertips...including the built-in shelving unit with cabinets full of toys.  So far, she hasn't started pulling everything out or climbing the shelves, but I know it's just a matter of time.

I will say that she is doing well with quiet time.  She is no more cranky in the afternoon than she is in the morning, so I can't blame her defiance on no nap.  She's just two.

The one thing I have noticed that changes after quiet time is her volume.  It's rather remarkable.  When her timer starts beeping at the end of quiet time, she begins yelling, "Mommy!  My timer!  Come!  It's beeping! Come get me!  Mommy!"  And her volume remains at that level for hours.  It's as if she's afraid to be quiet again lest she fall asleep.

She did this a few days ago when we were at the store with Daddy.  We could not get her to be quiet for all the threats in our kingdom.  Nor for all the consequences at our disposal.  She just could not use her inside voice.  The more tired (tireder?) she gets, the louder she gets.  I suppose we're using all of our "quiet" during that one hour of the day and it's too much to ask to save some for later.  I'll take that trade-off, though, and keep repeating my daily mantra, "Turn your volume down.  Turn your volume down."

Works of Art

You may have picked up on a recurring theme around here that my children can sometimes be a bit frustrating.  I always love them, of course, but sometimes they can be a smidge exasperating. That's why things like this are cherished in a mommy's heart:

And I know the little one is really thinking the same thing, she just doesn't have the fine motor skills to write her thoughts yet.  But I know how to translate this...

I love my job!

This Too Shall Pass

I've been saying this to myself often in recent weeks, knowing that we are in a season with well-defined time boundaries.  I will not be pregnant forever.  I will not be the mother of three under five forever.  This too shall pass.  Time passes at the same rate of speed no matter my circumstances.

I was so encouraged by one of the posts over at It's Almost Naptime this week.  If you are a mother of littles, please go read One Year Olds Hit and other amazing bits of wisdom.  Here's a sneak peek:

"Oh, and then there's the fun of discipline. What are realistic expectations? How much do they understand? Am I too hard or too lenient? Am I being played, or am I scarring them for life?"

 Bet you never have that debate with yourself.  Only about a dozen times a day.  This too shall pass.

Last Holdout

Apparently mama is the last holdout on naps around this house.  I finally surrendered and allowed C to have "quiet time" in her crib today instead of trying to force her to take a nap.  This is not very different from what we've been doing except that I didn't spend half an hour fighting with her to close her eyes at the beginning of the hour.  I put some books and a few toys in her crib and told her I would be back when the timer beeped.  She did really well for a first attempt.  I only had to go in once when her band-aid started bothering her.  And she played quietly, too, so I actually got in a short snooze.  We'll see how cooperative she is this afternoon.

It really burns me that I have to be okay with this.  I really want to be able to force her to take a nap, but that just isn't realistic.  And it's not healthy for our relationship to have this daily struggle.  So, I surrender.  I'm not sure why they don't want to take naps.  After all, I think it's glorious and look forward to that time of day more than any other.  Okay, not quite...bedtime is definitely my favorite.

This Post Brought To You By...

...a two-year-old who won't nap.  Utterly infuriating!  She's lying in her bed alternating between cute sing-songy play and downright belligerent demands yelled at her mother.  "Mommy? Mommy, can you hear me?!  I don't want to take nap!  Get me out NOW!" Brief silent pause, then "itsy, bitsy spider-man went up the water spout."  I don't know who told her it was Spider Man that went up the water spout, but she's convinced.

I really would be fine with her not napping if she would play quietly like her big sister.  But this is a foreign concept to a toddler.  That's why they are supposed to take naps.  'Cause if you're too loud during quiet time, then mommy doesn't get her nap and that's just bad for the whole house.  Never mind that a toddler who won't nap is predisposed to lots of discipline as the afternoon stretches into evening.

And so mommy stands in front of the computer and tries to lose herself in bloggy world while eating chocolate and trying to make up the day's water intake.  But don't think I can concentrate to really write anything significant or worthy of your reading.  That will have to wait for another day.

It's a Boy!!

Looks like I'll be taking suggestions for a new blog title.  We're adding a blue arrow to this crazy train.

We found out this morning and could barely believe it.  But pictures don't lie and this baby definitely has outdoor plumbing.

As soon as we were done with the ultrasound, J and I went over to Target to pick out a little boy outfit.  I suggested maybe a little toy, too, to show our girls.  He knew immediately which little action figures he wanted to start collecting.  Never mind that it will be three years until the baby is playing with them..."by that time, we'll have the whole set," he said.

C still doesn't really understand what's going on, but A was thrilled.  She had decided awhile back that a baby brother would be fun since we already had a sister.

God is good, all the time!

If I Had a Nickel

Have you seen this hilarious video?

I'm only four years into being a mom and already, I sooo relate.  Wish I could cash in on the following phrases I say at least eleventy-seven-thousand times a day:

• Turn your volume down.
• No taking.
• Use your words.
• Are you sharing?
• Eat.
• Choose to obey.
• Obey right away.
• I can't understand you when you whine.
• What are you supposed to be doing?
• Wait nicely.
• No fingers in noses.
• Stop picking your nails.
• Put your knees down.
• That is not a jungle gym.
• Stop stretching out your shirt/pants/socks.
• Do you have stinky pants?
• Don't bang the table!

I know the list will only change as they get older; I will always repeat myself.  But I am really ready for them to hear some of these already!!  Sheesh!

Make it Stop!

I've said for a long time that my four-year-old has the mouth of a teenager.  The sass and backtalk that she reserves for her mother keep me awake at night, scared of the potential for venomous growth by the time she is 16.  You don't believe me because she is all smiley and cute to everybody else.  I know this is my payback for all those horrible things I said when I thought my mom couldn't hear.  (I'm so, so sorry, Mom.  But please, is there any way to make it stop?)

She has mastered the art of dramatic over-generalizations.  For example, I will say, "Please put your shoes and socks on so we can leave."  To which she will reply, "Okay.  I'll put my shoes and socks on and never, ever play again for the rest of the year!"  Or I'll suggest, "Don't lean into your sister's seat like that if you don't like her smacking you in the head."  She will counter with, "Do you only always want me to sit up straight like a robot and never, ever move?!"  (To which I will answer, "yes, please" which probably doesn't help.)  Or how about, "You have lots of stuffed animals; there is no need to fight over that particular puppy dog."  "Then I'll never have a turn, and she'll always have it and I'll never see it again ever!"

I kid you not.  I have added no extra "never/ever/always/only" for effect.  I really don't know where she is getting this, but more importantly, I don't know how to make it stop.  It's constant throughout our day, so pervasive that her little sister has started mimicking her to make her angry, "never, ever," with scrunched up nose and forceful voice.  I've started asking her if she is telling the truth, speaking with respect and love.  She always answers no, but I don't know how long it's going to take to break this really nasty habit.  And what kind of consequence do you give for dramatic sarcasm?  Help, Lord Jesus, help!!

Not What I Had Envisioned

This time yesterday, when I was thinking through my weekend, I could not have envisioned what I've been doing.  I turned my light off last night about 10:30 pm.  J came in at 11:30 pm to tell me he was headed up to a local coffee shop to play dominoes.  Count with me...one hour of sleep.  I woke up at 12:30 am to the sound of A crying and coughing in her bed.  She runs to my room to tell me she's throwing up.  Oh, joy.  So concludes hour two of sleep.

Bless her little heart, she was so proud of herself that she only threw up on the ladder of her bunk bed.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we had sickness from a height.  That equals distance.  And contrary to her understanding, ladders do not in and of themselves contain liquids.  However, toy baby cribs situated below the ladder full of Littlest Pet Shop pets do.

It was 2am when J and I finally crawled into bed after cleaning it all up.  About 15 minutes later, she started again.  Fortunately, she was on the floor in our room in a sleeping bag and we were well-armed.  So, we rinsed and repeated for a few hours.  I was wide awake by this point and didn't drift off to sleep until sometime after 5am.  C decided to scare the living daylights out of me by waking up crying and coughing at 6am.  I ran to her room expecting the worse, but she was just ready to get out of bed.  I told her she had to stay in bed until the sun came up, sang her a song and tried to catch a few more winks.  We'll be generous and add another hour to the sleep count.

C really was done sleeping at 7am, so we got up and watched Mary Poppins.  A woke up around 8am and we started the movie over again.  Never enough Poppins.  After the movie, I thought it was a good idea for A to have a bath.  Into the tub they went.  Meanwhile, J was disassembling the top bunk so I could get at the final crevices.  We got that done and I turned to wiping down all the hard surfaces in her bedroom.  I was wiping down a drawer handle when I heard, "There's poo poo in the tub!"  I totally ignored that announcement.  J just froze.  I thought surely if I ignored it, it would cease to be true.  Not so.  I guess C was feeling left out of all the laundry and disinfecting.  Two girls out of the tub, one husband standing in dismay looking at said contaminated tub.  We both look at each other and bust out laughing till we're crying.  (As I'm typing this, he said, "You know it's been a long night when you laugh at the word 'contaminated.'")

I ushered the girls to my shower, praying that C didn't pee along her naked way.  I got to the bathroom behind them and she's standing over a puddle.  Seriously?!  I asked her if she peed on the floor and she said, "No!" like that was the most incredulous thing I could ask.  I realized she was holding a dripping rag from the bathtub and chose to believe she had wrung it out.  While we were waiting for the water to get warm, she squeezed the rag again and says, "I pee-peed again."  Oh, isn't that so funny?!  No wait, there's more...

I wash C's hair and get a big glob of shampoo in my palm to start on A when C starts making moves like she's got business to do.  I whisked her out of the shower and onto the potty and tried to convince her to finish there.  Nothing doing.  I go back to the shower only to discover that A has commandeered the hand-held shower and is creating a lake on the bathroom floor.  Will the mopping up never end?!!!

We are attempting lunch now.  Here's hoping the second half of the day stays drier than the first.

Preschool Boredom Busters

WARNING! Super-long post!

My friend Jenny did a post today asking for ideas for things to do with your preschoolers when you run out of things to do.  By my very nature, I am not a spontaneous, come-up-with-something-fun free thinker.  My poor children suffer a great deal because of my apparent deficit in fun finding.  I can play along with something they think is fun or use existing toys as they are meant to be used, but I seriously lack in creative, out-of-the-box solutions to boredom.  Which means we usually all get grouchy with one another and start bickering, or perhaps worse yet, we go out into the world with our boredom and spend money.

Over the past few years, I have compensated for this dearth of free-flowing fun with a skill that comes as naturally to me as breathing...making lists.  My mind makes lists in my sleep.  I make lists in the shower and have even been known to write notes to myself on the bathroom mirror lest I forget that important nugget before I walk the twenty steps to my kitchen, which we all know is the incubator of all great lists.  I shared my master list of boredom busters with Jenny and she said I had to do a post on it.  Et voila!

I have tried several different methods of incorporating the "idea list" into daily life (i.e., the idea jar from which a child gets to draw ideas written on slips of paper).  But the current method seems to be working really well.  I have a "Today" page posted on a bulletin board in our kitchen and it has a checklist of things we need to remember to do like get dressed, brush our teeth, feed the fish, look at the calendar together.  It has four blank lines for Mommy's to-do's.  I try to write in my most important tasks for the day so that A gets an idea that my "chores" are not nebulous, vague and ongoing; they will end and I can check one off and come play.  Then I have a row of four big squares where I tack activity ideas that the girls can do on their own; another four squares for ideas we can do together; and finally three squares for ideas that C can do while I do lessons with A.  I typed up all of my ideas into a table in Word and cut them apart.  Each evening, I pull off the ones we did or that we turned our noses up at, and put on fresh ideas.  I get to control a little bit what we do based on the other demands of our day or my capacity to crawl about on the floor like a baby turtle.  But A gets some choice in the matter and enjoys seeing the new ideas come up.  I get the benefit of not having to think of things she can go do on her own.  I just suggest the choices for the day and she can do one of those or find something else.  When I take down an idea we've done, it goes in a separate envelope.  I won't dig in the "used" envelope until we're done with the "new" one so that the ideas stay fresh and are fun when they come around again because we haven't done them in awhile.

All of that explanation is to cover my insecurity over being so incredibly Type-A about having fun with my children.  I really wish ideas came to me naturally and I could sit in imaginary worlds for long stretches of time and be a kid with them.  Instead, I make lists.

The following list has been compiled from blog posts, parenting sites, books, other mommies, etc.  None of these ideas are mine.  Remember?  I don't do original.  Some of these ideas may seem obvious to you, but I frequently need the reminders.  Brace yourself; it's a long list.

• Plastic (or cardboard) coins and a piggy bank- bought or home-made.(Pringles can, slit cut in top)
• Chalk or light color crayons on dark construction paper.
• Scissors and paper (no other objective in mind!)
• Easy-to-use paper punch and strips of paper.
• Shallow bucket on a towel on the floor. Add water, boats, plastic fish, measuring cups, etc.
• Bucket of water and a paintbrush for outside painting. Works best on wood or concrete.
• Chalk on sidewalk or steps.
• Let them "wash" a few plastic dishes. Put an egg beater, measuring cup and baster in the water.
• A cup with non-toxic soapy water and a straw to blow bubbles. You may put it on a sheet of paper and add food coloring to the water.
• Make a necklace or snack chain with yarn (masking tape on end) and any cereal with holes; Fruit loops, Cheerios, etc.
• A plastic bottle (clean milk jug, well rinsed detergent bottle, etc.) and items such as clothes pin, straw, penny, etc., to drop in and then shake out again.
• Ice cube on a sidewalk. Works like sidewalk chalk, but requires no cleaning. (Also useful for cooling down.)
• Tape a sheet of freezer paper or newsprint to the floor and trace around the child (have them lie still on it with their arms and legs a little outstretched) and then let them color their self portrait.
• Cut (or tear) out fun pics from old magazines.  Use clippings to decorate a shoe box house, zoo, farm, city, school, park, etc.  Or make a theme collage (people, cars, letters, numbers, animals, etc.)
• Go through the house or yard or neighborhood and collect items to make a texture book/wall/gallery (focusing on touch...).
• Fill one side of the sink with water and add dish soap to create a place for objects to hide under. Give you toddler a pair of tongs and let them "fish" for the objects and drop them in a bowl on the other side of the sink. You could use all kinds of things as the treasures to be found: army men (could it be a rescue mission?), dice, canning jar rings, large legos, etc.
• Cut out some circles from cardboard and cover them in foil. Them put them in a bag to make a coin purse.
• Build with big cardboard blocks or boxes (city, roads, tallest towers, castle, etc.)
• Pull each other around the house on a thick blanket
• Play with beanbags – toss into boxes, toss to each other; “ring toss” – set up three different size boxes/cans at greater distances from the standing line.  Try to toss bean bags into each of the goals.  Outside, draw a “target” with chalk.  Toss bean bags into different sections of the target (can be bulls-eye or pie-shaped).
• Balloon basketball – take turns trying to throw a balloon into a pop-up hamper
• Play hide and seek
• Play duck, duck, goose
• Play Simon Says
• Play Mother, May I?
• Play foursquare outside
• Laundry basket boats – sail around the house collecting crew and treasure
• Play computer games – pbskids.org
• Button box, dry beans – sort, count, trade; in/out of different size boxes/buckets
• Beads, noodles – sort, count, trade, lace
• Poker chip money – sort, count, trade; in/out of different size boxes/buckets
• Play restaurant
• Play grocery store, toy store, book store, department store
• Play with play-dough
• Make art with stamps
• Work a few pages in a preschool workbook
• Rice bucket – pour colored rice into large empty plastic bin; put toddler in bin with scoops and cups
• Throw a party for a stuffed animal
• Throw a party for Daddy
• Play dress-up
• Play house/family – take the different roles of each family member
• Play doctor
• Make a tent indoors
• Music time – every one gets an instrument and take turns picking songs to sing and play along with
• Easel art
• Ball/car ramp –lean a long board onto a stack of books or table to make a ramp for cars and/or balls
• Draw a city on butcher paper (or on the sidewalk outside), then let cars and people play in the city
• Make lacing cards together by gluing pictures from magazines to card stock.  Laminate and punch holes.  Lace with yarn or shoe strings.
• Make a paper chain from strips of construction paper.
• Put on a puppet show.  Use curtain rod to drape a sheet across a doorway. 
• Make family puppets.  Use old photos of family members; glue to popsicle sticks.
• Make a puzzle out of front picture on cereal box.
• Cotton balls to play with – in buckets and cups, pinch with tongs, carry on spoon
• Hide puzzle pieces around the room and let the other person find and finish the puzzle.  Use hot/cold to give clues.
• Sew with yarn on plastic canvas
• Make a marble maze in a box lid or shallow box (or use a small ball)
• Work puzzles together
• Play a card or board game
• Go on a magazine scavenger hunt, finding the listed items in an old magazine.
• Use rope or long sticks to mark the two sides of a “brook”.  Have kids run and jump the brook.  Widen the brook with each successful attempt.
• Play follow the leader.
• Build and complete an obstacle course
• Play “monkey in the middle” trying to pass the ball to a friend while the friend in the middle tries to get it.
• Make shapes on sandpaper with various lengths of yarn
• Use different colors of felt to make faces – cut out eyes, ears, noses, mouths, jewelry, hair, bows; like Mr. Potato Head with felt
• Make a felt board by covering scrap wood with felt.  Cut out felt shapes to stick to the board.
• Scavenger hunt - Give children verbal instructions to collect a list of items (something smaller than your hand, something red, something soft, something longer than your arm, etc.).  Have them collect their items in a plastic bag or on-hand basket.  When enough items are collected, the children can compare their items, then return the items to their homes when finished.
• Flashlight tag – try to catch the other’s light with your own
• Tie a jump rope or long ribbon between two chairs; make a clothesline for doll clothes
• Big magnet – explore what is magnetic, what’s not (paper clips, washers, nails, etc.)
• Save a few paper towel and toilet paper rolls to make ball and car tunnels
• Color on sandpaper
• String together several empty boxes of various sizes for a stuffed animal train
• Stick rough side of Velcro to scrap board and attach soft side of Velcro to cast-off small toys (think Happy Meal toys)
• Wash the windows with a squirt bottle full of water
• Indoor tetherball (foam ball or balloon hung from a doorway; cardboard tube to bat at it)
• Paper cup pyramids
• Skate around the house in shoe boxes
• Make and climb a pillow mountain
• Use a toothpick to punch holes in black construction paper (put a dishrag under the paper).  Do a freeform design or trace a simple line drawing torn out of a coloring book.  Hold up to the light for a sparkling picture.

Hope it's helpful!  And if you have go-to ideas that work at your house, please, please share.  I need all the help I can get!  Obviously.

Four Years Old

Dear A,

You turned four this month. I'm a little late making notes about it, because we spent so much time getting ready for your party and then recuperating. You wanted a princess party with princess cupcakes. I did my best to give you all you wanted without selling out to Disney.

You started reading last month, and I can't slow you down. You're sounding out street signs, billboards, and magazine headlines. Daddy has been reading chapter books to you at bedtime for a few months now and you soak up all the new vocabulary. Sometimes I hear you narrating your play and it sounds so sophisticated.

You love to color, especially with markers. You make a picture for somebody at least once a day. You send them to the office with Daddy, mail them to cousins and grandmas, and still I have a big stack to sneak out of the house somehow. Your drawings are taking shape with recognizable people and houses, suns and flowers.

You have successfully quit sucking your thumb and got to paint your nails for the first time as a reward. 
You're still stuck on a sippy cup, but I'm working on phasing that one out, too. Your afternoon nap is becoming less regular without the help of your thumb to go to sleep. You've been enjoying quiet time every other day or so. At night, you want to sleep on the top bunk and sometimes you even make it to sleep without your beloved meatsy.

You ask so many, really good questions. "Where did the white plug in C's room come from? (electrical plug) Why do some kids have the same as me and others don't? (referring to body parts) Mommy, do you have a baby in your tummy or did you eat too much ice cream? (the latter, unfortunately)"

You're a great big sister, very helpful when you want to be. But it's hard to play with C sometimes, because she just doesn't understand your rules yet and you are all about the rules. You'll have to learn how to work things out with her because she's getting big and she's not afraid to hurt you. Today you made a "park" for her in the living room with lots of things you thought she would enjoy. You promised that she could play however she wanted and you wouldn't get angry. That was a very big gesture on your part.

I'm really trying to work with you right now to be a smidge less dramatic. You tend to have huge reactions to little problems, and the resulting battle is very draining. So then the next meltdown is a little bigger and the whole thing kind of snowballs our day. You have so many words, so it's really frustrating when you resort to flailing around on the floor and screaming. With God's help, we'll smooth out that rough edge before your next birthday.

I am so proud to call you my daughter and feel blessed beyond measure that God has placed you in our family. I pray we will have the wisdom and love to cultivate your soul into the beautiful masterpiece He has envisioned.

Beautifully Said

I have a lot of admiration for well-written blog posts that communicate truth and love in a way that is hard to ignore. Here are a few posts from blogs I read that made me say, "Amen!" or "Ouch!" when they arrived in my inbox.

Love is Not Colorblind

Better Me Than You

Herein is Love

How to Live a Better Story

10 Ways to Instantly Become More Attractive

How to be Disorganized & Unproductive at Your Job #1

How to be Disorganized & Unproductive at Your Job #2

Some of these are brand new, others are really old. I've been holding on to some of the links so I could share them here, and this is my way of de-cluttering my inbox. I think that takes the prize for laziest spring cleaning ever!

Love Me Tender

I was feeling pretty cruddy yesterday morning and A was so sweet. I laid down on the couch for a few minutes to recuperate from C's morning circus and let the pounding in my head subside. I told her my throat was scratchy and she ran away. I basked in the silence for a moment and then almost cried when she returned with a damp wash rag for me to put on my throat. Isn't that sweet?!

She played very patiently with her little sister on the floor while I rested on the couch. She paused to bring me a blanket and lovingly spread it out to intermittently cover both my toes and thighs, but not at the same time. She asked if she should bring the thermometer, but I told her that wasn't necessary.

When J got home from work, he banished me to the bedroom to rest, but not before A asked him for a cup from the cabinet. She's so proud that she can fix a cup of ice water from the fridge and usually has one waiting for Daddy when he comes in the door each evening. But this time, I was the honored recipient. Then she ran to get me another rag for my throat.

Thank you, God, for tender moments that help sustain us through less-than-pleasant personality phases. I shouldn't be amazed that You can love me well through a preschooler.

It Could Happen to You

God likes to humble me. That's one of the many reasons He blessed me with children. I have a tendency to stare blankly with my head cocked to one side when I hear mothers describe crazy things their kids do. Your son put a rock in his ear? What made him do that? Why would your daughter use lipstick to paint her wall? This sort of nonsense doesn't happen at my house. Your toddler took her dirty diaper off and carried poop around the house?! Where were you while this was going on?

Well, to be perfectly honest, I was reading a rather intriguing blog post about how guilty I should feel for using antibacterial soap (is any commercially-available product guilt-free and safe for consumption these days?). And in my defense, I'm fighting a sinus infection, so my brain is a little fuzzier than usual. So when C walked in to the kitchen this morning to put something in the trash, I was glad she announced it so that I could check to make sure that it really was trash before she threw it in. Why, yes dear, the trash can is a good place to deposit the poop from your diaper. What the heck?!!

And yes, she was walking around in nothing but a diaper so she had easy access. When I went to get her out of her crib this morning, she had super-soaked her diaper and I had to strip her down immediately, then change the sheet. I decided to wait until after breakfast to put play clothes on her. I thought I was saving myself some laundry. She has never before indicated an interest in taking her diaper off, although she has randomly landed on the tabs and pulled them open when I'm changing her. So I should have known she was capable.

I guess while I was engrossed in my blog, she did her business and decided to investigate. I'm soooo glad she made a bee line for the trash can. The mess stayed contained in the diaper and on her person. I whisked her off to the bathtub and hosed her down, making good use of a disposable washcloth sample I found in the cabinet. Once clean and dry, I locked her down in a onesie and a pair of overalls for good measure.

While she was in the bathtub, she begged to rescue the bathtub baby hanging from the shower hose to dry. I gave it a good squeeze to confirm it was dry and handed it over. She likes to feed her baby dolls whatever she is eating in her high chair, so I buckled her and the baby doll in and gave her a waffle. When I came back to her with a juice cup a few minutes later, her tray was full of water, she was soaking wet and a small pond was forming on the floor. Apparently the baby doll was not dry and more importantly, it's secret identity is a ShamWow!

So to recap, before my breakfast this morning, I stripped a urine-soaked baby and bed, washed a poopy baby, and mopped stale bath water off part of my kitchen floor. Don't laugh...it could happen to you. Or it already has and I laughed. And for that I am truly sorry and humbled. Next time, we'll laugh together.

Big Dose of Funny

Okay, I had to stop reading the comments on this blog post because I was starting to cry from laughing so hard. Go read and get a good dose of the best medicine. (Please note that given the subject matter, not all comments are g-rated; but they are all hilarious!) I'll go back and finish reading them about five minutes before nap time and that will see me through.

Subarban Snapshots: Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party

School Plans

In case you didn't know, I'm really excited about starting school in earnest with A this fall. I've been reading some great books recommended by trusted friends who have been homeschooling for years, trying to wrap my head around the different philosophies, methodologies, programs and curricula available. It's quite overwhelming. I feel very blessed to have so many wise Christian sisters who are further down this path already and can shed light on potential hazards and helps.

Some helpful reading I've been doing:

Top 100 Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy - great section that explains the general philosophies of homeschooling as well as quizzes to help you understand which style might work best with your family's needs and goals; then a fabulous wealth of info on all manner of curriculum and how they rate on criteria that are important to you

The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise - we've definitely gotten on board with the philosophy of classical Christian education and this book is soooo helpful! Detailed recommendations by grade and subject that are realistic and attainable. I felt infinitely better about starting with a 4-year-old after reading the appropriate parts of this book.

Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt - neat book about how to choose books for your children that will nurture their heart and mind; includes age-appropriate lists of titles to look for

So for this fall, my broad goals are learning to read and write. We're going to do one at a time, starting with reading. Then we'll start in on formal handwriting once she's comfortable with reading. For reading, I'm using The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise (available at my local library) and we invested in a set of BOB Books beginning readers. I'll get all our other easy readers at the library, cross-referencing the recommendations in The Well-Trained Mind and Honey for a Child's Heart. We're going to read, read, read, read. I'll read aloud to her, she'll read aloud to me, and she'll read on her own. We've already been ramping up our reading time and I love that our house is littered with books.

For handwriting, I went with Zaner-Bloser's handwriting style (mainly because the book seemed very thorough for the price). I think this will be fairly straightforward, but that could be my naivete talking.

I plan to pepper in some math and science in the form of everyday, household exploration. We'll also read lots of library books with math and science stories/concepts, thanks to the incredible lists in my reference books. I sprang for Family Math for Young Children because I do not just randomly generate great math ideas, and while my husband does, I'm betting he won't be around when I need to pull a math lesson out of my hat. I'm also hoping to have fun with art using Baby Lambs Book of Art. Both of these books will span multiple years and children.

Last, but certainly not least, we will read the Bible and lots of books about the Bible. I was gifted a beautiful story Bible when A was born and am just now realizing how highly recommended and wonderful it is. We've also got a great church library that I hope to work through repeatedly. Somehow, I want to gather the family together for this part of our education. I'm not sure how it's going to look yet, but J is working with me on ideas of how to merge our schedules for this all-important responsibility. We want to start on character training too, so I got Character Building for Families. Review said it was naturally scripted, concise and easy to do with little prep. Sounds like a good way to tackle the most important part of our children's training, doesn't it?!

As usual, I have probably bitten off more than we can chew. That's part of the excitement, I think. I'm going to maintain the broad goals for reading and writing, and establishing a family time for imparting biblical wisdom. Anything else we do will be gravy. Rich, exciting, calorie-dense gravy that will also probably be full of messy lumps. After all, I'm learning right along with her.

Maybe tomorrow

So I wanted to find an activity to occupy my girls while I got some stuff done on the computer. During nap, I found a recipe for no-bake playdough and thought we'd give that a whirl. I spent an HOUR making playdough!! That is the opposite of what I was going for. I needed the girls to be occupied for an hour, not me! Not to mention that my hands are now quite sore from kneading 2 cups of flour into 1/2 cup of water. And of course, by the time I got the food coloring worked into the last ball of playdough, C was consuming mass quantities of the first ball and A announced that she was done with it all. Needless to say, the budget did not get updated this afternoon. Maybe tomorrow.

Encouraging Tomatoes

I have drawn much parenting encouragement from a website I stumbled upon recently, www.raisinggodlytomatoes.com. I think I was searching for an "if-then chart," which she doesn't have on her site and doesn't advocate. I have to admit that several of her positions are directly opposite of the parenting advice I have heard in the last three years. But I find it so practical and helpful. I was needing a few new tools in my parenting toolbox, and this site reminded me of some that I wasn't putting into full use. As with all parenting books/sites/forums, glean what is useful for your family and don't let anything replace the ultimate truth of God's word. If her tips work for you, great! If not, don't take it as a commentary on your parenting performance. For my children's personalities/temperaments, her counsel is very helpful. Be warned! You could be lured into hours of browsing, as I think most of her book must be published on the website.

Battle of Epic Proportions

I'm a little dazed at the moment. Kind of deer in the headlights. I feel like I've gone 10 rounds with a prize fighter and have 3 more to go. A is taking her second nap of the day when we should be attending a friend's birthday party. We had to call and give our regrets; we couldn't attend because of A's poor choices today. And I am so sorry that we chose consequences that effect someone else's joy. I would take that one back if I could.

Wanna know what she decided was more important than a birthday party? What cause could be so worthwhile as to choose it over birthday cake, party games and a houseful of squealing friends? Pears. She chose pears as her fruit at lunchtime then chose not to eat them, forfeiting the privilege of watching a show before nap. After nap, she was confronted again with the pears at snack time. She had been warned that the pears would be back. No snack until the pears are eaten. Everyone else in the family had cookies for snack, she wailed. She decided it would be okay to not eat pears or cookies if someone would play with her. So that was removed as well. No, we will not play with you until you eat your pears. More wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a jovial game of checkers, trying to entice her to eat her pears. Nope, only more wailing. Several throwdowns and spankings later, she was sent to bed. No party, no cake, no cookies, no playing. Over pears!!! Not peas, cabbage, brussels sprouts, but pears!!

I have no idea how long this will take, but it is very clear to J and I that we have to outlast her on this one. We have taken away the show in the past if she didn't eat her fruit. Today it was obviously not incentive enough. As I tucked her in for her second nap, she told me, "Mom, when I get up, I'm not going to eat my pears." We need the Holy Spirit to intervene!

In the greatest of ironies, we will probably negate all healthful benefits of the pears by having some processed, refined mac-n-cheese and chicken nuggets for supper. Of course, she has to eat the pears first. Does that count as a bribe? Cause I really don't want to bribe her. She needs to choose to eat the pears.

I'll let you know what happens. It has helped to write this out. When she wakes up, we're going to pray together about the situation and see how God answers our prayer. I'm so glad it's Saturday and J is home.

*I am relieved to report that the battle is over. It wasn't pretty, but it's over. She had pears as an appetizer for supper, then blueberry muffins and raisins. We'll all live to see another day, but there will be large quantities of ice cream during the triage hour following her bedtime.