Orifice

Orifice other wise known as a hole that opens to a bodily cavity aka: mouth, ears, and nose. Now why is it with small children that these holes are so fascinating, so amusing that they must investigate them at every opportunity? Whether its walking around the house with the finger resting nicely in the nose cavity or the one I dread the most, putting foreign objects in it like peas, corn, and cheerios! All it takes is one split second head turn and BAM, something is stuck in the nose. When she first did this with a pea I didn't realize that she had stuck something up her nose. She just sat there sniffing her nose really loud and kept sticking her finger up it. I reprimanded her for doing so but she continued to make a huge fuss over her nose. That's when the thought occurred to me that something wasn't quite right. So I tilted her head back and what do ya know....a pea! I thought to my self "oh dear God how will I get this out of her nose?". I went to the bathroom and grabbed the tweezers and it came out like a charm. Well there have been several instances since then. None like the one I had last night!

Last night Amie was sitting at the table eating cheerios for snack when she started to do the nose sniffing thing again. Oh boy here we go again I thought to myself. I tilted her head back and what do ya know...there it was a cheerio. surprise, surprise, you didn't see that one coming did ya?? So I wandered to the bathroom to get my handy dandy tweezers. When I got back to the table I reminded her that food goes in our mouths not in our noses and tilted her head back to get the cheerio. Right as I tilted her head back the cheerio came shooting out at me and hit me in the eye! It was like my daughter had a built in "pea shooter" (pardon the pun) except it wasn't peas it was a cheerio! It came out so fast that my poor eye never had a chance! It startled me so bad that I nearly flipped over the table when I jumped back. Now how often can somebody say they got hit in the eye with a cheerio from their daughters nose?? I can LOL!

Activity of the day:

Little kids love to look at pictures of themselves, whether it be now or when they were babies, they just love it! So I made a book for Amie full of pictures all of her and family and she loves it!

When I did was get a cheap or old little 4x5 photo album and filled it up with pictures of our family and pictures of Amie when she was a baby and now. you can glue or tape the plastic slip covering shut so your child can't grab the picture out. I also let my daughter color and paint the inside and outside of the photo album. You could even add stickers or for older children glue ribbon, paper, and buttons on it was well. This is my daughter favorite book, she spends tons of time looking at it. You can keep it fresh by adding new pictures, it ever gets old!

Activities

Well, it is the dead of winter and though going outside sometimes into the several feet of snow in my yard is fun, the majority of the time..I'll pass. Winter time makes it rough for parents that stay home all day with their children. Especially if you have more than one! I only have one and I feel the pain and agony of winter pulling at me every day. I can't imagine two or more. Maybe someday I will. When your home cooped up all day I find it a lot more fun to do activities and crafts. Have a plan! I don't know maybe its the teacher in me but I like to plan a weekly themes and activities for my daughter. I like to feel like she is still learning and progressing the way she should be even though she is at home. So I plan. I plan crafts, activities and integrate things she should be learning like colors, shapes, letters, counting, ect. into those activities. So I thought it might be nice for the whole 2 of you that actually read my blog if I provided some fun, and cheap at home activities!

1)Home made sensory table: Sensory tables are nice because you can change out the things you put in them on a daily basis. Ex: Sand, water, water with bubbles, snow from outside, dyed rice/noodles (I'll give ya the recipe for that later), beans, ice cubes, water with ice cubes,potting soil, dried corn, leaves, flowers to explore. The ideas are endless. Sand and water tables can be expensive so I made one. I took a laundry basket turned it over and placed a plastic shallow tub on top of it. Vuala! sometimes I duck tape the tub to the laundry basket depending on what is in it. Then I place it in the middle of my kitchen floor with old towels underneath. My daughter loves it, and its the perfect height! Its also easy to clean up just store towels inside of the laundry basket. Hours of indoor fun!

*sensory table activities: You can store activities in plastic tubs, zip lock bags, or recycled food containers.

Sand: with scoops, spoons, empty water bottles cut in half to make a funnel and pouring container and recycled sour cream, yogurt, butter (ect.) containers, bugs, cars/trucks, shells, you can even add a bit of water to it to make a neat texture. Water(with/with out bubbles/ice cubes): with empty containers, sponges, cut up pieces of fabric for different textures to feel, scoops, measuring spoons, measuring cups, bowls, cars, babies, animals,or bugs (plastic).

snow: With scoops, empty containers, plastic animals, home made funnels from cut in half water bottles.

Dyed rice/noodles: With scoops, home made funnels from plastic bottles, spoons, recycled containers.

2)Dyed rice/noodles recipe: Dyeing noodles is fun and easy and tuns of fun for the kids to play with in the sensory table or in a clear plastic bottle as a shaker (glue the cap on). Its easy and kids like to help make it. First you need a zip lock bag for each color of noodle/rice you choose to make. pour in rice or noodles a couple of cups then 1tsp. rubbing alcohol, and some drops of food coloring. Depending on how vibrant you wanted you can add more color or less. Seal the bag and mix, mix mix. Kids like to do this part they like to see the noodles/rice turn colors and feel the texture. Then they are all colored pour rice/noodles onto a paper towel to dry. The alcohol will evaporate and if they choose to eat it, it will do them no harm.

cog. development activities for sensory tables: count how many animals, scoops, containers ect. are in the sand. What color are they?(ex: look at the red bug!, or can you find the red bug?) Can you find any shapes? (ex: look the cup has a circle!, can you find a circle?) how does it feel?(ex: ohh this feels wet, sticky, hard, cold or what does this feel like? Is it cold?) Sorting like objects into the same container either by color, size, or type.

So I think with every post I will now post an activity for the day. I hope who ever is reading this will enjoy it. If you guys do the activities let me know what ya think I hope they're tuns of fun and everybody enjoys them! If not I guess just let me know and I'll stop =).

Easiest

Well, lucky for me these past few days have been pretty eventful free (that never happens)! Its been a pretty easy couple of weeks for Amie and I. I have found that When Amie comes to me and wants to color or play in the snow that is when I make her pick up her toys, and it is working great so far. "So far" being the key word. Any day now she could change her mind and decide that playing in the snow or coloring is not very import and and give up on it entirely. When that happens I'm not sure what I will do. You see at one point threatening to taking away baby and barbie worked, for a week. She would do anything I asked her to do, it was a miracle! The heavens opened, sun beans came blasting down and angels sang sweet sweet songs of joy and happiness. Then one day she just stopped caring, until it was nap/bed time that is. Then it was down right important that she have her babies and Barbie. With out them its like she's sleeping so sweetly not a care in the world, then all of a sudden BAM she realises at 2am that she doesn't have her barbie and baby and wakes up screaming and crying for them. Yeah I could just say "tough luck you lost them" but that would be way to inconvenient for me. Once again there is the doing what is easiest for mom and not necessarily best for child. ARRG! Thus I stumbled upon my waiting plan, and like I said works like a charm... so far.

I'd like to think that I have an unfair advantage being a mom. You see I taught preschool for like 6 and 1/2 years, not to mention the years of training that I have on top of that. I have come into motherhood armed and dangerous! I know through experience how I do and DON'T want my daughter to act. I know the mistakes that parents make that really have no idea what in the hell they are doing. Or just want to do what is easiest. When you almost cut your finger off, easiest acts as a temporary band aid. It feels good now but eventually with out stitches you'll just bleed through, then get an infection, then your finger has to get amputated. Nobody wants that. Same thing goes with children. When a behavior occurs doing what is easiest temporarily covers the real problem. Before you know it you child's behavior has escalated so far beyond the point of "what the hell do I do now??" to "I'm going to drop my child of on the side of the road and leave!". Even I have those moments where I don't know what I am doing, or thought that I was doing the right thing and have found out later that it wasn't. We learn from our mistakes. How can we progress with out making mistakes and learning from them?? We just hope and pray that our mistakes aren't severe enough to cause real damage and traumatise the child forever. The majority of the time they're not. Thank goodness!

Make a mistake - Learn - Evolve - Move on!

Dead Weight

Trying to get a two year old child to pick up toys is a lot like trying to pull a 300lb bag of dead weight. First you approach the bleak job with joy and optimism. If you have high spirits and a can-do attitude anything can be accomplished! After trying and trying again and again with no such luck and not even a hint of a smidgen of movement you think to yourself, "OK, no luck and try another approach, bargaining. So you stand there looking at the 300lb bag offering a plethora of opportunities you know the bag would enjoy. If the bag would only move you would not throw it away, or maybe you would move it to a really cool spot where it could dance and play all day, YAY! The bag does not budge. "Fine! you think to yourself, "if you wont move them I'll take your favorite thing in the whole world away! HA! Take that!" It looks at you all smug and arrogant, even smiling at you! That smile, ARRG! "I'll give that bag something to smile about in a second" you think to your self. But wait, you pull your self back take a breath and offer a bribe. Ah, the bribe, this will do it for sure! If the bag moves then you will give the bag back it's favorite toy you just took way a second ago. But still, the bag does not move. Your blood starts to boil. You can feel your temperature rising, your lip starts to quiver with anger, "FINE!" you scream, "TIME OUT!" HA take that bag, I'll show you who's boss! Time out does nothing, the bad just looks at you in relief that the bag doesn't have to move anymore.

Whats left?? Giving up?? Jump up and down screaming and flailing your arms around, then throw yourself on the floor and through a hissy fit??

A battle that is so hard to win, moving a 300lb bag. Just like the battle of getting a two year old child to pick up toys! IMPOSSIBLE! Yet, we do it anyways and you never give up, at least some parents don't. I don't. Sometimes parents do give up, "It'll be easier and quicker if I do it." Or they don't even pick up at all, "Whats the point the mess will be back in two seconds anyways". Is that really the point? Is that really what we want to teach our kids?? That all they have to do is give up, wait us out and we will do it for them, we will give up?? HELL NO! We are parents, we are adults, we do not stoop to their level (even though we would like to sometimes).Those of us that stick to it will and do eventually persevere! We win! VICTORY! In the end the battle was worth it. It teaches then a valuable lesson, it teaches us parents a value lesson:

Giving up never got anybody anywhere!

Toilet

Ahh, the toilet! So fun, so exciting, so big shiny and white. Sitting there all alone in the forbidden bathroom. Begging, willing, yearning to be used. To the untrained eye it looks normal, not too unusual, but to the sharp keenness of a toddler the toilet is a magical place! A place that yearns to be discovered, aches for attention, starving for a visitor. Its water glistening, waiting, calling out to be touched.

Today, the toilet was all that and more. Today I awoke to giggling and splashing noises coming from...the BATHROOM! I sat strait up in bed..."ohhh NOO!!!" I screamed to my self! If I could have teleported my self there that wouldn't have gotten me there any faster than I did in that single moment. What I saw next will haunt me for life! What I saw next I will Smother my husband for when he comes home. What I saw next should have NEVER of happened!

As I flew into the bathroom, there she was. Standing at the toilet, smiling ear to ear welcoming me with a joyous "MOMMY!" I stood there, froze with fear. Thinking to my self for a quick second which felt like an eternity. "Amie, Yuck, icky" I finally said and I slowly moved over to her, hands out in front of me in a non threatening manner. Then I noticed it. The water was not clear, it was a nice shade of yellow! "ARRRGGG!" I belted out. I swooped Amie up to the sink and began thoroughly washing her hands, with lots of extra soap. Why oh why?? Does this sort of thing only happen to me??

I know my husband was just trying to be courteous by being extra quiet in the morning, and I really do appreciate it. However, when trying to be courteous it is also important to put the toilet seat down. Let this be a lesson to all!

Bliss

Bliss is opening your eyes for the first time in the morning and seeing the sunshine shinning through the windows, and you pause and listen for a quick second and ... quiet. No pitter patter of little feet, no screaming, no giggling, no little voice, quiet. Ahh this is bliss. More often than not, bliss is very short lived. Maybe like a second or two, but today my bliss lasted all day!Bliss is hearing the squeak of the door nob turning in a certain little girls room. Quiet. Then a soft thud as the door hits the wall as it is opened. Quiet. Thumpity thumpity thump thud little feet hurrying down the hallway. Quiet. Another squeak as the door nob is turning, my heart starts to race and a smile forms across my face, I pull the covers over my head and wait. Thud! The door hits the wall as it is flung open in excitement, "MOMMY!" her voice so electrifying that my heart beats faster in anticipation. I can feel her at the foot of my bed now climbing up, but she pauses. "MOMMY!" Bliss is when she rips the blanket from my head and there she is smiling, sweet, happy, and my heart races on as she throws herself on top of me and gives me the biggest and best hug EVER!

Bliss is sitting on the floor with a vibrant little girl with a smile that never quits. Holding your face in her hands so gently, her face so close to yours you can feel her soft warm breath. Bliss is the anticipation you feel right before she kisses softly on the right cheek and then the left. My heart swells with warmth, I have a smile from ear to ear.

Bliss is holding a little hand in yours while dancing to the chicken dance on full blast in the middle of the living room. Bliss is watching your boisterous daughter bust a groove and pull out dance moves that would shame even the best and most distinguished dancers! Bliss, happiness, ecstasy, euphoria, heaven; all reasons why I stay at home with my daughter. Sometimes they are forgotten covered up with anger, screams, whining, and cries. But as quick as all of those things come, they go, and these are the moments I savor the most, today is....

BLISS

Dear God...

This morning I was awoken by a very angry, very shrill screech and whining from a very adorable, very short, brunette with big blue eyes at the foot of my bed. I rolled over and mumbled "umm, hmm...come on sweetie." Still yet she let out another very loud, very shrill, high pitched screech, and proceeded to stomp her feet on the ground. "ohhh, Amie" I thought to myself "My holy freaking head is killing me! Sooo TIRED!" So I mumbled very unwillingly for Amie to come on, climb IN. The screeching and whining continued for another couple of minutes before she was able to figure how to pull herself next to me in bed. "Oh, good" I thought to myself, in reality the correct thought would have been "Oh crap!" How ever, I was feeling optimistic this morning (FYI, I am no longer feeling optimistic!). The shrill screeching and whining for her baby, then her barbie, then the dog, continued on and on, I grumbled for her to knock it off, and "if you want your barbie go GET IT!! ugg!" But, nope that wasn't good enough, nothing is ever good enough for her highness, she wanted me to get it. Ya, like that's gonna happen, I thought to myself. Being a mom some days is so freaking great, like today I wished a horrible wish that I wasn't, that Amie would POOF disappear, just for a second. But she didn't and I'm Glad that she didn't. She makes me so happy, she makes everything I do in life worth it. She uplifts a crappy day like today....

Being a stay at home mom requires some sacrifices, unless you're super rich and have loads of money however, I do not. Some times those sacrifices just catch up to you. Like mine did today. I don't know why today, but they never really bothered me before. Maybe it was the head ache or the lack of good sleep last night, but I just lost it, completely lost it! I sat on the computer looking at finances and lost it. I started sobbing and blubbering to myself, I wish I could do this and give Amie that. I felt even more like the scum on the bottom of the ocean that the bottom feeders eat when I thought to myself how selfish I was for quitting my job and staying home with Amie, for doing a triathlon, for buying running shoes. SELFISH! What kind of mom am I?? I could have used that money for diapers, for wipes, for food, but I used it on myself! I couldn't bare to look my daughter in the eye, I didn't want her to see what a crappy mom I am, could she see?? Would she notice?? After I finished talking to my husband on the phone and blubbering to him about how crappy I am, my daughter walked into the room. I stood there all puffy eyed and pitiful. "Hi, sweetie" I said wiping my eyes as I patted her on her head. She looked up at me with her big blue eyes and her perfect smile and said , "Pretty mommy, ohh mommy pretty," as she hugged my leg. That's when it hit me, she loves me no matter how poor, no matter how crappy I am she will always love me unconditionally. We will always be a family not matter what. Just thinking about it now makes me tear up. We are so blessed, and I am thankful for everything I have. Which is a lot more than most.

Now, I am More Optimistic!