Finding her currency

Since the start of our summer vacation Freckle Foot has been giving me some attitude. We got her a alarm clock that turns green when she can come out of her room in the morning. This was suppose to help keep her in her room until 7:15am. She wakes up around 6am every morning. That is just too early for me to be functional and dealing with the demands of children. I still wake up at 6 am but I have to have a shower and some food before I see my children. Everyday we were battling in the morning and at nap time for her to stay in her room. Then the light bulb went on for me. She had been asking for computer time this summer. She loves to play on the Starfall website. I told her if she stays in her room until her clock turns green and gets dressed in the morning she can earn some computer time. Well that has made all the difference in the world. I don't hear a peep out of her anymore. Although today Teeny Bean (my best friend from high school) was watching the kids during quiet time while I did some grocery shopping. Freckle Foot and Little Loaf got out of their rooms and started playing together. Freckle Foot lost her computer time in the afternoon. She was really bummed. I am sure tomorrow if I hear Little Loaf get up and go in her room she will tell him to go away she wants her computer time.

Weaving

Freckle Foot is very interested in learning how to sew/knit like Mommy. I saw this weaving project on Our Day Our Journey blog and thought she would really like it. She loved it! She sat on my lap and worked on it till she had to go to Ballet. When she came home she got right back to work. I only did 4 lines for her to weave I thought she needed to see quick progress. We made this project into a bracelet.

Freckle Foot said she wanted to make one for all her friends this summer. She asked if she could make them in different colors, she knows I have a stash of yarn. She picked out yellow, pink, black and a variegated green yarn for her next project. Her enthusiasm is waning a little bit but she is still interested.

Freckle Foot's Happy Place

We went to the beach, not Freckle Foots favorite place. However we did find her happy place.  She loved the Carousel. She was so excited she could hardly contain herself, she leaned over and hugged me and told me she loved me all the while giggling and shaking with excitement.

Now all she talks about is riding the horses. I think we are going to make some trips to local Carousels. I have never seen Freckle Foot so happy before. It brought up tears for me to see her so happy.

Cuz she's so dang cute

Freckle Foot was being silly and I was able to get this cute shot of her. I have it on my background of my computer. Her dress is so retro.

I was a really good parent before I had kids

Before I had kids I swore there were things my kids would never do or have. Then I had kids and it changed everything. Freckle Foot won't give up her bottle. I almost had her off bottles and then Little Loaf showed up and it wasn't fair that he got to have one and she couldn't. It is her only comfort object. She has never been interested in a special stuffed animal or blanket. So she still gets bottles and I cringe. But on those really crummy days when all she does is whine and complain, a bottle seems to be her reset button. Give her a bottle of milk and she is a pleasant child... most of the time.

I swore my kids wouldn't have pacifiers.  Freckle Foot would have nothing to do with pacifiers after about 3 months. I patted myself on the back as a good mother. Because pacifiers are bad for kids teeth right? Little Loaf on the other hand loves his pacifier. One day he came crawling into the kitchen from the living room, pulled on my pant leg and grunted. I followed him and his pacifier had rolled under the couch and he was determined to get it. He kept grunting and trying to crawl under the couch. Until I saved the pacifier so he could go play with some toys.

I really really never thought I would have a 3 year old in diapers...CRINGE. Freckle Foot just isn't ready yet. She is getting there. For some reason when we go out to eat at a restaurant she tells me she has to go to the bathroom. Low and behold she will sit on a public toilet but refuses to sit on the big toilet at home. It's it suppose to be the other way around? Don't people have phobia about public toilets. Just when you think you have things figured out these kids though you a curve ball. 

I tell all these stories to my pediatrician hoping he will be horrified and give me some good advice. His advice is they won't go to college with bottles, pacifiers, and diapers in hand. I still cringe.

Flour Fun

This is one of Little Loaf's first high chair activities. I had that bag of flour left over that Freckle Foot play with while I did my Christmas baking.

Both the kids were very content. In the end,  I just patted them down to get the flour off and swept the deck. We all enjoyed this activity.

Rock and pocket charts

Freckle Foot is on the landing in our stairwell. She has wanted to play with her "rocks" so I put her on the landing because they are choking hazards for Little Loaf.  There is a gate that you can't see at the bottom of the stairs. Just to keep her interested in hanging out there I put up the red pocket chart that I got from Target. The pocket chart is really flimsy I would love to get one from Lakeshore Learning. The color cards she is playing with are from Homeschool Creations. This kept her entertained for a while. Then she decided she wanted to throw the "rocks" at the wall. We found a new activity after we cleaned up.

Our first Picnic- In February?

Well this is another late post. We had a beautiful stretch of weather a few weeks ago that I decided we had to have a picnic on the deck. Freckle Foot has been refusing to wear shoes outside even in February.

The kids were able to play in the sandbox for a while. Little Loaf really enjoyed playing with the sandbox for the first time. There was lots of sand in the bottom of my tub that night.

More Valentine's Activities

I found this tracing activity at Confessions of a Homeschooler. Freckle Foot loves her Preprinting with Mazes book so I thought I would see if she was interested in this tracing page. She prefers her maze book.

One of my friends came up and brought a car load of craft supplies that her neighbor was giving away.  I found these silk stuffed hearts. Freckle Foot and Little Loaf both enjoyed this activity. I just gave them this empty diaper wipes container. The had fun putting the hearts in and out. In fact I am still not sure where all the hearts are because the hid them all over the house.

Playing Cinderella!

One of the chores on my to do list was to clean behind the stove. The last time I did this chore was when we got our new frig. Honestly I can't remember when that was because of my "mommy brain". My disgust finally peaked when I tried to pull out a paper bag from the side of the stove and my hands were met with a layer of goo. Luckily Freckle Foot has been obsessed with Cinderella. So naturally when she asked what I was doing behind the stove I said I was "playing Cinderella". She got very excited, picked up a scrub brush and started scrubbing away the dirt. Really I had this idea 2 years ago and have just been waiting for the right moment to "play Cinderella". Unfortunately for me it was right before her nap time and when I told her she had to stop she refused and started crying. Next time I need something cleaned in the house we are going to "play Cinderella". I might even get her a special dress to play in.