Colored Waterplay

I decided to do this project when I noticed how much fun Will was having squeezing the color out of the sponges from a sponge painting day. Will LOVES water play with a passion. Every time I am in the kitchen he gets his step stool from the bathroom & brings it in & asks demands to play in the sink. I set this up in the morning and he played with it all day, until I couldn't take the dish clutter on the counter.

I wasn't sure if it was going to work, but I added a squirt of Crayola paint to each tub & whisked it. I LOVED the results. As you can see I added the sponges from a previous activity here. I also put in measure cups & spoons, cups, bowls, a ball, an old formula scooper, & a whisk.

Like I said, he LOVES water play & played for a very long time, I'm remembering an hour. I believe it was time for lunch & as soon as his nap was over, he was back at it! The red water became purple, which he didn't seem to notice until after nap, but that is when I learned he knew the color "url" purple and "boo" blue.

note: Will does have a hard time with keeping the water in the sink, not because he's being defiant, but because it is still hard for him to pour down in the sink, so he tries to use the ledge. I try to only encourage him to pour inside the sink, but this time I also laid a thick towel on the side of the sink & I was very happy that no water spilled all over the floor & the towel wasn't too wet. The rule in our home is that if he is purposely pouring water on the floor, he gets a warning. I try to find a way to replace whatever he was doing with something I'm okay with that still helps him to learn the same concept. If he keeps doing it, then he is done with that activity for awhile. By awhile I mean he has to get involved in another activity and finish that before he can try the sink again. 

Sponge Art

Here's an idea I came up with when I found a large sponge I hadn't used. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. We are working on shapes. So I busted out the large kitchen shears & cut shapes. I tried to make them the right size to fit in his hands, not too big or too small. I'm actually a little suprised how many shapes I got out of it.

I chose to use only 2 colors of paint, because at this stage he still mostly ends up rubbing all the paint together; which if I had added blue we would've ended up with brown art.

I put the paint in one of those cheap paint palates. I already had it from college. You could use a plate, next time I will.

I used a heavy cardboard on the floor. I used to pin them up, but if Will was too fast it could knock the pins out. So the floor worked fine. It was easier to clean up too.

Here is the masterpiece! You can't really tell it's shape sponges, but that's to be expected at his stage. We did, however, get to talk a LOT about shapes. Even things I didn't expect to happen. When you hold the triangle on it's side, it now makes a rectangle shape. You can roll the circle & make a track.

The greatest part was Will helped with the clean up & it was a learning experience! I put him in front of the bathroom sink with warm water & asked him to squeeze the sponges under the water. I went to make lunch & I had to pry him away from the sink to eat lunch.

I already have more ideas for how to use these sponges.

Really Ikea?!

So, I'm reading this lady's blog & she mentions she got an easel from Ikea for cheap. I've been searching for a cheap easel. I log on to their Ikea.com & now I hate them. I love them and I hate them. Reasons why I love them: they had that cheap easel ($20), it was made of wood, they had other stuff that I wanted, it's all created/decorated to inspire kids imagination, the adult furniture is pretty! Reasons I hate them: I want everything!
I am trying really hard to lessen my desire for things. Really trying. I know that things don't bring happiness. I really truely know that & believe it whole-heartedly. But I guess I don't. I want to provide my kids with the things one would fine in a good preschool (not all of them, but the gist of each center). I want my home to be organized & look clean. I want art. I know there are other ways to go about this & I do try to make things at home & with what I've already got. Im sad with myself. Im sad that I keep wanting. I am happy, I love my life, so whats up with this desire for things...? Do you think it's within reason? Do you think I'm just bored? lol.
I think it would be okay for me to eventually buy the easel, but it sucks that there is always something else i will want. When is enough enough?!

Our Schedule (2 y.o. & 4 m.o.)

Something that has been driving me a little nuts is our lack of a schedule! I am definitely more laid back than ever before (God does work miracles), but I am still happiest organized & structured! HA. We've always had feeding/nap schedules set up. Sophie's schedule is starting to change because she can stay awake longer. So why have I been craving a schedule, because I want to get things done, I don't want Will to watch too much TV, & I want to help Sophie get the best sleep, & therefore the best awake time, she can.
So, without further ado, this is our schedule until Sophie moves to a 4-hour schedule.

6:45am- I wake up & get ready
7:00am- Kids wake, Will has TV time & his rice milk, Sophie gets a bottle & solids (although we just decided last night to suspend the solids, she's not ready)
8:00am- Will & I eat Breakfast, Sophie sits in the highchair & plays with a toy
8:30am- Sophie is down for nap#1 by this point, Will gets ready
9:00am- Will has Structured* play, I do chores
9:30am- Will has Freeplay*, I continue chores
10:00am- Will has Roomtime*, Sophie wakes, gets a bottle & one-on-one time with Mommy
11:00am- Lunch, Sophie has highchair time or Blanket Time*
11:30am- Sophie is down for nap #2 by this time, Will goes down for his nap, Mommy naps, rests, or very rarely does a little non-stressful work
1:30pm- Sophie gets a bottle, if Will wakes up he has TV time & some rice milk
2:00pm- Snack
2:30pm- Sibling Playtime*
3:00pm- Sophie gets nap #3, Will has Learning Time*
3:30pm- Freeplay or Outdoor play during good-enough weather
4:30pm- Sophie wakes, gets a bottle & solids (again, suspended for now), I start making dinner
5:30pm- Dinner, Sophie has highchair time or Blanket time (whichever she's in the mood for)
6:00pm- Sophie gets nap #4 (I know right!?), Family Time
6:45pm- Sophie wakes
7:30pm- Baths/Bedtime routines- we alternate who gets a bath every other night, unless both are dirty; Sophie gets a bottle
8:00pm- BEDTIME!!!

If Corey is home for dinner, he & I have 15-20 minutes of Mommy-Daddy time after dinner, while Will plays freely.
*Structured Time is when I choose an activity/ies for Will to play with. Today it was waterplay (i made one side of the sink red & one side blue & gave him various tools to manipulate). I stay with him & interact, but also give him some space & get some housework done ;-)
*Freeplay is when he chooses what to play. Again, I am with him some of this time, but sometimes sneak in some housework.
*Roomtime is when he spends 30-60 minutes in his room playing with toys I've set out, or ones that are on his shelves. Today it was books, Legos, cars with his race track, & he also used his music instruments. This is when I get some one-on-one time with Sophie & get some housework done
*Learning Time has different focuses each day (they usually overlap). I work on these things throughout the day, but its a special time to really focus in on an area. I'll use next week as an example:
M- Language Development- Read 3 books related to trains & cars
T- Creative Art- Car Track Painting (letting him roll the cars in paint & then on the paper)
W- Gross Motor Skills- ChooChoo Dancing, like a train
Th- Math/Science- Line up & Count the cars & trains (not very imaginative, i know)
F- Fine Motor Skills- Train & Car Lacing Cards (made from card stock)
Wednesday is going to be when he takes gymnastics starting next month!
*Blanket Time is stared only because this is time she spends alone, in a nearby room.
*Sibling Playtime is not fully developed for obvious reasons. This is a special time I help Will & Sophie play with something(s) together. Usually its a ball or Music Table (on the floor).

And that is it. We let our schedule serve us, we don't serve our schedule. There are days we run errands instead of Outdoor play, Thursday mornings we have MOPS instead of all that stuff, and so forth. I had been scheduling too much things to keep myself from being bored at home, but I started to see the negative effects it was having on the kids (well, honestly, more on Sophie than Will, because he only takes one nap & is okay with breaking that one into 2). It's hard sometimes because some of my friends go out all the time during the day, but they are either at a different stage in life (has only 1 older kid) or they don't have the same philosophy I do when it comes to naps & bedtimes. I get over the hard by talking to other similar mommies & knowing that this is only for a season of my life & I get to enjoy/absorb all of my kids!

What is your Sweet Spot?

One of my good friends is a life coach and she recently sent out an email asking some questions, trying to entice people into using her services. Well, I dont have money for that sort of thing, but one of her questions really hit me.

What is your Sweet Spot?

This question encourages me so much during the hard times of my day. Having 2 kids under 2 can get pretty hectic or overwhelming at times. I wouldn't trade my life of course, but this one visualization can change my heart. Are you ready for it?

I close my eyes & I see... a big mug of the perfect coffee in front of me (starbucks' house blend with 3 spoons of sugar & 3 spoons of milk), a little table in front of me with a little whatever pastry on a little plate. I look up and I see the familiar sight of Barnes and Noble all around me. I look around and see no children. Corey could be there, but he's not needed in this scenario (sorry babe, its true). The fact hits me that I have the whole day to stay here if I want to, no obligations, no kids needing to be rocked or bounced or changed. No husband asking if I'm done. Just me, my coffee, my pastry, and endless book options. *sigh*

There are a lot of different Sweet Spots I have, but this one is always there. Its so peaceful, I would go there anytime. ANYTIME!

Now reality is that the nearest bookstore is an hour away & that it will likely be a LONG time before I could do this again, but just closing my eyes & thinking of this (maybe smelling my favorite coffee made by me) brings me calm... well, at least in my heart.

So one more time I close my eyes & now I dash off to rescue the crying Will from the torture that is life without his paci. What is your Sweet Spot?

Review & Goals

I can't believe it's been such a long time since I've blogged. I've started several blog posts, but always have to stop them in the middle to rescue the kids. I'm not usually one to make New Year Resolutions & to look back over the previous year, but for some reason I am this time around. I have a lot on my plate & although I love it, I need to set priorities because with two kids I seem to miss the mark more than I'd like.

A lot of great things happened in 2010. The best & most obvious was the pregnancy & birth of our little girl, Sophia. We love her so much & I am loving getting to know her. Will turned 1, Corey turned 27 & I turned 26. We went to Maryland on vacation, which was a blast. We spent time with Corey's family & my grandma. We went to the beach. We had Korinne & Reese come stay with us for a little bit. We spent the summer at the pool. We went to Maryland for Kelly's wedding. We built family traditions throughout the year. Will went from a baby to a full-fledge toddler! It was a good year. Life is starting to go by really fast; its a little scary!

For this year
*I want to have a special activity for our family each month. I have written one activity for each month. (ex: July is Waterpark Day, May is Strawberry Picking Day, etc.)
*I want to spend more time scrapbooking memories & on that note, taking more pictures. I am starting by giving up a night of TV to spend scrapping instead. I am also taking advantage of my church's wonderful Scraps Of Faith ministry, which is a scrapbooking get-together one friday a month with free childcare!
*I want to spend more time with my family & the Boeckh's. We will make a monthly trip to visit either my dad in NC or the Boeckh's in GA.
*I want to reconnect with good friends & family. I am going to call loved ones at least once a month. On this list: Janet, the Hoh's, my brother, my grandma Joyce, my grandma tutu, my mom, the Shipe's, & the Warren's. I am going to email friends once a month.
*I want to be more pro-active in teaching Will. I am going to plan activities for each month. I am going to get us out of the house more often.
*I want to lose 30 lbs. (don't be dismissive please). I am going to do strength training & cardio every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I am going to be more active througout the day. I am going to reduce my caloric intake, but not deprive myself of what I want.

Please, check up on me to see how Im doing & encourage me to keep marching towards those goals. I'll try to remember to keep you all updated on how my goals are going too!

Newborn Summary Week 5

This a summary for Sophie's 5th week!

GAS
Her gas is definitely better. She burps very easily & when she doesn't it doesnt seem to be a problem. I think next week I am going to use the gas drops every other feeding & see how that goes.

FEEDINGS
Turns out Sophie is like me & Will, she has milk protein intolerance (or allergy, depending on who you ask). So she is on Enfamil Nutramigen. It's the Enfamil version of what Will had. It's expensive, so thankfully we are on WIC. Although I know eventually we will have to start paying for it out of pocket, so I'm on the lookout for coupons!
She is eating 3 1/2oz. every 3 hours, ending at 1030pm then we let her eat when she wakes. I have to wake her for most of her feedings still. It only takes her about 20 minutes to finish the bottle, with two or three burpings.

WAKETIME
Waketimes are somewhere between 50-60 minutes, leaning more to 60. Sometimes there is still a waketime where she can only stay awake a short while after the feeding. If we go out for errands or something & she stays in her carseat, she will sleep the whole time (practically). During waketimes she is more alert and smiles (especially at Will).

NAPS
I am still swaying with her until she's drowsy, mostly because I want to know she's tired since she doesn't show any signs of being tired until she is overtired. She goes down without crying 98% of the time, the other 2% I'll pick her right back up and sway a little more, then she goes down without crying. There have been a few naps she wakes early or at the 45minute mark, usually later in the day. I let her cry it out & she usually is fine with only a few minutes. At the nap from 8-1030, she has a tendency to fuss a lot on & off. I take this as her witching hour, because if I go in as soon as I pick her up she is quiet & sleeping. Not sure whats up with that! haha.

NIGHTTIME SLEEP
Sophie is still waking up once a night to eat. It used to be 3am, but now its anywhere between 2:20am and 3:30am. I can't lie & say Im not anxious for this to be gone. I know she still needs a night feeding, but she isn't very hungry at this feeding, so I hope it's not a waking out of habit. She also has started to wake up at 6am, but she is not hungry at all. As soon as I pick her up she quiets & closes her eyes, but she keeps waking up as soon as we put her down. We can't really let her cry it out, because at this time in the morning Will would wake up & not go back to bed. So we've decided to use the swing if she doesn't go back to bed after a few minutes. Will did this waking early too, but I remember his being even earlier, we did the same thing with the swing & then one day (around 8 months or so) he just snapped out of it. If they were hungry at this time I might consider making this our wake up time, but since they aren't Im going to sleep some more!
On a side note: I am always the one waking up in the middle of the night & it is really starting to wear on me! Corey doesn't do well at all with waking in the middle of the night, he would want to sleep all day, so I've just done it. I think I might ask him to do it tomorrow & just power through this one day. Not too much to ask, right?

OUTINGS/EVENTS
There were a few outings this week, but FAR less than previously. We went to the pumpkin patch & dinner at a friend's Saturday. She slept the whole time at the pumpkin patch. At the friend's dinner she had her normal waketime & slept well in her carseat & my arms for her naps. Sunday we went to a kids museum & she slept in the sling almost the whole time. BUT suprisingly when she sleeps right after eating while we're out it doesnt make her more awake later in the day or anything. I think this is because she's still so young. We had a few appointments earlier in the week & went to MOPS on Thursday. This time at MOPS she actually stayed awake after I fed her for the whole waketime! Then as it was time to nap she happily fell asleep in my arms. Now if I could transfer her to the carseat. haha. I don't think I'll use the nursery at all, maybe when she's 6 months old, or at earliest after flu season.

SICKNESS
So, I wasn't this way with Will, maybe because it wasn't flu season when he was born or because I was focused on other things with his development, but I do not want Sophie to get sick. I feel like she was born sick with a cold. I dont like a lot of people to hold her & I freak out at the thought of her in nursery. Will was really sick a week ago & I made sure he kept his distance as much as he could & I washed my hands as much as I could. She didnt get it thankfully. I would worry that Im too concerned with her not getting sick, but it's flu season & if my overprotectiveness keeps her without flu or colds, it works for me. I'll  be better once she's older.

That's it! Look forward to toddler summary of Will!!!