Round One - Toy Organization

I may be weird here, but I actually like making resolutions and improving myself!  One year, B and I decided we needed to lose weight.  Together, we lost over 60 pounds!  It takes a lot of dedication and committment to achieve these goals, but I think they're totally worth it!

This year, I am committing to being more organized.  I know, I know, I already have OCD, how much more organized can I be?  Well, here's a little hint...

Complete with a crazy-eyed, wild-hair child, the play section of our living was getting out of control.  This picture was from September.  Factor in the three large new toys and a ton of others she received for Christmas and we couldn't walk through anymore!  With an unusual burst of energy, I got to work.

First, I cleared out the "baby" toys.  We'll need them again, that's for sure.  But, for now, they are disinfected and safely stored out of the way in the basement.  We can pull them out as we need them and even rotate them to keep Baby Girl #2 interested.  To make that easier, I linked together all the dangle toys and links so they'd be easy to find when needed.

B put together this toy box I got from Target for just $60!  It has a slow closed hinge and a gap between the lid and the box so no fingers will get smashed.  Plus, it is sturdy enough as a seat even for my preggo bum.  Score for more living room seating! In it went all of the smaller toys that could fit.  After clearing out the baby stuff, this wasn't so hard.  Everything in here got disinfected too.  It's germ season around here - you can't be too careful!

This year, I wanted to encourage pretend play for T, so one of the toys that I suggested was play food.  She scored big time!  More than I expected, so, all those food type toys went into one big basket.  The bonus here is that the basket can easily be transported to the kitchen so she can "cook" with me!

T also got some more wooden puzzles (I love those!).  The best part, and the gift for me, was that they came with a wire rack for storage.  Her other puzzles fit nicely in here too.

The hardest part for me was trying to figure out what to do with the big toys.  She loves playing with Little People and she got a castle, zoo and Noah's ark for Christmas, as well as a Weebles play house, complete with techno grooves (she tells Daddy not to dance now, hehe).  I think B had as much fun putting these together as she does playing with them!  I didn't want to stack them on top of the toy box for fear of them falling on her.  So, for now, they are strategically placed on the play mat.

So, that's our play area, and round one of Organization 2012!  Of course it doesn't always look like this!  T actually does really like to clean up and does a great job.  After she goes to bed, Momma take a minute to satisfy her OCD. Let's hope I can keep it up!

OK, my pregnant self did too much and now needs to sit down for awhile.  Up next, sorting through all those hand-me-downs that we are so blessed with!

Praise and Compliments

When I was young, it was very quickly evident that I was a perfectionist.

This is not a character trait that I would wish on anyone.

I was filled with frustration and lack of satisfaction.  Often, my attempts at something went unfinished because I couldn't get it "just right", which to me meant that only perfect was acceptable.  I gave up on a lot of things - painting, piano, etc. because if it meant I had to practice, it meant that I wasn't getting it right every single time.

I read an article about how to praise your children.  What I took most from this article is that we should be complimenting them in ways that encourage the process and not the results.  For example, "Wow, Miss T, I am so proud of how hard you have practiced playing that song and now it sounds great!", instead of "Look how talented you are!".  By praising her patience and perserverence and not the end result or an abstract idea of "talent", it encourages the process and hard work.

I think Jami of "Call Me Blessed" really got it right today about the characteristics that we boast about too.  There are specific characteristics that God looks for in us.  If we start there, how can we go wrong?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

Let it be my charge to encourage these traits in Miss T, and to praise her for the process, not the end result.

BTW - we're linked up at Embrace the Camera, a weekly posting hosted by Emily of The Anderson Crew.  Unfortunately, Emily is rather sick in her 11th week of pregnancy and her friend Amy is hosting for her at Buggie and JellyBean.  Go Check out the other ladies embracing the camera!

Oh poop!

If you know me IRL, or you've been reading for a while, you know that I have certain OCD-type, germophobic issues. 

I thought it was bad when we started letting Miss T feed herself and all that mashed up goodness was everywhere.

B thought it was appalling when Miss T got sick for the first time and he walked in on her playing in and with her own vomit.  (seriously, true story - but that's B's story to tell)

Last night though, Miss T gave me a nice surprise and kicked things up a notch.  Little by little, this girl is going to break me!

We were having  a lovely evening.  Twice a week, B works late and it's just us girls.

We got to chat with our neighbors and their adorable kids.

We went to the park with our dog and enjoyed the warm afternoon.

We had dinner in the kitchen and I was able to make lots of babyfood for Miss T.

Then it was bath time.  I love bath time.  I might love it more than Miss T does and my appreciation for bath time is ever increasing now that she is Miss Independent and a mover and a shaker!  At least during bathtime, I know I can put her in that little blue tub inside of my tub and she will be stationary and content for about 15 minutes.

I took advantage of this momentary reprieve to call B at work and catch up on our day, make plans for our dinner, etc.

Miss T was making some funny faces - she does that from time to time.

Yadda, yadda, yadda, chatting away with B.  Hang on a second, where did she get that playdough from?

Nope, wait.  Not playdough.  POOP!!!!!

Apparently, my daughter thinks she is an endless source of new materials to play with, from toes, to vomit, to poop. (think Litter Critters from SNL!)

For a moment, I suffered a slight brain aneurism.  Then, like any momma, you do what you have to do.  Several fancy maneuvers later, she was taking a bath in the big tub, while the little tub awaited clean up.

I'll spare you the details about how the little poop pieces were caught on my drain strainer, or how little pieces were caught in the shower mat and T kept trying to grab them.  Ok, I didn't spare you.

Anyhow, 30 minutes later, B came home to a fast asleep daughter and a wife fiercly disinfecting every surface in her bathroom, including the inside of the drain.

Lessons learned?
I can overcome and do what I have to do for my baby.
She will break me of my OCD issues.
Clorox wipes are my best friend.
In a pinch, poop makes a great playdough substitute!

Alright, I have to leave you with some adorable pictures though!  How cute is she!?

And just so everyone can see what a little stinker she's going to be when she grows up...

Mashed Goodness

Hubs and I are sort of known for being, well... clean.  We tend to have more rules about cleanliness than most surgical suites do!  For illustrative purposes, if we find out someone that has been to our house succumbed to a stomach illness shortly thereafter, we will go around our house disinfecting every door knob, handle and commonly touched surface in order to prevent contracting the dreaded virus or bacteria ourselves.  We are even more "particular" than that. We each have our own toothpaste and have NEVER shared a toothbrush (I know, it doesn't have to make sense to any one but us), drinking glasses are only handled by the sides and never the top, and food is never shared between us.

Well, God has to have a sense of humor, and if he does, he must be rolling with laughter right about now.  He matched us well when he put the two of us together, but Miss T is about to break our rules and our sterile spirits.  Tonight, we let Miss T feed her dinner to herself! 

Gasp!  I know!  All of you must be in the same panic we were!  OK, maybe you weren't, but we were absolutely twitching.  Let it be clear that this was done with the premeditated plan of dropping her in the tub as soon as she was done and we conducted this torture treatment (to us, not her) in the dining room at Grammy's house.  Dinner consisted of roast beef, mashed potatoes and butternut squash. 

This was about half way into our meal.  Hubs and I are nearly losing it by this point!  Take a closer look at those hands, they are filled with potatoes and squash.  Miss T is quite simply enjoying her handy little lollipop as she brings the fistful of mashed goodness back and forth between her mouth and the tray.

We knew she was done when she started painting her tray.  It was lovely.  The girl has a natural talent for texture and color.  Once I saw those hands wandering near her head/hair, dinner time was officially over.  The good news is that my darling husband and I survived without hyperventilating or collapsing into the fetal position on the floor while rocking and repeating the soothing mantra "Lysol and bleach, Lysol and bleach".  Miss T thoroughly enjoyed her meal and the ensuing bath (complete with new squirting bath toys).  It was quite the exciting evening and probably one of many to come.  That poor little girl is just going to have to live in the tub I think.  I'm having visions of installing a garbage disposal into our bath tub and giving her meals in there (thanks Seinfeld)!

Here are more of my favorite pictures:

Just look at those hands!

I want to eat those cheeks!

Eyes that melt my heart!