Mommy's Project 52:4 Dirty

When I saw the topic "dirty," I immediately thought of my youngest child. My daughter is such an explorer and it doesn't bother her if she gets dirty in the process. It has been a surprise to see her dive right into the middle of what is going on with no hesitation. I am grateful she loves splashing in the bathtub or a five gallon bucket (at the beach) just as much as she does playing in the sand and dirt.

Mommy's Project 52:3 Challenging

My son, who is 4 1/2, is always looking for a challenge. He absorbs books, ask questions, and wants to invent or create something. I think it is awesome but it is also challenging. He is a perfectionist and has high expectations for himself and for us. I hope that as he grows we can encourage his love of learning and help him control his perfectionist side. Here are some pictures of him at work.

Aqua sand was a gift from one of his grandmothers. It is a very cool and unusual (and messy) material to experiment with in water. It repels the water and that makes it behave in unusual ways compared to regular play sand and water.
We do a lot of sand and water play. Here he is trying to make the water flow through the canal he made. The water overflows the banks and the walls of his canal wash away by the force of the water.

Finally, he is satisfied with his castle after three days of adjustments and frustrations working with the Lincoln Logs. There are never enough long pieces in those sets.

Mommy's Project 52:2 Silly

Silly brings to mind two different things. The first is to be funny in a cute way. The other is lack of common sense or judgment, what I would really call foolish. Some dictionaries I looked at also included stupid as a synonym but I have banned that word at our house. Today’s post is dedicated to my “silly” kids. And they are totally funny in a cute way!!

Seriously, all I could find were two pictures. Am I so in the moment that I miss these great shots? Could we could use more fun, more silliness in our daily lives? Am I so busy making sure we get our work done before we play that I miss some silly opportunities along the way?

This led me to digging around to see what others were saying on the topic of silly. I found these articles that described that having time to be silly is important for our children, for our family, and for you.

http://www.deepfun.com/silly.htm - talks about the importance of being silly

Maintain a Solid Marriage by Being Silly | hitched -describes how being silly can be good for your marriage.

http://www.couragetocreatewriteandlove.com/2011/05/being-silly-in-public-is-good-too.html - a fun post that talks about being silly in public and letting others see your silly.

I am going to put a silly face somewhere in the house that only I can see as a way to remind me to let my silly out. Do any of you have a hard time letting your silly out?

Mommy’s Project 52:1 Teaching

My first-born was carefully guarded against undue negative influence but that went out the window when my daughter was born. Her older brother is teaching her things before I am ready for her to have that knowledge or skill. I don’t have as much control as I did when there was only one child. It is not a bad thing, just different.

A list of things that my son (4 ½) has taught his little sister (1 ½).

* Jumping on Daddy’s back

* Making a crayon into a pretend gun

* Grabbing the toy you want right out of a person’s hand

* Pats on the back and sweet kisses

* Jumping on the bed

* “Read” when she wants a book read

* “Pee-pee” when she wants to get attention

* Standing on things that are meant for sitting

* Yell, “stop” when she doesn’t like what someone is doing

* Using baseboards as a car track

Things I have been teaching my kids this week.

* Sometimes checking my Facebook and/or email is more important than playing on the floor

* There is always time for reading books

* There is always time for one more hug and one more kiss

* Napping and sleeping are very important part of everyday

*Mommy loves chocolate and coffee

Recent research in New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development talks about the positive and negative effects siblings can have on one another. It is up to us, the parents, to promote positive social interactions. Check out this article about this new body of research at http://www.aspeneducation.com/articles/strong-sibling-relationship-can-help-prevent-bad-teen-behavior.htm. My goal is to help them grow their relationship so they can and will support each other all their lives.