step one

lately i have been feeling very overwhelmed with the household duties. the current nap situation, the fact that henny actually required food that doesn't come from my breasts and my own general apathy have resulted in a bit of a housekeeping slump around here. not only are there loads of clothes to fold and dust bunnies the size of real bunnies but i am ashamed to admit this, but we still have our christmas decorations up. yes, i know, it is march in 2 days. i don't know what my mental block it, but it just seems like such a chore, i can't even think about it.

but all that is over now, i am going to light a fire under our collective asses around here and things will change! the christmas tree, it's gone by sunday, and vacuuming, it will happen tomorrow. i am feeling a wave of productivity coming and i am going to ride it all the way to the shore. 

last night i sparked this wave and made the first step to bust out of the rut by organizing the everyday art supplies. i have had enough of the old system being dumped out and scattered about. so, now we have a (free!) solution which has been already tested and approved. it's nothing compared to the solution of my dreams (a bit closer to this, but not that great of course). but, were working with 1200 square feet here.

it's amazing how improving one small thing can make me feel so much better about the whole situation. here is the silly little thing that is about to change it all:

preschooler guided cooking

we just discovered a great activity. little bee did her own “cooking”, with her own “recipe”. here’s how it went:

we looked through the cabinet and chose ingredients. (i made sure to guide this so the product would be edible) little bee then “measured out the ingredients and added them to the bowl. this was done with the measuring spoons. she proudly told me how much of each thing we needed and then scooped it out herself. then MIX! and eat!

this turned out to be a super impromptu activity and especially wonderful becaue little bee could lead in an arena where she usually must follow.

so, here is her recipe:

3 T. granola

1 T. sunflower seeds

1 T. sliced almonds

1 mashed banana (potato masher!!!)

2 tsp. jelly 

mix and enjoy!!  

pride

so, little bee got her first 2 wheel bike. she is beyond thrilled by the arrival of this $10 gem found on craigslist. the little girl who owned it first is five and therefore too old for a little bike. and so after a little meeting in a parking lot,  it is ours.

i don't know if i can explain the level of excitement around here on saturday when we brought the bike home. she worked with D to get the bike fixed up (new tube, air in the tires, etc.) for a very long time, in 3 year old time. when trying out her new bike (in the garage, due to the foot of snow outside) she wouldn't allow anyone to help or even touch the bike. there was a lot of just pushing the bike around and less of actually riding it. but the pride, it was abundant. in fact, when we took a break from the bike, we had to park it at the top of the driveway so "everyone can see it when they drive by". 

the image that says it all and stands out in my mind is that of little bee staying in the garage alone a few extra minutes after everyone had headed in the house to just "fix up" the bike. she straightened the tassels and got in in the right position, while i watched from around the corner with amazement that this is my baby, hitting yet another childhood milestone, her first bike.

is this really my life?

a recent conversation between myself and little bee:

"mommy, write how old you are."

i carefully write 28 on the chalkboard so i can be the good stay at home mom and teach her about numbers.

"mom, how old are you?

"28, see 2 and 8 makes twenty eight."

"but maaaahm, that is not 28, that is 2 and 8"

"no honey, see 2 and 8 is how you write 28"

"no mom, that is not how you write 28, it is 20 and 8"

this is where i threw up my hands. what else can i say? she is in a phase of "i already know how" about everything. just a little preview of the teenage years. 

best idea this week

"Mommy, I really don't care if it's wasted. I really want to use all of my candy!"

Yum Yum.

hello

every time i set out to write in a brand new journal, i just couldn't bear to write on the first page. sometimes even the first few pages. it just seemed so permanent. i thought, "how could i stand to look at this same writing every time i open this thing". 

so, i guess the same goes for my feelings on this very fist blog post.

i have no idea why i am writing a blog. i do love reading blogs. i have no idea what the point is of this. i know i'm not a great writer and i'm not sure what i have to say. but i do know that there are often times where i have something to say and am not sure who i want to tell it to, who would possibly care. so, this is the place, this is who i will tell the silly, unimportant, or maybe very important things i want to share or record.

there, i did it. let's see how this goes......