Mommy School.

I am constantly worrying about how I am doing as a mother, what I'm doing wrong, how my poor children got stuck with me and all of my imperfections, and what I could be doing better.

Toddlers are crazy. They're curious, full of energy, busy, and loud. To put it simply, toddlers are absolute maniacs. And then there's Aoife. She's climbing everything, even more curious than Claire, all over, fast, into everything, and equally loud. In fact, they feed off of each other. It's really cute when they're laughing together, but when it comes to screaming, better run for the hills.

Claire is smart. (Not to brag or anything) but she's shocked me with just how smart she is the last couple weeks. She knows the alphabet, knows the letters, and counts really well. She even recognizes some numbers. The other day she brought me two toys. I asked her how many she had and she said 2. Then she went and grabbed two more, so I asked her how many she had now. Without missing a beat, she proudly announced, "FOUR!" She didn't need to think or count them. We count together a lot throughout the day, and she requests the alphabet song multiple times a day, but I didn't teach her letters, addition, or numbers. It shocked me, but it also hurt a little.

I wasted so much time worrying about how clean my oven was and ensuring everything was in the right places, that I missed out on teaching opportunities. Simple things I could have done to enjoy these special years and have fun with Claire. 

Our library is really cool. They have a fun kid's section with a puppet theater, cool magnetic toys that helps kids trace letters, toys, tons of stuff. But they also have little themed discovery backpacks that you can check out. They're full of books, toys, movies, CD's, and puzzles all centered around a specific topic, and organized by age. We've been going to the library every week. This last Saturday I decided I'd get a backpack and spend the week going over the material with Claire and help her learn. Rather than scurry around the house cleaning in the mornings, I want to spend meaningful time with both girls.



This week we're learning about seasons. We read a book about winter, looked out the window and talked about things that were in the book. I put some paint in a Ziplock bag and taped it to the table. We practiced drawing different letters in the paint. Claire loved it, and the best part was...no mess!

After a while, I let her play on her own with the paint while I made some cloud dough. I wanted to do a sensory activity that also involved some motor skills. Usually, I'm crazy about not making messes, but I took a leap of faith and just let Claire have at it and explore. She used the measuring cup to scoop the dough and poured it into her cup. I'm pretty sure that could have kept her busy for hours. Claire ended up covered with flour, and the carpet was white, but Claire really did have the best time. Aoife had fun watching while she ate.






Then we had music time. We sang songs that Claire has learned in nursery, and then we made a "family band". Aoife played the spoons, while Claire and I banged on our pots. We mixed it up a few times, and sang songs while we "played the music". It was almost impossible to end the band.










 

We've always read scripture stories before bed time, and I'll read to Claire when she hands me a book, but I want to read more with the girls. So I decided we'd have story time together. We picked one of my Mom's books to read together and then it was nap time. Perfect!





This year, I want to focus on being a better mom, and enjoy it more, too. I usually count down the hours till nap or bed time, and depend on caffeine to make it till Ross gets home. I don't think I've really taken the time to enjoy the girls and really spend time with them. (Sounds awful, I know.) School starts in two weeks and then I'll really be busy, so I really want to make the most of my days and change the way I spend my time. I don't have many pictures of me with the girls. Long ago, I was unofficially pronounced "family photographer." So we have a gazillion photos of the girls, Ross, and Ross with the girls. I read an article about the importance of taking pictures of you with your kids, despite how you think you look. So here we go. Photos of me with my girls, still in my jammies. Hope they appreciate this one day...

Thank you, Pinterest for all of the cool DIY projects and fun things to do with kids! I am looking forward to actually doing the things I've pinned!