Posted on February 28, 2008
I understand that all toddlers are a little odd now and then. I am sure this comes from their limited experience and understanding of the world around them. I also understand that the world can be a large and scary place, and a lot of their behavior stems from trying to add a little order and control in their lives. But some of the things Chloe does, no matter what the reasons, are just downright weird!
Here’s a few of my faves:
- Chloe likes to watch the same episodes of “Little Einsteins” over and over and over. The two she rotates between are: Annie’s Solo Mission (The rest of the characters get caught in a super bubble and Annie has to rescue them) and Dragon Kite (the characters help a little Chinese dragon kite find other kites for a dragon kite parade on the Great Wall of China.) I can’t really say too much…I have now watched Transformers 6 times.
- She rotates between her toys, but she is VERY SPECIFIC about how she plays with each one. She has a collection of figurines that are story book characters, the three little pigs, goldilocks and the three bears, billy goats guff…etc. When I first got them out for her, she would only play with Golidlocks and a pink Ogre looking dude (I have to admit I am not sure what story he comes from.) She would pull those two out and wander around the house with them. Now, she will only play with two out of the three goats, and usually the goats are either running back and forth on our entertainment center, or back and forth over the bottom stair. She also has these “Little People” from two sets, one set is a blonde and a brunette girl driving a car that pulls a camper, and the other is a blond girl that drives a moped with a side car. She kicks the brunette character out of the car, and will only drive around with the two blond girls. I don’t know what the brunette girl did to offend her, but it must have been terrible. These are just a couple of examples, I could go on and on and on.
- I don’t know what to call this other than she has a tactile sensitivity. There are certain things she just WILL NOT touch. Shaving cream, finger paints, cotton balls, and sand are some of the ones I have run across. In her art class, all the other kids are up to their elbows in finger paints, I am lucky if Chloe will put one finger into the paints. And I have absolutely no idea what her phobia is with cotton balls, but she absolutely refuses to touch them. Oh, and I have to mention the smock issue, she will not wear a paint smock. For a child who loves to play dress up, there must be something about the texture or the feel of the smock, because she throws a fit if I even have it close to her.
- Today she found a button on the floor (I think it came from one of John’s work shirts.) She carried that button in her hand almost all day. The few times she did put it down, when she realized she wasn’t holding it, she would look around worriedly saying, “Button, where go?”
- Not only does she not like it when I trim her toenails and finger nails, she also freaks out when I trim mine. I’m not kidding, today I was trimming my toenails in the bathroom, and she was crying, “No, mommy’s foot, mommy’s foot, no!” And she didn’t stop until I put the clippers away in the drawer. (Which reminds me, I need to go finish trimming my nails.)
I really could go on and on. I have an adorable, but odd, child.
Posted on February 27, 2008
Playing “Keyboard-o-rama” on the Elmo’s World website:
Giving baby a bath:
Then giving herself a bath:
Putting baby down for a nap:
Taking pictures of baby:
And your moment of zen- I was doing laundry and she insisted I put the socks on her:
Posted on February 26, 2008
Posted on February 26, 2008
Step 4: Repurpose and purchase organization tools.
Many people try to do this step first. The problem with that is you don’t know what you have, and you don’t have a good idea of how much you have (since you haven’t purged.) I have fallen into this trap, I would get the “organizing bug,” run out and buy all kinds of tools, then come back, only to discover I wasted a lot of money on stuff that I can’t use. As far as tools go:
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Be creative: Cutlery trays can organize forks and spoons, but they can also organize batteries and items in a junk drawer.
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Some of my favorite organizing tools are tool boxes, plastic drawers of all sizes, and plastic baskets of all sizes. I like them because of their flexibility. I reused all the baskets I had for my school store in my cutlery drawers; my tool boxes hold tools, but also paints and painting materials; and the large plastic drawers I bought from Big Lots 8 years ago for $5.00 have held at least 10 different things over the years, right now it houses my scrap booking supplies and gift wrapping materials.
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I recommend that all items you buy coordinate in color, theme, or style. It helps to reduce visual clutter. For example, whenever we need storage boxes, we get them from either Sam’s club or Costco’s. They sell the same style and size of box, the only difference is the color of the lid. We can line them all up on any shelf (we use ones in the basement and attic) and they look great. I also recommend that if you get tools that are not see through, then buy a label maker so you don’t have to pull out every basket or drawer to figure out what is in it. Don’t rely on your memory!
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If you don’t want to buy things, get creative! Our grocery store sells pasta sauces in these awesome see through plastic containers which work great for holding Chloe’s art supplies. Organize small items like jewelry in egg crates. Obviously, shoe boxes are useful, but be careful, they don’t hold up to a lot of abuse. Jars are wonderful if you can get the same shape and size.
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If you are trying to stretch your budget, I recommend window shopping all of the fancy organization websites and stores, and then recreate their ideas using dollar store materials and items from Target/Walmart/Kmart.
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One major organizational dilemma we have is children’s toys. We never know what we are going to get for Christmas or birthdays (or grandma) so it is difficult to plan. I have bins and baskets in her playroom that we bought to fit the shelves, that way they will always look good, no matter what is inside them. We have also collected a lot of hidden storage spaces (an ottoman with storage, a desk with extra drawers). Toys are brightly colored and a variety of shapes and sizes, when left out they add to visual clutter.
- You would be amazed how versatile and cheap photoboxes can be. You can buy them at most craft stores and art supply stores for a dollar, and if you can find them in coordinating colors, they work great in any room. The nice thing about them is they’re sturdier and they look nicer than your average shoe box.
- Look for clearance items at your local home stores (we have a “Home Goods” store here.”) I have found a ton of cheap storage boxes that are on clearance that look REALLY nice when put on a shelf. The trick is to be patient. Know what you are looking for, and keep looking until you find it at a price you can live with. Remember the adage: Rome wasn’t built in a day. Your organization doesn’t have to happen all at once. Allow yourself the time to find what you want at a price you are willing to pay. Being organized doesn’t have to cost a fortune!
Posted on February 24, 2008
I think that I have am in the final stage of grieving. What am I grieving, you ask? Sleeping in. I know many of you are tired of hearing me complain about Chloe’s early mornings. But, what you have to understand is that I was the person that loved to sleep until noon, up to when I had Chloe. I am not kidding, while most people outgrew this stage in college, I was hanging on to it. I even slept until noon most weekends while I was pregnant. I LOVE sleeping in. I am by nature a night owl, and this early morning stuff was frustrating and painful for me.
I now realize that what I have been going through is, in essence, the grief process.
Stage1: Denial- “This is just a phase, she’ll grow out of it.”
Stage 2: Anger- me: “She’s trying to kill me!” John: “No, she’s not.” Me: “Then she’s trying to make me crazy!” John: “That may be.”
Stage 3: Bargaining- “Maybe if we keep her up until 8 pm she’ll sleep in?” “Maybe if I make her nap later in the day? Or earlier in the day?” “Chloe, mommy will put you in your pack in play if you get up again!” “John, if you get up with her today, I’ll get up with her tomorrow. ”
Stage 4: Depression- For this stage, I spent almost a week on the couch while watching movies with Chloe, just so I could get a little bit extra sleep.
Stage 5: Acceptance. After talking to many of the ladies in my mom’s club about their children’s sleeping habits, I have come to realize that I am not alone. That many children wake up early and continue to wake up early until they are teenagers. I have now accepted that Chloe is one of those children, and I can either accept it, or continue to whine about how much I hate it. Since, it is well known that I hate it, and it is not fixing the situation to whine, my only logical choice is to accept it. Just don’t be terribly surprised if the next time you see me I am babbling like an idiot, wearing my clothes backwards, and having hallucinations from the total lack of sleep. (Sorry, change is hard for me!)
Posted on February 22, 2008
Like most toddlers, Seth and Chloe have a love/hate relationship. They love each other in theory, but when they are asked to share it becomes pure, unadulterated, hatred!
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