Update on Chair Time

If you read my original post, you know my goal was to have Caleb sitting for Chair Time for 30-minutes by the end of March. I underestimated his abilities! For the last week, Caleb has been quietly "reading" on his chair for 35 minutes at a time!

This was a good reminder to me that toddlers are capable of much more than we often realize. Their behavior (or misbehavior) is often (not always, but often) a reflection of our expectations. I am guilty of making excuses for Caleb in many situations where I probably shouldn't. I am not talking about being hard-nosed or ungracious for times when he is truly tired or hungry or upset for some reason, but a lot of times, I am the problem because I am either too lazy or too preoccupied to let Caleb know what my expectations are or to consistently follow through with consequences.

Like most kids his age, he still LOVES to please me. When I ask him to do simple tasks, he usually jumps on the opportunity. . . even when that task is to sit quietly on the bus with his hands folded. I need to remember this and use it to my advantage right now, because it won't always be this easy to train him!

Recipe for a Fun Bath

Mix Together:
1 dirty little boy
1/2 tub luke-warm water
1 Tbs bubble bath
3 Crayola Bath Tub Fingerpaints

Add a dash of creativity and a pinch of silliness.
Allow to set for at least 30 minutes!






Thanks, Yvette, for providing the Finger Paints =)

What happens when you dress your 17-month-old in size 18-months

Yesterday morning, I was at the kitchen sink when suddenly I heard Caleb behind me in the entryway.

"Mommy. . . Mommmmy."

"What's up, Bud?" I said, without turning around.

"Mommmmmmmmmy. . . " he said in a whine.

"Goofy-Goof, you need to stop whining and tell Mommy what you need in a nice voice."

"Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy. . . "

I finally turned around and saw this:


I don't know if it was his predicament or the look on his face that made me laugh so hard. All I can say is that I'm thankful I had my camera nearby.

Just for Fletch

Can't-Tag-Me-But-I-Can-Tag-You-I'd-Rather-Be-A-Dog-Named-Killer Fletch challenged me to complete the "What's on your desk" meme. Being the good sport that I am, I am playing along.

My "desk"
(aka an end table in the living room because space in our flat is limited)

Inventory: A bunch of random cords on the floor, a telephone, a MacBook Pro and a few books. Nothing fancy, but it foots the bill around here.

Would you rather. . .

I've been tagged by my favorite female cousin with a mid-western accent =)

Here is the game: If you are tagged, you have to post a "Would you rather" on YOUR blog and then tag 5 people.

Would you rather be a dog named Killer or a cat named Fluffy?
(I'll confess I saw this one somewhere)

I'm tagging Christianne, Yvette, Kirsten, Elizabeth and the recently-returned-blogger, Howiesgal. (I would have tagged Fletch but he just announced a few days ago that he's too good to do these. However, in this case, it is quite sad that he doesn't do them because with creativity such as his, I can only imagine that it would have been a great "would you rather. . .")

Can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Toddler Training: Chair Time

Every morning, after breakfast, Caleb has "chair time." On some days, I let Caleb pick out a few books or a small toy, on other days, I choose for him. I arrange the books on his special chair and he climbs up for some quiet play time. The idea is for him to be able to sit quietly for an extended period of time. We started with 5-minute sessions, are currently at 10 minutes, and have a goal of 30 minutes by the end of March.

"Chair Time" has been a great addition to our day! Caleb is learning to focus and play quietly, and I am able to use the 10 minutes to do the breakfast dishes, start a load of laundry or get myself ready for the day.


In the afternoon, we alternate between "Blanket Time" and "Tent Time". . . same idea only Caleb either "reads" quietly on a small blanket I put out on the living room floor, or plays quietly in his pop-up tent.

I can't take credit for coming up with this wonderful idea (I've read about it in a few books and seen variations of it on blogs like this one) but it has been working so well for us that I wanted to pass along the idea to you.

Best Way to Start the Day

Baking is Better than Disneyland

Today, I introduced Caleb into the world of baking. . . well, sort of. Since we didn't actually do any baking because we made these, what I introduced to him was the world of dumping pre-measured ingredients into a pot and stirring.

Step 1: Dump everything Mom gives you into the pot.

Step 2: Take a sip of milk from the measuring cup.


Step 3: Smile real big.


Step 4: Clean-up. Be sure to lick every last bit of chocolately peanut butter goodness off!



To a curious, mess-loving 16-month old, I am pretty darn sure that dumping, stirring and "cleaning" are more exciting than a trip to Disneyland. And since Disneyland is a lot more expensive and time-consuming (especially considering the trans-Pacific flight such a trip to would entail right now), a 30-minute "baking" project ranks higher in this Mom's book, too!

Caleb's Quilt

Sharon has been asking me for a picture of the quilt Yvette made Caleb for Christmas. The quilt is a train theme (hard to see from the picture) and very cute.

123

My friend, Christianne, tagged me about a week ago. We've had house guests for the last 10 days and I haven't had a quiet minute to sit and blog. This morning, my sister-in-law offered to give the kids a bath so, VOILA!, here I am =)

************
For the 1-2-3 meme, the directions are:

1) Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2) Open the book to page 123.
3) Find the fifth sentence.
4) Post the next three sentences.
5) Tag five people.

***********
1. Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel (recommended to me a few months ago by Heather over at LazyDRanch. . . thanks, Heather.)
2. page 39. . . . 103. . . .127. . . 123. . . okay, I'm there.
3. 1 period, 2 periods, 3 periods, 4 periods, 5 periods. Got it.
4. "Cheaters sometimes win. One dimensional people often end up with more money. Selfishness, cunning and backstabbing are often the faster tracks to fame." (Can I break the rules and post the next sentence as well?) "Grace dictates that we keep achievement goals in context with the children's bigger role as members of God's chosen people."
5. Uh-oh! I don't know if I know 5 people to tag since most of my regular readers have already been tagged. If you've already been tagged, just ignore this =)
Mom, Yvette, Sharon, cousin Jessica and Jessica in Colorado. . . tag, you're it!