Play It Up

Before I was a mom there were a ton of things I said I wouldn't do; use a binkie or eat junk food just to name a few.  And certainly not WATCH T.V.  But since Aven's arrival {okay maybe a little before} I have been using t.v. as a babysitter.  I'll admit it.  I am not proud of it, but sometimes you just need to serve and if Mickey Mouse Clubhouse bought me 30 minutes, then by all means I was doing it.

Then one episode turned into two {because I was in the middle of mopping the kitchen and didn't need any extra 'help' to get it done}.  Then two turned into three {because after I was done mopping, I just wanted to rest for a little bit}.

I knew it had become a problem when Emrie would start acting bored or cranky and my first thought was to turn on a cartoon.  I knew it was an even BIGGER problem when Emrie would wake up from her nap and the first thing she would say was "BUBBA" {for Bubble Guppies}.  Something had to change, and that is when I began reflecting on my parenting practices in general.

As a teacher I was extremely organized.  Every day had a routine and every activity had a procedure.  Of course, as every teacher knows, I had an arsenal of "I'm through, what do I do" activities up my sleeve. 

If motherhood is my career, why have I not been taking it as seriously and being as intentional as I was when I was teaching.  These are my own kids, don't they deserve the same amount of thought {if not more} than my students.

To combat my T.V. babysitter urge, I am implementing a few new ideas:

1. This weekend I will be making "Busy Bags"
2. Bible Story of the Week
3. Read an hour a day

Busy Bags are fun, simple and cheap activities that are pre-assembled in baggies with age appropriate activities for toddlers.  Activities can be things like matching games, sorting games, or fine motor skill games.  There are tons of ideas on Pinterest for busy bags and I will share the ones I have assembled next week.  These will be great go-to activities when we are "bored" or even to throw in the diaper bag when we are out and about.

Emrie is certainly of the age {although kids are never too young to start this} to begin hearing Bible Stories.  Each week we will focus on one story from the Bible and learn about it all week.  There are tons of resources online for almost any Bible story and the Family Christian Book Store also has tons of great resources.

Reading for ONE hour a day sounded daunting at first, but then I realized we were already doing at least 30 minutes a day anyway and if you break it up, it is really simple.  Attaching reading to sleeping is the easiest way for me to get in the full time.  15 minutes on either side of sleeping is all we need to get our hour in.  When Emrie wakes up in the morning we can read for 15 minutes while she eats breakfast {or I'm feeding the baby}, then 15 minutes after each of her 2 naps during the day, then 15 more minutes with Daddy before she goes to bed at night. DONE!

In addition to these three things, I have also started making a list that I have hung in the playroom of activities that we can do instead of watching T.V.  They are really simple, but it is nice to have a list written down so I don't have to think on the spot.  Having all the supplies organized and available is key also, because if it is complicated to prepare, you won't do it.

Here is the beginning of my list, suggestions are ALWAYS welcomed:

Play Ideas:
Play dough
Magnet words
Chalk
Coloring
Painting
Dress up
Trains
Bikes
Play Ball

Field Trip Ideas:
Park
Pool/Splash pad
Convalescent  Home
Zoo
Children's Museum
Nature Walk
Library