Here, there, and everywhere…

One of the things I find myself worrying about on a weekly basis is how I balance the hours my children spend at home. I know they need time for imaginative play, rest, interaction, instruction, entertainment, etc. So, most recently, I’ve decided that we’re watching too much television. Granted it’s the dead of winter and outdoor activities are not a good option, but when we start talking about Dora the Explorer as if she’s one of our closest friends, we’ve seen too much. Therefore, one afternoon last week I told the girls that I was going to turn the TV off and give them some time to just play with each other.

I could hear them talking, and I thought everything was going so well. Then, I found them sitting on a mound of pillows in our bedroom staring at a corner:

I asked them what they were doing and Toddler 1 replied (as she fiddled with a toy remote)…

“We’re playing like we’re watching TV.”

{Sigh}

Another thing we’re working on around here is getting Toddler 1 over her dislike of her class at church.  We’ve been through these rough patches before, and we had finally gotten into a good stride with both girls where no one cried at drop-off.  Well, that was short-lived because ever since the David and Goliath incident, Toddler 1 has developed an aversion to church.  Due to her new fear of what they call Pals–the time when they get all the preschool-age kids together in a big group setting–she doesn’t like to go.  So, her teachers have graciously (and cleverly) devised a plan to help her readjust.  Each week, they draw out a schedule for her so she can visualize the hour and a half she’ll be spending there and work her way through the morning.

I’m not quite sure what they’re doing in that first box, but you’ll notice that the schedule culminates with me arriving to pick her up.  The first week that they drew this out for her, the “Momma” had a much cuter haircut than any I’ve ever had.  The wild one above is (sadly) much more accurate.  Oh, well.  This schedule thing is brilliant, and it works.

Meanwhile, Toddler 2 is doing great with her class and the whole drop-off procedure.  Unfortunately, though, the lessons seem to be a little advanced for the average two-year old.  This was the take-home from her story on Jesus turning water into wine last week:

When we asked her about the craft she had made (presumably a splash of wine on a stick), she said…

“It’s a fire!”  (actually she said “pire” but we all knew what she meant)

At least she’s happy…

As you can tell, this post has no rhyme or reason.  Therefore, I will end with this… a picture of the state of our den after I attempted to cook dinner while the girls “read” a magazine together:

 
And, this is why I don’t cook much.