Two Things: Today's Schedule and Green Month

Our days have needed a little more structure as of late. I've noticed Bennett getting a little antsy and cranky on days when we are home. I also feel a constant struggle between things that need to get done around the house and Bennett's need for me to play with him.

So today, in an effort to love-tap several birds with one stone, Bennett and I devised a little "To Do List" on our easel.

The rule was that we got to trade off picking activities for the morning. Bennett started off the list with play trains, and then I added in item #2 "Get dressed" (translation: let Mama take a shower in peace without trying to toss cars in the shower and asking her, "Can we pway cars?" every 2 minutes).

We weren't super sticklers about the order of things... that's just not how I roll. If Bennett decided he wanted to play trains again during "car play time," that's just fine and dandy. The main purpose of the list is to let him see that his activities are important and given priority in our day while teaching him that Mama also has other responsibilities at home too. It also keeps me on track and helps me balance playtime with work time. I actually really liked the way the morning played out using this schedule.

A few side-notes:

• Item #4 (Reading Lesson) is actually something we just started today. We had an awesome speaker at our MOPS group last night who talked about teaching pre-schoolers to read. She has a very user-friendly curriculum, which we purchased, and I'm excited about it. Check out her website for more info.

• Item #5 (Green Hunt) is referring to our theme for March, Green Month! Bennett is VERY into his favorite color being green right now. If I hand him a blue plate, he will quickly (and somewhat politely) remind me that blue is NOT his favorite color. So for March, I decided that instead of focusing on Shamrocks or Leprechauns, we would focus on green. Bennett is VERY excited about it.

• One item that somehow didn't make it onto the To Do List was: "Make a fort using every toy bin in the playroom, thereby dumping every toy we own onto the ground." Oh, but don't worry. Bennett took care of that item while I was getting dressed (#2).

• Today's activity, the "green hunt" was just walking around the neighborhood looking for things that are green. We picked up leaves, clovers and green sticks, and when we got home, we talked about the word "nature" and what that means. Then we taped the leaves to a paper and hung it in the playroom. Simple, but Bennett loved it. I am learning with Bennett that he enjoys simple things MUCH more than big, elaborate productions. Even though I'm all about the glitzy, glittery crafts, that's just not Bennett's thang... and I'm learning to plan our activities accordingly. I'm trying.

But I cannot promise that we won't have some sort of elaborate rainbow/pot 'o gold fiasco on Saint Patrick's Day. Baby steps, people... baby steps.

I'm only human after all...