No, thank you. I did NOT know what I was thinking.
September 21, 2010
Remember how I mentioned the other day that Sophia is an enormous pain in the...school day? When we're trying to do school, she's irritated and seems to take it as a personal affront/challenge. It can be trying, is what I'm saying.
So I had this BRILLIANT idea! I got a big mat that sticks to the wall. You draw on it and wipe it clean, and I got some markers that were just the right size for her little hands, and I proceeded to be very pleased with myself, because DRAWING! She will SO LOVE THAT! I have just bought myself MINUTES of peace! Some of them consecutive, I'm almost sure!
So the next day, when we started school, I set her up with her drawing site and her markers, and let her go. And I was right, she was thrilled.
I was also INSANE, because what I had done was hand my 17-month-old a buncha markers and let her go hog wild.
And oh, she did.
She immediately set to work, bringing her vision to pass.
I mean, she really LEANED into it...wait a minute. ARE YOU LICKING THE MARKERS? STOP THAT!
And she was sorry.
It's just the markers. Mama...they are so awesome...and...yummy...
And they feeeeeeel good, Mama!
So instead of moments of peace, what I bought myself was a flurry of me redirecting her to draw on her mat, no, sweetie, ON THE MAT, and maniacally wiping down the wall, the floor, her self, myself, and in one shrieky instance, her brother's right knee. She was in heaven, simply ALIVE with the colors and all the places to put them. I was racing around like a one-armed paper hanger, trying to stay ahead of the tidal wave of her markering.
And how well did I do, in the end?
Yeah. Dropping everything for a mid-day bath doesn't help the school day go any smoother either.
But I was right about one thing. She DID have fun.
I hope those aren't the high frutose corn syrup kind of markers. That could be bad for her health.
Posted by: Clay | September 21, 2010 at 11:07 PM
Laughed so hard I may have to go back to bed.
Posted by: Amma Always | September 22, 2010 at 06:03 AM
Luckily I'm very skilled at reading between the lines, and YES. I'd love to go to lunch with you sometime very soon.
Posted by: Vern | September 22, 2010 at 06:40 AM
Oh boy. Or should I say, oh GIRL. You have got your hands full with that one, but at least your hands will be full AND brightly colored.
Posted by: Aimee | September 22, 2010 at 08:46 AM
hahahahaha! I love it! Nothing like a child to ruin a mother's stroke of genius!
Posted by: laura | September 22, 2010 at 09:23 AM
Ha ha ha! I laughed so hard becuase I in a similar stroke of pure genius did the exact same thing last week! :) I'm still trying to get dry erase marker off the front door!
Posted by: MommaMindy | September 22, 2010 at 09:53 AM
Bwa ha ha! I love it! I have so many pictures of my kids covered with marker. Why is it so much more fun to draw on any surface but paper?
Posted by: Mamadragon | September 22, 2010 at 11:02 AM
I laughed so hard I cried - it brings back memories of my boys when they her age. So much work - so much fun!! She's precious
Posted by: Pamela L | September 22, 2010 at 06:37 PM
My 2 yo loves to rip the paper off of her crayons. It keeps her entertained. I don't care as long as she continues to happily put things in the trash can (she has been in this stage for a long time where she wants to throw things away).
I have found that if I give her a bucket of change to play with, she will entertain herself for a half an hour at least. She counts from 1-10 with them (sometimes 1 is a handful of coins). She tries to determine which ones are dimes, quarters, etc. (not always well). I can only do this because she has luckily never been big on putting anything but food in her mouth (even as a baby). I wouldn't dream of allowing my 9 mo to do this (probably not even when she is 2) since EVERYTHING goes into her mouth.
Posted by: Billie | September 23, 2010 at 11:48 AM