| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| 22shortie |
Posted - May 05 2008 : 1:31:54 PM
Abby is a VERY VERY active almost two year old. It's hard to keep her focused on any one thing for very long. I try to involver her in as many things as possible around the house. I was just curious how much your toddlers help out. What kinds of things to they do to help with chores? What do they do for fun around the house besides sitting and watching tv? I need osme creative inspiration for a very very busy kiddo!
Abby likes cleaning so I tak advantage of the help. She gets to sweep the floor( I give her the broom and let her sweep before I go over it later), She takes her small laundry basket to the washroom and she hands the clothes to me one by one as I put them in the washer, after I empty the waste baskets around teh house, she relines them with a grocery bag. She also helps me water the garden every evening around 6pm. For fun she just likes to follow me around, get into the dishes under the sink, color, draw and play in the yard and swim. But she wants me to do EVERYTHING WITH her. I guess I have created a monster because I am a stay at home mom and since she was born, I have done pretty much everything wiht her. I don't know if she'll ever have an imagination :) Anyway, I wanna know about your toddlers!
Fresh and creative projects popping up on my blog daily! Stop by and check out what I'm up to today!
http://pumpkinseed-unscripted.blogspot.com/ |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| kindacrunchymom |
Posted - May 13 2008 : 5:11:03 PM
DD has "helped" around the house since she was about 18 months old. Her favorite things to do:
Make lemonade (she squeezes lemons now, and has been a good "dumper" for a long time)
Throws wood into the wood box from the pile
Gardening
She also loves the spray bottle--when I mop, I put the cleaner (non toxic, no rinse) into a spray bottle, and I mop wherever she sprays. It is done in a snap and she's happy!
Folding
Any cooking things like mixing, pouring, etc
Now she also knows how to slice things like bananas and strawberries, so she makes a lot of fruit salad :-)
There's a great site/catalog, for kid-sized tools (she has her own broom, dust mop, and other things) called montessori services. Everything is very reasonable price-wise too!
Farmmom to my 3 year old farm tot, and wife to a country boy!
To learn more about me, here is my blog:
http://mcadmom.wordpress.com/
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| ddmashayekhi |
Posted - May 06 2008 : 7:49:58 PM
I have my 4 year old help set the table every night for dinner. He also works out in the yard with me. He is great at raking leaves & putting them in the cart. He also cleans up all the weeds I pull and picks up sticks and branches in the yard for me as well. He's been doing this since he was old enough to walk. I also have him help carry in the groceries, make his bed and dust furniture. We are working on loading the dishwasher now. As he gets taller, I'll add on the chores. Erik really loves helping mommy and after raising two other boys, I know now is the time to instill a good work ethic in him.
Dawn in IL |
| 22shortie |
Posted - May 06 2008 : 5:58:26 PM
AWESOME IDEA sheila! Why haven't i ever thought of this?!??! Abby would SO love doing that! I'm gonna pick up a new spray bottle tomorrow! Thanks for the idea!
Fresh and creative projects popping up on my blog daily! Stop by and check out what I'm up to today!
http://pumpkinseed-unscripted.blogspot.com/ |
| SheilaC |
Posted - May 06 2008 : 5:43:42 PM
How about a spray bottle full of water and a rag to clean just about everything? Easy, FUN FUN FUN, and actually helps a bit too! My daughter is 3, but has loved thie "job" for a long time. |
| catscharm74 |
Posted - May 06 2008 : 12:07:42 PM
Oh no offense taken!! Everyone has to do what is right for them and if once in awhile we are not allowed to scream and throw a hissy fit, well we would explode!! There are days I am so grateful for daycare and other days I miss him terribly but I have to do what I have to do. I couldn't imagine having him home while I try to do school work and being a single parent right now, I would be bald from pulling my hair out.
I have found when I stay true to who I am, Charlie seems a lot calmer and sweeter. I swear kids pick up on vibes. Sometimes, I just pile the pillows on the floor and we watch old cartoon all day... I sneak in a little half awake nap and just relax while Charlie plays around me. This weekend, we built a quilt fort and hid under it all day. I used his napping mat to make myself a nice comfy spot and we watched movies.
I am the weird mom that lets her kid get covered in dirt (and myself), the house is always torn up on the weekends, I act like a little kid at the park with Charlie (and usually end up with all the kids and dogs around..ha!!) and I try to find the fun in everything.
Heather
Yee-Haw, I am a cowgirl!!!
FARMGIRL #90 |
| 22shortie |
Posted - May 06 2008 : 11:28:09 AM
oh girl we sound so much alike! I tell abby to do some pointless things just so she'll get off on her own for a bit. It's funny how ceative we get as moms when we need a break huh? One time I was so desperate for a break that I emptied a whole box of dry oatmeal into a huge bowl and let her stir it or do whatever withit and after she had her fun I just swept it all up. It was everywhere in my kitchen, but at least I got like 20 mins to myself, to think in my "adult voice"..lol
By the way, I hope noone was offened about the daycare thing. That just happens to be the thing that poeple say to tick me off...they nned to just bug off : )
Anyway, I wish you the best of luck while your husband is away and hope you hang in there. I don't know how you girls do it but thanks!
Fresh and creative projects popping up on my blog daily! Stop by and check out what I'm up to today!
http://pumpkinseed-unscripted.blogspot.com/ |
| catscharm74 |
Posted - May 06 2008 : 10:05:21 AM
Rebekah- Believe me, I understand. I get it the opposite way as in "What you can't handle your kid, so you ship him off to daycare?" Yep- not that I am a full time student and dad is deployed and we raised him ourselves for the past 2 years. Half the time, Charlie is chasing me from room to room, hiding, I give him things to pick up. If the garbage truck comes, I tell him to run to the window and wave. Often, when I get overwhelmed, I just take him around the block and burn energy. It does get better and the memories are the best.
Heather
Yee-Haw, I am a cowgirl!!!
FARMGIRL #90 |
| 22shortie |
Posted - May 06 2008 : 08:55:51 AM
Heather...sounds like charlie and abby could be twins! Both very busy kiddos! And too smart for their britches too!
Everyones comments have really lifted my spirits today. I worry that abby gets bored when I can't entertain and occupie her constantly but I just dont always have the energy to keep up with her all day long. Alot of people have told me " oh she needs to go to daycare so she can learn to play and intereact wiht other kids and pretend". I have put my heart and soul into that precious babys life for the past 21 months and to hear someone claim that a daycare could do more for her than I could do just irritates the poo outta me! I realise thaat alot of people put their kids in daycare for one reason or another and it may be better for their lifestyle but since i am blessed to be able to stay home with her I prefer it that way and think it fits better with our life and our plans for raising her. ANyway, Im so glad to hear from other moms that find creative ways to involve the little ones without making them feel like their in the way. I am completely in awe of you moms who are keeping up with your kiddo energy and involving them in the housework and things around the house. I guess practice makes perfect. I'm still trying to get the hang of it all : )
Fresh and creative projects popping up on my blog daily! Stop by and check out what I'm up to today!
http://pumpkinseed-unscripted.blogspot.com/ |
| tziporra |
Posted - May 05 2008 : 8:08:53 PM
Ever since I read a book on Waldorf preschools which said something like "the school should be as home-like as possible, with opportunities for house work type activities like sweeping, laundry and baking," I've worked hard to involve my little ones in every aspect of housekeeping and called it Waldorf-style homeschool :D
We have a strict schedule of activities (the old-fashioned "wash-on-monday" bit) and the kids pitch in with everything I do. My twenty-month old:
"folds" laundry -- I give him the square rags I use for cleaning, since I don't really care if they get folded at the end of the day or not.
tears lettuce for salads -- this is such a great toddler job.
plays in the sink with plastic cups while I'm cooking -- watch the hot water tap closely
starts the dishwasher
plays with dough on cooking day -- I just make extra and resign myself to doughy kids
clears his own dishes from the table
tidies the common rooms -- note that this is almost ALWAYS harder than doing it myself. I still think it's important.
fools around with brooms, sometimes scattering my carefully collected dust piles. Oh well, I can always re-sweep ;)
puts everything he finds that looks REMOTELY like laundry in the laundry baskets.
My four year old is my right hand. She loves to help measure and mix ingredients, get stuff from the fridge, fold laundry, sift flour, load and unload the dishwasher, set and clear the table, or whatever else strikes her fancy. She's less excited about putting toys away, but she can be bribed with stories or the threat of not getting out the next toy.
I don't know how I'll ever send her to "real" school -- I won't be able to get anything done!
Best,
Robin |
| one_dog_per_acre |
Posted - May 05 2008 : 3:05:51 PM
My mom always kept a bottom drawer in the kitchen filled with kid friendly utensils, etc; for kids to play with while she cooked. She would let us mix anything we could. When she baked, she would let us cut out cookies, roll out our own tiny desserts, pie. She says that it didn't take much to clean up our messes, and it made us feel important. When I was 19 I got a job as a baker, and the bakery couldn't believe that they didn't have to train me.
Trish
Farmgirl Sister #91
Make cupcakes not war!
FREE TIBET! |
| catscharm74 |
Posted - May 05 2008 : 2:06:25 PM
Oh Rebekah!! You just described Charlie. I think it is absolutely normal and it is such a creative learning time. Sometimes, I give him the duster and let him go to town, entertains for hours. He likes to stack and haul things, so I have him load up his dump truck and drive it up and down the hallway. If I am making something without heat, say a salad or mixing batter, I let him help. I have him run his toys back and forth to his room all day- go get me Dieog's hat, go get your bear, take this book back, bring me 4 red blocks. That keeps him going. I just got him a crank flash light and that is keeping him busy for a while. I bought a plastic tub for drinks but I fill it with water and let him play. I get to sit in the sun and he waters all my flowers and feet.
Charlie just turned 2 and is just starting to do self play here and there, maybe for about 10 minutes. It will come.
Heather
Yee-Haw, I am a cowgirl!!!
FARMGIRL #90 |
| DaisyFarm |
Posted - May 05 2008 : 1:59:50 PM
I don't think you've created a monster at all, just a close bond with a little daughter that is one of life's most valuable things. Treasure every second of it.
Your question brought back a funny memory...my almost 2 yr old loved to help me too. One day I let her "vacuum" the bathroom floor. What could it hurt right? Well, she vacuumed every single drop of water out of the toilet. Funny now, scary then!
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